After Marrying a Powerful Official, I Became His Moonlight

[A gentle, clever noblewoman: world-weary at first, growing stronger in the middle, and ultimately able to support her husband’s family on her own] VS [A taciturn, iron-fisted and ruthless chancellor: quiet at first, occasionally clingy and jealous in the middle, and eventually free to settle old scores] When she was fourteen, she was supposed to accept the Shen family’s marriage proposal. But the political situation grew turbulent, and she had no choice but to abandon her childhood sweetheart and marry someone else. The world condemned her as a faithless woman. Who knew that she had refused to share a marriage bed, then endured loneliness and a divorce branded with the disgrace of being unable to bear children? When she put on a wedding dress again, the groom died unexpectedly. The bridal sedan never even made it through his family’s gate, and the marriage was called off. People began to say she was ill-omened and brought death to her husbands. She thought she could spend the rest of her life quietly at home. Little did she know that the honest, unassuming childhood sweetheart she had once known had been driven to become the emperor’s ruthless enforcer. When disaster strikes, he is the only one she can turn to, but he demands she repay her debt. She has paid off the debt of marriage, but what is she to do about the debt of love she has incurred? In everyone’s eyes, her third marriage is nothing more than the beginning of another carefully planned revenge. She suffers as she teeters on the edge of his tenderness and kindness, struggling to stay clear-headed and hoping to escape one day. But fate takes a turn. When she finally presents the divorce papers, she sees the despair and grief in his bloodshot eyes. He says, “Xiao Xianyu, I only have one life. Are you not satisfied until you’ve deceived and betrayed me to the bitter end?” PS: 1. Both leads are each other’s first love. Childhood sweethearts, marriage before love, fictional setting, and a relatively slow pace. 2. At first, the heroine is insecure and overthinks everything, imagining the hero is taking revenge on her. The hero tentatively tests the waters and keeps his feelings restrained, cherishing her quietly and patiently. Their life together is mostly everyday domestic scenes. The household intrigue is not especially elaborate, while ordinary political struggles provide a backdrop of cause and effect throughout. 3. The heroine has a truly difficult life. Her aunt, the Empress Dowager, wants to rule as an empress and abuses her power, forcing the heroine to abandon the hero. The heroine goes through three marriages in four years, but she grows and earns a noble title through her own efforts. Her birth family later rises again, and she achieves a clean sweep of reputation, children, and husband. The hero also suffers in his youth. After pledging his loyalty to the new emperor, he pursues fame and fortune and is often in danger. In the end, he achieves both revenge and service to the country, then retires after accomplishing his mission. 4. There are several side couples, including a pseudo-incestuous pair, a selfish and foolish pair, and a pair with sound values. 5. This novel isn’t particularly well written and doesn’t have deep, complex logic. If anything seems unclear, please use the plot to fill in the gaps yourself.