After Disguising Myself as a Man and Attracting My Archrival

A gloomy, persistent, never-gives-up iceberg x a timid, rational, play-the-fool-and-bide-your-time, laid-back beauty

Good news: Jing Shu passed the Hanlin Academy exam in disguise as a man and became Prince Wei's trusted aide.

Bad news: As soon as she takes up her post, the emperor orders the compilation of a literary canon, and the person in charge is Tang Yanqing, the Crown Prince's trusted aide and the chief grand secretary.

By day, she must spy on Tang Yanqing and gather information about his weaknesses. She also has to disguise herself and hide her natural fragrance to keep him from discovering her identity.

Everyone at the Hanlin Academy knows that Lord Jing is constantly getting a hard time from the chief grand secretary.

When she dozes off at her desk:

Lord Tang looks on coldly. "You can still sleep? Dock her pay."

When she slips away early at noon:

Lord Tang shoots her a cutting glance. "You haven't submitted the book on the imperial cuisine, and you're leaving early? Dock her pay."

She gets a little angry and throws a small tantrum. "Could you dock a little less..."

Their relationship is as hostile as fire and water.

Later, the beauty nestled at Prince Wei's side, the dancer who slipped Tang Yanqing a laxative at a palace banquet, and the strange woman who accidentally spent a night with him all share a peculiar fragrance that can cure his headaches.

Until one day, Tang Yanqing finds a handkerchief belonging to his subordinate, whom he has never liked. It carries the elusive fragrance he's been searching for.

*

News of Tang Yanqing's engagement to a commandery princess spreads throughout the capital. While everyone congratulates him, Jing Shu quietly packs a small bundle and heads a thousand miles away to take a minor official post in Shu Province, where she can enjoy a carefree life.

One day after work, her subordinates drag her to the pleasure quarter. She gets thoroughly drunk, and when she wakes, she finds her hands tied to the bed. Tang Yanqing, who should be in the capital, stands at her bedside, an unsettling smile on his face as he toys with her collarbone.

"Looks like Lord Jing is having too much fun in Shu to want to come home."

An ambitious, top-ranked iceberg x a timid little beauty

Synopsis written on January 17, 2025, and archived.

Reader's guide:

The heroine has no heart, but she's very timid (who dares to be rude to their superior?).

The hero is a lunatic who won't leave her alone, never stops digging for answers, and works himself to the bone. He's the type who can skip sleep and still get up early.

Forget the original, then face-slap and pursue your love.

Theme: Work hard, and soon you'll rise from serfdom and sing your song of freedom