After the Chief Schemer Decided to Take It Easy and Focus on His Health

[Mad, sickly beauty who excels at training dogs x equally mad, loyal dog of a man]

[The receiver: Just breathing. The giver: A master of his craft.]

Blurb:

In the novel "The Treacherous Minister," a beauty born frail and sickly is also a powerful court official who kills without mercy and is hated by everyone.

They all say the Empress Dowager raised Prince Yu a fine dog.

Yet when Prince Yu ascends the throne, that dog's name is on the list of those condemned to death.

On the night he finished reading the novel, Shen Rangchen, a modern man with the same name, also died in his hospital bed.

When he opened his eyes again, Shen Rangchen discovered that he had transmigrated into the treacherous minister's body. The story had only just begun. At the Empress Dowager's sickbed, she summoned Shen Rangchen and instructed him to assist Prince Yu and ensure he ascended the throne.

Realizing this was how the original Shen Rangchen had begun his descent into villainy, he twitched his ear and leaned closer. "What was that?"

The Empress Dowager died. The imperial edict... was left unclear because the chief minister was hard of hearing.

Afterward, Shen Rangchen claimed to be ill and stayed home, rarely going out. But things refused to go his way. Nobody wanted to leave him in peace. If they were going to make trouble for him, then none of them would have an easy time either!

After a bout of chills, the recovered Crown Prince suddenly sought out Xie Huaichuan, the young marquis of Cheng'an. He told him of a prophetic dream he'd had while bedridden. In the dream, Shen Rangchen became a treacherous minister, helped Prince Yu ascend the throne, and brought about their deaths.

So, as part of a carefully planned scheme, the Crown Prince assigned Xie Huaichuan to Shen Rangchen's side to keep watch on him.

However, this great villain the Crown Prince spoke of did little more than tend to his health, fish, walk his birds, play cards, hold grudges, and order Xie Huaichuan around and torment him. There was nothing particularly wrong with him.

They said Shen Rangchen was Prince Yu's lackey, yet he clearly couldn't be bothered to see Prince Yu.

Could he simply be putting on too good a show?

But before Xie Huaichuan could investigate more closely, he discovered a side of Shen Rangchen no one else knew...

Skits:

1.

Crown Prince: How's Shen Rangchen doing lately?

Xie Huaichuan: Nothing unusual.

The Crown Prince noticed the fresh handprint on his face and asked with concern, "What do you do around him all day? How did you get slapped?"

Xie Huaichuan thought for a moment. "I seduce him. I got slapped because I failed."

Crown Prince: ?

2.

Crown Prince: Have you fallen in love with him?

Xie Huaichuan gestured. "Impossible! I have my own pace. I'm only pretending to admire him. Once he falls in love with me..."

In the middle of the night, someone knocked on the Crown Prince's door.

The Crown Prince was startled, thinking Xie Huaichuan had urgent news. He immediately got up to see him.

Xie Huaichuan looked utterly worn out. "Your Highness, I can't hold out any longer. He hasn't spoken to me all day. Do you think he'll forgive me if we go kneel in front of him?"

The Crown Prince: "We...? Do I have to kneel too?"

Xie Huaichuan nodded firmly. "Yes!"

The Crown Prince crumbled. "I'm still dreaming right now, aren't I..."

#Crown Prince: I told you to keep an eye on Prince Yu's dog, not to become his dog's dog!

#Xie Huaichuan: But, Your Highness, do you know how many people out there are fighting for the chance to be his dog?

A few notes:

1. One-on-one romance, happy ending, both characters are each other's only partners. Written to the author's tastes. If it's not to yours, please stop reading!

2. Height difference, size difference, younger love interest, beauty trains dog, rugged man as the giver.

3. Skit 2, where the Crown Prince kneels with him, does not actually happen in the story. The Crown Prince really did dream it after being frightened by his love-struck friend.

Theme: When love begins, it runs deep.