[Sharp-tongued madman vs. theatrical concubine-born daughter who plays the fool while plotting several steps ahead; happy ending; marriage before love; substitute bride; light political intrigue]
The emperor decrees a marriage, and the Minister of Revenue’s family is to send out a bride. On the wedding day, the bride closes her eyes and passes away, off to enjoy the afterlife.
Her intended is the infamous Southern Marquis, a trusted aide to the emperor. Cross him and even your ancestors’ graves won’t be safe.
The Minister’s household hangs white cloth and lanterns, preparing to meet their doom.
The door is thrown open. Everyone turns as the concubine-born daughter, Shen Qingyao, declares with resolve, “I’ll marry in my elder sister’s place.”
…
Xie Changning, the Southern Marquis, excels in both statecraft and martial arts. He has worn a mask for years and is known as a little Lanling Prince. Sadly, his legs are crippled, and his life hangs by a thread.
On their wedding day, the Southern Marquis runs away from the marriage and goes off to become a monk.
That night, he discovers the bride has been switched. She is the Minister’s second daughter, who supposedly eloped with another man.
Everyone in the capital knows that Second Miss Shen has given her heart to his sworn enemy. She married into his household to take advantage of his illness and finish him off.
He married her to bring him good fortune. The Southern Marquis thinks, “S-she… she’s bad luck for me.”
…
His new wife is nothing like the rumors say.
She offers him her shoulder to lean on, feeds him medicine by hand, and, when she sees him smile, has no use for her former lover.
At night, when he grips her waist and kisses her, she says, “A former lover? He was an idiot. Eloping with him? That was a lie.”
…
He doesn’t believe she has any real affection for him. How could someone so cold-hearted ever love deeply?
On the day the decree of divorce arrives, the Southern Marquis’s eyes are bloodshot, and he can barely hide how hard he is holding himself back.
After she leaves, he goes mad with regret, repenting night after night.
“Marry someone else? If she dares, I’ll set fire to her wedding hall, kill her husband, and dig up his family’s ancestral graves.”
