The Romance of tiger and rose

Chapter 1

In the lively city of Huayuan, merchants bustled about while pedestrians weaved through crowds. However, if you looked closely, you would notice that women made up the majority of the population and were adorned with beautiful jewels. Furthermore, they were very well-mannered.

In the middle of the main street, a carriage slowly advanced bearing the symbol of Xuanhu city. The carriage, which moved ever so slowly, was guarded by Xuanhu bodyguards.

Passerbys rushed forth to get a glimpse of the majestic carriage and whispered quietly to one another.

A woman watching the scene couldn't help but say, "I heard that Xuanhu's Crown Prince is in that carriage. He's come to marry a princess of Huayuan, but I don't know which."

Another woman nearby, who heard what the first lady said, looked around and then lowered her voice. "In Xuanhu, men are the head of household. Compare that to Huayuan where women lead and become government officials. Men are useless and know nothing about high-quality life. Look at them! To get the black stone mine, they even sent their Crown Prince here as hostage!"

"Xuanhu's Crown Prince?"

"Exactly!" the second woman gasped. "I heard that Xuanhu's City Owner only has one son! That Crown Prince was originally set to succeed Xuanhu's City Owner."

"So Xuanhu has no more successors?"

"That's right!"

As the Huayuan common people chaotically clustered and gossiped amongst themselves, a breeze suddenly blew open the carriage's window curtains. Slender fingertips rested inside the carriage, and the handsome side profile of a man appeared in front of the common people. The people who had clustered around the carriage collectively gasped at the sight of the young man.

"Xuanhu's Crown Prince is unbelievably handsome! It's a pity he has a heart disease. All the doctors say he won't live past 20. Look at him. He's already 19," a third woman gasped in admiration.

"So that young man has a year until he dies?" a fourth woman said with her eyes widened in shock. "Why did Xuanhu send a man who's on the verge of death? How unlucky."

"Ah, don't say any more. In the end, he has a nice face, and we don't know which princess he'll marry."

"Then he should be fine as long as he doesn't marry Third Princess," the second woman said, while slightly shaking her head. "That guy is already sick. If he marries Third Princess, I fear that his short life span will be further shortened."

Meanwhile, on the other side of Huayuan's main road was a woman in red riding a horse.

Her figure was slender, and her presence oozed a sense of superiority. Embroidered on her dress was the symbol of Huayuan.

It wasn't hard to tell that the woman in red was of high status.

Although people gathered in large numbers on the street, the girl in red paid no attention and continued to race down the road on her horse. She viciously whipped her horse on its thigh and had an arrogant smile on her face.

A squadron of bodyguards chased the girl in red down the street as she mowed over the bystanders in the street, viciously pushing them to the side. But the girl paid no attention to the people she had shoved out the way and continued to charge down the main road.

Suddenly, a fruit cart burst in front of the girl in red's horse. The owner of the fruit cart who had shoved his way in front of the girl seemed to be unfazed by the fast approaching horse. An object glistened within the fruit owners sleeve, making it clear that this situation was a set up.

Upon seeing the fruit cart in her way, the girl in red quickly yanked on the reins of her horse, but it was to no avail. Her horse, startled, threw the girl in red off her horse and towards the carriage of Xuanhu's Crown Prince.

"Damn it!" The girl in red cursed loudly, desperately trying to turn around and and remount her horse, but the stallion wildly bucked for an unknown reason, causing the girl to almost be caught in the stirrup.

At this critical moment, her whip became tangled with her saddle, and the girl in red was desperately hanging on to the side of the horse.

Unfortunately for her, the bodyguard behind her was a long ways off and would not be able to reach the girl in red in time to save her.

Up ahead, the carriage from Xuanhu came to a halt, and a bony hand lifted the carriage's curtain from within.

Inside the carriage, Han Shuo arched his eyebrow as he looked at the frantic girl in red. His face held a slight smile that was hard to notice upon first glance.

Suddenly, Han Shuo's figure flew forth from within the carriage, and he leaped toward the girl frantically hanging off her horse. He clasped the girl in his arms, and whisked her away from the wild horse.

Han Shuo gripped the waist of the young girl. Upon looking at the girl, his dark eyes suddenly deepened, holding a strong desire for conquest.

In an instant, Chen Qianqian pushed away the unfamiliar man, and the two spun away from each other.

The two tenderly looked at each other, and it was as though lightning struck the Earth.

Chen Qianqian stood still and looked Han Shuo up and down. Then, with her whip, she pointed at Han Shuo. "Who are you?"

Han Shuo lightly smiled and meekly said, "Xuhuan's Crown Prince, Han Shuo."

Upon hearing his answer, Chen Qianqian's brows crinkled and she thoughtfully said, "Oh, you're that Han Shuo who's going to marry into Huayuan?" Chen Qianqian's delicate, beautiful eyes squinted at him. "You're quite good-looking."

Chen Qianqian stared daggers at Han Shuo as if she were inspecting merchandise.

Upon hearing her words, Han Shuo frowned. The girl's frivolous attitude displeased him.

Without waiting for Han Shuo to answer her, Chen Qianqian opened her mouth and

beckoned over a group of people in a commanding tone. "Get over here."

Quickly, Chen Qianqian's personal guard, Zi Rui, along with a group of guards arrived.

"What order does the princess have?"

The corners of Chen Qianqian's mouth lifted to show a blissful smile. Carelessly pointing

at Han Shuo with her whip, she said, "Clean him up and bring him to my home tonight."

When he heard the girls command, Han Shuo lowered his eyes, which held a gloomy

light, but his mouth held a smile that was not visible to onlookers.

Han Shuo thought he had it all under his control. Everything was going according to his plan.

However, after Chen Qianqian spoke, her guard, Zi Rui, panicked. "Third Princess, his marriage to you needs approval from your mother. Taking him back like this is against the rules."

Zi Rui was Chen Qianqian's personal bodyguard, and could be said to be her most trusted aid. If the City Owner punished Chen Qianqian, he, too, would be punished.

After hearing Zi Rui address Chen Qianqian as "Third Princess", Han Shuo couldn't help but raise his head with his eyes visibly full of shock.

"Since I was little, there was nothing I couldn't have. Besides, I just want a man. There's no way mother would get mad at me," Chen Qianqian snorted.

After hearing her, Han Shuo's heart sank. This was an unexpected turn of events for him. His eyes lost their tender warmth and hardened as he looked at the girl before him.

Chen Qianqian?!

"He's just Xuanhu's Crown Prince. I'll ask for my mother's permission to marry him." Chen Qianqian turned her head to look at Han Shuo and arrogantly said, "Get ready. There's no time better than the present. We'll get married tomorrow."