Longing for Spring's Return

[The advance blurb is at the very bottom. Please give it a click, everyone!]

Xia Linlang is the unfavored daughter of the Xia family. Her one wish is to return to her maternal grandfather in Changping someday and escape the Xia household in the capital, a place that devours people without even spitting out their bones.

An unexpected turn of events takes place at a spring banquet.

On the eve of the Shangsi Festival, the emperor holds a banquet, hoping to celebrate alongside his people. Xia Linlang is an insignificant figure on the fringes, so she deliberately wears her most inconspicuous outfit to keep a low profile. She never expects to attract the attention of the most conspicuous person there.

[1]

The first time she meets Gu Yun, Xia Linlang thinks she has stumbled upon him having an affair with someone. She flees in a panic and even manages to hurt her foot.

The second time, he is speaking with the emperor. She has no idea what's going on and blunders right over to him, practically 'delivering herself to his door.'

There are countless incidents like these...

Watching the pair's heaven-sent connection, the emperor narrows his eyes, his expression inscrutable.

After that, somehow, rumors begin to circulate that Gu Yun and Xia Linlang are a match made in heaven. Seeing this, the palace simply decides to make it official and grants them a marriage decree.

Xia Linlang has always considered the marriage unimportant. She only has to wait three years until they divorce, and then she can go south on her own. But she never imagined that though they had agreed to 'keep their distance' and 'just play their parts,' things would take such a turn in the end.

[2]

Gu Yun is the distinguished heir of the Duke of Kaiguo in the Northern Dynasty. Not only is he handsome and dashing, he is also exceptionally talented. If he weren't so detached and so poor at talking to women, how could he still be unmarried at the age of twenty-three?

The news of the emperor's marriage decree comes suddenly, and no one can defy an imperial command. His colleagues and friends tease him: "We thought you'd seen through the world and planned to become a monk. Who knew you'd suddenly become a married man?"

Gu Yun barely reacts. Idly turning a wine cup between his fingers, he answers with his usual cool indifference: "We're no more than strangers. There's no need to dwell on it."

At those words, everyone understands. It's a shame for the two of them: one as handsome as Pan An, the other as beautiful as a celestial maiden, yet theirs is nothing but a marriage without love.

Everyone waits to see when this couple, who treat each other with icy courtesy, will part ways. After all, nobody thinks their marriage will work.

But unexpectedly, Lord Gu, who is always diligent and would gladly spend every night at the Court of Judicial Review, starts looking forward to going home every day. A curious colleague secretly goes to investigate and happens to see Lord Gu leaving his residence one morning, holding his wife's hand.

The young woman is delicate and lovely, with bright eyes and pearly teeth. She furrows her graceful brows and pokes Gu Yun in the chest a few times. He takes her hand down, and from the way he speaks to her, it looks as though he's coaxing her.

[Bonus Scene]

A year after Gu Yun and Xia Linlang marry, the Gu family hosts a banquet. Gu Yun is busy entertaining guests in the front courtyard, while the mistress of the house, Xia Linlang, arrives late. Her makeup is rather understated, and she and her husband don't exchange a word throughout the meal. They seem to be a couple in name only, and the guests secretly speculate that their marriage must be nearing its end.

Halfway through the banquet, after raising their cups back and forth, everyone is pleasantly tipsy. Xia Linlang tries to leave early, but Gu Yun stops her, speaking earnestly: "I didn't realize you were going for a distant-mountain brow today. Shall I go back and redo it for you?"

Everyone: "..."

"Didn't you say this had nothing to do with love?"

1. A sweet story about falling in love after marriage.

2. A sweet story.

3. No melodrama. The male lead falls first.

4. Blurb posted on [2024-02-22], revised on [2024-06-05].

Coming soon: [The General's Guide to Winning Back His Wife]

Jiang Huaizhi is the eldest son of Chancellor Jiang. What he experienced in childhood made him stubborn and rebellious.

When he first meets Wen Chuqing, she's still a little girl. Standing three zhang away, she timidly calls him Brother Huaizhi.

She's as fair and soft as a little rice dumpling, and he assumes that's simply her nature.

Afraid of frightening her, he hardly dares say more than a few words whenever they meet. He feels that if he looks at her for even a moment longer, she'll burst into tears. He treats her with such care, as if she'd melt if he held her in his palm.

Then he discovers that the sweet, soft-spoken girl can turn around and chat happily and freely with his younger brother, as if they have endless things to say. She's like a completely different person with him.

He draws a quiet breath, feeling helpless. Just as he plans to take things slowly and proceed one step at a time, he hears that Wen Chuqing and his younger brother are discussing marriage.

It is then that Jiang Huaizhi finally understands: in this world, there is no such thing as 'helplessness.' There is only 'doing everything you can.'

Wen Chuqing is the eldest daughter of a general's household. At sixteen, she has bright eyes, pearly teeth, and delicate brows.

Jiang Huaizhi is the eldest legitimate son of the chancellor's household, the older brother of Wen Chuqing's childhood friend Jiang Yizhi. He serves as Vice Minister of War, is tall and imposing, and always wears the same unsmiling, icy expression.

Because of this, Wen Chuqing is somewhat afraid of him and assumes that Jiang Huaizhi dislikes her.

So even though their families are close and on excellent terms, she only wants to spend time with Jiang Yizhi and keeps her distance from Jiang Huaizhi.

As time passes, the elders notice and try to match her with Jiang Yizhi. She doesn't object, and simply waits for him to propose once they come of age.

At a spring banquet, she accidentally drinks fruit wine. On her way back to her room to rest, her steps unsteady, she stumbles into someone's cool, crisp embrace.

Her head is splitting, and her vision is blurry. She rubs her eyes, thinking the person is Jiang Yizhi.

Her mind is hazy, and she speaks without thinking, voicing a coquettish complaint:

"Didn't you say you'd come to propose? It's already winter. Why haven't you come yet?"

The owner of the embrace is silent for a long moment, then leans close to her ear and tempts her wickedly in a hoarse voice:

"Do you even know who I am? How dare you say you'll marry me?"

She's drunk, and neither her reason nor her actions are under her control. She believes whatever she's told. Pouting, she mutters something, and after hearing it, the other person nods in satisfaction.

His gaze drifts toward the place behind her.

"I didn't hear you just now. Say it again."

Her snowy face scrunches up, and she answers reluctantly: "I like you!"

"Who am I?"

"Brother Huaizhi..."

The hand around her slender waist gives her a gentle, encouraging pat at the small of her back. He praises her:

"Then Jiang Huaizhi will come to propose next month. Will you say yes?"

[1]

Wen Chuqing remembers little about that spring banquet. The only thing she recalls is that afterward, her elders told her that her intended husband had changed. It wasn't her childhood sweetheart Jiang Yizhi anymore, but his older brother, the famously cold-faced devil, Jiang Huaizhi.

Her head spins, but she can't remember when she ever agreed to marry Jiang Huaizhi.

But words, once spoken, can't be taken back. There's no undoing it now.

It isn't until their wedding night that she finally finds a chance to ask the man who is now her husband to his face.

"You took advantage of me!"

Jiang Huaizhi walks toward her, undoing the cuff of his wedding robe. Not the least bit angered by the accusation, he frankly admits what he did:

"Then I suppose I did take advantage of you."

He admits that there was deception involved in his marriage to Wen Chuqing, but so what?

It was better than hearing her call another man her husband someday. The thought alone was unbearable. So what if that man was his younger brother? He could give up anything, but not Wen Chuqing.

A chance encounter beats a childhood sweetheart.

If he can't win, he'll just steal her away!

1. This is a sweet story, not a forced-marriage or possessive-love story.

2. The male lead wins his wife through his own efforts and doesn't hurt anyone.

3. A gentle, sweet girl * a truly (dog) manly, fierce man.

Theme: Learn to make peace with who you used to be.