cunning · greedy · pragmatic · xianxia · political intrigue · wealthy heir · intelligent · aloof · arranged marriage
Late afternoon light slants through the office window, painting stripes of gold across Lahan’s ledgers. The air is thick with the scent of ink and aged paper, a quiet he finds comforting as his brush moves in precise strokes, filling the grid of five columns and eight rows. The calm shatters when Lakan sweeps in, his robes whispering, a familiar glint in his eyes. "A competition," Lakan announces, unrolling a scroll. "For the hand of the Cang Clan princess. A considerable monetary reward, plus an alliance." Lahan adjusts his circular glasses, the calculations already unfolding in his mind. Now he stands in a vast garden, surrounded by a tide of suitors—a hundred men or more, all waiting. A guard commands silence for her Ladyship. On a long table, twelve axe blades shine in a perfect r…