After Becoming Each Other's Moonlight

[Hot-blooded, spirited female official vs. gloomy, self-loathing powerful minister]

When Lu Zhizhao was still the eldest daughter of a prince's household, she first met Zhang Ji. At the time, he had little status and no one listened to him. Snow piled up outside the manor gates, deep enough to swallow half a person's lower leg. His clothes were thin, and his shoes were soaked through.

Beneath the lush glow of the candles, the snow-dusted lashes of the young man drooped as he leaned toward her. "What are you reading?"

His clear, gentle features were reflected in her eyes. For a moment, she lost herself, her heartbeat almost drowning out the sizzling of the candle wax.

Years later, her father died suddenly. She faked her own death and became a palace maid, hoping only to protect herself, but within the imperial palace she ran into an old acquaintance who knew her identity:

The current Grand Secretary, Zhang Ji, the lowborn, treacherous flatterer who had risen to become the emperor's confidant through endless scheming and by stepping over the corpses of loyal ministers.

The imperial road was broad, yet he came straight toward her, warm and refined, dignified and self-possessed, just like that snowy night.

But those eyes, fierce as a tiger or wolf, refused to let her go.

When she casually accepted a handkerchief from a candidate, he clenched his teeth and put away his sachet, darkly assuming she found him repulsive.

When she tried to uncover the secrets behind the Jinming Banquet, he pretended to be drunk and threw her onto the bed, stubbornly convinced she meant to become his enemy.

Each served a different master, and they tore into each other.

From then on, the largest gambling house in the capital hosted a long-running wager: between Lu and Zhang, who would be the last one standing?

One day, bored out of his mind, Zhang Ji casually bet his entire fortune on the Lu family winning.

Later, the new emperor ascended the throne and purged the old faction. Zhang Ji was finally thrown into the imperial prison.

Meanwhile, Lu supported the new emperor and entered the cabinet, rising to a position second only to one person and above countless others.

The struggle between Lu and Zhang finally reached its end.

**

Zhang Ji was frail, and once he entered the imperial prison, he never expected to leave alive. Yet in the middle of the night, he often remembered the rare moment when the woman had been affectionate with him.

She had bitten his lower lip like a little beast, then cornered him against a wall. Her warm breath brushed his neck. "Zhang Tinglin, I'll cleanse you of your sins and give you a reason to keep living."

He drank the wine of execution. When he woke, he was in a small courtyard in Huaiyang.

Zhang Ji pretended to keep his eyes shut, but heard the young servant beside him whisper, "Is that the male favorite Lord Lu keeps here...?"

Zhang Ji: ...

He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter.

A few things to know before reading:

1. The male lead is Zhang Ji, courtesy name Tinglin. He's sensitive and self-loathing, and there are scenes of physical abuse.

2. Both leads are virgins, and both are quite ambitious in their careers.

3. This is a fictional setting with some original worldbuilding for the sake of the plot. Please don't scrutinize it for historical accuracy.

4. A woman becomes emperor.

5. The first two chapters move quickly through the timeline because I revised the opening chapter. I'm very sorry! Starting from Chapter Three, the story is mostly told in chronological order.

[The author loves this story and will definitely finish it. I won't abandon it. If you're interested, please add it to your library. Thank you!]

Coming soon in my author page: Even an Author Can't Force a Pairing (Transmigration)

[Career-obsessed, romance-indifferent author] vs. [A brilliant, high-IQ warlord from her own story, who falls for her]

The story begins with people saying that his life was too tragic, that he shouldn't have been trapped by love only to never find it. And I have a duty to fulfill: to find him the perfect love.

[Synopsis]

Song Yao spent years as a little-known author before finally becoming a hit with a historical political intrigue novel. Much of its enormous success came from its popular character, Yan Qing, a scheming second male lead and the most brilliant mind in all the land.

At the emphatic request of countless fans, people-pleasing Song Yao decided to give Yan Qing, whose background was tragic and whose experiences were even worse, a perfect match with an outstanding family and appearance in the bonus chapter, and bring a little sunshine into his life.

After finishing the chapter, Song Yao still couldn't bring herself to post it. She stared blankly at the last line on the screen:

Yan Qing clasped the back of Xiao Lingyue's neck, forcing her close. "The land is united. Will you walk the same path as me?"

In the end, Song Yao sat in her computer chair and sighed in resignation. It seemed she'd written him out of character.

Yan Qing was never the kind of normal person who wanted physical intimacy or emotional connection with others.

Unfortunately, after transmigrating into a book, Song Yao discovered that she had only been half right.

Song Yao was certain she'd come here to solve Yan Qing's romantic troubles. After transmigrating into the book, she followed two rules: first, stay away from Yan Qing; second, quietly wait for his true love to arrive. The second rule was easy to understand. The first was because...

When she created Yan Qing, she had written a line to cement his brilliant, untouchable persona: There is nothing in all the land that can be hidden from Yan Qing.

Now she regretted that line more than anything, because she had transmigrated into the body of a sickly hostage from the Shangguan clan of Yanzhou, sent to Yan Qing's camp in Jizhou.

Living side by side with Yan Qing, she told lie after lie.

Every time she finished speaking, all she saw was Yan Qing's faintly raised lips, while his ice-cold gaze felt like a silent executioner's noose.

Song Yao spent many days trembling with fear, until at last the plot reached its turning point: Xiao Lingyue was coming to Jizhou.

That morning, the other hostages arrived at the academy but found that Yan Qing, who never missed a lecture, was absent. Recalling the plot, Song Yao was delighted to realize that she'd indeed written Yan Qing falling in love with Xiao Lingyue at first sight!

Looks like Yan Qing takes after his creator. He forgets everything else when he sees a beautiful woman.

So Song Yao relaxed and skipped the afternoon lecture.

As the sun set, Song Yao was enjoying some peace outside the residence when someone kicked open the thatched cottage's wooden door. Her smiling eyes met Yan Qing's, blazing with fury, and she hurriedly hid the homemade erotic picture book behind her back.

The next moment, Yan Qing looked down at her and clasped the back of her neck, forcing her close. "You think you're qualified to pick some random person for me?!"

Song Yao:?!

A few things to know before reading:

1. The setting is a mash-up of different dynasties. Men and women are equal, so please don't nitpick the history.

2. This is an imaginative, healing, sweet romance.

3. The heroine's modern name is Song Yao. After transmigrating into the book, she is called Shangguan Yi, courtesy name Zhaozhao, meaning "the past is obscure, the road ahead is bright."

Theme: Though one has come to understand the vastness of the world, one can still cherish the green of every blade of grass.