The capital was full of noble young ladies, but Youwei was nothing special.
She was timid and fragile, naive and clumsy, and only average in her studies. She was no good at needlework, either. Even her face could only be called "sweet," nowhere near the "stunning beauty" everyone else praised.
So she never imagined that one day someone would secretly take her to see fireflies because of something she said, or pick alpine azaleas blooming against the snowy mountains of the northwest for her. She watched them with a beaming smile, and he suddenly cupped her face, looking serious, almost reverent. "Your eyes are like the stars in the northwest."
Back then, Youwei thought he must have grown up surrounded by affection, to have so much tenderness to share with others.
Only later did she learn his name was Li Chengjue, the fourteenth prince of the current dynasty. His birth mother was an uncherished princess from a foreign land, married off to secure an alliance. The emperor despised his bloodline, and his brothers bullied him because he had no power. The unfavored prince lived worse than a dog in the palace.
After hearing his story, Youwei said nothing. She simply rose onto her toes and hugged him, her voice trembling but resolute. "From now on, I'll be good to you."
He chuckled softly by her ear. Youwei thought he was happy.
Later, the throne was left vacant, and the imperial city was drenched in blood. The fourteenth prince, once bullied by everyone, stepped over a mountain of his brothers' corpses with a sword in hand and became the new emperor.
At the victory banquet, her father brought her along to celebrate his service in helping the new emperor take the throne. They never expected that a meritorious official would ask for Youwei's hand: Zhuang Huaixu, the chancellor's son.
Youwei thought Li Chengjue would surely help her refuse. He knew how she felt.
But Li Chengjue sat on the lofty dragon throne as though he were hearing the name for the first time. With interest, he toyed with his wine cup. "Oh? If you like her, then I grant it."
His tone was casual, as if he were granting a dish from the banquet, a cup of wine, or some insignificant plaything.
Youwei felt as if she had fallen into an icy pit. Amidst everyone's congratulations, she finally understood: he had never cared about Yu Youwei herself. What he wanted was her father, who could command the imperial city's guards.
As for her, she was nothing but an insignificant grain of sand beneath Li Chengjue's feet on his path to the throne.
Youwei lowered her eyes and accepted the fate laid out for her. She neither cried nor made a fuss.
Her husband, Zhuang Huaixu, was gentle and courteous, treating her with mutual respect. Their married life was peaceful and happy. Everything was fine. She should put those painful memories behind her and stop thinking about them.
When they met again at a palace banquet, she came with her husband to express their gratitude. She accidentally stepped on her skirt, and her husband steadied her. She looked at him and blushed. Everyone teased the newlyweds for their sweet affection. Li Chengjue smiled too, while the ring on his hand cracked in two for no apparent reason.
-
On the day she left the capital with her husband, their carriage overturned, and Youwei unexpectedly lost her sight.
During her recovery, Zhuang Huaixu seemed like a different person.
By day, he held her while she ate, fed her medicine, and stayed by her side every moment. He gave in to her in everything, tender enough to make her heart tremble. At night, however, he was terrifyingly domineering, holding her captive in his arms and murmuring her name in a husky voice, his possessiveness impossible to resist.
Her days without sight were absurdly sweet.
As for her slowly recovering vision, Youwei planned to make it a surprise.
But one night, in the hazy moonlight, she saw a tall figure enter with medicine and sit beside her.
The candlelight flickered, revealing a face she could never forget: Li Chengjue's!
He gently coaxed her in exactly the same voice as her husband, smiling as he looked at her, but his eyes surged with an almost frenzied possessiveness.
"Once you've finished your medicine, we should go to bed, my wife."
-
Youwei did everything she could to run away, but he caught her and brought her back.
"You said you'd be good to me from now on. Why didn't you keep your word?"
*Content warnings: 1. The male lead will impersonate someone else's husband and is rather disturbing and obsessive. If that's not your thing, don't read.
2. Both leads are virgins. Readers who want the female lead not to be one should take note.
3. Readers who care about historical accuracy should take note.
----Upcoming novel: Drunk on Jade Branches----
Blurb:
Everyone in Jinling knew that the eldest son of a century-old aristocratic family was as beautiful as an immortal, peerless in grace and charm, and the dream husband of every woman in the land.
In her previous life, Qiongzhi spent half her life as his caged songbird.
Only she knew what a terrifying creature lurked beneath this man's refined and gentle exterior.
After being reborn, Qiongzhi secretly vowed that this time she would have nothing to do with him, and would stay as far away as possible.
...So how did she end up in the palm of his hand again?
On their wedding night, beneath the embroidered canopy and red candles,
red silk covered Qiongzhi's eyes, and her hands were tied to the bedposts.
Wenren Yu lifted her chin, a dangerous light in his eyes. "Xie Qiongzhi, are you so unhappy to marry me?"
*Pampered young lady x wolf in sheep's clothing
Theme: Learn to love
The ending feels a bit rushed
The heroine is quite unsteady 🍉
I can't stand it anymore. I'm really annoyed by this. Thank you.
I want to give Xie Mingshu a side story. Can you write an if line to reunite her with Wei Zhao? It felt like she was a bit miserable. She finally met Wei Zhao, but it was over before it even started. The same goes for Wei Zhao. Suddenly his wife is gone. Li Gouzi and Mianmian still spread dog food every day. In fact, it is a pity that Prime Minister Chu and Prime Minister Zhuang were once close friends, but eventually turned against each other due to other reasons. Everyone had their own difficulties in what happened back then.
It's so good 😭 The ending of squatting 😭
In fact, it is a pity to see Xie Mingshu die, after all, she is not a traditional vicious female supporting role. All I can say is that her life was quite sad. The relationship with Wei Zhao ended before it even started. Alas, I hope the extra episode can give her a good ending.
Both of them are not good, the heroine can be beautiful alone 💪
It feels like the male protagonist and Zhuang don't actually have any grudges. At most, they both want to sit in that position. A young man was bullied and wanted to sit on it, and the other should have sat on it if the first prince had not died. To be honest, the two of them can actually be reconciled. At most, they will only have a lingering feud with some grudges. I want to see how the author is perfect, so I beg him ❤️
No, although Li Gouzi is not a good person, the matter of the former prince has nothing to do with him. Li Gouzi wasn't even born at that time, so he must have hated him for too long. 🐶
[Goutou] When will Gouzi and Zhuang go to Shura Field?