Blue Robes Reflected in Azure Waves

1

She, Fu Dengqin, was once the most gifted hydrological official in Great Chu. But after drunkenly disgracing herself by the Cang River three years ago, she shed her official robes and was confined to the temple residence.

At six, she was adopted by her birth mother's sister to comfort her after the loss of her daughter. Just after she accepted her as her mother, she learned that she had died in the line of duty by the river.

Now, with natural and man-made disasters striking together, she returns once more, vowing to stake her life on taming the Cang River.

2

But the Cang River's floods are no natural disaster. They are the work of men.

The crown prince entrusts her with an important task on the surface, but is really using her as a blade to strike at the great clans;

The Xie clan controls the river-management funds and is corrupt to the core, yet puts on a virtuous act to deceive the world;

And then there's the "hunter" Xie Fu Zhou, a man of mysterious origins and unmatched skill in river warfare.

Xie Fu Zhou risked his life to save her beneath Tiger Leaping Gorge, but his gaze was unfathomable.

Oh no. This isn't a water-management plot at all. It's a political struggle.

3

Who could have guessed that on her way to a rendezvous at Eagle Beak Cliff by the Cang River, she would be ambushed and fall into the raging water?

When she wakes, she has become Jiang Qin'er, the daughter of a disgraced bookkeeper in Xie Fu Zhou's eyes, and must enter the Xie household as his wife to atone.

With her memory clouded by amnesia, she believes he is her husband and waits for him each day, brewing tea until he returns.

4

Until one night, her fingers find a charcoal pencil engraved with these words:

"In such-and-such a year and month, she stayed up until the third watch working on the water-diversion dike. I want to destroy the dike, and even more, I want to kiss her."

Her memories come crashing back.

Damn it, how could she be Jiang Qin'er?

She's Fu Dengqin!

5

Yesterday's political enemy, today's husband;

A marriage built on lies, with true feelings stirring beneath the surface.

He wraps the calluses on her palm in brocade and uses wedding wine to quiet the turmoil in their blood and bones.

She tosses the marriage contract into the brazier and meets his eyes coldly.

"Lord Xie, every charcoal pencil you hid away..."

"...is damning proof that you embezzled river funds and plotted to murder the river workers!"

6

She wants to build a dike that will keep the river calm for a hundred years. They seek only the profits of the moment.

Her blue robes sweep through the raging waters, and her surveying ruler rings against the jade steps.

This time...

Whose spine will be broken?

A cool-headed female water-management genius × a seemingly gentle but secretly scheming political enemy of a husband

Enemies-to-spouses marriage / Amnesia story / Court intrigue / Water-management development

"With my ruler, I measure mountains and rivers, and I measure people's hearts as well."

The wind rises over the Cang River, and the blue robes return. She will decide how this game ends.

A Note from the Author:

1. I can't say for sure whether the heroine is strong, but she chooses her men according to her own wishes.

2. (I haven't thought of anything else that needs a warning. I'll mention it if I do, haha.)

Finally, you're welcome to add this to your favorites and read along! I hope readers enjoy it and share all kinds of discussion and commentary. The author loves hearing from you.

Theme: A woman's wisdom in controlling the waters breaks through political intrigue, while steadfast faith stands against the abyss of greed.