Only the Wutong Tree Can Shelter the Phoenix

The related book in the same series, Painting the Qilin Pavilion, has already launched. They do it first, marry next, and fall in love afterward.

Here is the blurb for this book:

"Unhinged wolf-dog general x intricate-hearted noblewoman" Love and hate | Rekindled romance | A hellish gauntlet of pursuit

Zheng Laiyi, daughter of the Duke's family, traveled south to visit relatives. On her way back to the capital, she was ambushed by rebels and saved by a mysterious man with striking features. Her heart stirred.

The second time she met Shushan Wu, he still wore his armor, a faint smell of blood surrounding him. His deep, inscrutable gaze fell on the screen behind which she was hiding.

The Duke's family made the first move, and Zheng Laiyi, the intended crown princess, got her wish: she married Shushan Erlang, a rising star in Yujing.

Seven years later, Shushan Wu declared himself king and stormed Yujing. The entire Zheng family was slaughtered, and Zheng Laiyi was stabbed through the heart by her husband.

Reborn in the year she first met Shushan Wu, Zheng Laiyi resolved to protect her family, turn the Great Qi dynasty away from decline, and drag the ambitious Shushan clan down to hell.

Just as she wished, the Shushan clan grew more powerful by the day, yet incurred the ruler's suspicion and the court's hostility, until they became targets for everyone.

But her cold, heartless former husband asked her with a look of calm acceptance, "If I die here, will that ease the hatred in your heart?"

She answered calmly and clearly, "No."

"You can only die by my hand."

"In peaceful times, he was the storm of war that she had recognized too late as the beginning of a doomed love. Amid the flames of a turbulent age, she was the peril that burned his hands as he held his torch against the wind."

*The heroine is reborn, and one supporting character is reborn as well. The story is told primarily from the heroine's perspective.

*The hero killed his wife, but there is more to the story. Political intrigue, not a wish-fulfillment novel! Two powerful leads in a turbulent era, with a long, prominent career storyline. I think it's sweet.

*Happy ending.

*The dynasty is mainly based on the Tang system, but the place names, official systems, and so on are fictional. No nitpicking over historical accuracy.

*Related worldbuilding will be posted on Weibo at @Jinjiang Chengkong for interested readers.

Here is the blurb for the upcoming book:

[Aristocratic, aloof, scheming gentleman x gentle, perceptive, guileless beauty]

They do it first, marry next, and fall in love afterward | The chaste man loses control | Intense push and pull | Love rivals | False replacement

"Bi Luo's perspective"

Bi Luo, the eldest daughter of the Zheng family, has a dark secret.

The Emperor arranged her marriage to the son of Fang Suining, Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who was her father's political enemy. Rumor had it that though Fang Suining had the refined beauty of a jade, his ruthless methods terrified the court.

On the eve of the wedding, the atmosphere at home turned icy. She left the city alone and wandered into an unfamiliar Taoist temple, where she met a man as beautiful as jade.

As if possessed, she took the mysterious Taoist priest by the arm and entered the bed curtains. Sweat soaked their robes, and when that reckless dream ended, not a trace remained...

She buried that forbidden night deep in her heart, bade farewell to her parents, left for the family temple, and married into her husband's family in a grand ceremony, watched by the entire court.

The brocade curtains were drawn back, and the bride lifted her fan. Fang Suining, dressed in crimson wedding robes, was as beautiful as a jade tree, but there was no warmth in his gaze.

"Zheng Bi Luo, the inner chambers are nothing like the court. There's no need to put on an act here."

Her long lashes hid her glimmering eyes. She looked heartbroken, but was actually at ease. So be it. If this marriage meant sharing a bed but not a heart, maintaining appearances would be enough.

But after all the years had passed, just when she thought they could part on good terms, her usually indifferent husband clenched the divorce papers she had prepared in his hand, his cold eyes blazing.

"Zheng Bi Luo, were you really just pretending?!"

"Suining's perspective"

Fang Suining was born into an aristocratic clan, a privileged young lord with a silver spoon in his mouth. Before coming of age, he was courted by all six ministries, yet he chose the Ministry of Justice, known for having "no sign above the gate, no ornaments in the hall, no money for officials, and no face for clerks."

A gentleman as beautiful as jade, he spent his days among criminals from every walk of life, overseeing punishments and executions until he was steeped in blood and people avoided him.

Few knew that he had been raised in a Taoist sect from childhood, living a life of ascetic calm. But when a woman suddenly trespassed in his forbidden place the night before his wedding, she shattered his Daoist resolve.

When he awoke, the divine beauty had vanished. He carried out his family's plans, put on his red official robes, and welcomed his bride. Fortunately, this marriage arranged by his family demanded neither his heart nor a true husband-and-wife relationship.

They didn't drink their nuptial wine. They lay down fully clothed, not even their sleeves touching. When the red candles burned out, he was about to get up and leave when he suddenly heard the person beside him murmuring in her sleep.

The woman had her eyes closed, her dark hair tumbling loose. Her sleeping profile looked just like a shadow from his memory. A red mark was barely visible beneath her half-open collar.

His gaze tightened. Without thinking, he loosened his tightly fastened collar.

A sudden urge came over him: to kiss her lips, bite her neck, and watch her tilt her face up and breathe softly.

Just as she had the night before.

#Zheng Bi Luo, pronounced Bi Luo

#Pure historical romance, the third book in the Great Qi trilogy. It has a plot, with both sweet and bittersweet moments.

#Happy ending, one-on-one, the hero falls first. Includes old-school melodramatic tropes and a false replacement plot.

#None of the characters are perfect.

#For readers who followed Laiyi from the other book: this story takes place about seventeen years before Not the Wu Tree. It is set during the Great Qi dynasty's golden age. Bi Luo and Laiyi grew up in very different circumstances. If the timelines or other details don't match, each book has its own version, so there's no need to examine them too closely!

Premise: Stay true to yourself