Scheming to Marry (Reborn)

In her previous life, not long after Shen Youling and her childhood sweetheart Cui Mingxuan set their wedding date, Cui Mingxuan was ordered to go to war.

Not long afterward, her maternal grandfather fell gravely ill. To bring him good fortune, Shen Youling married into the Cui family with her young cousin in tow, in a ceremony witnessed by both families’ elders.

Who could have known that in the second year of their marriage, terrible news would arrive: Cui Mingxuan had died on the battlefield.

Shen Youling willingly observed three years of mourning for her fallen husband, only to see him return to the capital with a new bride and two children.

In an instant, she became the laughingstock of the entire capital.

She wanted a divorce, but was not allowed one, and eventually died of grief.

Living her life over again, Shen Youling decisively broke off the engagement.

The Cui family elders refused, out of respect for the ties between the families. The head of the Cui family even told her she could choose any eligible man in the Cui clan.

Shen Youling thought that Cui Mingxuan, her childhood sweetheart and supposed love match, had turned out to be no better than anyone else. If she had to choose, she would rather choose a dead man!

Naturally, the Cui family would not let her choose someone who was dead, so she chose the Cui family’s “living dead,” Cui Junmo, Cui Mingxuan’s seventh uncle.

Cui Junmo was cold and proud, with power over the court. He was the Grand Marshal, Marquis of Ding’an, and tutor to the crown prince. During the campaign to pacify the west, he led the army himself, was attacked from front and rear, and fell into a coma after being gravely wounded. All the imperial physicians declared that he would never wake again.

Shen Youling chose him only because she hoped his position would protect her and make her life a little better. Who could have guessed that Cui Junmo would wake up the day after their wedding?

Looking at the man lying beside her, his narrowed eyes fixed on her with a dangerous expression, Shen Youling’s teeth chattered. “Please… Seventh Uncle, take pity on me…”

*

Cui Junmo believed that when the realm was in turmoil, there was no place for a man to start a family. A man should die in his armor for the sake of his people’s safety. So when he fell gravely wounded, he had no regrets.

He had never imagined that one day he would wake to find a young girl lying beside him, and that this girl was his nephew’s childhood sweetheart.

Looking at the young girl gazing at him with tearful eyes, Cui Junmo, for the first time in his life, was at a loss.

He had assumed she would surely regret her decision, and that once his nephew returned, everything would fall back into place. He never expected his nephew to die in battle, or that he himself would become more and more deeply entangled with her.

The day Cui Mingxuan returned, Cui Junmo panicked. He kissed her again and again, telling her over and over, “I’m better than him, and I’m more chaste than he is. Don’t leave me…”

Coming next, launching on the 19th: The Commander-in-Chief’s Secret Lover. Here’s the blurb. Please add it to your collection!

After transmigrating, Shen Yunsi made two mistakes.

One was rescuing Huo Quan, who was in trouble, on that rainy night.

The other was making that deal with him.

That was how she became the famous Miss A-Si of the capital.

Miss A-Si of the Wanfang House was born with an alluring beauty. One song from her could captivate the soul, and a single glance was enough to haunt a man’s dreams.

Countless men vied for her attention and spent fortunes on her, but none dared do more than look from afar. That was because of the powerful patron behind her, the Commander-in-Chief, Huo Quan…

As the three-year term came to an end and their deal was fulfilled, Shen Yunsi thought she would finally be free.

But the man went back on his word…

The all-powerful Commander-in-Chief Huo Quan was careless for once and fell into an ambush. Gravely injured, he was saved by a courtesan.

Huo Quan never claimed to be a good man. Even if he was repaying her for saving his life, she should make herself useful.

So, to repay his debt, Huo Quan struck a deal with her.

For three years, he would protect her, and she would provide him with intelligence.

Once the term was up, he would set her free.

Huo Quan thought it was nothing more than a mutually agreeable transaction. He had simply taken in a useful little songbird, and he would release her when the time came.

But when the time came and the woman tried to leave, he found he could not let go.

Later, in Shen Yunsi’s bedroom, beneath the red wedding curtains, a song came to an end.

In bed, Huo Quan wrapped an arm around her waist and wound her damp hair around his fingers, his voice tender and lingering. “Si’er, don’t struggle for nothing. You’ll never escape from the palm of my hand…”

Theme: Seize every opportunity to make a choice.