Gazing Down on the World

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[Powerful female marquis and general × beautiful cat-demon beggar boy]

The capital had been abuzz lately.

Word had it that Marquis Jing'an, the current head of the general's household, had taken in a pretty young beggar, doted on him, and kept him at home every day. She had even turned down the crown prince’s advances.

People gossiped with relish, spreading rumors that Marquis Jing'an had been bewitched by a fox spirit.

Wan Ci, Marquis Jing'an, was the foremost female general and marquis in the Eastern Wu Dynasty. Her literary talent rivaled the chancellor’s, and her military prowess surpassed the generals’. Yet this orphaned daughter of a general’s household had publicly grabbed a beautiful beggar boy by the collar, tossed him into a carriage, and hauled him home.

The emperor received memorials every day accusing her of abducting respectable young men, and it gave him a headache.

He summoned her to the imperial study to question her. Wan Ci replied calmly, "Our feelings are mutual."

The crown prince jumped in. "That’s a lie! I saw you mistreating him!"

The next day, the crown prince followed Marquis Jing'an to her residence to investigate. Pointing at the marks around the man’s wrists, he asked Jiang Xiulin, "Does Marquis Jing'an beat you often? Don’t be afraid. Tell the truth, and I, the crown prince, will see justice done."

Most of Jiang Xiulin’s neck was exposed, marked with overlapping bruises and unmistakable traces of intimacy. He shook his head in confusion as he gnawed on a chicken leg. "That’s not true. The marquis treats me very well."

The crown prince: "???"

Jiang Xiulin had always thought he was incredibly lucky to meet someone so kind. After losing his memory, he’d wandered around the outskirts. If he hadn’t been fortunate enough to meet Marquis Jing'an, he would have frozen to death outdoors that winter.

Marquis Jing'an’s moods were unpredictable, but she doted on beautiful people. Countless people tried to win her favor, only to be ruthlessly discarded after a few days.

When they saw that Jiang Xiulin not only ate well and lived comfortably at the residence, but was also dressed in luxurious finery, leaning sweetly and timidly in Marquis Jing'an’s arms and sharing her sedan chair, enjoying her exclusive devotion, they could no longer hold back. They all cursed Jiang Xiulin as a fox spirit reborn, a seducer who bewitched people’s hearts.

Jiang Xiulin lay across Wan Ci’s lap, secretly pouting as he complained: Those people are just jealous! They’re bitter because they can’t have what I have, and now they’re making up ridiculous stories about me being a fox spirit. Marquis, you have to see the truth, sob sob sob sob sob.

But he never expected that he really was a demon...

[Reader’s notes]

* This novel is the ancient, fictional prequel to the main couple’s story in Wolfish and Vicious [Entertainment Industry]. The ending is tragic.

* Both leads are sexually inexperienced. The female lead dotes on the male lead, who is simply a weak little cat demon.

* No unsolicited writing or wording advice, and no promotion of invented words. This is an entertainment novel, so please do not extrapolate its values. No textual analysis, and please do not mention unrelated events in the comments. Comments of that sort will be deleted. Everyone has their own taste; if you drop the novel, there’s no need to announce it. By opening this novel, you acknowledge that you have read the above guidelines.

* The author isn’t particularly good at writing historical romance. This is just a practice piece, so please read with caution if that bothers you. Please forgive any shortcomings. The author is working hard to improve...

Weibo: @Wu Xuanqing - Now With Excellent Eyes

Theme: Establish a heart for heaven and earth, a life for the people, continue the lost teachings of past sages, and bring peace to all generations.