After the Princess Fell Among the Commoners

Blurb

[Pragmatic, fallen young princess vs. sharp-tongued junior official posted to the provinces]

After the emperor passed away, his grandson ascended the throne before reaching adulthood, causing no small amount of resentment among the vassal kings.

Once the new emperor took the throne, he followed the advice of his trusted ministers and began reducing the vassal kings' power, ordering their children to come to the capital as hostages.

Li Qingzhi was the most beloved daughter of her father, Prince Wei, and was among those summoned. She set out for the capital as a hostage alongside her elder brother, the heir.

But they were ambushed on the way. While fleeing, Li Qingzhi became separated from her brother and fell into the hands of human traffickers. Taken by her beauty, they planned to sell her to the biggest pleasure house in the capital.

Li Qingzhi fought desperately and escaped, eventually ending up in Fufeng, a small county in Chenzhou.

By then, Prince Wei, who had long harbored ambitions to seize the throne, had learned that his children had been attacked and were missing. Enraged, he raised an army in rebellion and set his sights on the imperial throne in the capital.

Afraid that revealing her identity would bring disaster upon her, Li Qingzhi no longer dared to admit she was Prince Wei's daughter. After wandering around Fufeng County for two days, she was so hungry she could no longer bear it. She finally stopped in front of a little steamed bun stall and stared longingly...

"Want one?"

A flippant voice sounded behind Li Qingzhi. She turned and saw a young man who looked like a street thug watching her with a smile, his gaze unreadable.

"I do."

"Then be my maid. Deal?"

"Deal."

On the verge of fainting from hunger, Li Qingzhi agreed without hesitation.

She thought that if she didn't find someone to rely on, by the time her father found her, there might not even be a skeleton left.

When Fan Ling was an investigating censor, his upright nature led him to remonstrate against those in power. He offended the powerful empress dowager and was convicted of factionalism, then exiled to Fufeng, a small county in Chenzhou, to serve as a low-ranking county commandant.

Everyone sympathized with him, but Fan Ling was perfectly content. He spent his days idly wandering around town, taking care of public order and enjoying himself immensely.

One day, while strolling through the streets, he spotted a little girl who looked charming and lovely from every angle. Perhaps it was a whim, or perhaps romance was in the air. He couldn't help taking her in as his personal maid.

Only later did he realize he had taken in a little ancestor.

One day, Fan Ling returned home to find an impressive procession outside his door, with carriages and horses filling the steps. A group of nobles in vermilion and purple robes, along with imperial attendants from the royal household, respectfully escorted the little ancestor he'd been looking after for nearly half a year into a carriage. She left without even looking back.

That night, Fan Ling hurriedly wrote a letter begging his father to make peace, asking to be transferred back to the capital.

Reading Guide:

A sweet, straightforward little romance.

A slow burn, with a focus on everyday life.

The heroine is not a strong, independent female lead.

Blurb written October 28, 2023.

Theme: Keep your heart turned toward the light.