The Pavilion Beyond the Mist

[Next up: The Noble Consort's Blessings and The Empress Enjoys a Long, Peaceful Life. Please add them to your reading list.]

Blurb

Yu Guiwan was born into one of Da Qi's most powerful families. Her father was the Duke Who Guards the Nation, and her mother was the Princess of Hengyang. Everyone praised her as Da Qi's brightest pearl, yet this pearl happened to fall in love.

Cui Jixuan, the legitimate eldest son of the Cui family, was handsome and elegant, the man countless women dreamed of marrying. He was also Yu Guiwan's cousin. From the first moment she saw him, she fell for him and tried everything to attract his attention, even pretending to seduce the Crown Prince to make her cousin jealous. But her cousin's heart remained unmoved. Instead, the aloof and self-restrained Crown Prince fell for her.

A decree of marriage made Yu Guiwan the Crown Prince's future consort, leaving her no chance with Cui Jixuan.

Later, Yu Guiwan blocked the Crown Prince's way into the Eastern Palace and looked up at him, demanding, "You know who I love, don't you?"

The Crown Prince lowered his eyes and laughed scornfully. He had already been holding himself back with all his might, restraining himself from making a move. But this clingy little thing kept coming to him again and again. Suppressing the darkness within him, he gazed at Yu Guiwan and said softly, "I know. So what?"

A Little Scene

On the distant frontier, the Crown Prince turned the tables on his enemies and deliberately sent word back to the capital that he was trapped and on the verge of death.

Far away in the capital, Yu Guiwan hesitated again and again, then gritted her teeth, took a horse, and rode a thousand miles alone to save the Crown Prince from disaster.

That night, beneath the bright moon, Yu Guiwan said without a trace of politeness, "Su Lanting, do you know what I am to you now?"

Su Lanting leaned quietly to one side and gazed at her with a wistful look. "My betrothed."

Yu Guiwan snapped, "That's not what I mean! I'm your savior. In return, you have to grant me one request!"

She wasn't one of those selfless saints in storybooks who expected nothing in return for their kindness.

Su Lanting raised his eyes, his gaze inscrutable, and smiled faintly. "All right."

Yu Guiwan was delighted and was about to speak when he continued, "But calling off the wedding is out of the question."

[An outwardly aloof and self-restrained Crown Prince with a dark heart x a pampered, willful, impossibly beautiful Crown Princess]

[The heroine is an incredible fighter!!!!]

[Both leads are virgins, one-on-one romance, devoted to each other for life]

PS:

The heroine's name, Yu Guiwan, comes from the Tang dynasty poem Su Xiting by Dai Shulun: "The swallows have not returned, and spring is late; on the riverbank, misty rain and cold apricot blossoms."

The hero's name, Su Lanting, comes from the Tang dynasty poem Su Xiting by Dai Shulun: "Grass spreads thickly by Su Xiting; who leans against the twelve railings in the east wind?"

Blurb for the next book, The Noble Consort Has Ambitions

Su Yueying is the legitimate eldest daughter of the Minister's Residence. Born noble, she is as fragile as paper when it comes to her fate.

Her mother died young, and her father dislikes her.

As political turmoil rages and the princes vie for the throne, her stepmother can't bear to send her own daughter to become Prince Yong's secondary consort. Instead, she urges Su Yueying's father to send her into Prince Yong's residence in a palanquin.

Prince Yong, Chu Yu, is cold and dispassionate, disciplined and proper. He never shows the women of his household the slightest warmth.

To win his favor, Su Yueying has no choice but to conceal all her dirty tricks and painstakingly play the role of a delicate, helpless white lotus, earning a little of his pity.

At last, Chu Yu ascends the throne, and she is made a consort. Just as better days seem to be dawning, her family plans to send her younger sister into the palace during the selection, hoping to take her place.

Su Yueying holds the letter from her family. Every word is filled with "deep affection," urging her to put the greater good first, support her younger sister, and preserve the family's honor and favor.

She rubs the letter between her fingers until it crumbles to dust, a cold smile tugging at her lips.

You want to climb to glory on my back? Let's see if you have what it takes to survive!

Su Yueying will do whatever it takes to climb higher. But she never expected that in the end, the lofty emperor himself would place the throne beside him into her hands.

**

[The Hero's Perspective]

From childhood, Chu Yu was taught:

"A ruler must never show his emotions. He must weigh and balance power, set aside personal feelings, and renounce desire."

He had always followed these lessons well: calm, ruthless, and impartial. That is, until the little palanquin was carried into his residence.

When he first met Su Yueying, he thought only that she was too beautiful, a rare beauty worthy of being called a femme fatale in the history books. He would have to be strict with her and never let her grow spoiled.

Later, she always acted meek and submissive before him, like a white lotus beaten by the rain, so weak she needed to cling to a great tree like him to survive.

She was a good actress. Her admiration in his eyes and dependence in her words were perfectly measured.

But Chu Yu was no fool. How could he fail to see there was no love in her eyes?

He knew she wasn't as pure and kind as she seemed.

She was petty and vengeful. Anyone who crossed her was sure to meet a bad end.

And yet, Chu Yu's gaze kept straying to her, time and again. He even took the initiative to clean up her messes and cover up her schemes. He knew he shouldn't, but couldn't control himself.

She was a flame, drawing in him, an iceberg.

At some point, Chu Yu began to desperately want to fill her eyes with his own reflection.

This vast realm was too heavy a burden, and life as a lonely ruler was too cold.

She was the only person he wanted to share the splendor of a peaceful, prosperous age with.

[Reader's Guide]

1. Standard palace intrigue. The male lead is not a virgin.

2. The heroine is no good person. She will harm others of her own accord, and she wants power above all.

Theme: Embracing the moon for eternity