To all the lovely readers passing by, please give this a star! Thank you! The main story is complete, and there's a preview of my next book at the end.
The complete novel costs no more than a cup of Luckin coffee, and I'll keep polishing it. Please buy Dezhao a cup of Luckin~
A decisive, battle-hardened princess vs. a broken, insecure top-scoring eunuch
In the tenth year of Yuande, Li Langyue, whose life Shen Buhan had saved, became mute.
Shen Buhan patiently taught her to speak again, one word at a time.
Later, Li Langyue became so eloquent that she and Shen Buhan repeatedly argued in front of their teachers and fellow disciples.
Rumors spread through the capital that Shen and Li were at odds, locked in a bitter rivalry over the top scholar's position.
In the nineteenth year of Yuande, on the eve of the imperial examinations, Li Langyue was too nervous to sleep.
In the end, Shen Buhan soothed her for ages before she finally drifted off.
Li Langyue slept soundly in Shen Buhan's arms.
But Shen Buhan, unable to sleep, spent the whole night gazing at the moonlight before their bed.
In the twenty-first year of Yuande, the clear-minded, bright young top scholar Shen Buhan died.
The man who lived on was Shen Buhan, a disgraced, infamous eunuch in power.
Life and death severed their bonds as teacher and friend.
Only the princess who had always been at odds with him, the second-place exam candidate, still tugged at his sleeve with a willow branch.
Fortunately, he coldly shook her off.
In the twenty-fourth year of Yuande, Li Langyue was appointed military governor of Hexi and grand councilor after earning countless military merits.
Shen Buhan shamelessly clawed his way up to the position of chief of the Shence Army, commanding the imperial guards with power equal to the chancellor's.
Along with the imperial decree granting her titles came countless handsome young men to Hexi.
"Who sent these men?"
"Commandant Shen."
Li Langyue furiously tore up the roster of handsome men and wrote a pile of memorials impeaching Shen Buhan.
"One day, I'll make him send himself over."
In the first year of Shunning, the Western Rong requested a marriage alliance.
The new emperor couldn't bear to marry off his own daughter, so he set his sights on Li Langyue.
But Li Langyue commanded the elite forces of Hexi and had an imperial decree from the late emperor granting her the freedom to choose whether to marry.
What could he do?
As the entire court pondered how to make Li Langyue marry, Shen Buhan, the infamous eunuch whose reputation had been ruined by his desperate efforts to survive, unexpectedly risked his life by volunteering to lead an expedition.
"This servant is willing to lead the elite Shence troops against the Western Rong. I will not return until they are defeated!"
Li Langyue paid Shen Buhan no attention.
"I am willing to go as the bride in the marriage alliance."
"Li Langyue, have you gone mad?"
"I've never been clearer-headed."
Li Langyue hadn't gone mad, but Shen Buhan was about to.
That year, he broke the willow branch in her hand with his own hands.
Now, she would stop at nothing to make the spring breeze sweep through Yumen Pass.
She wanted power over the entire court, and a peerless statesman at her side.
Two broken pieces of jade could fit together to make a whole.
(Extra scene)
The female lead in the eyes of others: a decisive princess wielding immense power
The male lead in the eyes of others: a shameless, infamous eunuch in power
The leads in the eyes of others: two rivals, the top scholar and the runner-up, driven apart by jealousy and sworn enemies despite being fellow disciples
The female lead in the male lead's eyes: a traitor's daughter, walking on eggshells
The male lead in the female lead's eyes: a noble gentleman like jade, enduring humiliation
The leads in each other's eyes: a light in the dark abyss, someone they would give their lives for, but could never speak of aloud
The female lead going to marry into the Western Rong in the eyes of others: a noble sacrifice for her country and its people, made under duress
The female lead going to marry into the Western Rong in the male lead's eyes: she's forcing this insecure man to give in so he can be with a shining star like her!
The female lead going to marry into the Western Rong in her own eyes: I'll reclaim thousands of miles of territory as my dowry!
Insecurity is the best dowry for a man, and power is the best betrothal gift for a woman.
[Reading Tips]
1. Single-couple romance, happy ending. Li Langyue x Shen Buhan.
2. Both leads are strong, but the female lead is stronger. Both are ruthless, but the female lead is more so. The story centers on the woman, and every time the female lead acts weak, it's part of her plan.
3. The male lead is a real eunuch. Neither lead is a good person in the traditional sense. One thought can make a gentleman, another a madman.
4. Unless they're one of the leads, all side characters who have had children are presumed to be in male-female relationships.
5. The political system and historical setting are loosely based on the mid-Tang dynasty, mixed with figures from the reigns of Emperors Xianzong through Xuanzong. They shouldn't be directly mapped onto real history. Don't overanalyze the characters' historical inspirations.
6. I'll add extra chapters whenever favorites or votes reach a hundred.
7. There are lots of twists. Keep reading to find out who's truly good or evil~
Next book: After I Became the Female Lead of a Youth Angst Novel. Please add it to your favorites!
[Book-transmigrator, top student, becomes a delinquent girl] x [Reborn boy who avoided the original heroine in his past life]
Female lead's perspective:
Three days after Zhuang Yunmeng, a PhD graduate in Chinese literature from a top university, joined the Imperial Academy of Sciences, she brutally roasted a youth angst novel.
"The heroine gets pregnant in middle school, and the male lead makes her frame her half-brother? It's 2030. Who is still reading this stuff?"
Then, to her bad luck, Zhuang Yunmeng transmigrated into the heroine of that very novel.
Her grades were at the bottom of her class, she bullied her classmates, beat up teachers, and dated boy after boy. The original heroine's life was so far beyond Zhuang Yunmeng's understanding that it might as well have been another world.
After twenty years of studying hard, always at the top of her class, and never having dated, Zhuang Yunmeng had never faced such a disastrous start!
Even worse, there was no System and no mission, and she had no idea how to get home!
Although Zhuang Yunmeng wanted to seize the opportunities of the times and make money in this life, she couldn't give up her research ambitions.
Oh, well. She'd earn money and study at the same time. Reading was the one thing Miss Zhuang feared least!
Now that she'd been to college, Zhuang Yunmeng stopped working hard like she had in school and only crammed before exams.
Li Shan: "Why do you only study before exams and still get such good grades?"
Zhuang Yunmeng's inner monologue: "You call that impressive? Back in undergrad, I could pull off a miracle in a single night..."
Then she pulled out her English homework. "Please, help me with this? I'll share my notes on how to analyze classical Chinese poetry with you."
Li Shan: "All right..."
Male lead's perspective:
In his past life, all Li Shan wanted was to study hard, change his fate through knowledge, and take his grandmother away from this isolated, painful little city.
The day he scored first in the county on the high school entrance exam, Li Shan happily went home, only to be stabbed to death at his own doorstep.
"You bastard! You're the one who got my daughter pregnant! You're the one who drove her to her death! I'll make you pay with your life!"
Heaven took pity on Li Shan and gave him a chance to be reborn.
In this life, he would stay far away from Zhuang Die. He wouldn't suffer another undeserved tragedy!
He would get into Provincial No. 2 High School and leave this rotten place for good!
But Zhuang Die, who never used to study, made rapid progress and took his place at the top of the grade rankings.
He suspected Zhuang Die had also been reborn, and resolved to turn over a new leaf.
She stopped dyeing her hair, wearing makeup, drag racing, and dating, but she still wouldn't listen in class or do her homework.
All she read were the vertically printed, traditional-character editions of The History of Great Zhao and The Collected Poems of Li Langyue, Annotated and Collated.
And yet her grades were excellent, and she knew more about Provincial No. 2 High School than anyone else.
"The Chinese section of Provincial No. 2's independent entrance exam is argumentative essays. The English section uses high school vocabulary, and the math and science sections cover the entire first year of high school. You'll have to study ahead."
Li Shan was certain Zhuang Die wasn't reborn. She was someone else entirely.
By chance, Li Shan came across Zhuang Yunmeng's notes:
"Zhuangzi dreamed of being a butterfly. If she ever woke up one day and Zhuang Yunmeng was no longer in this world, she hoped Li Shan and Mom wouldn't be sad, and that they would live out their lives well."
But how could they not be sad?
After Zhuang Yunmeng disappeared, Li Shan searched for her for ten years...
Extra scene
Li Shan: "Have you... ever been in a relationship before?"
Zhuang Yunmeng: "No."
Li Shan: "Why not?"
Zhuang Yunmeng: "Because I'm single for life, from undergrad through my master's and PhD."
Li Shan: "Why are your grades always so good?"
Zhuang Yunmeng: "Because I'm a genius."
[Reading Guide]
1. One-on-one romance, both leads are each other's first love, and they are equally devoted to each other.
2. When the leads meet, the female lead is thirty in terms of mental age, and the male lead is sixteen.
3. There are parallel timelines. Before the leads reunite, most of the story follows the male lead's unrequited love for the female lead.
Theme: Though our lives are as insignificant as ants, we look up to the spring because of you
If you dare to write ancient prose in ancient Chinese instead of copying it, you have already surpassed most of them, hahaha. The last explanation also makes sense. It's too profound. How can we engage in mass communication 🐶🌹
Suddenly an idea occurred to me: Shen Buhan is now the person who lives for Li Langyue, but he was not in the past. He once had his own ambitions (to rectify his mother's name, obtain fame, cultivate his family, govern the country and bring peace to the world). It's just that the world has cut off his path. As a eunuch, he only has one way to live as a sycophant and a way to die as countless loyal ministers and gentlemen. People are selfish, and he still has concerns and doesn't want to die, but he can't accept violating the three views and becoming a traitor, so he can only place his ambitions, wishes and interests on someone who conforms to his original values. This person is Li Langyue. So he was willing to do everything for Li Langyue, because this was the only self-consistent path.
It's true that one general's success will lead to thousands of bones drying up. The little people inside and outside the palace walls have done nothing wrong, but they will be buried in the conspiracy of the three parties. But there is nothing we can do about it. If we stand in this position, we have to bear the burden of these bloody things.
After reading it, I felt very emotional. Our journey in Dezhao has not been easy😭 Fortunately, it has been a difficult time. I hope everyone can be happy🎉 As I said, you will prosper if you follow Li Langyue!
After reading it, I felt very emotional. Our journey in Dezhao has not been easy😭 Fortunately, it has been a difficult time. I hope everyone can be happy🎉 As I said, you will prosper if you follow Li Langyue!
I stayed up all night to read it, it was so well written.
If you want to see some of the ordinary daily life of the young couple in the article, eat some sweets [orange candy] hehe
Suddenly I realized that I had to finish watching it🥹I couldn't let it go🙏
The earphones randomly play the Haruyuki accompaniment 🙏
After reading the postscript carefully, I can see that there are so many ingenious ideas in writing the text~ I feel like I have seen an independent parallel world! I really don't know much about the history of the late Tang Dynasty. I didn't know that the eunuchs had so much power at that time. The logic seems pretty smooth from beginning to end and I don't find it strange at all haha The grievances between Li Langyue, Shen Buhan, and the Li family are quite interesting, and the arrangement is also very realistic. I don't think there is any problem with Li Langyue getting married. She has already occupied an absolute position. At this point, she should protect Xiao Shen. Moreover, marriage for her has social significance at most (marriage/bringing into a wife respectively symbolizes the subordinate status of women/men) and the political significance it projects. However, there is no traditional husband-power relationship with Shen Buhan. To be attached is also Shen Buhan's attachment. Thank you so much for writing such a wonderful piece of work! Support the great new work!