[A thorny rose vs. a cold-faced general | All Twelve Beauties get happy endings | Growing together]
The first time Wang Hengchen met Jia Tanchun, he knew this thorny rose would make the perfect chess piece, just as he would.
He was the child of a merchant, and also a descendant of the Jinling Wang family, left to wander outside the clan. He didn't care that his family had abandoned him, and willingly became a pawn for the emperor to bring down the Four Princes and Eight Dukes.
Everyone said that the third young master of the Wang family, who had come from Jinling, was young and promising, and highly valued by the emperor. They were sure he would make the family even more prosperous one day.
Only Tanchun knew how cold and ruthless her maternal cousin was, and how desperately he wanted revenge on his own family.
"Third Miss, you're so clever. Would you be willing to make a deal with me?" Wang Hengchen ran his fingertips over the Grand View Garden accounts Tanchun had just written, as if admiring her calligraphy.
Tanchun only smiled. "Third Brother, do you want to use me as a pawn? The way you're a pawn for the prince?"
Wang Hengchen's heart tightened. He suddenly realized that, in some ways, he and Tanchun were alike. So he nodded.
"If Third Brother wants to use me to pave your road to success, you should show some sincerity. I won't stand in your way, because I don't want to save the Jia family. I want all my sisters to be able to choose their own paths!"
Later, the Twelve Beauties left the Jia household. Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu opened two academies and a theater in Gusu.
Wang Xifeng and Xue Baochai's trading caravans not only connected the tea and horse routes from north to south, but also reached the Eastern Ocean, the South Seas, and the Western Ocean.
Shi Xiangyun and Qingwen formed the first all-female escort agency. Their silver saddles shone on white horses as they rode like shooting stars.
And the young general, cold in both face and heart, lit a huge string of firecrackers, smiling as he and his wife prayed for a cargo ship setting sail on a distant voyage.
"My lady, do you think Sister Bao and Eldest Sister will be able to bring back those books and machines safely?"
"Did Xuanzang wonder the same thing before his journey west?" Tanchun asked in reply.
"When it comes to clever retorts, I must admit defeat," Wang Hengchen said with a smile.
[Reading guide]
1. A noble and capable heroine x a cold, affection-starved hero who grows over time. They are each other's pawns, grow together, and save those they love.
2. The Twelve Beauties won't get tragic endings, and the Wood-and-Stone bond won't be broken up.
3. An ensemble story, half romance and half career, with no character bashing.
Theme: Grow together and save those you love.
