The ferocious Prince of Qi x the pampered darling of a noble family
(Sweet romance)
Jiang Li's aunt is a Noble Consort, her father is the Duke of Zhenguo, and her maternal cousin was made a Prince before reaching adulthood. For a time, no other household could rival the Duke's in honor and influence.
A Li is the most privileged young lady of a great family in Shengjing.
Once, a Daoist told her father that the Duke's daughter bore the destiny of a phoenix, and would one day enter the palace as empress, enjoying half the splendor of the realm.
And the Duke's household had only one daughter: Jiang Li...
Little A Li doesn't understand what it means to have the destiny of a phoenix, or what it means to be empress. She only knows she's her father's only daughter, her aunt's favorite niece, and that she has a princely cousin who has been her childhood sweetheart.
The little girl's only troubles are the groom who leads her horse and Jiang Yin, the older girl her father brought home from the orphanage.
The groom is tall and strong, with nimble hands. Standing in front of little A Li, he is like a ferocious beast, powerful and intimidating.
She steps onto his back. Beneath her soft silk shoes is the groom's burning body, a heat that scorches A Li time and again... How annoying!
As for Jiang Yin, A Li doesn't like her. She acts gentle and obedient in front of A Li's parents, then turns around and locks A Li in a dark room. She's even more annoying than the groom.
Apart from those two, A Li grows up quite happily, showered with love, until she finally comes of age.
If nothing goes wrong, she'll marry her cousin. The Jiang family will produce an empress who embodies all that is virtuous and proper, and the family will rise to even greater heights.
But fate does not favor A Li. She falls ill, and her health rapidly deteriorates. No medicine can help her...
Her aunt despises her as a sickly girl who will never bear an heir. Her father abandons her, entering Jiang Yin, his illegitimate daughter, into the family register to replace A Li and marry her off to his nephew... Her cousin, who once loved her deeply, changes his heart and turns around to cherish Jiang Yin instead.
Even her mother, the only person who loves her, is moved to a side courtyard by her father, while Jiang Yin's mother becomes the Duke's secondary wife.
With no value left, A Li is presented by her father as a gift to the vassal prince, the murderous Prince of Qi. The moment A Li sees him, she is so frightened she bursts into tears.
He is clearly the groom she once stepped on.
==
When Zhou Sheyong was stranded far from home, he had a shameful past.
He was trampled underfoot by a noble young lady, led her horse, and held her riding crop. The spoiled, beauty-loving young lady often complained that he had dirtied her delicate embroidered shoes...
Later, he returned to the position that was rightfully his. He was revered by all, and no one would ever know about his past.
But every night, whenever he dreamed, Zhou Sheyong would see those delicate embroidered shoes and hear the little girl's spoiled, gentle voice.
“Zhou Ji, you've dirtied my shoes.”
The Prince of Qi's cherished jewel
Theme: Love yourself well
