A Cute Princess Consort from the Heavens

[Synopsis] The twenty-first century, 2012 With an octagonal jade disk in her hand, Zhen Meng suddenly heard a thunderclap, and was struck by lightning. Crackling and popping sounds traveled from the jade disk, up her arm, and into her brain. Even as she was about to “die,” Zhen Meng still couldn’t believe it: jade conducts electricity! A thousand years ago, in an imaginary era, The young princess of Tianyu Kingdom crashed through the roof of the grand hall. The ruler and his officials turned pale, and the Imperial Guards reacted first. Chief Eunuch Li De hurried forward to shield the emperor, shouting, “Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!” The solemn, majestic court suddenly descended into chaos. Only the Second Prince remained where he was, utterly calm, dressed in flowing white. He seemed not to notice the farce before him, merely lifting his gentle, clear eyes to glance in surprise at the “assassin” who had fallen right in front of him. When the dignified and luxurious Empress Dowager, dressed in a golden phoenix robe, saw the person sprawled before the Second Prince, her expression changed and she shouted, “Quick, go save the princess!” Once the assassin’s identity was known, the emperor issued an edict: “By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The young princess Zhen Meng is innocent, kind, and outstanding in both character and appearance. The Empress Dowager and I are delighted to hear of her. The Second Prince has now reached the age for marriage and should be matched with a worthy woman. The young princess Zhen Meng and the Second Prince are a match made in Heaven, their marriage decreed by fate. To bring these two together, We hereby betroth the young princess to the Second Prince as his princess consort. All wedding arrangements shall be overseen jointly by the Ministry of Rites and the Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau in two years, when the young princess turns sixteen. So decrees the Emperor.” Excerpt One: The man’s ink-black eyes narrowed slightly as he listened to her rambling, then he curled his lips into a smile. “You sure have a lot of relatives.” The simple-minded Zhen Meng took it as a compliment and smiled sweetly. “Can’t help it. Everyone loves me, flowers bloom when they see me, and even carriages stop for me! I’ll never go hungry, wherever I go!” Her words seemed to remind him of something. The man lowered his eyes, lost in thought. Then he heard her say, “The tea at your place is pretty good!” Only then did he notice she had picked up the teapot and poured herself a cup. The man raised his fan-like lashes. “This tea is a precious gift from the Eastern Kingdom to the Emperor. They say it has some kind of special effect…” “What kind of special effect?” Zhen Meng blinked her clear eyes, looking confused. The other man shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I guess we’ll find out soon.” A quarter of an hour later… A certain woman clutched the hem of the man’s robe as if she’d taken an aphrodisiac, her limpid eyes alluring. The man, however, wore a dark expression and refused to give in… Excerpt Two: While wandering down the street one day, Zhen Meng suddenly saw a man in black fly over her head. Overcome by curiosity, she grabbed something and climbed onto the roof after him. She saw the man in black quietly lift a roof tile, then raise his hand as if to shoot something at the person inside and kill him. Always ready to help when she saw injustice, Zhen Meng suddenly forgot who she was and shouted at the man in black, “Killing someone takes just one strike to the head. Why are you standing on his head and shooting him in the back?” Perhaps her voice alerted the people inside the house. A master suddenly leaped onto the roof and began fighting the man in black. As they flew farther and farther away, fighting all the while, Zhen Meng hurried over to the hole to check whether the person inside was all right. To her surprise, he was a boy of thirteen or fourteen, holding his clothes over his chest. His face was flushed pink and deathly pale as he looked up, and their eyes met. “You… you lecher!” What? A lecher? Zhen Meng stared blankly for a moment, then burst out laughing. Finally, she looked down at the boy in the house and scoffed. “With a body that hasn’t even finished developing, and those tiny eyes and nose, I’m not interested in you! Hmph!” Here she was trying to help, and he didn’t even appreciate it. If it weren’t for her, he’d be dead by now! Annoyed, Zhen Meng stopped paying attention to him. The man in black seemed pretty formidable, so she followed him across the roof tiles. Little did she know that her mocking words that day would bring a dashing young man into being! But that’s a story for later. Excerpt Three: “Little girl, you interfered with my business tonight,” said the man in black with a laugh, not bothering to answer. Moonlight fell on his face, hidden beneath black cloth, revealing only a pair of sharp, ice-cold eyes. Zhen Meng instinctively stepped backward. Behind her lay a lake rippling with green water. When she found herself at the water’s edge, she worked up her courage and said, “I, I was just standing up for what’s right. Murder is against the law!” The man in black burst out laughing. His eyes were full of scorn. “Beneath all of Heaven…”