Honey-Poached Cherries

Upcoming: Chronicles of the Three Vehicles Palace, Everyday Life of the Marquis's Estate's Stewardess

Completed historical novels: Fragrant Legacy, No Knot of Shared Hearts, and others

The character settings have been adjusted, so I need to reorganize the outline and detailed chapter plans. Updates are suspended for now.

I'm truly sorry to have kept everyone waiting.

I'll post the complete novel after fixing the bugs. If you're still interested, you can read it then.

Once again, please accept my sincere apologies.

Sweet-Braised Cherries ★ Two men and one woman in a love triangle, true and fake heiresses

Blurb:

He Xiaocha has returned to Chang'an.

Half a month ago, a young man named Ouyang Ben suddenly stopped her and told her she was Gu Fangnian, the missing third daughter of the Gu family, Minister of Imperial Sacrifices.

They say she got lost at the Shangyuan Lantern Festival ten years ago. Her birth mother was overcome with grief, so her birth father adopted an orphan girl her age and named her Baozhu to give his wife hope again.

Later, Gu Baozhu became the undisputed apple of the Gu family's eye.

Dressed in coarse hemp clothes, He Xiaocha arrived at the Gu residence. Surrounded by layers of high-ranking officials and nobles, she listened to them talk for half an hour before finally piecing everything together.

“So...” He Xiaocha asked. “The situation is that my parents became Miss Baozhu's parents, my brothers became Miss Baozhu's brothers, and even my childhood betrothed became Miss Baozhu's fiancé, right?”

“Fangnian...”

Everyone started talking at once, trying to explain, but He Xiaocha cut them off.

“Then give me some compensation.”

“Of course, of course. We'll compensate you.”

He Xiaocha: “I want four hundred strings of cash.”

Everyone: “???”

He Xiaocha: “And the freedom to come and go from the estate.”

Everyone: “...”

He Xiaocha: “Also, I don't like studying.”

Everyone: “!!!”

He Xiaocha: “That's all I can think of for now. If there's nothing else, I'll be off.”

He Xiaocha's scheme had worked, but she hadn't gone far before a stern young man blocked her way.

He Xiaocha: “What are you doing?”

Shen Qin: “It seems you've picked up some bad habits during your years away. Guards! Take the third young lady away! Keep a close eye on her!”

“Who are you?! Hey, hey, be gentle! My feet aren't touching the ground! Hey!!!”

Shen Qin kept He Xiaocha's head down over her books and taught her proper etiquette. At last, she found a chance to escape.

With her little bundle on her back, she crawled out through the dog hole in the Gu estate, only to see a pair of brocade boots with a cloud pattern.

She looked up, her eyes lighting up. “Young Master Li, what are you doing here?”

Li Xingyin: “I heard the Gu family's third young lady had been found, so I came to offer my congratulations. Are you... trying to run away?”

He Xiaocha quickly backed away. “I'm not going anywhere! With someone as handsome as you here, how could I bear to leave?”

Li Xingyin: “Careful.”

He Xiaocha: “Careful of what?”

Li Xingyin: “Your tongue.”

He Xiaocha: ...

Reader's Guide:

1. One woman and two men:

He Xiaocha (Gu Fangnian) x Shen Qin and Li Xingyin.

A wild heiress versus a sweet-on-the-outside, scheming-on-the-inside nobleman and a sharp-tongued Imperial Guard.

The male lead is currently set to be Shen Qin.

2. True and fake heiresses, with plenty of melodramatic family intrigue and face-slapping.

3. Everyone is chaste, both men and women. All the eligible men who look decent are chaste.

4. The heroine isn't very educated at first, and has a strong streetwise streak. She tends to deal with problems bluntly, but she'll grow as she learns. Please give her some time.

5. The story is set in Chang'an during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. Some historical figures may be portrayed with creative liberties to serve the story, but there is no disrespect intended. Readers who care about historical accuracy may wish to take note. Thank you for understanding.

Theme: I'd rather be myself