This Lingering Grudge

Originally titled "Spring Oriole in the Palm" ● Please read the content warnings below before reading. Stubborn, straightforward puppy-like girl x a puppet emperor who is not what he seems At sixteen, Ling Ying was brought back to Luoyang by her father and promised to a man who seemed gentle and refined in public but criticized her at every turn in private. Ling Ying didn't care. Her heart was already filled by one person: His Majesty, who was exceptionally considerate and endlessly tender toward her. Back then, Yuan Ji was ambushed and badly wounded, left fallen in the dirt. Ling Ying risked her life to save him. In the endless night, in a dilapidated mountain temple, she held his hand tightly and sheltered him in her arms, softly humming a tune from Wu Commandery again and again, afraid he would fall unconscious for good from the cold. She thought that meant they loved each other. - At first, Yuan Ji had approached Cui Ling Ying as part of a scheme. In his eyes, she was nothing but the daughter of his enemy, the least important pawn on the board. As for the love she kept talking about, he didn't understand it and had no interest in trying. Only a madman could fall for someone so foolish. - Much later, Ling Ying finally understood that her father, whose power towered over the court, had long been at daggers drawn with the young emperor. She thought Yuan Ji probably hated her. Otherwise, why would he treat her so cruelly, yet insist on locking her away in the imperial palace, tormenting her day and night with unspeakable methods? Ling Ying saw through him and would rather die than bow to him again. Until one day, she finally escaped without a trace. Everyone said the current emperor was cold-hearted, ruthless, and bloodthirsty. When Ling Ying heard it, she felt it had nothing to do with her anymore. Three days later, however, the small temple where she was hiding was surrounded on all sides. Someone kicked the courtyard gate open, and a figure slowly stepped inside. Behind him, an attendant was leading a timid little boy by the hand. Ling Ying looked at the child's face, identical to her own, and went pale, taking two steps back. Yuan Ji stopped and shoved the teary-eyed boy forward, glaring at her with a sinister look. "Go drag your mother back." - Content warnings: 1. This is primarily a story of coercive love and is very melodramatic and old-school. It is not a female-empowerment story, a sweet romance, or a wish-fulfillment story. Please make sure this is what you want, and that you're prepared for the angst of forced love, before reading. Buy chapter by chapter, and stop reading if you don't like it. 2. Both leads are each other's only sexual partners; happy ending. Eight-year age gap. Neither lead is perfect. The male lead is a hypocrite and a very bad person, but he's devoted to the heroine in both body and heart. He's a puppet emperor, and his harem is in name only. 3. The political intrigue is kindergarten-level and written just for fun. The plot exists only to serve the romance. 4. The author's skill is limited, so please be patient with me. Once again, the male lead is unscrupulous and truly awful. I have never deleted any comments. If any are missing, they were probably removed by Jinjiang moderators. Theme: Love is patient, and love is kind.