She's Been on the Straight and Narrow for Years

When Yin Cailu was wandering the streets in rags, the Xue family picked her up.

Madam Xue said she looked exactly like her deceased daughter.

Just like that, she became the daughter of a marquis's household, but the Xue family's affection for her wasn't nearly as great as she'd imagined.

They merely tucked her into a gilded shell and made her learn countless rules.

At last, she learned why the Xue family had taken her in.

The deceased Miss Xue, whom she was replacing, had been promised in marriage to a member of the royal family. The Xues didn't want to give up the match, so they'd brought her home.

It was said that Xue Jingyun, the Xue family's daughter, was a renowned beauty and talent, famous for her virtue. Madam Xue wanted Yin Cailu to be just like Xue Jingyun in every way.

Once Yin Cailu had made herself look the part, the imperial decree appointing her Crown Princess arrived.

The Crown Prince was gentle, but by nature free of desire. The Xue family repeatedly drilled their instructions into her: The Crown Princess need not win the Crown Prince's affection, but the family's honor was heavier than a thousand pounds. Her words and actions, her bearing and deportment, must conform to the rules of the palace, without the slightest mistake.

Seeing that she looked proper, Madam Xue smiled knowingly. "Remember, don't let the truth slip."

When the Xue family picked Yin Cailu up, she had already been wandering for some time. Before then, she'd lived among ornate towers and carved halls, where countless scholars, officials, and nobles waited every day just to see her and bask in her charms.

Unfortunately, the Yusheng House in Jiangnan later fell, and the madam was arrested by the authorities. Yin Cailu wandered east until she reached the capital, where Madam Xue found her and took her home.

She did have to put in some effort to win over a Crown Prince who was so free of desire.

Even the most desireless Crown Prince developed a little yearning after she'd worked on him. Behind the gauzy curtains, where Madam Xue couldn't see, Yin Cailu sang and danced, her long sleeves fluttering, putting all the skills she'd practiced since childhood to use.

Sometimes she remembered Madam Xue's warning and held back a little, but the next time she couldn't help herself. After all, she couldn't change overnight the habit of turning sweet-voiced and soft-waisted whenever she saw a man.

But... she didn't like the official the Crown Prince had newly summoned to the capital.

He used to be one of her regular patrons.

One day, she saw the Crown Prince return with a dark expression and was so frightened her soul nearly flew away.

Please enjoy the new story, Swallows Belong to Me

Not only the daughters of great families, but even Yan Yan, born to a humble household, liked watching handsome young men ride by on tall horses.

Yan Huichun was in the Emperor's good graces, passing through the streets every day in his bold red robes, arrogant and untouchable.

Yan Yan tucked her feelings away, never imagining that such a man, astride his fine horse with jade ornaments on its bridle, would one day become her husband, Meng Yanyan's husband.

Seasons passed, and the world changed.

The young man of yesterday turned gray in the blink of an eye.

Looking at her husband beside her, Meng Yanyan felt that though her life had been comfortable, it had not been happy. Still, they had at least grown old together.

But she never understood, not even at the end of her life: if Yan Huichun didn't love her, why had he married her? Why endure such a long, dull life?

As she closed her eyes, she thought that if she had another life, no matter how wonderful Yan Huichun was, she wouldn't marry him again.

In the blink of an eye, the clamor of gongs and drums filled the streets outside. It was the day Yan Huichun made a name for himself in the capital with a poem, passing beneath her window amid a crowd of admirers.

Yan Yan was grateful that the heavens had truly given her another chance. The man below had shed his worn-out, aged appearance and was once again a dashing young man in fine clothes on horseback. Yan Yan glanced at him once, then never looked back.

This time, marrying Shen, a gentleman from a family of equal standing, and sharing a loving life would be just fine.

Shen Yutang had always been fond of her, and Yan Yan knew his future prospects were bright. The two families soon began arranging the marriage.

But just as Yan Yan was about to put Yan Huichun completely out of her mind, her former husband, usually so reserved and taciturn toward her, burst into her life with a grand gesture.

In their previous life, Yan Yan never would have dared imagine this.

Yan Huichun had only expected everything to unfold as it had in their previous life, with Yan Yan naturally becoming his wife. Though they could not have children, he could still protect and love her, giving her a peaceful life.

What was wrong with living as peacefully as they had before?

But why wouldn't Yan Yan even look at him now? And then, suddenly, she was going to marry someone else.

*

"If you don't tell me, my husband, how am I supposed to know you love me?"

"To me, Yan Yan, sharing a roof and drinking from the same cup is already a blessing."

"I don't understand."

"To me, Yan Yan, growing old together as promised is enough."

"Hmph, what kind of answer is that?"

"To me, Yan Yan, you are home."

"Huichun, I only want Yan Yan."

* One-on-one romance

* Both leads are reborn

* Reconciliation after a broken relationship

* Watch and wait for the cold mountain to turn into a madman

Theme: A pearl cannot be dimmed, and even wild grass has ambitions.