The Tower Conceals a Beauty (Both Reborn)

(Possessive pursuit / Groveling arc / Aloof beauty goes mad for love) [Wrongfully Asked for an Imperial Decree, I Married the Right Man is now available. Click through to the author's collection ->] Ji Chiying had always thought Crown Prince Xun was an untouchable flower on a lofty peak. No matter how persistently she pursued him, he treated her as if she didn't exist, never once sparing her a glance. She never expected him to go so mad. He murdered his father, stole his minister's wife, and hid her on the tower before the Eastern Palace. * Chiying had loved Ji Xun since childhood, but Ji Xun had always avoided her. At a spring banquet, a neighboring state sent envoys to propose a princess as a prince's consort. She knew that a princess, raised on the generosity of the whole realm, ought to shoulder the duty of a political marriage. So, beneath his indifferent gaze, she climbed into the marriage carriage and traveled far away to another country. In the end, she was manipulated at every turn and died within the palace walls. Reborn, she no longer wanted to waste her life on romance. She only wanted to live in peace. So, before the events of her previous life could happen, she needed to quickly find someone trustworthy and settle on a marriage, far from all this trouble. Living deep in the palace, the only suitable man she had a chance to meet was He Jiu'an, the upright and principled friend of the Crown Prince, who often visited the Eastern Palace. Who could have guessed that Crown Prince Xun, who had always disliked her, would abduct her on her wedding day, leaving behind only an empty sedan chair carrying divorce papers as he left the palace. That night, the moon hung high in the sky. Beneath its cold, clear light, he bound her to the tower of the Eastern Palace. Beyond the high platform, her wedding dress lay scattered among fallen apricot blossoms. * Ji Xun had never been favored by the Emperor. Though he was named Crown Prince, it was only because the Emperor feared the power of the Empress's maternal family. When he was young, he was made to kneel in the bitter cold until he could barely feel his body. Only one soft and adorable little girl tucked a hand warmer into his arms. "With me here, you won't be cold!" Through his hazy awareness, he caught only a glimpse of a pale yellow skirt. From that moment on, Ji Chiying became the unattainable moon in his heart. Chiying often came to tease him, but the Empress and Noble Consort had always been enemies. He feared that if she befriended him, the Noble Consort would scold her. So he could only desperately suppress the feelings secretly growing inside him and pretend not to notice her, while quietly taking care of everything for her behind the scenes. He chose the finest man in another country for her and watched her leave in a political marriage, never imagining she would die far from home. The usually calm and self-controlled Crown Prince lost his reason for the first time. He personally led troops into battle, and though he returned victorious, he could never bring that crescent moon back. Reborn, Ji Xun planned to personally offer her everything and never let anyone else touch her. He never expected that in this life, Chiying, usually so gentle and cautious, would find the courage to send a love letter to his friend. [Bonus Scene] One day, Chiying, who had been away from the palace for many years, found a mask in a drawer. The face on the mask was identical to that of the stand-in she had found, whose appearance was three parts like her elder brother's. Holding the mask, she fell into thought: If this face is fake, then who was the man who shared passionate nights with her and went to such lengths to please her? Reading Guide: 1. One couple, both virgins, sweet and angsty, happy ending 2. The heroine was brought into the palace and raised by the Noble Consort. Everyone knows she and the hero are not blood relatives. 3. The heroine grows stronger, starting out delicate and gradually becoming more powerful. 4. The hero slowly goes mad while staying calm on the surface. They save each other and grow together. ★---- Wrongfully Asked for an Imperial Decree, I Married the Right Man ---- [Brothers compete for the same woman + twin brothers] Cui Mei was a famously spoiled young lady in the capital. Her family was prominent, her father and brothers doted on her, and she was bold and uninhibited. Everyone knew she had loved the eldest son of the Xie family, Xie Wuyu, since childhood. But the Xies were a family of upright scholars, and Xie Wuyu was as refined as the wind and moon, a man of impeccable manners. Of course, he would look down on a spoiled and domineering young lady like her. Cui Mei gave him paintings, but he ignored them. She sent him jade, but he coldly refused it. In the end, when Cui Mei learned he intended to propose to someone else, she could no longer hold back. She pleaded and cajoled until she got an imperial decree from His Majesty, ordering the Xie and Cui families to join in marriage. * Xie Wuji and Xie Wuyu were twins. One joined the army, the other studied literature. Unable to bear seeing his elder brother forced into a marriage, Xie Wuji volunteered to take his place and solve his brother's problem. "I've spent years on the frontier and have no interest in love. She's been pampered her whole life and won't be able to stand living alone for long. Before long, she'll ask for a divorce herself. That would be the best outcome." On their wedding night, Xie Wuji was slightly tipsy when he caught sight of the bright young woman, her expression shifting from delight to coyness beneath the flickering red candles. He had expected her to be vulgar and wanton, but when she saw him, she lowered her long lashes and smiled shyly. The seventeen-year-old young general froze for a moment, the tips of his ears turning faintly red. * Cui Mei thought her husband had come down with a strange illness. Sometimes he treated her wonderfully, with all his heart; at other times, he was cold and distant, as if he had become someone else. Only when the Cui family fell into ruin and the young general traveled thousands of miles back to the capital, stormed the palace without permission, and carried her home after she had knelt for three days, heedless of the Emperor's fury, did she realize that the two brothers had deceived her. She left home, leaving behind divorce papers, and vanished without a trace. One brother was secretly delighted, while the other panicked. When Xie Wuji finally found her, his elder brother was gripping her slender waist, his eyes red as he asked, "Mei'er, didn't you... like me at first?" Theme: Growing together