Meeting at the Pillar

[Complete. Thank you to all the lovely readers who supported the official release.]

The Third Prince, Zong Duo, was ambitious and set his sights on the throne.

To become heir apparent, he studied both civil and military arts, recruited talented people, and worked tirelessly, seizing every opportunity to win the succession struggle.

Zong Duo married Shi Baoying solely because his strategist predicted she was born with the destiny of a phoenix and could help him take his place as Crown Prince.

Only after they married did he discover that, aside from her pretty face, she was useless:

She was scatterbrained, slow-paced, lazy, and had no idea she was supposed to be his lucky charm. She interfered in every part of his life.

Today, she made soup and forced him to drink it.

Tomorrow, she would drag him away from a meeting and insist he share her bed.

The day after, she would pester him to accompany her to the West Garden to look at plum blossoms.

Zong Duo could not stand it any longer.

He secretly swore that once he ascended the throne, he would kick her out.

Unexpectedly, that day came early. His strategist realized his calculations had been wrong: she had no phoenix destiny at all.

Zong Duo, who had always been decisive and ruthless, held the divorce papers he had already written, but hesitated for the first time. Actually, keeping this pleasure-loving woman around might not be so bad.

After all, who else could indulge her like he did?

*

In Baoying's eyes, Zong Duo was dull, boring, and driven only by self-interest.

Even so, she diligently fulfilled her duties as a wife. She could put up with his ingratitude, but one day she overheard him speaking privately to a trusted aide: “Shi is naturally dull and of little use. Once I ascend the throne, I'll give her the title of Noble Consort and keep her around, that's all.”

She left a set of divorce papers and vanished without a trace.

A year later, on the Qixi Festival, Baoying went with her childhood sweetheart, her cousin, to the Matchmaker's Bridge. Full of hope, they set a lotus lantern on the water to pray for a happy marriage. As soon as it touched the water, a slender, jade-like hand plucked it back out.

She looked up and saw her ex-husband, who seemed impossible to shake off. He smiled at the new love by her side, gritting his teeth. “When you're done playing, Ying'er, come home. I've already reserved the position of Crown Princess for you.”

It looked like... he regretted it.

But Baoying had no desire to turn back.

#Cheerful puppy girl × cool-faced cat guy#

#A lonely, workaholic iceberg and his sunny wife with sky-high self-esteem#

#A man who can't stand fools falls for a silly beauty after marrying her#

[Reading notes and content warnings]

1. The male lead is fundamentally an ambitious man. He won't start out believing in a lifelong, exclusive marriage, and will consider marrying another woman for political influence (just consider it! He is devoted to the heroine in both body and heart, and will have no romantic storyline with another woman).

2. The heroine is an adorably clueless beauty with a laid-back temperament. She really does have a childhood sweetheart cousin, and she really does find love again. The tight-lipped male lead will have to work hard to win her back.

3. Marriage first, love later, plus a groveling ex. Sweet-and-sour with a happy ending.

4. An alternate Ming-style setting with many original details. Everything serves the plot.

A little preview of my upcoming sweet romance, The Tyrannical Crown Prince Insists on Being Her Dog (click through from the announcement!)

The Yun family had been marquises for four generations, and their household was illustrious.

Yun Duanyue was the only girl born into the family in three generations. She was spoiled rotten from childhood, never having lifted a finger, and only had to wait until she was old enough to bring a live-in husband home to wait on her.

But calamity struck without warning. The Yun family was condemned overnight, the men exiled, and the women sent to the palace as servants.

After two months of hardship in the palace, the head eunuch of the inner court arrived with the newly appointed Crown Prince to select maids.

The new Crown Prince had spent his early years wandering outside the palace. They said he had worked as a stable hand and a bodyguard, and had endured all kinds of hardship.

Yun Duanyue sneaked a glance at him. The Crown Prince was handsome and dashing, tall and strong. Well, his skin was a little dark.

His gaze met hers among the maids with their eyes lowered. Lazily, he pointed at her. “Her.”

But Yun Duanyue, who had grown up spoiled, did not know how to serve anyone.

She struggled to bring hot water for the Crown Prince to wash his face, nearly scalding a layer of his skin off.

Feeling guilty, she simmered a bowl of soup for him, giving him diarrhea for an entire day.

Just as she was wracking her brain for another way to make it up to him, the Crown Prince raised a hand to stop her and said seriously, “Go lie down and rest. I'll do it myself.”

Not only did he take perfect care of himself, he also made sure her room was spotless.

Yun Duanyue returned to the life she was used to: food brought to her mouth and clothes slipped onto her back.

In public, she was a maid of the Eastern Palace. In private, the Crown Prince crouched in front of her, exasperatedly putting on her shoes. “How do you even manage to put your socks on inside out?”

Later, the Crown Prince took such good care of her that he ended up taking her to bed.

After the storm had passed, he held her tightly in his arms and whispered into her ear, “I should choose a Crown Princess.”

Yun Duanyue buried her face in his chest. Her voice came out muffled. “Then you two can serve me together.”

“No,” the Crown Prince chuckled. “She can't serve anyone.”

He took an imperial edict of exoneration from beside the pillow and held it up before she could start crying, stopping her tears with his words. “Because the person I want to marry is you.”

[Reading notes]

A sweet one-on-one romance, both leads are virgins.

In public: a noble, dignified Crown Prince and his slow-witted little maid.

In private: a pampered young lady who can't lift a finger, and her rough-edged, mother-hen boyfriend.

Theme: True love cannot be measured by its benefits.