A Kingdom Divided

Feudal, overbearing war god general with iron arms, the Marquis, top x possessive, affection-starved, spoiled-beauty treacherous minister bottom x abduction and forced possession, loyal foreign bodyguard top

[In a nutshell] A hellish love triangle of bitter hatred, where a wolf is invited into the house

(Sheng Yu is 15 years older than Luo Yao. Chiyu is the same age as Luo Yao. Be warned: the loyal dog turns into a wolfdog.) (Luo Yao is just past 20 when he first appears, and 17 in the flashbacks.)

[Synopsis]

The Luo family had held high office for generations, yet one of their sons was sent to Northern Qi as a hostage, a hostage and a discarded pawn.

Years later, Northern Qi broke its treaty. Knowing disaster was imminent, the Luo hostage went so far as to spark a border war, then made off for his homeland with his useless prince in tow.

A city was destroyed because of him, leaving tens of thousands of refugees homeless. He was a sinner, yet by a twist of fate, he came into possession of Northern Qi’s secrets and became a hero who upended the political order.

No one in this world loved Luo Yao. Even the person he considered his guiding light wanted to end his life with his own hands.

[Synopsis Two]

Jinzhan, a maid in the Luo residence, had accidentally overheard her young master and his loyal bodyguard through the wall a year ago. From then on, she became obsessed... and turned into a seasoned shipper...

At first, all she heard was the sudden, crisp sound of a slap inside the room!

"Get out!!!"

That was her young master's voice...

It turned out the loyal bodyguard had been promoted in court without telling his master.

But wasn’t it a good thing for someone close to her master to hold power at court? Why was he so angry?

Her master said to the bodyguard, "You’re just here to spy on me for him. What is he still worried about? Why won’t he come see me in person..."

Who was this "him" her master was talking about?

Then she heard her master lose his temper, wrecking every jade ornament and item of writing equipment within reach. Things crashed and shattered in the room, over and over, making her heart jump and leaving her lamenting the waste.

Then everything inside suddenly went quiet for a while. The faint rustling of clothes reached her ears...

"Let go of me..."

After all her young master's throwing a fit, his voice suddenly began to sound strange.

She listened closely. His breathing had clearly grown heavier, and his angry curses had unknowingly taken on a breathy, blushing sweetness... It made her heart itch... Over that voice came another, slower and more restrained, its breathing drowning out the sweetness...

"Be good... Don't keep acting like this..."

"Who said you could touch me!"

Another heart-itching slap rang out...

She didn’t know why she pictured it that way, but in her mind, the loyal bodyguard’s head had been slapped to one side, leaving a bright red handprint on his face...

To confirm her suspicion, she secretly leaned toward the window and peered into the room through a narrow gap.

She saw her young master sitting on the edge of the bed in a light nightshirt. The loyal bodyguard had somehow ended up kneeling in front of him.

He took off her master’s shoes and socks one by one, then cradled his bare feet in his hands. Her master tried to kick him, but the man before him had him pinned in place, unable to move...

"Let go of me... You’re getting bolder by the day!"

The loyal bodyguard said nothing.

"Does he know you treat me like this? The moment he’s not watching, you humiliate me..."

Her master mentioned "him" again...

Only later did she understand who her master meant. It was the Marquis of Jingyuan, Sheng Yu, once the mighty general who defended the state of Yong! Her master had been in love with the Marquis, but they had ended up as sworn enemies.

The loyal bodyguard replied, "I never meant to disrespect you."

Her master gave a cold laugh. "Tell me, four years ago, after you left Pingyang, what did you do? You said you respected and loved me, but what did you do behind his back? You said you would protect me..."

The loyal bodyguard replied, "I lost my head that day..."

"How did you lose your head? Tell me..."

The loyal bodyguard said, "I took you when you were at your lowest."

At that, she felt the hairs on her body stand on end...

Smack! The loyal bodyguard was slapped hard again.

Her master wanted to stop him from saying such offensive things, but the loyal bodyguard only got more carried away!

Then she heard her master start to cry...

The loyal bodyguard had spoken so harshly, but when he saw his master crying, he reined himself in and pulled him into his arms again.

The sound of their kisses began to echo through the silent bedroom, faint and unbroken...

Her legs gradually went numb as she crouched beneath the window. Blushing, she listened to everything, and even began to get carried away herself!! Then she couldn’t stop...

Theme: Put your career first and keep your homeland at peace