[Drafting progress: The prologue is complete]
When Zhao Lanxi came of age at fifteen, she did not get to marry her childhood sweetheart, Zhou Zhao, as she had hoped. Instead, her father forced her into the bridal sedan bound for the Prince of Qin's residence. The moment she crossed its threshold, she became the prince's concubine, Lady Lan.
Only later did she learn that her father had betrayed his word, seized the Zhou family's property, and traded her for the Prince of Qin's protection.
After burying his parents, Zhou Zhao went to the capital under an assumed name. The gentle, jade-like young man survived one brush with death after another, making his way through the darkness with careful steps.
Five years later, the emperor died. The Prince of Qin rebelled and was sentenced to beheading by order of the crown prince.
In the gloomy dungeon, Zhou Zhao held the sword bestowed by the emperor and drove it into the Prince of Qin's chest.
"Your Highness, how could you lay a hand on Lanxi?" he said with a smile, striking without mercy. "She can only be mine."
As a relative of a traitor, Lanxi thought she was as good as dead. When she accepted the cup of poisoned wine from Zhou Zhao, her face was pale, but she wore a gentle smile. "I wish you a bright future, my lord."
When she awoke, however, she had become the unmarried wife imprisoned in the home of the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review.
Later, she took her own life with a short knife. Holding her in his arms, he could not stop himself from breaking down in tears.
"Heaven left us battered and bruised, but love lets us save each other."
* The female lead is not a virgin; the male lead is a virgin. The male lead is gentle early on, then grows dark and unhinged in the middle. Sweet at first, then angsty, then sweet again.
* The male lead's parents were killed by the second male lead. The female lead's father only wanted wealth; he did not kill anyone.
* The female lead had a hard time during her marriage, and the male lead suffered terribly as he grew up. Both of them have it rough.
* If you don't like melodramatic stories, this one isn't for you.
Blurb archived on October 7, 2023
Theme: Love lets people who have been battered and bruised save each other.
