Bodhi Led Me Astray

Everyone said that Princess Jiang Xun of Qinghe was spoiled and overbearing, and that being paired with the refined and handsome Xie Lan was a real hardship for the Xie family's young lord.

And it was true. When Xie Lan wanted to take a concubine, Jiang Xun slapped him in public.

Xie Lan snapped angrily, "I'd heard the princess was domineering, but I didn't believe it. Now I see she's nothing but a shrew!"

Furious, Jiang Xun tossed down their divorce papers and drowned her sorrows in wine in the Bodhi Grove.

Through her drunken haze, she spotted a man in monk's robes in the grove.

She staggered toward him, but the wine made her unsteady, and she collapsed into his arms.

The man held her. His eyes showed neither sorrow nor joy as he said, "Benefactress, you're drunk."

Jiang Xun caressed his exquisitely handsome face and pressed her crimson lips to his ear. "Just pretend I'm completely drunk."

That day, the setting sun was blood-red. In the Bodhi Grove, desire blossomed, and they spent a reckless night together.

Having seduced a man who'd left the world behind, Jiang Xun felt deeply sinful, yet she was so caught up in it that she couldn't pull herself away.

.

Several months after the divorce, word spread that Xie Ling, the eldest son of the Xie family, had returned, leaving Xie Lan so marginalized he could barely find a place to stand.

Jiang Xun had intended to enjoy the spectacle.

But Xie Lan claimed he'd been temporarily bewitched and begged Jiang Xun to forgive him.

Looking at the tenderness still in his eyes, Jiang Xun felt her heart stir.

Who doesn't make mistakes?

She'd been reckless, too. Now they were even.

She declared that Xie Lan had to come to her door carrying thorns on his back and bow three times at each of nine steps before she would consider reconciling.

.

That night.

Jiang Xun opened the door to her room and found the man she'd been having a reckless affair with for months.

The man who had once seemed so full of Buddhist serenity had reddish eyes and a gaze sharp as a blade, like a demon Buddha come to life.

He pinned her against the door, leaving her unable to move. His normally cool voice was dark and hoarse.

"What? Am I really no match for my good little brother? Can't the princess stop thinking about him?"

Jiang Xun was shocked and furious, about to scold him for his insolence, when someone knocked on the door behind her. Xie Lan's voice sounded in her ear.

"My sweet wife, your husband was wrong. I'm here to atone for my sins. Hurry and open the door, my love. Let me in."

Inside the room, the man kissed her lips and rasped,

"The princess is so greedy. Isn't having me at your service enough?"

"My little brother is so noisy."

"Tell him to get lost."

Reader's Guide:

1. The heroine and hero have both only been with each other. Their romantic storyline begins after the heroine's divorce.

2. The hero never became a monk; he was only cultivating his character at a Buddhist temple.

The blurb was screenshotted and archived on 2024.2.27

Theme: Don't make yourself suffer for anyone. Be yourself and love yourself.