Returning to the Eastern Palace Five Years Later

[New Novel: Cowardly Before Him, Now Updating. Please Show Your Support!]

[Completed Novels: Spring Crosses the River, Cherishing You, Exploring the Imperial Court, Plucking All the Peach Blossoms of Chang'an, and more]

When apricot blossoms filled the air in Jiangnan, Shen Qingyin loved to climb over the weathered low wall separating her home from her neighbor's, then slip freshly steamed plum blossom cakes into the herb-scented palm of the boy next door. "A Yu, Father says he'll teach me to ride a pony after the autumn harvest."

The boy gazed at her amber eyes, glowing in the sunlight. The copper coin tied to his wrist with a red thread dug painfully into his palm.

It was a safety charm the little girl had earnestly prayed for at the temple on the rainy night when the old physician found him, eight years old and alone.

The winter of the seventeenth year of the Ling Kingdom was bitterly cold.

The Black Armor Guards trampled the snow before the gate and escorted the prince who had been living among the common people back to the palace.

Shen Qingyin chased the procession through three long lanes, but in the end, she could not call back the boy who had promised to pluck all the peach blossoms for her.

So the orphan the old physician had taken in was actually a son of the imperial house.

Five years after they parted, Shen Qingyin gazed at the faded safety charm hanging from the Crown Prince's waist, her heart a tangle of emotions.

The shy boy who had once blushed at the sight of anyone had become a dignified and aristocratic Crown Prince, residing in the Eastern Palace.

He stood there, watching her evasive gaze, his voice low and clear. "Qingyin, don't you recognize me?"

She lowered her eyes and bowed deeply. Only after a long while did she speak. "Your Highness, I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else."

Mistaken you for someone else?

How could I?

Not long afterward, she became engaged to the top scholar of the palace examination.

On a snowy night, the Eastern Palace's guards surrounded the top scholar's residence.

After a month of sleeping in separate rooms following their wedding, he finally couldn't take it anymore. Gazing at her lovely cheek, he hesitated, then said, "Um... tonight, let me sleep with you, okay?"

[Reading Guide]

1. A possessive Crown Prince pursues his beloved wife with devotion

2. Both leads are each other's first and only, sweet romance

Now updating: Cowardly Before Him. Please show your support!

Blurb:

Yun Zhiyue was delicate and lovely, with a pair of tearful eyes that inspired tender affection. Solitary and timid, she was the legitimate daughter of a marquis's household, lost among the common folk.

From childhood, she followed Granny through the streets, selling fish to make a living. Whenever they set up a stall, she would quietly work in a corner, not daring to raise her head.

Day after day, year after year.

In the bitter winter when she was fourteen, snow fell thickly and froze her hands red. As she worked with her head lowered, she looked up and caught sight of a noble, aloof figure.

Dressed in black with gold trim, his dark hair falling loose, the young man stood amid the white snow, so handsome that she couldn't look away.

She timidly offered him a fish, but he took off his expensive fox-fur gloves and firmly pressed them into her cracked, frozen hands.

Before she could refuse, he disappeared into the swirling snow.

Two years later, the country fell into turmoil and war raged without end. Yun Zhiyue and Granny fled from place to place, only to fall into the hands of the rebel army.

Bound hand and foot, she was dragged into a tent. In the dim light, she saw a familiar figure from behind.

He walked toward her one step at a time. Trembling all over, she cried, "Spare me!"

He stopped in front of her and bent down to study her, then asked in a clear voice, "Have we met somewhere before?"

She shook her head in panic, tears streaming without pause.

Naturally timid, she was so frightened that her lips turned pale, but she still pleaded, "My lord, Granny is in poor health. Could you let her go?"

Seeing her flustered and tear-streaked, he couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

He raised her chin with his dagger and asked in a cool, clear voice, "Are you willing to follow me? I can keep you and Granny alive."

She looked at him and choked out, "I am. I am."

As long as she could keep herself and Granny alive, she was willing to do anything.

She stayed by his side, following his army as it fought all the way from the borderlands to the imperial capital.

Only later did she learn that he was Ji Huailing, the third young master who had helped his father seize the throne by forcing the emperor from the palace.

Ji Huailing was Heaven's favored son, a man of exceptional talent, proud and aloof, with no regard for anyone. Fearing neither Heaven nor earth, he followed his father in killing powerful ministers and stirring up the court, becoming the "Living Yama" feared by everyone in the Yu Kingdom.

One snowy day, he returned to the villa covered in wounds and found her curled up by the door, waiting for him.

She froze at the sight of the blood covering him.

He staggered over, gripped her chin, and asked coldly, "Zhiyue, why is everyone afraid of me? Are you afraid of me too?"

Looking into his eyes, filled with both malice and sorrow, she answered in a trembling voice, "...Yes."

"What are you afraid of?"

"Everything."

"Then what if I want you?"

Reading Guide:

1. A proud, aloof, arrogant nobleman relentlessly pursues his beloved

2. They heal and save each other

3. Both leads are each other's first and only, sweet romance

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Theme: Treat one another with sincerity