She Is the Chief Minister's Childhood Sweetheart

In her previous life, Pei Zhi'an kept a secret imperial edict hidden away. It was his marriage contract with the princess.

The day he finally met her, the skies were dark with wind and rain. He carried an umbrella with a jade-bone frame he had carved by hand to welcome her, only to see another jade-like consort already standing at her side.

He lowered his eyes and kept silent, waiting for a chance to give her the umbrella, every inch of which had been made to suit her tastes.

Later, a palace coup erupted without warning. He raced thousands of miles with his army to return to the imperial capital. She was already gone. The umbrella had been burned to ashes, leaving only its jade frame.

The histories record: Grand Secretary Pei was accomplished in both letters and arms, with a noble and refined bearing, and a character as pure as jade. After the princess died, he bathed the capital in blood and left the throne vacant. He was ruthless and cruel, and loved nothing but collecting fine wine, though he never tasted a single drop.

Whenever he worked on memorials late into the night, he would pour a cup of wine and raise it toward the empty throne, hope in his eyes: Your Highness, the nuptial wine is here.

When will you answer me?

Three thousand cups of wine poured, ten years a widower.

On the Lantern Festival of his final year, Grand Secretary Pei wore a pale robe that shimmered like moonlight and drank his first cup of wine.

"A thousand years, ten thousand years..." His voice, cool as jade, was hoarse. "I wish only one person to shine bright and clear, like the constant moon, like the rising sun."

The poisoned wine burned like fire down his throat. When he opened his eyes again, his Highness stood before him with a bright smile, offering him a cup of New Year's wine.

Pei Zhi'an looked at his hands, still stained with blood no washing could remove. Darkness roiled in his eyes: Since Your Highness has come to me of your own accord,

I would ask for one more cup of wine.

*

Yu Shi'an was a princess of a fallen kingdom. She hid her identity and joined a group of exiles, then fought her way back from the northern frontier with her consort. She had taken a sword for him, and he had suffered torture for her. Childhood sweethearts, they had faced life and death together, but hearts are quick to change.

On the day of the coup, Consort Xie had eyes as cold as ice and snow. He promised to grant her the rank of Noble Consort after he became emperor.

Yu Shi'an: I'll grant you a death with me.

Reborn, Yu Shi'an returned to the time before her exile. She kicked her consort aside and turned to join another group of exiles: the Pei family, where the Grand Secretary was.

The young man was then as clear and cool as jade, with features like a painting. He already bore a hint of the man from her previous life, who wielded brush and sword to bring peace to the realm, stern and upright as a pine-scented breeze.

The princess and the Grand Secretary met again on a rainy day.

When she learned everything about her previous life, he was kneeling in the rain in a pale robe, slender as a crane.

Yu Shi'an looked down at him, her eyes warming. Softly, she said, "Pei Zhi'an, this time, I found you first."

* They say the capital's flowers are as lovely as brocade, yet when I arrived, I did not find you.

* I pity your jade bones, untouched by heat or cold. Even after a thousand years, our reunion feels as if it were only yesterday.

* The heroine is reborn first. The hero and the supporting male character follow just a little later.

This book has too few followers, so I'm planning to keep it free until it ends. Updates are irregular, but I'll post them as I go~

Theme: Be happy every day