The Marquis's Legitimate Wife

Traditional historical romance + devoted and equally matched couple + play the pig to eat the tiger + scheming heroine + love that grows over time

Among the clans of the capital, the Feng family reigns supreme. They are the emperor’s in-laws through the crown prince, the empress dowager’s maternal family through the favored consort, and enjoy the current emperor’s trust. The title of Marquis of Zhenbei is hereditary, and the family flourishes at the height of its power. Everyone says the Feng household possesses such staggering wealth and status that even those who rush to curry favor with them cannot get their foot in the door.

Yao Jingshu, the second legitimate daughter of the Yao family, is as calm and quiet as her name suggests. She is neither as tactful as her elder sister nor as charmingly sweet as her younger half-sister. She does nothing but read books, and her father dislikes her. Her mother calls her a “block of wood.”

Yet this very “block of wood” is unexpectedly betrothed to the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Their status and loyalties are worlds apart, and Yao Jingshu has never expected romantic love. Clear-headed, she bargains with Feng Xiao, each taking what they need.

Feng Xiao assumes she will be as dull as the other women of the capital. Instead, Yao Jingshu repeatedly surprises him with her actions, drawing him in until he falls for her.

When she is ready to leave after accomplishing her goal, Feng Xiao blocks her way. “The Feng family has only ever had widowers, never divorced wives. You’ve taken my surname, my lady. To the ends of the earth, wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be!”

Hand in hand, the two face danger together time and again, turning peril into triumph and finding flowers blooming even on sheer cliffs.

(This is not a wish-fulfillment novel. It is not a wish-fulfillment novel. It is not a wish-fulfillment novel. Please, I beg you, stop giving it bad reviews because the plot isn’t satisfying enough. It hurts me.)