Blurb
Wu Ning was born in the countryside, but she was blessed with stunning looks.
Her parents, who sold their daughter for wealth and status, sent her to the capital. Before she could fall into the hands of the powerful man they had in mind, a gentle, refined young master bought her.
The young master was elegant and handsome. He never forced Wu Ning to do anything she didn't want to do. He simply kept her in his home and left an older woman there to train her.
Wu Ning was obedient and compliant. She followed the older woman's instructions and treated the young master as her whole world.
A year later, Wu Ning climbed into a bridal sedan, but she wasn't marrying the young master.
The young master loved the princess of Luo. Wu Ning was merely a substitute, sent to marry the emperor of Jing in the princess's place.
But Wu Ning didn't mind. Though she was lovely and delicate, her body was frail. She was destined to drift like a leaf on the water, unable to escape her fate.
Whoever she married, as long as she stayed alive, that was enough.
Ying Shang has a fearsome reputation. He's a tyrant renowned throughout Zhongzhou.
A skilled warrior since youth, he's authoritarian, lawless, cruel, and extravagant.
The only exception is that he has no interest in women.
Anyone who falls into his hands, man or woman, is subjected to torture. He's that cruel.
Yet under this emperor, the nation is strong and its people prosperous. No other state can stand against it.
Seeking his favor and protection, Luo brought up the marriage pact made by Jing's old emperor, despite knowing how brutal Ying Shang was. They hoped to form an alliance.
But Ying Shang specifically demanded Luo's cherished little princess.
On the day the princess of Luo arrived to marry him, Ying Shang happened to be in a foul mood and was on a killing spree.
The tyrant, eyes bloodshot, lifted his blood-drenched sword and raised the red curtain of the bridal sedan.
It wasn't the princess of Luo.
Inside the sedan sat a young woman with snow-white skin and rosy cheeks. Her dark eyes were bright and limpid as she stared at him without blinking.
She seemed not to see the bloody sword lifting the curtain, nor the horrifying scene of blood washing the ground behind him.
Ying Shang thought, What nerve.
She had dared to lift her own veil before he could.
The young woman curved her peach-blossom eyes and called sweetly, "My lord husband."
What kind of ridiculous title was that?
Ying Shang narrowed his eyes, ducked into the sedan, hooked an arm around her slender waist, and slung her over his shoulder.
"What's your name?" he asked.
The young woman draped over his shoulder answered obediently, "Wu Ning."
Wu Ning.
Later, when the border was invaded, Ying Shang personally led the army to war. He was gone for half a year without a word.
Everyone in Jing said the tyrant had died at the border.
Wu Ning, now a high-ranking consort, thought that even if he was dead, she would have to find a way forward for herself.
But on the day she tried to leave the palace, Ying Shang returned, travel-worn, and caught her just as she was about to elope with someone else.
Ying Shang embraced her from behind. He tilted her chin back with one hand and gently nipped at her snowy earlobe.
Before them stood the princess of Luo's consort, who had suffered brutal torture and had come to take Wu Ning back to Luo: the young master who had once bought her.
"Ningning, am I not enough to keep you attached to me?" he asked hoarsely, his bloodthirsty eyes provoking the man across from them.
Just as she had when they first met, Wu Ning ignored the young master's gouged-out eyes and turned to wrap her arms around Ying Shang's waist, acting coquettish.
"I'm only attached to you," she said with guileless charm. "He tricked me into going to find you."
Liar. You were going to elope with him.
Ying Shang silently swept her into his arms. Wu Ning lifted her arms around his neck and leaned against his chest, clinging to him.
His beloved consort was a clinging vine. If the great tree she depended on fell, it was only natural for her to seek shelter elsewhere.
[Reading Guide:
1. Written for my own enjoyment. The heroine is a true clinging vine and a fence-sitter with no heart.
2. An alternate world, with a setting loosely based on the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
3. Both leads are each other's first and only. One-on-one romance. The heroine has a slight harem magnet quality.
4. Both leads have flaws. Neither is perfect.
5. I'll add more when I've thought of it.]
Theme: Those who love themselves will always be loved by others
