The Lotus Curtain

This novel is complete. The author is currently posting extra chapters and revising the text from time to time.

Novel blurb:

Xue Shuyue's entire family was wiped out. To survive, she pretended to be the widow of a fallen soldier and hid among the troops of Pei Zhaoye, the dynasty's General Who Pacifies the Nation. But her identity was soon exposed.

As red candles flickered, her fingertips trembled as she undid her sash. Her waist was slender as a willow branch, and she bit her lips until they bled.

"General, spare my life. I... I am willing to serve you, if only you will let me live. I beg you to protect me."

From then on, Xue Shuyue became Pei Zhaoye's secret lover, hidden from the world.

Pei Zhaoye taught her to draw a bow and ride a horse. He kept vigil by her sickbed through the night, and even made every careless wish she voiced come true.

Just as she had grown accustomed to this tenderness meant for her alone, believing they had fallen in love with each other, Pei Zhaoye shattered all her hopes with a single sentence.

"Our stations are too far apart. We could never be a suitable match."

*

The title Pei Zhaoye could not give her was freely offered by another man.

When they met again, she was the marquis's cherished wife, the envy of all.

On her wedding night, Xue Shuyue sat in her room, her veil still on and every candle extinguished. The groom had been tossed aside.

The General Who Pacifies the Nation, renowned among the people for his restraint and propriety, cornered her on the bed. His gaze was terrifyingly dark, fear churning in his eyes.

Pei Zhaoye's burning breath brushed her ear as his palm clamped over her mouth.

"Madam Marquis, why are you crying out like that? Do you want the marquis to wake up and join us in enjoying this tender moment?"

*

The next day, news that the marquis's wife had been abducted by bandits spread across the capital. The emperor was furious, and General Pei was ordered to search every inch of the land, but found nothing.

That same day, the general's residence was decked in festive red, welcoming a bride with a lavish procession that surpassed even the marquis's wedding.

Night fell. Inside the general's residence, the brocade curtains lay in disarray.

Xue Shuyue's long black hair spilled over her shoulders, with a few strands clinging to her damp cheeks. Her thin nightclothes outlined her slender, trembling figure.

Furious, she raised her hand and slapped him hard. "Pei Zhaoye, you're insane! You should die! Let me go back to the marquis's residence!"

A hot tear fell into the hollow of her neck. He gripped her waist and pulled her into his arms. In the haze of their heated breaths, she bit down fiercely on Pei Zhaoye's shoulder.

"Xue Shuyue, listen carefully."

His teeth grazed her earlobe, each word scorching hot.

"You are no one's wife. You are mine."

Reader's note: Both leads are sexually inexperienced.

Here's a blurb for an upcoming novel. If you like it, please add it to your favorites:

[Beautiful Widow x Brooding, Sickly Young Man]

Su Wantang was born into a humble family, but fortunately married into a good one. Her husband was steady and honest, and treated her wonderfully. But fate had other plans: he joined the army and never returned. She had no choice but to depend on her husband's younger brother, Xiao Yanzhi.

"Sister-in-law, from now on, you are all I have. We'll depend on each other and never be apart."

The boy buried his face in the hollow of her neck. Su Wantang held him, unaware of his brazen gaze and deep breaths.

Xiao Yanzhi was frail, so Su Wantang cared for him by his bedside every night, until she was even caring for him in bed. His dark eyes invited her closer. Looking at the face so like her husband's, she couldn't help losing herself.

When their breaths mingled and they were mere inches apart, her dead husband's name slipped from Su Wantang's lips. She came to her senses in a flash, only to realize she could no longer escape.

"Sister-in-law, I'm better at this than my older brother, aren't I?"

*

Guilt-ridden, Su Wantang hurriedly put on the airs of a sister-in-law and set about finding Xiao Yanzhi a bride. Beneath the dim lamplight, she unrolled portrait after portrait of noble young ladies.

"Yanzhi, take a look at these young ladies from the great families. Is there anyone you like?"

Xiao Yanzhi, clad in red and dazzlingly handsome, sat beside her. His slender little finger seemed to casually twine around a strand of her hair. His breath brushed her ear. "None of them. None of them are to my taste."

His warm breath made her flinch. She tried to rise and retreat, but a scalding hand clamped around her waist. Trapped between the desk and his burning chest, she had nowhere to go.

"Sister-in-law," he said with a low laugh.

"Did you really think that if we pretended nothing happened, we could just forget about that night?"

"There is someone who has stolen my heart." Xiao Yanzhi's gaze swept over every inch of her face like a branding iron. Then he picked up his brush and began to paint.

A short while later, a lifelike portrait of a beautiful woman appeared on the page.

"Sister-in-law, what do you think of this beauty?"

*

A year later, Su Wantang's supposedly dead husband miraculously returned. At that moment, in the inner chamber, Xiao Yanzhi had one hand clamped over her mouth, swallowing her broken sobs.

"Shh... Sister-in-law." He pressed close to her sweat-damp temple. "That's your older brother's voice outside. If he knew how well I've been taking care of you, he'd be overwhelmed with gratitude, wouldn't he?"

Her husband, weary from the road, could not contain his affection. In front of everyone in the residence, he swept her into his arms. "My love, did you miss me?"

"I did," Su Wantang replied in a trembling voice.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a bone-chilling gaze fixed on her from behind. She glanced at her gloomy-faced brother-in-law and dug her fingers into her palm, thinking that she was probably in for it again tonight.

Content warning: The female lead is not sexually inexperienced, but the male lead is. Please do not read if this bothers you, and do not judge the author's values.

Neither lead is perfect.

Theme: Your fate is in your own hands.