The Beauty Wants to Retire

(Two upcoming stories: Reborn as the Greatest Casanova in the Immortal Path and So What If I'm Good-Looking? Please do me the honor of taking a look!)

1.

As the only son of Prince Jingnan, Xie Huaixiao has known since childhood that he can live off his family until he dies.

But fate has other ideas. At ten, the old emperor summons him to the palace to tutor the imperial heirs. He stays until the emperor suddenly dies and a new emperor ascends the throne.

Xie Huaixiao thinks he can finally go home, fish, farm, and live like a carefree immortal. But the new emperor is young and refuses to attend court unless Xie Huaixiao leads him there.

The officials nearly wear down the doorstep of Xie Huaixiao's residence, begging him to stay until the new emperor comes of age.

Xie Huaixiao does the math. The young emperor is sixteen this year, so four years will pass in the blink of an eye. He supposes he can agree.

He makes himself a calendar from 1,447 sheets of paper, tearing off one every day.

The more sheets Xie Huaixiao tears off, the happier he gets. With fewer than a hundred days left, he happily writes to his elderly father at home, telling him to prepare fine wine and a feast so he can come home.

But then a diagnosis from the imperial physician puts an end to Xie Huaixiao's retirement plans.

2.

The emperor sends word that Xie Huaixiao, the Minister of Revenue, must enter the palace to attend to his illness. Others say the new emperor is following the late emperor's example, keeping Xie Huaixiao under house arrest to intimidate Prince Jingnan, who commands troops and has become too powerful.

Xie Huaixiao thinks so too.

Song Qingwu has already grown up and spread his wings. He's no longer the little shadow who needed Xie Huaixiao to protect him and lead him to court.

But Xie Huaixiao still enters the palace, carrying the ring Song Qingwu once promised him in exchange for the emperor's favor. He asks Song Qingwu to honor the oath he made four years ago.

3.

More than ninety days later, Xie Huaixiao writes to his elderly father at home again.

He invites the old prince to the capital to drink a toast to his wedding with the emperor.

[Reader's Guide]

1. Scheming emperor gong x brilliant, laid-back beauty shou who just wants to lie flat

2. They're each other's only ones, with an age-gap of four years and a younger gong who watched the shou grow up

3. A brainless, light read. This time, it'll definitely be sweet, sweet, sweet.

4. Main story complete. Maximum anti-piracy measures.

5. The writing is average and the story may be a bit slow to warm up and subdued. My lifelong goal is to write smoothly and without typos. Synopsis posted with a screenshot on 2023/11/22.

[Next Upcoming Story]

"So What If I'm Good-Looking?"

Sang Dusui, an elite disciple of the Qingshui Sword Sect, has white hair and golden eyes. His heavenly beauty is renowned throughout the cultivation world.

Though the world knows that the Qingshui Sword Sect cultivates the Way of Ruthlessness, suitors seeking to become cultivation partners with Sang Dusui still come in an endless stream.

But Sang Dusui is playful. He accepts each new suitor, one after another. He never agrees to become their cultivation partner, but they're all his "dear big brothers."

Sect Leader Sang Yu is furious. He scolds Sang Dusui for losing his Daoist heart and being unable to cultivate the Great Way, telling him he might as well leave the sword sect and find somewhere else to go.

Sang Yu only means to scare him. Everyone knows Sang Dusui has exceptional talent, and after Sang Yu retires, Sang Dusui is the leading candidate to become the next sect leader of the Qingshui Sword Sect.

Who knew Sang Dusui would go home and shut himself away for three days, then emerge determined to sever ties with the sword sect? He plans to roam the world freely and cultivate the Way of Affection. With help from a mysterious benefactor, he breaks the formation Sang Yu set up and escapes down Sword-Test Mountain in the middle of the night.

The mysterious benefactor traps Sang Yu in an illusion for seven days and seven nights. When Sang Yu finally gets out, Sang Dusui has vanished without a trace. Panicking, he can only ask the founding ancestor, who is meditating in seclusion, to help.

*

Sang Dusui makes it safely down the mountain. Feeling that he ought to be polite, he offers to do one thing for his benefactor.

The benefactor looks troubled and hesitates before saying that someone cursed him, leaving him with too much spiritual energy in his body. If he doesn't disperse it, he'll explode and die in a few days.

Worried by this misfortune, Sang Dusui doesn't know what to do, so he tells his benefactor to suggest a solution. He'll agree to anything.

The benefactor says, "Become my cultivation partner. Once I'm free of the curse, this debt between us will be settled."

Sang Dusui looks at his face, at his radiant, immortal beauty, then thinks of his profound cultivation, powerful enough to trap Sang Yu. He doesn't take long to decide before agreeing.

"When I leave the sect, my master will ask the founding ancestor to come after me," Sang Dusui says. "I can be your cultivation partner, but let's get one thing straight. If the founding ancestor catches up with us, we'll each run for it. Even if you get caught, don't you dare tell them where I am."

The benefactor smiles and asks, "Why are you so afraid of the founding ancestor?"

Sang Dusui sighs. "You don't understand. He wants to eat me."

Theme: Keep pushing forward against the current, even in difficult times