Marrying a Stern Court Official: The Fussy Second Wife Lies Flat and Enjoys the Good Life

[No transmigration + no rebirth + ancient-style marriage before love + age gap + an old flame rekindled]

Su Wu, the seventeen-year-old legitimate daughter of a fifth-rank official from the Su family of Jingkou, married the heir of the prestigious Xie family in the capital as his second wife.

Everyone expected her to become a laughingstock: she was marrying into a family far above her station, and she was a second wife to boot.

But after the wedding, Su Wu stayed true to herself: she wouldn’t bother anyone who didn’t bother her, but if anyone crossed her, she’d give as good as she got.

On her first day at the residence, she had the entire Duke’s household in an uproar.

Her mother-in-law wanted to lay down rules for her? Not happening.

Her husband wanted to lecture her on proper etiquette? Not happening.

Her sister-in-law wanted to put her in her place? Not happening.

She’d come to enjoy life in the Duke’s household, not to be bullied. Groveling and acting meek were out of the question. She wouldn’t put up with being wronged or stifled.

If someone wronged her, she’d settle the score on the spot. If she was angry, she’d let it out then and there.

Everyone watched her stir up trouble, waiting for the Duke’s household to throw her out.

But when Su Wu suggested a divorce, her mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law, sisters-in-law, and brothers-in-law all rushed to help her pack. Then they kicked her husband out of the residence.

They all took her hands and said in unison, “If anyone’s leaving, it’s him. You’re staying.”

Su Wu was stunned. Xie Yanci was dumbfounded. What was going on?

Xie Yanci was born into one of the most powerful noble families. The youngest man to earn the title of palace graduate, he oversaw the empire’s criminal justice system and was known as the Nightmare.

Cold and merciless, he acted decisively and showed no hesitation in killing.

The scars left by his first marriage had made him even more callous and indifferent, and he held love in contempt.

He’d intended for them to be a couple in name only, each living their own life without disturbing the other.

But Su Wu’s arrival shattered all his rules and proprieties, stirring ripples through his stagnant life.

Others said she was spoiled and willful, with no manners. He said he liked her.

Others said she was greedy and penny-pinching. He said he liked her.