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【Female Lead's Story】

From childhood, Xue Yuanyin never won against Zhang Jingxuan. She couldn't surpass him in family background, in academics, in talent, and even her looks weren't as handsome as his. As the eldest legitimate son of the Zhang family, he was the "white moonlight" in the hearts of noble ladies in the capital, and also her childhood friend.

When they were young, their friendship was deep, and she was always outshone by him. However, after growing up, they became sworn enemies, and she was still his defeated opponent! Every time she saw him, it made her grit her teeth.

So, fueled by an unyielding spirit, Xue Yuanyin made a bet with Zhang Jingxuan when she was sixteen: who would fall in love first, her with Zhang Jingxuan, or Zhang Jingxuan with her.

The young girl stood there, pretty and vibrant, slightly raising her chin and challenging him with a smile: "I bet you'll lose!"

【Male Lead's Story】

Zhang Jingxuan was born into a century-old noble and marquis family. As the eldest legitimate son, he grew up amidst luxury and was a rare young genius. He and Xue Yuanyin were publicly recognized as sworn enemies in the capital.

In the eyes of others, Miss Xue was graceful, studious, and good-tempered.

In Zhang Jingxuan's eyes, Miss Xue got angry if she couldn't win a test, angry if she couldn't win an argument, and if he called her "cute" she'd give him the cold shoulder for three days, like a cat that couldn't be driven away and couldn't be teased. Every day she'd repeat the same words in his ear: "One day, I'll overpower you!"

Until Xue Yuanyin came to issue a challenge, Zhang Jingxuan, annoyed, reached out and pulled her over, grudgingly letting her kiss his face. In her astonished gaze, he casually responded, "I know what you're trying to do. You get to take advantage, is that good enough?"

Their never-ending feud began from that moment.

*****

People in the capital heard that Zhang Jingxuan had three well-known traits:

First, he entered officialdom young and rose to a high position in his twenties, becoming the Crown Prince's most trusted advisor. Second, he possessed an unmatchable strategic mind, learned to read at age three, composed poetry at seven, and at twelve, he already accompanied his father to official gatherings to observe court politics.

Third, he had a beloved one whom no one could speak ill of or touch.

Initially, Xue Yuanyin utterly detested Zhang Jingxuan's pure and upright demeanor. She painstakingly tried every means to break his arrogant spirit, but she never succeeded.

But later, she lost to him and was caught in a predicament. It was he who knelt on his knees to plead for her life. On their wedding night, the sworn enemies, known throughout the capital, lay together, their hair intertwined. He lowered his proud head and offered himself to her.

While listening to her pleading sobs, he gently surrendered to her.

- Reading Tips:

1. Enemies to lovers, from competitive to willingly submitting.

2. Intelligent and elegant (daughter of a general) x Scheming and gentle (son of a noble family).

3. 1v1, SC (mutual first love), 3-year age gap, older childhood sweetheart vibe, 'opposing path' couple.

4. The romance develops slowly, with a long period of ambiguous back-and-forth, containing both sweetness and a bit of glass shards.

5. The plot serves the romance. Please gently point out any minor logical bugs.

- Disclaimers:

1. The male lead is a 'gentleman of a noble family' character but is not an actual gentleman.

2. There are very few scenes of the female lead disguised as a man (an unimportant minor subplot that can be ignored).

3. Some 'borderline' physical intimacy occurs before marriage (some styles might be triggering), so enter with caution.

The novel about the male lead's good brother is next door, "Xiao Tao Xi".

- Next novel "Xiao Ming Zhu" (Little Pearl) is awaiting collection!

Synopsis:

The handsome Crown Prince of the Jin Dynasty reached adulthood. The entire capital sought to select a Crown Princess, and his subordinates meticulously gathered portraits of unmarried women from the capital to present to him. The Crown Prince was harsh and picky, with extremely high standards, and many of them displeased him.

A mole at the corner of the lip? Disliked. Too slender? Disliked. Eyes too gentle? Disliked... Until he saw the portrait of a young girl. The facial contours were crudely painted, the features smudged into a mess with ink, and not only was the style unconventional, but it also boldly, clearly labeled her as "Dumb" and "Very dumb", practically condemning her as useless.

Amongst all the exquisite and beautiful portraits, hers stood out spectacularly. The Crown Prince had never seen such a person. He startled and coughed several times while drinking water, provoking his rebellious spirit. With a wave of his hand, he pointed to the girl and said, "Let it be her. Marry her and place her in the Eastern Palace to ward off evil; it will be excellent."

- Jiang Zhiyu was an unloved daughter at home. She was also foolish and bullied since childhood. But she was beautiful. After finally reaching marriageable age, her stepmother wanted to marry her to an old widower.

Coincidentally, the Crown Prince was selecting his Princess. Her stepmother didn't want her to go; she wanted her elder sister to go, so she bribed the painter to deliberately depict Jiang Zhiyu as utterly useless. Unexpectedly, her sister was rejected, and this not-so-clever girl was chosen as Crown Princess among a host of beauties of varying figures.

As soon as Jiang Zhiyu entered the palace, she faced a situation of being surrounded by wolves. She then discovered that her preferences and habits differed greatly from the Crown Prince's. Her clumsy slowness made him furious, and she simply couldn't keep up with his decisive pace. If she accidentally got lost, he wouldn't even recognize her.

Aside from cultivating "marital relations" with the Crown Prince every night, she couldn't even see him at other times. Originally, all the wolves and tigers were eyeing this little lamb, but this little Crown Princess was too stupid. She couldn't understand hidden meanings and wore a sweet, soft smile for everyone. If she was truly bullied, she would just shed tears, sadly hiding in a corner, growing mushrooms.

The Crown Prince was helpless. He married a foolish Crown Princess. Not only could he not casually brush her off, but he also had to frown and act as her protector, furiously coaxing her...

Jiang Zhiyu, envied by many, was criticized with acidic words for marrying the current Crown Prince based on her beauty alone. They said she only relied on her husband, was too incompetent, a beautiful airhead, and a disgrace to the royal ancestors. Jiang Zhiyu was heartbroken by these comments. Hearing that everyone wanted a different Crown Princess, she felt very wronged. With tearful eyes, she wrote a farewell letter, packed her silver and valuables, and decided to quietly run away on a dark and windy night, determined never to be criticized again as a foolish Crown Princess.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she snuck out, she saw the elegantly dressed Crown Prince leisurely sitting in the main hall. Beside him were her favorite iced preserves, osmanthus cakes, soft silk, brocade woven with gold, delicate fans, jade scepters, agate beads, mother-of-pearl pearls... He said to her, "Is the Crown Princess no longer considering it?" Jiang Zhiyu was stunned, and her small bundle dropped to the ground with a thud. Wuwu, how infuriating! What was she to do?

... Later, Jiang Zhiyu initially planned to live day by day and, once the Crown Prince grew tired of her, she would take her money and run away. Later still, she looked at her growing belly and fell into a dilemma. "Perhaps I'll wait until the child is born before leaving."

... Finally, she sat on the Empress's throne, watching all those who had once spoken ill of her恭迎跪拜 (respectfully greeted and knelt), vaguely thinking, "How did things come to this...?"

【Short Scene】

Before being crowned Empress, the Crown Princess and Crown Prince had an argument. Jiang Zhiyu sobbed and asked the Crown Prince, "Why did you marry me?" The Crown Prince was absorbed in his documents and did not respond to her. Jiang Zhiyu was very insecure: "Why would you like someone like me? Everyone says I'm a beautiful airhead, unworthy of Your Highness."

The Crown Prince, stealing a moment from his work, told her to listen less to rumors and read fewer storybooks. Jiang Zhiyu felt a bit disheartened, clutching her skirt and shedding tears: "How about we divorce? I can't be a good Mother of the Nation. I'm just a fool." The Crown Prince sighed, set aside his pile of memorials, and embraced the little girl whose eyes were brimming with tears, saying earnestly, "You're not a fool; you are my pearl in my palm."

*****

"I have a wife, precious as a pearl."

—"Records of Prince Chengzhang"

- Gentle and kind, beautiful little fool x Heartless and sharp-tongued in public, wife-obsessed in private Crown Prince.

- 1v1 | Marriage first, then love | Daily pampering of wife | Cheerful and sweet romance | Light comedy style.

- The female lead's starting age is relatively young, with an age difference of nearly 5 years (female lead 15, male lead 20). The male lead coolly raises his wife.

- Writing about the daily life in the Eastern Palace of a T-Rex Crown Prince and his little foolish sister-like wife.