A Colorist's Notebook from Bianjing

When Luo Shu first arrived in Bianjing, she won her lawsuit but lost her money, driven from home with nowhere to turn.

On a rainy day, with no roof over her head, someone held out an oil-paper umbrella to her.

She knew him: a humble gentleman from a prestigious family, virtuous and talented, and the benefactor who had helped clear her name in court.

He told her that Bianjing had 414 trades, and with her skills, she was sure to find a way to make a living.

She thought their connection would end there. But by a twist of fate, her skills helped him solve cases, and she stayed by his side to work, thinking only of how to repay him.

As time went on, she gradually discovered that he wasn't always such a gentleman.

For instance, when he got fed up with a case, he would stamp his feet and curse, then expect someone to soothe him.

And when he sucked poison from her wound in a moment of desperation, he would turn bashful and sulk in silence.

One day, Luo Shu was kidnapped over a case. He searched all across Bianjing, and at last found her after a whole day.

The usually composed and dignified gentleman had bloodshot eyes. He held her tightly and refused to let go.

*

Luo Shu did not want to reach above her station, but her feelings kept drawing her back to him.

Later, he was made Prince Cheng, entrusted with great power over the Ministry of Justice and deeply favored by the emperor. A noble bride had already been chosen for him.

Luo Shu listened quietly, then returned to her little courtyard, packed her belongings, and counted her savings. She had enough to retire back in her hometown.

After much thought, she left him a farewell letter.

But before she could even leave through Bianjing's gates, she heard thundering hoofbeats. Someone galloped up, stopped her, and dismounted. His eyes burned as he stared at her, clutching the torn scraps of her letter, his voice full of grievance.

"Aren't you my wife? Why are you leaving me behind?"

*

Han Yuzhong had been stubborn since childhood. Once he gave his heart to someone, he would never change his mind.

Heaven had been kind enough to grant him the love of his life, someone to accompany him day after day, to know and cherish him.

He had long since decided she was his wife.

After the storm passed and the sky cleared, he turned down proposals from every powerful official and noble family, devoting himself to preparing to welcome her into his home.

But she wanted to return to her hometown! To adopt an heir for her late husband and keep his family line alive.

She wished him a harmonious marriage from afar and told him to take good care of himself.

Han Yuzhong trembled with rage. What late husband? What heir? He was standing right here, alive and well. Couldn't she see him?

Was she still longing for that dead man?

[Reading Guide:]

- Inspired by the Song Dynasty

- One-on-one romance, female lead is not a virgin, male lead is

- Slow-burn slice of life

Below is a preview of a historical romance, The True Heiress's Maid Is Reborn

[A workplace story about a maid in ancient times]

Yuying had once known glory and success.

Though a servant, she was the trusted confidante of the Marchioness of Wuying, the respected governess of the young heir, and had managed the entire household in the name of head steward for nearly ten years. Even the nobles high above knew her name.

She could wear gold and silver and command servants, and wealth, power, and prestige were all within her reach.

Young men of every sort also flocked to her, hoping to bask in her reflected glory.

With the slightest wave of her hand, countless eager smiles would appear before her.

Suddenly, she remembered what a master had told her and Ruozhen before they went to the capital to reunite with their family: "After hardship comes good fortune, and when danger strikes, you will find a way through. Both girls are blessed."

The world said the same. Ruozhen was blessed: born the daughter of the Yi family, she had been kidnapped as a baby but had landed in the fortunate Mei household, where she grew up cherished and doted on. After returning to the Yi family, she married into the prestigious Marquis of Wuying's household as its principal wife. People might look askance at her for taking her sister's intended husband, but the benefits were undeniable.

They also said Yuying was blessed. Because she had grown up alongside her young mistress, she had entered a powerful family and lived in comfort. That was far better than being a maid in some backwater village, working hard all her life, marrying and having children at seventeen or eighteen.

Yuying wondered: Could a blessed person be pointed at by her birth mother and told, "If I'd known it would come to this, I should never have taken you back"?

Could her husband knock her to the ground and roar, "If you hadn't deliberately seduced me, why would I have chosen you over her? The whole Yi family helped you pull off this sham marriage, so I ended up with a wife who has neither virtue nor talent!"?

Could she spend every day being tormented by her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, fretting over endless household chores until worry made her ill and she died young?

And could she only watch it all happen, powerless to change anything, no matter what she tried?

All she could do was do her best to protect the motherless child, hoping he would grow up safe and healthy. If she truly was blessed, she would give that blessing to him.

But fate had other plans. She died young all the same.

Only, when she died, she returned to the time when she and Ruozhen had just come back to the Yi household.

Yuying turned things over in her mind. This time, she wanted to forge a new life for herself, like Jingwei trying to fill the sea.

And she could also choose to be a good person.

Core Theme: Fall in love with someone who was already wonderful