The Emperor Is the Poor Girl's Golden Finger

A stubborn, resilient little waif vs. a stern, majestic, gentle emperor

[Fourteen-year age gap, size difference, both leads are chaste]

[A man in power who bends for love]

Meng Wan is a shameful secret in the Meng household, raised in the countryside. Only her elder brother writes to show he cares. When she first returns to the Meng household, Meng Wan is delighted. She will no longer be alone; she, too, will be a young lady with an older brother to protect her.

But what awaits her is her father's disdain and an unkind stepmother. Even the gentle, warm elder brother from her letters has become someone else. The only thing that hasn't changed is that he still dotes on his younger sister as he always has. It's just that this younger sister isn't Meng Wan.

She thinks she'll have to spend her whole life in obscurity, and that she'll be fine as long as she marries into an ordinary family once she comes of age. Then Meng Wan suddenly discovers that another soul has entered her body. He appears only at night and vanishes without a trace by day.

He listens to her chatter, teaches her how to win people's hearts, and conjures little trinkets now and then. Sometimes Meng Wan thinks the heavens must have taken pity on her and sent her a divine young man!

As the days pass, Meng Wan gradually grows accustomed to this soul who suddenly appeared in her life. She even begins to depend on him, until an accident makes him disappear.

Meng Wan grieves for a long time, until she meets the dignified emperor, who has ruled with an iron hand for many years.

One day, the Duchess of Britain holds a banquet at her residence, and guests young and old gather together.

Before the banquet is halfway over, the Duke of Britain rises and hurriedly takes his leave.

He has just heard that the Son of Heaven is traveling incognito, and rushes off to receive him. But after searching most of the duke's residence, he still cannot find the emperor. With no other choice, he turns back, only to spot the emperor in a quiet place.

He is about to step forward and pay his respects when he sees someone else by the emperor's side: a young lady with the ethereal beauty of an immortal.

The summer heat is fierce, but this place is quiet and cool. The two sit close together, heads nearly touching as they speak. The stern, dignified emperor is smiling at the young lady, utterly unlike himself, and even raises a hand to shield her from the sun, treating her with the care one would show a priceless treasure.

When the duke gets a little closer, he hears the emperor say, "It seems you've saved all your stubbornness for me. Why don't you treat your father and brothers the same way?"

"You're different from everyone else!"

Mist glimmers in Meng Wan's bright, lovely eyes as she gazes straight at Li Yi.

In the end, Li Yi is the one who gives in under Meng Wan's gaze.

Far away, the Duke of Britain breaks into a cold sweat. He has never seen the emperor like this.

Check out the author's other ongoing novel, A Sovereign's Favor Is Hard to Bear, if you're interested.

Blurb:

[Ten-year age gap, both leads are chaste]

A pure, refined young lady, gentle yet strong-willed 🐬 X An arrogant emperor who later regrets everything 🤡

1.

In the tenth year of Yuanchu, a group of ministers jointly petition the emperor, urging him to expand his harem and produce heirs.

Left Vice Director Shen Chengliang even searches the entire country for beautiful young ladies, then personally delivers their portraits to the emperor's desk.

Looking at the mountain of portraits on his desk, Xiao Zheng is utterly fed up. He suddenly remembers that the heir of the Marquis of Yongyang is still unmarried, so he casually pulls out a portrait, gives the woman's name a cursory glance, and issues an edict marrying her to the heir without even looking at her face.

For three days in a row, he practically arranges marriages for every unmarried young man in the court.

He also completely puts an end to Shen Chengliang's plans to send women into the imperial harem. Xiao Zheng is increasingly convinced that this was a wise move.

Shen Chengliang: "Your Majesty is being far too casual. You may well regret this."

Hearing this, Xiao Zheng laughs. "I care nothing for gain or loss. My heart is as firm as stone. What could I regret?"

2.

The following autumn, the emperor inspects the border defenses. On his way back to the capital, he is caught in a sudden downpour and has no choice but to send someone to knock on a household's door.

A little while later, the door opens from within.

Still on horseback, Xiao Zheng sees through the crack in the door a stunningly beautiful young woman standing beneath the eaves, wary and uneasy amid a crowd of shadows.

His long-dormant heart surges for her in that moment. But when his gaze passes over her hairpin, it is as if a basin of cold water has been dumped over him, instantly bringing him back to his senses.

She is married.

After returning to the palace, Xiao Zheng throws himself into his duties, reading memorials day and night. Outwardly, he seems just as he always was, but only he knows how he tosses and turns each night, longing for her in his waking and sleeping hours.

One night, Xiao Zheng suddenly sits up in bed. He regrets it!

3.

A single imperial marriage edict turns Wen Yue from the eldest daughter of the Yangzhou governor into the wife of the Marquis of Yongyang's heir. Unlike the respectful marriage she expected, the heir seems dissatisfied with the match.

Fortunately, Wen Yue never expected much. She only wants to live a peaceful life. So why does the heir look at her with increasing coldness?

It isn't until she accidentally falls into the water one day that she learns the elegant, unworldly heir has always wanted to get rid of her and make room for the woman he loves.

After falling into the water, Wen Yue falls seriously ill and uses the opportunity to move to an estate in the countryside to recover, away from the Marquis's household and its endless troubles.

She has no intention of getting involved with the heir and the woman he loves!

Knowing all this happened because the emperor impulsively arranged her marriage, she cannot fight back and can only retreat to the estate.

So why does the emperor still refuse to let her go?

This novel could also be called:

[I Had a True Love Once, But I Didn't Cherish It]

[I Arranged a Marriage on a Whim and Lost My Wife]

[The One Time I Meddled, I Regretted It So Much I Could Have Kicked Myself!]

Core theme: Born in the mire, yet still reaching for the sun