Pillow My Sword, Then Tie on a Marquis's Seal

A pure-hearted, scheming beauty seme x a proud, flirtatious little fox uke. Both are strong.

[Synopsis]

Gu Yanzhao was an idiot.

Anyone in the capital who mentioned the second son of the Marquis of Yongyi would have to praise him for being born into a good family. He could coast through life without a care.

But after keeping his head down for nineteen years, the idiot suddenly went mad one day, donned armor, and broke into the imperial palace. He caused a disaster, enraged the Emperor, and was sent back to his hometown in Zhangzhou to reflect on his actions.

Everyone thought he would learn his lesson and spend the rest of his life as a coward. Two years later, however, he returned a changed man, and not only did he come back, he had earned himself the title of general through his military exploits.

Everyone was left dumbfounded.

Everyone knew that Young Marquis Gu hated that poor scholar from Yunzhou.

But fate had other plans. After winning a battle in the west, the Gu family army returned to the capital. The second son, astride a tall horse, had barely entered the city gates when he came face to face with someone on Vermilion Bird Street.

The two horses stood facing each other in the middle of the street. Gu Yanzhao wore red robes and black armor. He pointed his riding crop at the other man with a brazen air, his gaze challenging and fierce. He could not even be bothered to look at him properly, so someone else spoke for him: "Have you no idea who you're dealing with? Who dares to block our young marquis's way?"

He Shuchen dismounted first. His sparrow-green official robes were immaculate as he respectfully saluted. "I am the newly appointed Assistant Director of the Ministry of Revenue. I pay my respects to the Young Marquis."

Gu Yanzhao looked down at him from atop his horse and raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Are you the third-place scholar the Emperor praised two months ago?"

He Shuchen lowered his eyes. "I am."

The man on horseback scoffed. "Your looks are really... nothing special."

He Shuchen: "..."

At night, their robes lay scattered across the bed. The man leaning down to kiss him was stopped by a palm pressed against his lips.

Gu Yanzhao was desperate, but He Shuchen wouldn't let him kiss or touch him. He wound a strand of He Shuchen's hair around his fingers, while He Shuchen still teased him with a smile. "If I'm so unimpressive, Young Marquis Gu, why climb over the wall to sneak off and meet me? Aren't you afraid people will laugh if they find out?"

Gu Yanzhao licked and kissed his palm, putting on a meek, pitiful act. "My dear, take pity on me. It's been two years since I've seen you in official robes, and I almost didn't recognize you."

He Shuchen: "If you're going to act, you might as well do it properly, Second Young Master."

Gu Yanzhao: "...?"

They might be unwilling, but they still had to play their parts. They quarreled in court and made up in bed, so everyone outside believed the rumors: The Gu and He families really can't stand each other!

The rumor spread throughout the capital. By the time it reached the people involved, Gu Yanzhao was resting his head on He Shuchen's lap, lazily asking, "What should we do? They actually believe it."

What should they do? Of course, confiscate the property of corrupt officials, make murderers pay with their lives, and turn anyone who blocked their path into stepping stones for the Second Young Master.

The imperial capital was a cage, and becoming a marquis meant having one's bones stripped bare. If there was no way out, even at the cost of a thousand deaths, then with the sword in my hand, I will cleave open the heavens and earth and restore a clear and bright world.

[Reader's Guide]

1. Pure fantasy. The map unfolds from Yunzhou to the capital, in that order (important!). The pacing is on the slower side.

2. Both leads are virgins. The seme is older, and the uke falls first. This pairing is fixed and cannot be reversed. Extreme seme- and uke-fans, please stay away (important again).

3. The martial marquises in this novel are not nobles. They are equivalent to local constables and handle all sorts of dirty, exhausting work.

4. This is a newbie writer. Any logical or common-sense errors are the author's fault for being ignorant, so please go easy on me. I beg you.

Theme: To repay the favor shown by my lord, I will raise my jade-inlaid sword and die for him.