Spring Arrives at Both Mansions

[New story: Catching a Beautiful Little Ghost] If you’re interested, take a look in my column. The blurb is at the bottom.

Brilliant, rebellious censor-in-chief × gentle, clear-headed secretary of the central secretariat

The Li family had a daughter, a beauty with brains, the most talented woman south of the Yangtze. Blessed with a golden marriage match, she was the finest young lady in the city. Yet this elegant, orchid-like beauty ran away the night before her wedding!

Not long afterward, a scholar named Li Jing appeared at the renowned Shiqing Academy in the capital. She was exceptionally talented, a rare pillar of the state.

The halls of power were within reach, and the red official robes with their winged hats seemed hers for the taking.

Yet this pillar of the state was two-faced. She bribed an examiner to secure an official post, only to be discovered by her best friend. To silence him, she murdered him in cold blood.

Her examination degree was revoked, and she was driven from the capital overnight. Li Jing was demoted to Youzhou, a desolate border town where even the birds wouldn’t shit.

But a year later, she unexpectedly ran into an old acquaintance there: Liu Yan.

This noble young master had been her sworn enemy, always competing with her for the top spot at the academy. He’d watched her coldly, despised her, and joined others in condemning her in the harshest terms.

If she remembered correctly, Liu Yan was the legitimate son of the current Secretary of the Central Secretariat. He had passed the civil service examination and should have enjoyed a smooth career and the emperor’s favor.

But now, the young master Liu had become ragged, gaunt, and utterly down on his luck.

Li Jing had earned her post as Youzhou’s assistant prefect through her own efforts, and now had a chance of returning to the capital to uncover the truth. Meanwhile, the ever principled and upright Young Master Liu, her sworn enemy, was sucking up to her for all he was worth.

Li Jing sat in a high seat. “Tell me, what are you after this time?”

Liu Yan straightened up, seeming more earnest than ever before. “This time, I want nothing else. I beg Your Excellency to take pity on me.”

Note: The heroine disguises herself as a man.

Upcoming story:

Timid, good-natured little rabbit / cold, domineering troublemaker with a split personality × cynical, wastrel playboy

A person by day, a ghost by night.

The Shen family of Jiangnan had enjoyed a spotless reputation for generations. Yet this distinguished household was plagued by strange occurrences: the Shen estate was peaceful by day, but at night, eerie winds blew and ghosts wailed.

A Taoist said, “Something unclean has entered the residence.”

Shen Jijiusi had always doted on his daughter, so without a second thought, he sent her to the capital to be looked after by his own father, Old Master Shen.

In doing so, he personally brought the “unclean thing” to the capital.

Li Maozhao was a notorious playboy in the capital. He spent every day fighting crickets and chasing dogs, gambling and carousing, throwing his weight around and spending money recklessly, all because he came from a family of hereditary officials.

His father was the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which earned him a position in the Guard as well. In reality, he was a sinecure: he drew a salary and did no work.

Li Maozhao first met Shen Weisang at the home of Shen Yushi, a retired Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

The Li and Shen families had been enemies for years, and Li Maozhao had always despised the Shen family.

Not long afterward, the second grand secretary of the cabinet was sentenced to death for abusing his power, meddling in government, and corruption. The Shen family turned out to have ties to the disgraced official, and Li Maozhao was ordered to purge his remaining associates. As it happened, that brought him to the Shen family.

“Old Shen, where did you find such a lovely granddaughter?”

Wearing his official embroidered uniform, he grinned maliciously and rattled off a long list of the Shen family’s alleged crimes. The Shen girl turned pale with fright and knelt before him, trembling and shedding tears, as timid and fragile as a parasitic vine.

That night, Li Maozhao took off his outer robe and was about to get into bed when he glanced up and saw someone hanging from the rafters. Her black hair fell loose around her, and she had a face identical to Shen Weisang’s. She grinned eerily at him.

“Y-you...” Li Maozhao went white with fear. Looking down, he saw that Shen Weisang had no feet. She floated above a pool of translucent smoke.

“The bloodthirsty Embroidered Uniform Guard is afraid of ghosts?”

As she spoke, two streams of blood ran from the corners of Shen’s eyes. Her face was hideously fierce, with a green complexion and fangs, completely unlike the timid, shrinking girl she’d been in the daytime!

She reached out with her gray-white hands and clamped them around Li Maozhao’s throat.

“Help... A ghost!”

Theme: Live life on your own terms