Magpies Perch at the Brow

[Female Lead's Story]

Xue Yuanyin had never beaten Zhang Jingxuan at anything, from childhood to adulthood.

She couldn't match his family background, his exam results, or his talent. She wasn't even as handsome as he was.

As the eldest legitimate son of the Zhang family, he was the object of every noble young lady's admiration in the capital, and her childhood friend.

They had been close as children, but he always had the upper hand. When they grew up, they fell out and became sworn enemies, yet she still couldn't beat him!

Every time she saw him, she ground her teeth in frustration.

So, driven by sheer refusal to lose, at sixteen Xue Yuanyin made a bet with Zhang Jingxuan:

Would she fall for him first, or would he fall for her first?

The young girl stood there, chin raised slightly, and flashed him a challenging smile.

"I bet you'll lose!"

[Male Lead's Story]

Zhang Jingxuan was born into a noble family with a history spanning centuries. As its eldest legitimate son, he grew up surrounded by wealth and luxury, and was a once-in-a-century prodigy.

He and Xue Yuanyin were recognized throughout the capital as sworn enemies.

Miss Xue in everyone else's eyes: bright, diligent, and good-natured.

Miss Xue in Zhang Jingxuan's eyes: she got angry when she lost at exams, got angry when she lost an argument, and if he called her cute, she'd give him the cold shoulder for three whole days. She was like a cat that wouldn't leave, but couldn't take a joke either.

Every day, she repeated the same thing in his ear: "One day, I'll get the better of you!"

Until Xue Yuanyin came to challenge him. Unable to put up with her anymore, Zhang Jingxuan reached out, pulled her over, and reluctantly let her kiss him on the cheek.

As she stared at him in shock, he casually replied, "I know what you're after. I'll let you have your little advantage. There, happy now?"

That was how their bitter, unending feud began.

*

People in the capital knew Zhang Jingxuan for three things:

First, he entered officialdom as a youth and rose to prominence at twenty. He was the Crown Prince's most trusted aide.

Second, his mind was uncannily brilliant. He learned to read at three, wrote poetry at seven, and accompanied his father to court to observe politics at twelve.

Third, he had someone he loved whom no one was allowed to speak ill of, much less lay a hand on.

At first, Xue Yuanyin couldn't stand Zhang Jingxuan's cool, unruffled air.

She went to great lengths and tried every trick she could think of, but she could never break his proud spirit.

But later, when she was at her most desperate, he went down on both knees to plead for her and win her a chance to live.

On their wedding night, the capital's most famous sworn enemies shared a bed, their hair entwined. He lowered his proud head and offered himself to her.

As she cried and begged him to stop, he gently surrendered to her.

-

Reading Guide:

1. Enemies to lovers, from refusing to back down to willingly giving in.

2. A gifted, elegant general's daughter 🐱 x a cunning, gentle aristocratic gentleman 🦊

3. One-on-one, both chaste | Three-year age gap | Childhood friends, with him older | A combative couple

4. The romance is a slow burn, with a long period of tension and flirtation, and a little angst mixed in with the sweetness.

5. The plot is all in service of the romance. Please kindly point out any minor logic flaws you spot!

Content warning: The male lead is a non-gentleman disguised as an aristocratic gentleman.

The male lead's good friend's story is next door, in Little Peach Blossom.

--Please add my next novel, Little Pearl, to your reading list!--

Blurb:

The handsome Crown Prince of the Great Jin Dynasty had just turned twenty. The entire capital was selecting a Crown Princess, and his attendants eagerly gathered portraits of unmarried young women in the city to present to him.

The Crown Prince was harsh and picky, with impossibly high standards. He disliked most of the portraits:

A mole at the corner of her mouth. Not to his taste.

Too slender. Not to his taste.

Eyes too gentle. Not to his taste.

Then he saw a portrait of a young girl. Her facial features were crudely drawn, with ink blots where the artist had messed up her face. Her figure was indistinct, and the style was bizarre. To top it off, the words "stupid" and "very stupid" had been written in bold. She'd been criticized in every possible way.

Among all the exquisite, beautiful portraits, hers stood out by a mile.

The Crown Prince had never seen anyone like her. He choked on his water several times in surprise, then, defying all expectations, waved his hand and pointed to the girl.

"I'll take her. Bring her to the Eastern Palace to ward off evil spirits. Perfect."

-

Jiang Zhiyu was the unloved daughter of her family, and not very bright. She'd been bullied since childhood. But she was beautiful, and just when she'd finally reached fifteen, her stepmother planned to marry her off to an old widower.

As it happened, the Crown Prince was choosing a Crown Princess. Her stepmother didn't want Jiang Zhiyu to be considered and wanted her eldest sister to go instead, so she bribed the artist to make Jiang Zhiyu's portrait look terrible.

To her surprise, her sister wasn't chosen, while Jiang Zhiyu, who wasn't especially clever, was selected from a crowd of beautiful women to be the Crown Princess.

Jiang Zhiyu entered the palace in a daze. When she met the dignified and imposing Crown Prince for the first time, they stared at each other, and the air froze for three seconds.

Only then did she realize how different she and the Crown Prince were in their tastes and habits.

She was awkward and slow, while the Crown Prince did whatever he pleased. Without the features shown in her portrait, he couldn't even recognize her in person.

Aside from spending some time each night "building their marital bond," she barely ever saw him.

From the moment Jiang Zhiyu entered the palace, she found herself surrounded by wolves.

The wolves and tigers had all set their sights on this little lamb. But the young Crown Princess was so dim that she couldn't understand what people really meant. She wore a sweet smile for everyone, and when she was truly bullied, she'd shed a few tears and hide in a corner to grow mushrooms.

The Crown Prince was at his wits' end. He'd married a foolish Crown Princess he couldn't scold or berate, and still had to frown as he stood up for her and, furious, coaxed her back into good spirits.

Every day, he reminded himself three times: Don't snap at her. Don't give her the cold shoulder. Don't let your anger make the veins in your forehead bulge and ruin your royal composure.

Jiang Zhiyu was envied by others and hounded by rumors. They said she could only rely on the Crown Prince, that she was useless, a pretty fool who brought shame on the royal ancestors.

Jiang Zhiyu was deeply aggrieved. When she heard that the ministers were petitioning to replace the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace, she wrote a tearstained farewell letter and decided to sneak away on a dark, stormy night. She'd never be the foolish Crown Princess again, and no one would criticize her anymore.

But when she finally summoned the courage to slip out, she saw the impeccably dressed Crown Prince sitting in the main hall. No one knew how long he'd been there. Beside him were all her favorite treats and treasures: iced milk curds, osmanthus cakes, soft gauze, brocade woven with gold, delicate fans, jade scepters, agate beads, mother-of-pearl ornaments... He said to her:

"Crown Princess, won't you reconsider?"

Jiang Zhiyu gaped, and her little bundle hit the floor with a thump.

Boo-hoo, he's so mean! What am I supposed to do now? T.T

At first, Jiang Zhiyu thought she'd just make the best of things. Once the Crown Prince had grown tired of her, she'd ask to leave the palace.

Later, looking at her growing belly, she hesitated. Maybe she could leave after the baby was born.

In the end, she finally sat on the Empress's throne and watched everyone who had once spoken harshly to her kneel and pay their respects. In a daze, she wondered:

How did things end up like this...

[Bonus Scene]

Before her coronation as Empress, the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince had a quarrel.

Sobbing, Jiang Zhiyu asked him, "Why did you marry me?"

The Crown Prince was absorbed in his documents and didn't answer.

Jiang Zhiyu lost confidence. "Why would you like someone like me? They all say I'm a pretty fool, not good enough for you."

The Crown Prince took a moment away from his work to tell her to pay less attention to rumors and read fewer romance novels.

Jiang Zhiyu felt her heart sink. Clutching her skirt, she shed tears. "Maybe we should divorce. I can't be a good empress. I'm just an idiot."

The Crown Prince sighed, set aside the memorials piled across his desk, and gathered the girl, her eyes brimming with tears, into his arms. He said earnestly:

"You're not an idiot. You're the pearl in my palm."

*

"I have a wife, a pearl beyond price."

--The Chronicle of Crown Prince Huaizhao

-

· A kindhearted, softhearted, pretty little airhead x a ruthless, sharp-tongued prince in public, an obsessive wife-watcher in private

· One-on-one | Married first, love later | Daily doting | A lively, sweet romance | Lighthearted comedy

· The female lead is young from the start, with an age gap of almost five years. She is fifteen, and he is twenty. The male lead keeps a stern face while raising his wife.

· The Eastern Palace life of a Tyrannosaurus Crown Prince and his little ditzy girl

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Theme: Be honest and sincere from the start