Marriage before love / Love and hate / Strong but tragic leads / Revenge / Political intrigue / Archenemies
Unhinged fallen princess vs. ruthless warlord
#Everyone blames the downfall of kingdoms on beauty and desire. She insists on seeing whether she can bring one down with them.
Xing Zhao, the second prince of Chen, has the elegant bearing of a crane and pine, and the ethereal air of an immortal who has forsaken the world. Yet he is also the dreaded god of death whose name makes all nine provinces tremble. His merciless methods are enough to keep everyone at a safe distance.
But Nan Jiang is the exception.
Not only did she boldly declare her love at first sight for him in front of the ministers of every state, swearing she'd marry no one else, but after arriving in Chen, she drugged him several times to force him into bed, turning his estate upside down.
Just as everyone waited eagerly to see how Xing Zhao would deal with Nan Jiang, they began seeing the two together everywhere, acting intimately.
Later, rumors spread that Nan Jiang had taken a sword for Xing Zhao, ridden a thousand li to save him, and defended the kingdom of Chen for his sake.
Xing Zhao defied his ruler for her, pointed his sword at the emperor for her, and crossed a snowy mountain on foot to find medicine for her.
From then on, everyone said they were devoted to each other, their love unbreakable, a model couple for their time.
But just as their feud came to an end and everything was settled, the two who had been embracing "passionately" only a moment earlier struck at the same time, each aiming for the other's vital point.
Nan Jiang pushed her dagger an inch deeper toward Xing Zhao's heart and smiled faintly. "Last night in bed, didn't Your Highness promise you wouldn't let me get hurt, not even a little?"
Xing Zhao drew his sword across the delicate skin of her neck and asked with a hint of a smile, "When you clung to me in abandon last night, Madam, didn't you say you'd love me for all eternity?"
P.S.
1. Both leads are each other's first and only, and this has a happy ending.
2. Neither lead is a good person. The hatred is real, and so is the love. At heart, this is about two people with a blood feud, locked in a vicious cycle of love and hate. The plot takes up a large part of the story. (The characters' values are not the author's.)
3. The heroine has a psychological illness and acts in extreme, impulsive ways. Read with caution if that's a concern. The hero spends the early part of the story pretending; he only reveals his true nature after the mask comes off.
4. The setting is very loose, so don't expect historical accuracy. If you drop the story, there's no need to tell me.
Theme: Our fate is in our own hands.
