Autumn Peace

The sunk cost is too high, so I'm putting this book on hold for now. It's a contracted work, and I will finish it.

Qiu An is an orphan who grew up in the Heart-Tempering Valley, surrounded by a group of madmen who might harm themselves or each other at any moment.

She doesn't know whether the madmen can be trusted, but she understands the duty to repay the kindness of those who raised her.

Perhaps she also has her own reasons: she wants to find her birth parents and discover a normal home of her own.

After arriving in the capital, she worked hard to make a name for herself and became one of the most celebrated courtesans in the city. Everyone marveled at her celestial beauty.

As the Lantern Festival approached, rumors spread that Yun Molu, the Empress's adopted son, was returning to the capital after three years of fighting on the frontier, and that the emperor intended to make him a prince.

But he was returning to recuperate, and the imperial physicians traveling with him all said he had only months to live. The daughters of noble families were keen to keep their distance.

Whether by fate or design, Qiu An became the consort chosen to bring good fortune to Prince Yun.

One was a prince of a different surname, a notorious womanizer with little time left to live. The other had transformed overnight from a courtesan into the legitimate second daughter of a general's household. No one was surprised by their meeting.

It was as if everything had fallen perfectly into place, without a single suspicious detail.

After their wedding, rumors flew.

They said Qiu An had married into wealth and taken the Immortal Encounter Pavilion along with her to prosperity, inspiring countless poor families to sell their daughters for a better life.

They said the good-luck marriage was working. Prince Yun grew rosier and more vibrant by the day, and soon the clinics in the capital were no longer busy. The streets were always filled with music and revelry, bustling with excitement.

They gossiped about the relationship between the two and the princes...

Only the two of them knew the truth: from beginning to end, theirs was simply a transaction in which they used each other and got what they needed.

Until events from more than a decade ago were brought to light again, and the mastermind became a pawn on someone else's chessboard.

A piece of meat on the chopping block, at the mercy of others: how could she turn herself into the blade?

Qiu An had no idea how to bring this human-made farce to an end.

Even after the truth was established and justice served, she still didn't dare ask herself what she truly wanted.

After much hesitation, she still honored their original agreement and handed him the divorce papers.

Who would have thought that someone would grit his teeth as if he had been wronged?

"My lady, you truly are carefree."

Reading guide:

1. The dynasty is fictional, inspired by the Tang and Song periods. Please don't nitpick the historical details.

2. A plot-driven historical romance. Both leads are career-minded, with romance as a secondary thread.

3. One-on-one romance. The male lead is a virgin; the female lead is not (a genuine courtesan). Happy ending.

4. I may revise the story or fix plot holes at any time. If that bothers you, you can wait until it's complete.

Theme: Behind the struggle for power, the mastermind becomes a pawn in someone else's game