A Handbook for Taming a Sweet Husband

[Reader's Guide] An alternate-history Tang dynasty. Both leads are devoted only to each other. A younger man two years her junior.

[Mutual pining] Bright, spirited young lady × gentle, loyal, devoted husband

[Synopsis] Zheng Caitang, daughter of the chief minister and nicknamed the Little Tyrant of Chang'an, can hit any young gentleman's head with her slingshot. When prestigious families hear her name during marriage negotiations, they all steer clear.

No matter. With the prestige of the Xingyang Zheng clan behind her, she can simply find a well-behaved live-in son-in-law.

As it happened, she found one just before New Year's Eve.

She intervened when she saw an injustice and bought a foolish young man from a foreign merchant in the Eastern Market, paying an outrageous price. He had delicate features, waist-length black hair, and a thin robe hanging partly open, revealing the faint outline of his chest. What a bewitching, foxlike beauty.

The two spent their days together, and the young man obeyed her in everything, always putting her first.

Then came the day he regained his memory. She eagerly waited for him to offer himself to her, only to see his eyes turn cold. He clasped his hands in greeting. “Allow me to introduce myself, Lady Zheng. I am Pei Muchen, the sixth young master of the Hedong Pei clan. You should call me Sixth Uncle.”

Her Sixth Uncle remained gentle with her, but always observed the rules of propriety. “Do not look at what is improper” was forever on his lips. He even insisted on leaving the door wide open whenever they were alone in a room.

Even so, Zheng Caitang went against all propriety and etiquette, harboring feelings for him that had to remain hidden.

Later, Pei Muchen passed the imperial examination and became a promising new remonstrance official. More and more people said that he was amiable on the surface but distant inside, and not easy to approach. She alone could not understand what they meant.

Sixth Uncle had always been as warm and polished as jade, with a thoughtful heart. When they went on a spring outing, he made her a butterfly kite with his own hands. When they rented a house, he set aside and furnished a room just for her. Though he was a frail scholar who usually held a writing brush, he could snatch a blade from an enemy's jaws, mount a horse, and draw a bow for her.

He remembered everything she liked and disliked, cared for her in every way, and faithfully fulfilled his duties as an elder. In front of him, she could act like a child, making a fuss and doing as she pleased.

Even though she was two years older than him.

The night breeze cooled the window and filled the room with the scent of wine. She leaned over the sleeping Pei Muchen, gazing at the face she had yearned for day and night. After much hesitation, she placed a light kiss on his cheek.

A scorching tear landed on his lips. His brow furrowed slightly, and when he opened his eyes and saw the young woman weeping before him, he cradled her face and returned her kiss, barely tasting it.

“Qiongnu, I've been waiting for this day for a long time.”

[PS] The heroine is a proud little ray of sunshine, lively and clever. The two are sweet from beginning to end, a young married couple.

The hero is a principled, self-restrained beauty on a high peak, but he's secretly a master of playing innocent and getting his way.

The heroine and hero are not related by blood. Their grandfathers became sworn family.

Theme: Women should live freely and joyfully.