Inlaid with Ink

A calculating, flirtatious beauty with eight hundred schemes x a lovesick, obsessive prince who has gone mad for her

Does running into an old flame at a funeral count as double the bad luck?

Qi Xiang isn't afraid of bad luck. She's now a renowned funeral-industry mogul, handling funerals for the rich and powerful.

It's just that this old flame is a bit hard to deal with.

Seven years ago, she stabbed him in the heart and ran away.

Now he's gone from heir apparent to prince, and looks every bit the grieving widower.

He drags her back to his manor, gives her a muscle-relaxing drug, and sets the stage for a dramatic abduction and forced romance.

Everyone says Prince Huai has finally fallen for someone. After seven or eight years alone, he has brought a young woman back to his manor.

The young maid serving Qi Xiang truly can't understand. "Can't you tell what His Highness is thinking?"

Qi Xiang gives her a mysterious smile. "You're still young. There are many things you don't understand."

The maid is shocked, as if she's uncovered an earth-shattering secret. "If you don't want to be with him, could it be because His Highness... isn't well endowed?!"

Whether he's well endowed or not is anyone's guess, but Prince Huai's composure soon crumbles:

When he sees Qi Xiang sitting at ease on the floor of the secret chamber in his bedroom, reading through case files,

he suddenly understands. "You let me capture you on purpose, just so you could clear your father's name?"

Her bright eyes sparkle. "What else? If I wanted to be surrounded by death, I could just lie down in some customer's coffin. Why would I come to your Prince Huai Manor, which is practically a tomb?"

It's hard not to feel devastated. A long-lost love, a tragic romance, all of it was just one part of her plan.

Every day, Prince Huai has to keep an eye on his wife's many schemes and stay on guard against all the men who have designs on her...

Worst of all, his wife seems to have no interest in rekindling their relationship.

"I can endure any hardship in this life, but I absolutely cannot be your princess consort!"

Their childhood affection is long past its worth, and their intensely flirtatious push and pull is nothing but an act.

No matter. Prince Huai is a master of convincing himself!

At first: Does she really think I'm nothing but a pretty face?

Later: So what if she only likes my looks? At least she doesn't like those other men!

Ultimate bitter-husband mode: "Sister, have you really stopped appreciating my good looks?"

- The heroine isn't confined to romance. She cares about the world and focuses on her career. The hero has plenty of rivals, with all kinds of men competing for her.

- No ghosts, just folk customs and mysticism. No real ghosts or gods, not fantasy, purely historical romance.

- One-on-one romance! The heroine loves only the hero from beginning to end. She is merely on friendly terms with the other men, but Prince Huai is completely unaware of his secure position as the one and only, and is always convinced he's about to be replaced.

- No women fighting each other for a man. The female characters support one another, and there are plenty of standout moments for women.

- Is there angst? Definitely, but it has a happy ending.

- An alternate-history setting. Some characters are loosely based on real figures, but please don't take it too seriously or try to match it to history.

Theme: Love yourself, love freedom, love the world, and love you.