The Concubine Faked Her Death

Xuezhi was sold into the Duke of Guo's household as a servant by her cruel uncle. She had hoped to buy her freedom and leave, but was forced to become the heir's bedchamber maid.

Unwilling to serve the heir, Xuezhi could only pretend to be infatuated with him so he would grow tired of her. She took advantage of his supposed favor at every turn, demanding new clothes one day and jewelry the next, and even throwing a fit when he became engaged.

The heir thought she was getting carried away with his favor, and coldly ignored her for a long time.

Overjoyed, Xuezhi asked to leave the estate. But the heir, a man as radiant and refined as the moon, only smiled and said, "Now that you belong to me, you will stay by my side for the rest of your life."

Xuezhi was instantly overcome with panic. The heir summoned her whenever he pleased and dismissed her just as easily, sweet-talking her one moment and turning cold the next. She didn't want to stay there anymore.

So, on the day of the heir's betrothal ceremony, Xuezhi ran away.

-

Cui Zhuo, courtesy name Zizhan, heir to the Duke of Jin, was praised by all as a gentleman as warm and polished as jade. At a young age, he had risen to the highest ranks of the court, becoming the dream man of countless noble young ladies in the capital.

No one knew of the darkness and possessiveness hidden within Cui Zhuo. Only the little bedchamber maid at his side knew.

She was deeply in love with him. She could be a little temperamental, but it was nothing serious.

Cui Zhuo had always been determined to marry only one wife, but for once he found himself wavering. Once his legal wife joined the household, perhaps he could still reserve a concubine's place for her.

But Cui Zhuo never expected that the little bedchamber maid did not love him.

All her docility, gentleness, and unwavering devotion had been an act!

She had never cared about him at all. She had even faked her death to escape him, so she could spend her days in sweet intimacy with another man.

Cui Zhuo hated her for deceiving him, hated her for being so heartless.

What he hated even more was that if she had already deceived him, why couldn't she have kept the act up?

-

Extra Scene:

Half a year after learning of Xuezhi's death, Cui Zhuo could barely sleep at night.

He heard that a Buddhist temple in Yangzhou could summon the departed into one's dreams. So Cui Zhuo resigned from all his official posts and duties, and went to Yangzhou to pray.

But through the misty drizzle, he saw a woman at the temple gate, her belly slightly rounded, laughing and chatting tenderly with the man beside her.

That night, heavily armed soldiers surrounded the small courtyard until not a gap remained. Cui Zhuo held Xuezhi prisoner in his arms and forced her to look at the "adulterer" being taken away through the rain.

"You know how to beg me if you want him to live."

Reading Guide:

- A resilient, independent maid who loves freedom x a seemingly gentle but inwardly vicious, unhinged young lord

- One man and one woman, both sexually and emotionally inexperienced.

- This story includes a groveling ex, coercive possession, running away while pregnant, and plenty of melodramatic tropes. It features physical and emotional torment, and love steeped in hatred. If that's not your thing, please don't read!

- A slow burn. The coercive pursuit begins around Chapter 23.

Coming Soon: The Beauty Offered as a Tribute

When Ye Jingxi transmigrates, she finds herself a dancer whom the prefect is using to curry favor with Lu Hanjiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. She is also afflicted with a deadly poison, and has already spent a night with Lu Hanjiang.

Lu Hanjiang is a powerful man. In public, he drinks and banters with the local officials, but behind the scenes, danger lurks. Ye Jingxi is caught in an awkward position. Unwilling to be used as a pawn between the two sides, she begs Lu Hanjiang to let her go.

Lu Hanjiang promises to free her from her lowly status, using that offer as bait to keep her close and make her a target.

But once his plans succeed, Lu Hanjiang breaks his promise. He forces her into a carriage, intending to take her back to the capital and keep her as his personal possession.

Seeing his cold and selfish nature for what it is, Ye Jingxi runs away.

-

At first, Lu Hanjiang was simply sent by the emperor to secretly investigate the Hu tribes in Jinzhong.

He never expected the local officials to offer him a stunning dancer.

One glance was all it took for Lu Hanjiang to take an interest in her.

So what if she was a spy planted by someone else? Once he got rid of her master, he would become her new master.

So what if she refused to obey? Whatever Lu Hanjiang wanted, he would keep firmly in his grasp.

But Lu Hanjiang never imagined that Ye Jingxi would run away!

Lu Hanjiang sneered. "So what if she escapes? The world is vast, but there's nowhere my Embroidered Uniform Guard can't search."

-

Extra Scene:

He found Ye Jingxi again on a stormy night, in a dilapidated temple that leaked from every direction.

Wrapped in a straw rain cape, she watched in terror as Lu Hanjiang, dressed in his embroidered fish-scale uniform, strode through the puddles toward her like a demon from the underworld.

He lifted Ye Jingxi's chin with the cold hilt of his blade and said, each word deliberate:

"I've. Found. You."

Reading Guide:

- One man and one woman, both sexually and emotionally inexperienced

- A lively, radiant woman who transmigrates x a cold, ruthless Embroidered Uniform Guard

- A coercive-relationship revenge story

Theme: Freedom is worth more than anything.