When the Branches Startle

- Next up: Reborn as a Wronged Couple, a step-by-step schemer with a taste for madness VS a righteous yet wicked, elegant rogue / a love born of bitter hatred Bie Zhi is an orphan, and an assassin. What she loves most is going to a shop by the city gate for a piping-hot bowl of soup dumplings after completing the tasks her master assigns her, and chatting with the deaf man who works there. The deaf man cannot hear or speak, but he is remarkably handsome. Even the long, narrow scar across his face cannot hide his good looks. One glance at him is enough to dispel all her fatigue. Most importantly, he will always, always keep secret whatever Bie Zhi tells him. So Bie Zhi often vents to him about her master, who is practically the King of Hell. Bie Zhi has never seen her master. She simply signed a contract and gets paid to do the work. The pay her master offers is generous, but the work is exceptionally grueling. Bie Zhi is fed up and decides to leave once her contract expires. She tells the deaf man about this, too. She tells him how she plans to leave, where she will wander, and where she will hide if her whereabouts are discovered. On the day she leaves, as she walks along a wall, she suddenly hears her master's familiar voice. Startled, she quickly hides behind the dense bushes in the garden. Who would have thought that the footsteps would draw closer and closer? Bie Zhi looks up and meets the deaf man's silently smiling eyes. She lets out a sigh of relief, until he asks, "Where are you planning to go?" Bie Zhi's lips part in shock. The deaf man's voice sounds exactly like her master's! Before she can recover, she sees someone rush over and report with a cupped-fist salute, "Your Highness, we haven't seen Miss Bie Zhi." Bie Zhi nearly stops breathing. There is only one prince in the entire realm: the regent, Fu Huaiqing. In an instant, Bie Zhi feels her life is over. - Fortunately, Heaven takes pity on Bie Zhi. Instead of being thrown in jail, she is taken back to the prince's manor. She is confined to a courtyard. As time passes, Bie Zhi starts to think that life there isn't so bad. But whenever that thought occurs to her, Fu Huaiqing brings her a bowl of piping-hot soup dumplings. Bie Zhi: "..." * Vibrant, sweet young woman x all-powerful regent * The powerful man bows his head for love ------Next up: The Crown Princess Is Done With This------- Cui Youning, the second daughter of the distinguished Cui clan, comes from a family of high-ranking officials. Her mother is the daughter of a duke, and Cui Youning is famous throughout the capital as its most dazzling presence. Not for any other reason than her spirited nature, which is both astonishing and enviable. What people love to talk about most is how the crown prince, Rong Chen, is all she can think about. Yet everyone, even three-year-old children, has heard that His Highness feels nothing for her and is as unmoved as stone. Cui Youning doesn't deny it. If she likes someone, she likes him. Why hide it? Rumor has it that the Eastern Palace is soon to select a crown princess from among the daughters of prominent families. People are abuzz with speculation, and bets are being placed at underground gambling houses. Almost no one bets on Cui Youning. Everyone puts their money on the other candidates. Barely half a day later, a mysterious stranger appears out of nowhere and wagers several hundred silver taels that Cui Youning will be the crown princess. Everyone assumes the stranger must be Cui Youning herself. But just two days later, another sum of silver appears from nowhere, this time with over a thousand taels wagered on the legitimate daughter of the Xiao family. This time, everyone sees clearly that the person placing the bet is the crown prince's personal guard. His meaning is clear: this is the crown prince's intention. Rumors spread like wildfire. Cui Youning refuses to believe them, until the man's cold, disgusted gaze and his words, "It will never happen in this lifetime," pin her in place once and for all. Even the warmest heart can grow cold. On the very day Cui Youning decides to go out and clear her head, an imperial decree granting a marriage arrives at the Ministry of Rites residence before she can leave. - The crown prince, Rong Chen, was personally named heir apparent by the late emperor. Chosen by Heaven, he is noble and self-possessed. He has heard rumors that a Cui family daughter has feelings for him. Rong Chen pays them no mind and merely says, "Don't repeat rumors and ruin someone's reputation." What Rong Chen doesn't expect is that the rumors are true, and that the person involved doesn't care at all. As she puts it, she wishes the whole realm knew. When the empress discusses candidates for crown princess, her first choice is Cui Youning. Rong Chen frowns at this. A woman with such a willful temperament is completely at odds with what he wants in a crown princess. So Rong Chen decides to rein her in. But he never expects Cui Youning to refuse. * Blurb dated January 16, 2024, screenshot saved Theme: Accept whatever life brings