Rising with the Wind

[Complete]

[My new novel, The Long Night Endures, is now underway! Follow the daughter of a convicted official as she seeks to clear her family's name. Blurb below.]

[An ambitious young general and a clear-eyed, independent, otherworldly shopkeeper]

*

Romance:

Wen Zhao's first fifteen years were full of twists and turns.

The year she came of age, her master died of illness, leaving her without the only family she had.

She had watched her master suffer the scorn of countless people simply because, in their eyes, she was no more than a woman craftsman.

She had also learned how her master was mistreated by both her birth family and her husband's family, like a caged bird whose cries were all she could make.

She had seen it all.

So she never wanted to tie herself to anyone. She only wanted to look after the Construction Pavilion and live peacefully beside clear mountain streams.

Until someone came along.

The first time Wen Zhao met Song Lianhuai, the young man stood proudly, silencing the troublemakers with just a few words.

Later, he protected her and gradually became the only person she could rely on.

Once, beneath a softly glowing gauze lantern, he carefully pressed a kiss to her lips.

Just as their love was at its sweetest, Song Lianhuai suddenly disappeared. The next day, news came from the capital that the General of the Agile Cavalry was seeking the hand of a noblewoman from a distinguished family.

Wen Zhao suddenly understood.

Song Lianhuai came from a powerful family, while she was a commoner. They were worlds apart and could never be together.

So she left without a word and never set foot in the capital again.

*

After Song Lianhuai was demoted to Jinjiang, he concealed his identity and made secret plans, drawing many people into his schemes.

Wen Zhao was the only variable.

But he was still powerless to act as he wished, unable to clear the way for her in many matters.

So later, when he had risen to great power, he watched her live as freely as the wind, watched her grow day by day, and watched other people gradually enter her life.

He resolved to break free of his constraints and return to her side.

When he faced her distant gaze, his pride seemed to shatter, and his eyes reddened.

"A Zhao."

He choked out, "I was wrong."

*

Plot:

A popular storybook eventually took the capital by storm.

The storyteller tapped his clapper, and the whole teahouse fell silent as everyone leaned forward, eyes wide, waiting for the tale.

"Ten years ago, the rebellion in Cangzhou took place. The prosperous Jinjiang of today was then no more than a rundown little city. It couldn't withstand the ferocious attack. The battle raged beneath darkened skies, with beacons blazing across the land..."

"And what happened next?"

"Then the County Lady Qingping, personally invested by His Majesty, appeared out of nowhere and headed for the border alongside the young General of the Agile Cavalry. Not only did they successfully repair the city walls, they routed Cangzhou's forces. They weathered every hardship together and became a devoted couple, their love an enduring tale that spread far and wide!"

The storyteller drew out the suspense. His resonant voice flowed like a stream as he began to recount the stirring history:

"Back then, they were just two obscure youngsters who overcame countless hardships to reach where they are today. It all began twelve years ago. The future County Lady Qingping was just a little shopkeeper in Jinjiang, while the General of the Agile Cavalry had been demoted and appointed county magistrate in Jinjiang..."

*

P.S.

1. Only the blurb has changed. Everything from the previous blurb is still in the story.

2. The male lead had no choice at the time, but later he firmly chooses the female lead.

3. A sweet, devoted romance. Fictional setting, with plenty of invented details.

4. Both leads are each other's only partners, happy ending.

---Blurb for The Long Night Endures---

Before she turned ten, Shen Yunjiang was a celebrated noblewoman in the capital.

But in the year she turned ten, her entire family was convicted of treason because of her father's supposed collusion with the enemy, and they were executed. Her mother risked her life to entrust her to the Marquis of Wuan and his wife, old friends of many years. A convicted official's daughter, she had to hide her identity and live under another family's roof.

Unwilling to burden anyone, she ran away one snowy night.

But she accidentally witnessed the Marquis of Wuan's distinguished eldest son kill someone.

The young man calmly wiped the blood from his sword with the snow, then stepped over the body and walked toward her.

Someone like him...

He carried her across the endless snowy wilderness, letting her tears fall on his shoulder.

Then he said, "Happy birthday."

*

The year she came of age, Shen Yunjiang learned that her father had died an innocent man.

Three generations of loyal servants had been destroyed in a matter of days by the hands of a corrupt court favorite.

By then, Wu Siheng had become an important court official, far beyond her reach.

When she decided to fight alone, the young man led troops in rebellion for her, executing the corrupt court favorite and killing the treacherous officials.

He accompanied her into the long night and helped her conquer the world.

*

With her revenge complete and marriageable age upon her, Shen Yunjiang received one proposal after another.

While others fretted over her choice, she went to a desolate, ruined garden dusted with snowflakes, where the young man in black robes danced tirelessly with his sword.

She approached and softly called, "Elder Brother."

Wu Siheng stood amid the endless snow and wind, his long sword cold as ice.

In that moment,

he wanted to tear it all apart.

*

P.S.

1. A long coming-of-age arc, with the romance and plot each taking up half the story.

2. Both leads are each other's only partners, happy ending.

Theme: Clear-minded independence and tireless self-reliance