A Moon Held in Vain

Everyone avoided the disgraced Crown Prince Li Yue like the plague. The emperor despised him, and his betrothed treated him like dirt.

Confined to a small courtyard, he lived worse than a dog.

Only Qiao Sangque remained by his side.

Qiao Sangque married Li Yue, stood by him through his darkest days, and helped him endure the three hardest years of his life.

Many people thought that when Li Yue returned to the position of Crown Prince, he would never forget Qiao Sangque's kindness. The Crown Princess's position would surely be hers, even though Qiao Sangque was merely the daughter of a low-born merchant.

When Qiao Sangque heard this, she only smiled.

At the time, no one imagined that the first news to emerge from the palace when Li Yue regained power would be that he had chosen Qiao Sangque's cousin as Crown Princess.

During Li Yue's confinement, that cousin had been the woman who left him, the one he had loved.

**

Fortunately, Qiao Sangque did not love Li Yue.

**

There was a moon in Qiao Sangque's heart.

It accompanied her on her journey, the only light she had.

But he died.

Qiao Sangque was lost in a daze, and died along with him.

Until Li Yue appeared.

She met a man who looked seven-tenths like her moon.

Later, Qiao Sangque came to understand that there was only one moon in the world.

**

In his proudest days, Li Yue never imagined that one day he would do everything in his power, willingly becoming a substitute, just to stay by her side.

Reading guide: 1. Both leads are sexually inexperienced.

2. I'll add more if anything else comes to mind.

Check out my upcoming novel, The Spring Oriole Sings

Wei Xun is the heir to the Duke of Yan, a highly decorated general and a favorite of the emperor. He is the object of affection for many young women in Yongjing.

Jiang Ying calls him "Cousin." Living so close to him, people outside say she moved into the Duke's residence to get close to Wei Xun.

In truth, Jiang Ying is always cautious in the Duke's residence, never daring to overstep.

The only time she crossed the line was when her benefactor was near death. To get the medicine needed to save them, Jiang Ying agreed to help the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Works, who had long loved Wei Xun without success, drug him.

But Jiang Ying never imagined that the minister's daughter and Wei Xun would fail to consummate their relationship, and that by an ironic twist of fate, she would be the one who got burned and suffered the consequences.

Afterward, Wei Xun grabbed Jiang Ying by the throat and threw her off the bed, nearly choking her to death.

Jiang Ying figured Wei Xun hated being manipulated and must despise her. If she ever appeared in front of him again, the consequences would be even worse than being strangled.

*

Wei Xun did indeed think that way.

The fact that he had not driven Jiang Ying out of the Duke's residence was already a concession to their family ties.

If Jiang Ying dared to scheme against him again, there would be no place for her in the Duke's residence.

*

Not long afterward, the minister's legitimate daughter brought the medicine Jiang Ying's benefactor needed and asked her for help once more.

Remembering Wei Xun's meaningful look in the dark, Jiang Ying nodded and agreed, telling her where to find him.

Everyone in the know said Jiang Ying had finally and completely offended Wei Xun, and that she would never have another good day in Yongjing.

Jiang Ying expected as much. Not long after drugging him, she boarded a boat bound for her hometown of Jiangzhou to find her benefactor.

But no one knew what happened later in Jiangzhou, under the deep darkness of night, with gauzy curtains swaying. Wei Xun leaned close to Jiang Ying's ear, his gaze dark and his voice hoarse. "You've schemed against me time and again for his sake. Was it worth it?"

Theme: Stay positive, no matter how difficult your circumstances