I Gifted My Archenemy a Gold-Inlaid Saber

Before she was granted in marriage to Xie Wujiao, Shen Zhihan thought she and Xie Wujiao would be enemies to the death for the rest of their lives.

There was no other reason: Xie Wujiao was a complete mad dog. Although he had a beautiful, delicate face and an elegant, refined bearing, his mind was dark and twisted. He had the face of Guanyin, but committed the deeds of a rakshasa.

And of course, she was no good person either. People mocked her for holding a place in court despite being a woman, and called her domineering, overbearing, and manipulative.

Xie Wujiao was a mad dog, and she was the court's attack dog. They often tore into each other over their conflicting political views, leaving one another with shattered bones and torn ligaments.

Who would have thought that after they married, Xie Wujiao would become restrained and self-controlled, docile and deferential toward her? He was utterly devoted to her, afraid even to act spoiled in case he upset her, and even too scared to admit that he loved her.

Amid the winding pools of blood, he knelt on one knee and earnestly wiped the blood that had accidentally stained the hem of her skirt.

His eyes, always red at the corners, shone brightly, filled with undisguised longing and desire.

He kissed her fingertips, soothing her in the gentlest, softest voice he could manage.

"Sister, I don't want you to be with him. I want to kill him, but I'm afraid you'll be unhappy, so I held back."

"Since I've been so good, could you look at no one but me?"

"I'm no good at anything, but at least this body is still good-looking."

*

Red candles flickered, their light warm and tender.

Xie Wujiao let his clothes slip halfway down to his waist, revealing his pale, lean hips. His chest, flushed a faint red, rose and fell as he trembled uncontrollably beneath the gaze of the one he loved.

To Xie Wujiao, Shen Zhihan was the snow on a high peak, while he was the filth beneath her feet.

She was whole, while he was broken. Beneath his empty sleeves lay all his shame, resentment, and unworthiness. But aside from this body, he had nothing that could attract her.

He simply refused to let go. He wanted to sink with her, and even if it meant tearing open his own bloody wounds over and over, he would do so with relish.

Note: The hero is a real eunuch, but he wasn't one from childhood. It happened when he was about sixteen, so he has an Adam's apple and developed normally in every other way.

Both are each other's first and only partner.

The political intrigue is very basic and won't hold up to repeated scrutiny. If you want to hit someone, hit me, not the characters (drops to my knees).

Coming Soon

To Nan Sheng, the name Ying Yuqing meant unparalleled, invincible, peerless, and unstoppable.

She mastered essays and political discourse without a teacher, and her riding, archery, and martial skills were so impressive that everyone bowed before her. Everyone else was mediocre.

But to Ying Yuqing herself, life meant boredom, dullness, and having nothing to care about.

When she drove her sword into the throat of an enemy general she had grown fond of, she gazed up at the dull, gray sky.

She thought that someone so splendid and spirited should have had a sky full of sunset clouds when he died.

But there was nothing.

As expected, everything was boring.

Then, when the former Crown Prince's tutor resigned and the emperor wanted her to become the Crown Prince's new teacher,

her gaze passed over that favored son of Heaven and fell on the useless Fifth Prince in the corner.

The young man was timid and insecure, so kind and gentle that he was almost pitiful, and yet he was so beautiful it took one's breath away.

He glanced at her secretly, curious, yet unable to stop himself from being afraid of her.

She thought that if she helped someone like him ascend the throne, and the most honored person in the world became so dependent on her that he could hardly live without her, how interesting that would be.

Ying Yuqing's dead heart began to beat.

*

To Ning Siheng, the name Ying Yuqing carried the softness of a girl's embrace and the fragrance of her hair, yet it was also tinged with the belated sting of a sandalwood ruler after it was raised.

He would rest his head on her lap, feeling her warm fingertips pass through his hair as she tenderly soothed all his unease and fear again and again.

He would also kneel at her feet, letting her leave stern reminders on his palms, his cheeks, and even more intimate places.

She was his teacher, his co-conspirator, the person he feared most, the person he loved most, and the only person he possessed.

Everyone said the emperor depended too much on the Grand Tutor, to the point that he would die if they were apart.

They were right.

Ning Siheng thought Ying Yuqing depended on their relationship just as much.

But did she depend on him, as a person? She should at least love him until death parted them.

Ning Siheng didn't know.

But there would never be a more obedient student, pet, lover, and ruler in the world than him.

Theme: You must first become yourself.