We Agreed I'd Stay a Widow, So Why Does the Chaste Chief Secretary Tempt Me Every Night?

[Sweet Historical Romance] [Marriage Before Love] [Ascetic Powerful Official] [Face-Slapping] [The “I’m So Into This” Moment] (The refined, pampered young lady VS the ascetic, devious old-school official) Jiang Yinxue, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jing’an, is stunningly beautiful. But on the eve of her engagement, she overhears her fiancé admitting that he sees her as nothing more than a stepping-stone in his career. Jiang Yinxue gives a cold laugh and tears up their betrothal document. “That freeloader? Whoever wants him can have him!” Among portraits of all the eligible men in the capital, she picks Xie Ci’an, the Grand Secretary himself. He holds immense power at court, is as cold as snow, and is a stickler for rules. And, supposedly… he has no interest in women, only his work! Best of all, a revered monk has read his fate and declared him exceptionally auspicious, destined to bring good fortune to his wife! On their wedding night, Xie Ci’an sits upright by the bed, his expression cool: “I, Xie, am devoted to serving the country. The affairs of the household are entirely in my wife’s hands. I only hope we can treat each other with respect.” Jiang Yinxue is ecstatic inside. A rich, powerful man who won’t touch me? I’ll happily live as a wife in name only! So she settles into an imperial residence, spends the Grand Secretary’s salary, and blissfully enjoys her life as a wife in name only. Until one day, Jiang Yinxue goes to watch an opera, and Xie Ci’an is drinking tea in the private box. She goes to bathe in the hot springs, and Xie Ci’an is next door reviewing official documents. After being kept in their room for seven days straight, Jiang Yinxue rubs her aching waist and asks in a trembling voice, “My lord, why haven’t you gone to the cabinet lately?” Xie Ci’an slowly unfastens the jade belt of his official robe, his gaze dark and inscrutable. “For the sake of continuing the family line, I believe we haven’t been diligent enough.” “…How many more days do you have in mind, my lord?” “Every day.”