The Widow

[The historical romance in the same series, Abundant Beauty, is currently updating~] [Comments on individual chapters are now open. If you read pirated copies, please subscribe before commenting.] This Novel [Gentle, resilient widow × ruthless young new emperor] #Gentle Haven, Rabid Hound#Heroine Not a Virgin, Hero Is#Older Woman/Younger Man#Possessive Love# (Please read the guide at the very bottom before starting. Important enough to say three times.) (Read the tags and guide carefully. Don’t force yourself to read something you won’t enjoy.) (This is not a sweet romance. It has angst, plenty of melodrama, and some dark kinks.) 1. After Li Lanxin’s husband died, she became a widow. She had originally been sold into the family to bring good fortune to her sick husband, and her in-laws were powerful, so she couldn’t remarry. She moved into a secluded little house in an alley beside the general’s residence and spent years living as a widow. The year she turned twenty-seven, the capital was thrown into turmoil. The emperor fell gravely ill, the princes fought for the throne, and war engulfed the entire capital region. In such chaotic times, she was only a frail woman with neither power nor money. All she could do was keep her doors shut and pray day and night for the calamity to pass. As time went by, the clamor of soldiers and horses passing outside her door gradually faded. One cold night, she found a young man in armor, covered in blood, lying by a corner of her courtyard wall. Li Lanxin hesitated for a moment, but couldn’t bring herself to leave him there. She saved him. He said his name was Lin Jing, and that he was a guard in Prince Jin’s household. He said the rebellion had been quelled and Prince Jin had the upper hand. As a member of the prince’s household, he would have a bright future. He also said he had to repay her for saving his life. He was an orphan, and by saving him, she had become his family. From then on, another person came and went in the little courtyard. The man was young, handsome, and tall, with strength to spare. He often came by in secret to do chores for her and bring her money. Li Lanxin refused to accept it, so he started bringing her all kinds of fine things instead. Seeing his faint smile and warm-hearted actions, Li Lanxin gradually grew used to him. Once life improved, she set aside some of her money and secretly saved it, thinking that one day she would use it as part of the betrothal gifts for this young man, who was like a younger brother to her. Until one muggy, rainy night, he forced his way into her bedchamber. 2. The first time he saw that woman was in the warm early summer, when the old emperor had a sudden whim and the great families all gathered at the imperial retreat outside the capital. The gardens were bustling. In a secluded pavilion in a distant corner, a woman in plain clothes wore no gold or jade ornaments. Only a few silver hairpins adorned her cloud of black hair. Head bowed, she plucked flowers and scattered them petal by petal into the fishpond. Zong Lin stared in her direction and immediately decided she was a woman from a humble household: gentle as water, with delicate bones and a voluptuous figure, yet dressed shabbily and rather dull. Before long, she spotted him from afar and hurriedly lowered her head. From the moment she left the pavilion, she never once looked at his face. She apologized and bowed to him, then quietly asked him to let her pass. Zong Lin thought nothing of it. But after that, her voice grew more distorted and entangling in his dreams night after night, keeping him awake for months. Thankfully, it didn’t interfere with anything important. But with the realm soon to be in his grasp, he had to get rid of this demon in his heart. His underlings told him that women like her, of low status and widowed for many years, were often fiercely chaste, and forcing her would be difficult. It would be better to pretend they were only having some fun, so he could easily walk away once he got bored. Zong Lin had said nothing, his expression cold. But half a month later, he had Lin Jing enter the woman’s home. At first, the game was fun. Before long, it no longer satisfied him. When Li Lanxin smiled gently and told him she was saving money for him to marry a new bride, Zong Lin froze for a moment, then smiled too. So he wasn’t the most heartless one after all. She was. He had tried to warm her heart for so long, but it had never warmed to him. #One-Sided Obsession, Unrequited Love# #Cunning Seduction and Ruthless Possession# (Please don’t offer writing advice. I don’t need it. I’ve said this eight hundred times.) (Subscription rate: 80%.) Reading Guide [Must Read Before Starting!]: 1. The heroine is not a virgin; the hero is. The heroine is five years older than the hero. (Important!) 2. The heroine had a brief marriage. She didn’t love her late husband, who died young, but they did share familial affection. 3. As always, this is a devoted, monogamous romance with a pure-love tone: one-on-one, HE. 4. The heroine is kind, gentle, and strong, but not forceful. She’s deeply grateful to those who help her, and lives under oppressive circumstances. 5. The hero is ruthless, scheming, and unscrupulous. His character is exactly as labeled: a rabid dog through and through, devoted but prone to going mad. He really does go mad. He is not a good person, he is not a good person, he is not a good person. He faces a long road to win her back later. 6. Please read the tags carefully. Cunning seduction and ruthless possession have been flagged many times. Both are present, and possessive love is the main theme. This is a story about the forced-love kink. If you like it, come on in; if not, hit X. It also includes unrequited love, emotional breakdowns, melodrama, and the hero’s desperate pursuit of his wife. The author has a dirty mind and a taste for intense sensuality, clinging intimacy, and drawn-out push-and-pull. If you dislike possessive-love stories, don’t read this. There is absolutely no possibility of a softened, gentle approach to stealing someone’s wife. None, none, none. If you want a sweet take on possessive love, click the top-left corner. If you can’t handle possessive love, please proceed with extreme caution. If you’re unsure what possessive love means, use a search engine. Don’t say, “I thought it would be…” The author is not responsible for your assumptions. Respect one another. There’s no need to tell me if you drop the novel. Thank you. 7. This is a fictional setting, with customs from various dynasties all mixed together. There’s little political scheming; this is an outlet for my kinks. The pacing is unhurried, with a slow, steady buildup. Please don’t offer writing advice. This isn’t a commissioned story, and I’ll delete such comments if I see them. The outline is set, and I absolutely won’t change the characters or pacing, so the story won’t go off the rails. Synopsis completed on 2025.3.6 and saved as a screen recording. Theme: Even heroes can’t resist a beautiful woman