Stealing the Crabapple

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Currently serializing: Borrowing a Baby from the Emperor by Mistake, a naive beauty borrows a seed and has a child. See the blurb below~

[Delicate, beautiful little white rabbit x gentle stepbrother who is sweet on the surface and dark within]

Pei Tangyi is the least favored of the Chief Minister's four daughters. Fortunately, her stepbrother Pei Huaizhao looks out for her, and she manages to scrape by.

Though her stepbrother is the Chief Minister's adopted son, he is highly regarded and has a smooth career in government. Still young, he has already risen to the third rank, and in the capital he is praised as "fresh as willows beneath the spring moon, solemn as the breeze beneath the pines."

With Pei Huai's help, she is soon to marry a husband of her choosing, and at last she has something to look forward to.

But things do not go as planned.

Rumors suddenly spread through the capital that she is not the Chief Minister's biological daughter. Forced to break off her engagement, she and her mother are on the verge of being driven out of the Pei residence, with nowhere to go.

With no other options, Pei Tangyi turns to her stepbrother once more.

After all, he once promised that he would always treat her well.

Who could have imagined that, in a dim corner beneath the moonlight, she would see a handkerchief clutched in his palm,

stained all over, its condition too shocking to look at.

Pei Tangyi's little face turns as pale as snow.

Everyone in the capital says Pei Huai is proud and aloof, and keeps his distance from women. No one knows that in his dreams, only his younger sister ever appears.

From then on, time and again, he finds himself drowning in her soft eyes, like spring blossoms just beginning to bloom, unable to pull himself free.

Until his sister comes to him, smiling sweetly, and asks him to find her a husband of her choosing...

The brush in his hand snaps, and his eyes darken with a deep, brooding gloom.

Later,

The young woman stands tearfully trapped in a corner of the garden.

Pei Huai breathes heavily, his eyes fixed on her, their depths weighed down by an unfathomable darkness.

As their breaths mingle, he toys with the loose strands of hair by her ear. "Since I have sheltered you..."

"What will you give me in return?"

Reader's guide:

1. One-on-one pairing, both leads are each other's only partner, happy ending.

2. The leads are not related by blood, and everyone knows they are step-siblings. Their romance only begins after they sever their familial relationship.

3. Neither lead is perfect. The heroine may initially seem weak, timid, and prone to tears, but she gradually grows stronger. The hero is dark at heart and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. If that bothers you, read with caution.

4. The dreams are neither memories of a past life nor prophetic dreams. This will be explained in the story.

5. The dynasties in this novel are a jumble, and historical figures are mixed together. Please don't overanalyze it.

6. The heroine may be difficult early on and will reject the hero for various reasons.

(The original blurb was written in 2024. This version was written on July 2, 2025.)

Currently writing: Borrowing a Baby from the Emperor by Mistake

After the late emperor dies, all the childless consorts in the harem are to be buried with him. The low-ranking lady Yulu is afraid of death, so she grits her teeth and lies that she is pregnant.

But with the new emperor about to ascend the throne, the truth cannot stay hidden forever. Yulu decides she must find a capable man to help her conceive as soon as possible.

As she searches, her gaze falls on a young guard she met by chance.

His tall, upright figure is impossible to hide beneath his robes, with long legs, broad shoulders, and a pert backside...

Yulu can't help sneaking a swallow.

After considerable effort, she seduces the young guard into spending a night with her.

But she never expected him to be all looks and no substance. Despite their efforts night after night, she still cannot get pregnant.

With no other choice, Yulu sets her sights on another guard she knows.

Just as she is about to use the same trick to seduce him, the young guard suddenly appears and pins her inside a side hall, just one wall away from the place where she was supposed to meet the other man.

The young guard is no longer cold and aloof. He lifts her skirt with one large hand and growls, "Haven't I given you enough? How can you still have time to think about someone else?"

Yulu: !!!

The next day marks the end of the months-long mourning period, and the late emperor is about to be laid to rest in the imperial mausoleum.

Outside the plain white mourning hall, the palace attendants are all busy with preparations. But inside, just beyond the wall, the new emperor holds Yulu tightly, his palm resting on her rounded belly.

His gaze drifts toward the ornate coffin before him.

"Father, if your spirit is watching over us, can you tell your son: is the one in there your child, or mine?"

Theme: Self-reliance and perseverance