A youthful beauty in exquisite brocade,... more>>

Under a man who reigns over tens of thousands.

A young man loses his backing,

Brothers fight against each other,

And a father and son that dread one another;

The courtier betrays his ruler.

Under such a rule, what branch can one even rely upon?

Amidst the sorrow of parting, what feeling can thee even trust?

Meeting you was not something I wished for.

But now that we met, I plead you to lighten up thy lamp,

Let its illuminating light,

Light up this beautiful hell for me.

Maybe then, I can climb Nanshan hand in hand with you in the late spring.

Let us witness the meadow, on which the orioles fly, and

hear the cries of cranes,

Watching them leap over the lake like broken shards of glass,

Flapping their wings

Before journeying to the clear open

Blue sky.

In the autumn of the first year of Jingning, Gu A-Bao, a washermaid of the laundry house in the crown prince’s residence had finally succeeded in getting the attention of Crown Prince Xiao Dingquan after months of planning and patiently waiting. After many struggles, at last, the crown prince opened up to A-Bao. The two promised each other to go to Nanshan in late spring and listen to the cranes together. However, soon, a rather unfathomable, and shrewd, Prince of Zhao suddenly emerged in politics. Using Xu Changping’s past, the Prince of Zhao aims to bring down the crown prince who was plotting to usurp the throne. With the intention to help the crown prince, the Prince of Zhao was reported with a false letter by A-Bao at the very last moment. As the end approaches, the two are yet again confronted with a choice. Will they be together? Or perhaps… <<less

This is the story of a lonely young man.... more>>

This young man comes from wealth and prestige, is well-endowed in both appearance and temperament, is a warlord by profession, and has no unhealthy avocations. In the opening of this romance, he is in the course of performing military service in some desolate dump, making a living from pillaging neighbouring towns and moonlighting as an opium dealer. <<less

He was nine-years-old that year and she was just an infant. He firmly selected her the first time they met, pampered her, and cherished her... more>> without any reason. "Brother..." her ruddy mouth pouted slightly, and her watery eyes were full of grievance. "I don't want you to go..." A pair of short arms hugged the man's thin legs tightly. That year he was fourteen years old and she was six years old... "Whoever harms her will die!" The cold tone was like Asura from hell. In one sentence, he decided the fate of one-hundred-and-thirty-six people in the Yan Family Palace. That year he was twenty-one years old and she was thirteen years old...On the top of Yun Mountain, she looked down upon the heroes, and in order to save him, her white coat was dyed red berries. She is resolute, even if the bloodstains half of the sky, she would rather lose the world than him! He was twenty-three years old that year, and she came to the age of marriage... Compared to having the world, I prefer to hold hands with you. <<less

Li Hehua has come a long way, from being the village belle, to the king's favorite, to the Prime Minister's wife. One might say she has achieved great success and fame, but has she truly turned her hardships into happiness? Yet again, she has acquired a new title: the wretched wife!... more>>

A certain prince says: "Prime Minister, I have a niece who is as beautiful as a flower and could be your wife."

Prime Minister: "My wife is peerless in beauty and grace!"

Minister: "Prime Minister, my daughter is both beautiful and talented. She could be the Prime Minister's wife."

Prime Minister: "My wife is peerless in beauty and grace!"

Minister: "Prime Minister, my sister is gentle and refined. She will surely serve the Prime Minister well."

The Prime Minister smiles faintly and said: "My wife is peerless in beauty and grace!" <<less

Gu Yun married the most unlearned and unskilled heir apparent in the Duke’s palace.... more>>

She thought that as long as she gave birth to a child, she would give him the name of the child’s father. As for her husband, could this food be eaten?

However, the throne of Prince Pei Shu was deposed, and the couple were driven out of the Duke’s mansion.

Gu Yun: “…”

She thought she was getting a house fighting script, but it turned out to be a farming script.

————

National treasure-level scientist Pei Shu transformed into the uneducated heir apparent of the Duke.

After dying of overwork in his previous life, Pei Shu thought he could finally retire and just lie down like a salted fish.

Unexpectedly, the original man owed gambling debts. The Duke was so angry that he deposed his son and was kicked out of the Duke’s mansion along with his newlywed wife.

A small village, three little maids, the fields on the left and right are not sheltered from the wind.

This forced him to stand up.

So what if he is uneducated and skillless? Look at him inventing a rice transplanter and an autumn harvesting machine, which can cultivate ten acres of land.

So what if no one cares about it? Increase grain production, build roads, and build reservoirs. There is more than one way out in the world than studying.

It’s just that his wife always looks at him like that.

When Gu Yun saw the rice transplanter, he was not surprised like others, but asked: “The rice transplanter is good, but how did you make it?”

Pei Shu who is illiterate, has never read, and has never even worked in the fields: “…”

Pei Shu: I have to give a hundred reasons to fool my wife every day, and I can’t QAQ.

A straight man with a science and engineering degree who can never guess his wife’s thoughts & a scheming native woman who plays tricks on her husband. <<less

In the 1930s, Shanghai was in the midst of a stormy period. Ye Bingqing, the second youngest daughter of the Ye family, returned from her studies abroad and was involved in a revolutionary party and the faction’s secret service. A letter of denunciation pushed Qin Shiyue, a teacher she originally admired and liked, into the camp of her opponents. From then on, good and evil were confused. Right and wrong were often reversed. ... more>>

Who is the ally and who is the enemy?

How did Ye Bingqing find the truth with the only straw that saved her life?

This is a book about “growing up”. Growing up is not always sweet or gentle, but rather, a lot more painful to break out of the cocoon. In the process of growing up, a young girl may have that kind of love, or she may change her fate overnight or she may have a different perception and experience of life…A young girl in her blossoming season is just like a cicada nymph who “breaks out of her cocoon”, facing various hardships, contradictions, and conflicts on the way to her growth. But it is exactly this thought of seeking the truth and facing without shirking that forges strong wings and a mature heart. And when the dust finally settles, she will be able to emerge as a butterfly and once again, welcome the sunlight and dance in the blue sky. <<less

Most female leads in historical romance novels live through miserable experiences. They’ll always be misunderstood, betrayed by their family, misunderstood by their lovers, bullied by their mothers-in-law, framed by their rivals… ... more>>

They’ll always be kind, forgive those who betray them, fall in love with someone who repeatedly hurts them, treat their evil mothers-in-law and their rivals’ children as their own, before finally obtaining their happy ending.

When Su Yuan became the female lead of such a novel: I have something to say… I’m not sure whether it’s appropriate or not. <<less

He had a dream in which:... more>>

The person he was most tolerant of, was him.

The person he favored the most in this life, was him.

The person he wants to stay together with the most, was him. <<less

'Ever heard of this painting called ‘The Señorita’? I bet you haven’t. I never thought this painting existed until I visited the bas**ent of the Manila Art Museum.... more>>

It’s a painting of a woman in a baro’t saya, with her back turned to the viewer. I asked the art director about the story of this painting. According to him, this was donated by a wealthy businessman after he lost his wife to an illness. The businessman was an avid art collector and he got The Señorita for an affordable price at a garage sale in Calamba, Laguna. He was obsessed with looking at it every day, until he realized that he was starting to go bankrupt and that his wife fell ill. When his wife died, he gave away the painting to the Manila Art Museum, and now it resides in the bas**ent.'
-anonymous

...

The Señorita, also known as La Señorita.

The said painting seemed old. The colors appeared like they would fade away at any moment. And even its golden frames were giving off signs of crumbling.

Just from the title itself, one would imagine the Señorita as a beautiful girl made into a masterpiece, even immortalized through that said exceptional painting.

However, it was actually hiding a mystery. No one knows about the said painting’s history, especially about the model and its painter. It was also said to be jinxed, never failing to bring misfortune on whomever's hands it would fall to. But, who was the maiden being called the Señorita and are the stories revolving around her true?

Was the painting really accursed? <<less

Welcome to Yu Pavilion
The Strangely and Prudential of Devil Tavern... more>>

Drinking Wine, Tell the Story of Kindness and Bitterness
Between Human and Inhuman

Listening to the Tales of the Parallel World
Saw the Darkness of Human
And the Brightness of Demon

Run into the Wonderful Adventure
And the Legend of Love <<less

Shinzui, a country where perfumers are highly respected. Riri lives downtown, but her skills as a perfumer have earned her a place in the inner palace (harem) of the Crown Prince Kousho. However, her goal isn’t to become his favourite consort. Riri wishes to create the legendary treasured incense that her late father failed to produce, and clear his name. Kousho learned of her ulterior motive as soon as she entered the inner palace, and told her something unexpected!?... more>>

In a country where women aren’t allowed to become perfumers, a girl carves out her own destiny and finds love through the power of incenses. <<less

It portrays the struggling of the people in Cambodia during France Colony. Moreover, it depicts the kindness of an employer, which is considered to be... more>> unrealistic. Although it does not present any national independent concept, it illustrates some ideas of how young Khmer women choose their husband. <<less

There exist in this world a set of six daggers that carry a terrible curse: the ability to inflict a death beyond time. Those under the daggers' curse shall reincarnate without end, never able to know happiness and always drawn to die once more by the dagger. This is the story of "Raine" and "Marie", two souls bound by the daggers' curse to kill one another, over and over again.... more>>

France, 1243. Lapis Lazuli Castle is the name of an insignificant relay fort nestled away in a forest east of Carcassonne. Its ruler, Count Geoffroy, and his only daughter, Marie, are both believed to be insane. The root cause of their shared madness is the mysterious disappearance of Geoffroy's wife three years ago, which caused Geoffroy to grow detached from humanity and cast Marie into a deep depression. After three years of wandering in a state halfway to nonexistence, Marie works up the nerve to ask her chief bodyguard, Sir Raine, to investigate her mother's death, confiding that on the night of her mother's disappearance, she had witnessed something impossible. However, her investigation only prompts a new tragedy.

The French-German border, 1916. As World War I rages on, Raine and Marie's latest reincarnations live the life of a sub-lieutenant in the French army and a medic with the Red Cross, respectively. The two lovers are reunited at the site of the Battle of Verdun, but no sooner have they met then Raine finds himself faced with a barrage of impossible circumstances. An enemy soldier's head suddenly vanishes, right before his eyes. One of his subordinates reports the same thing happening to an ally. Four more headless bodies vanish from a flooded bunker in the minute he looks away. These baffling events are a prelude to the return of their old tragedy.

Northern Hokkaido, 1989. Kimiyo, age eighteen, is already dying, an inoperable tumor in her hypothalamus leaving her with less than a year to live. Refusing to despair in the face of her tragic circumstances, she spends her remaining days with her friends at "The Library at the End of the World", a private library so called due to its isolated nature. One day, a man named Kito approaches her out of the blue, regaling her with a story about a set of cursed daggers, knights in the 13th century, and the two of them being cursed, fated lovers. Naturally, Kimiyo is intensely skeptical, but the events that come next don't require her to believe in them.

Arriving at the scene of these three tragedies is Snowy, an enigmatic figure of indeterminate gender who claims to be "a detective charged with managing the world's chaos". <<less

A century and more ago, China was embroiled in turmoil and instability. Opium usage was rampant in the country. Foreign powers carved up China’s land into foreign-controlled concessions and leased out lands. The Qing Dynasty was on its last legs. Military warlords and cliques fought for power. People rose up to fight for change, some wanting reform and to institute a constitutional monarchy, some wanting a revolution, to completely change the political situation.... more>>

This is the backdrop of our story, which opens in the year 1911. It is truly a historical romance, with many references to historical events and people.

Shen Xi is a wanted criminal of the Qing Dynasty, not for any crime that she committed but because her father was charged as a reformist and punishment was doled out to the entire clan. She has been living hidden away in the dirtiest of places, until one day something happens and she is rescued by the Third Master of the House of Fu, Fu Tongwen. Third Master Fu, the romantic, suave young master known for his love of women and frivolity, whose wealth is countless, sends her abroad to study and guarantees the safety and well-being of the rest of her life. She thinks that the ties between the two of them are merely the letters she regularly posts to him and the replies he sends back, but one day he appears in the parlour of her townhouse in New York. During this time, her interaction with him increases until one day she abruptly makes the decision to return to China. In her travels and interaction with him, she learns that this man who on the outside appears to be (by a modern-day terms), a playboy in reality holds a heart for his country and its people and carries a longing to bring change—to see a China restored to splendour and prosperity.

The Third Master Fu of her first encounter with him was a rich, frivolous young lord who would reserve half of an entire venue for only the purpose of increasing the popularity of the entertainer he was fond of, a man who liked to sit with one ankle resting on the thigh of the other leg, his head tilted to the side to quietly converse with the wealthy young masters around him. In the glow of lamplight, the side view of his face exuded an air of dissolute suaveness. It was only later that she saw the real him: In the dim illumination, what he sat upon were actually piles of white skeletons and what he guarded were the vast, magnificent lands of the nation. <<less

When she opened her eyes, she became the well-known ugly woman in the village and there was a soft little bun in front of her plus an instant hunter husband. ... more>>

Lin Xiaoye felt pressured, but with a silver needle in hand, she started treating illnesses and saving people to earn a fortune, kissing her husband, abusing scums, raising a bun, planting crops and living a good life.

Wait, what? Her husband is a god of war? And an outstanding founding minister? The emperor even begged him? How dare he hide this from her?

Scram and sleep in the hall! <<less

Set in early-20th century China, this story takes off in the port city of Tientsin (Tianjin) that is divided into lands called concessions and owned... more>> by several foreign powers. Shen Liangsheng is a charismatic and cunning playboy, a son of a rich businessman, who has profits as his top priority. He meets Ch'in Ching, an average school teacher who appears mild but actually holds a patriotic heart for his home. The two cross paths and sparks fly. But will their love hold strong through the imminent forces that will tear the country apart...? <<less

In his previous life, Song Jingyun, the heir of Prince Rui, treated his wife harshly and trusted his friends foolishly. In the end, he went down the wrong road step by step and lost everything.... more>>

His pregnant wife An Nan was killed by the traitor He Xu after he coveted him, and his body was thrown into the river. In endless regret and hatred, Song Jingyun killed He Xu in revenge and then threw himself into the river to follow An Nan. But he didn’t expect that when he woke up, he would be reborn and return to the time before he married An Nan.

He wanted to preemptively kill He Xu again, but before he could take action, his subordinate told him some shocking news. He, Song Jingyun was dissatisfied with his marriage to An Nan, so three days ago, he went to Duke Zhenguo’s Mansion with a simple betrothal gift to propose marriage, and threatened to only let someone’s youngest son be his concubine.
When Song Jingyun heard this, he slapped himself. Feeling that the situation was urgent, he changed his plan to kill He Xu first. This became the current plan: the main task was to recover Nannan first and treat him wholeheartedly; the secondary task was to change their fate and turn things around. <<less

Using a thread to embroider, time can be weaved;... more>>

Using a heart to embroider, a nation can be weaved.

How can a palace, imprison a phoenix?

One’s life is decided by oneself and not by heaven!

On one great land, the world is split into four, Yan, Bi, Yi and Cheng.

Nation Bi’s Right Prime Minister’s daughter, who is of a dignified demeanour, virtuous and gentle, admires the son, Ji Ying of the Four Great Families. Yet when the two families were preparing for a marriage alliance, it was flagrantly wrecked by the King, Zhao Yin, with one imperial edict, selecting her to enter the palace.

For the sake of her family, Jiang Chenyu had no other way but to accept the imperial edict and enter the palace.

However, she was not willing to become the Monarch’s consort and die of old age in the palace, so she volunteered herself and requested to become Zhao Yin’s strategist.

Zhao Yin, impressed by her courage, then sent her as an ambassador to Nation Cheng, under the pretext of celebrating King Cheng’s birthday to secretly steal classified information. Who would have thought that the rewrite of the volatile and tumultuous situation of the four countries’ history would have begun due to such a careless decision…

The gears of fate start to rotate: From a naive, pure and romantic girl, to a befitting Empress that rules the world; From a weak little girl who is at the mercy of others, to an all-powerful female Emperor of the generation…

As calamity is brought to the nation, the world is overturned.

Note:
The female protagonist’s name comes from the phrase “chen yu luo yan”(which is part of a longer sentence), which was used to describe Xi Shi’s extraordinary beauty where it caused the fish to drown and the geese to fall. Xi Shi is one of Ancient China’s Four Beauties. <<less

Twenty years ago, there was a great upheaval in Yunxia, and Di Shengtian, with her close friend Han Zian, quelled the chaos and disappeared from the public eye. ... more>>

Ten years later, the entire Di family was annihilated, with only a lone girl being banished to Mount Tai, and the century-old foundation of the Di’s family was destroyed.

If Di Shengtian had known that one day her own disciples would exterminate the entire Di family, would she still have shared half of her kingdom to secure a lasting legacy for the future?

Regardless of how the world marvels at the era of Di Shengtian, as time passes, when Ren Anle, bored and idle, reads this history of the wilds while curled up in her bandit’s den, she can only laugh and say… winners become kings and losers are defeated, this is how the world works.

Who in this world still cares how the once strongest person in Yunxia would respond? <<less

The swaying of lakes; the pleasures of life.... more>>

One is a master of martial arts who sees through the world’s emotions with a heart like a clear mirror.

Transcendent, pure and reclusive, born for the good of all, yet understands the truth of life.

As if everything is nothing, all but a vast emptiness.

A level of martial arts so great that it is in an other-worldly state. One could even consider him a god.

As the saying goes — perfection needs no decoration.

A unique and charming appearance.

A heart of ingenuity that kills all quarters.

However, Luo Xuan, who was like a pool of deep, still water, was injured by Liu Li’s emotional entanglement.

A love that drove one insane, even hate itself was a crazed feeling.

A fight between water and fire.

In the end, it was nothing but a loss for both sides.

A mere cloud of steam blown away by the breeze. <<less

If I could return to 1987, I would never want to leave my family again...... more>>

My wife, children, and the warm kang bed - Qin Hao felt this was what life was truly about.

Raising livestock, growing medic

Slowly enjoying life in the remote northeastern mountains, leading the entire village towards prosperity together. <<less

At the end of the 1920s, Tokyo, the Imperial capital of the Japanese Empire, celebrates the spring of the fifth year of the Kowa era. A handsome young man born to a German mother, Senzaki Masato, is an elite graduate of Teito University, but leads a life of self-indulgence without a home, money, or job. One day, when he is about to be evicted from his place of residence, he visits an acquaintance's salon to look for a job. There he meets a sleeping child-the enigmatic ‘Ono Kahoru’-and Masato finds himself involved in a variety of cases.... more>>

Fictional Japan in the Taisho and early Showa periods. A series of mystery short stories about a self-absorbed beautiful young man and a mysterious boy who solve cases based on fairy tales in the Imperial city, Tokyo. <<less

A short story set in the countryside about a struggling hunter and a rich landowner.

In the capital, everyone knows about the Wei clan’s twin sisters. Unfortunately, in the eyes of everyone, Wei Heng has grown to become so beautiful that even if she is admitted to the Female Academy, no one will see her as wise or virtuous.... more>>

Lu Zhan, the eldest son of the Duke of Qi, had an elegant demeanor and was gifted with outstanding talent, but Wei Heng felt that he was really no good man.

When contesting during the race at the Dragon Boat Festival, she acted chivalrously and righteously, but he remained silent. He considered her to be reckless, and she considered him cold-hearted.

When admiring the lanterns during the Lantern Festival, she fell into danger. Although he appeared to save her, in the blink of an eye, he was already teasing her by all means.

What’s more, she has a weight in her heart and only hopes for the phoenix to reach nirvana and to be reborn from its ashes, but his appearance always reminded her past embarrassment.

She thought that by agreeing on a marriage, she could stay away from the conflicts and quarrels, and He thought that as long as they were thousands of miles apart, they could live in peace. But who knew that the red thread of fate was tying tighter and tighter.

They obviously didn’t fall in love at first sight, and they knew that the road ahead would be difficult. This time, can their persistence this time bring peace and quiet in the years to come? <<less

A compilation of 20 detective stories and 6 essays and miscellaneous writings by Japan's first female detective writer, Ookura Teruko.