The Mountains and Rivers as a Game of Weiqi

Gentle, loyal young marquis x two-faced, innocent-looking brothel owner

[A chronicle of a frail beauty's quest to restore her kingdom, childhood sweethearts made for each other]

Meng Yin is the only daughter of the Great Zhou's foremost businesswoman and the adopted daughter of a family of generals. Kind and pure-hearted, she should have had a peaceful and carefree life.

But fate had other plans. The Meng family was struck by disaster, and every member was exiled to a freezing wasteland.

She concealed her identity and became Hua Zui, the owner of the Zui Chun House, using it as a base to secretly gather court secrets.

After reuniting with her childhood sweetheart, she willingly became his concubine so she could get close to the imperial court and bring corrupt officials to justice.

In the business world, she veiled her face with a light gauze and brought her rivals to their knees with just a few words.

Away from court, she walked a bloody path, navigating between corrupt officials and the emperor's faction, helping the ruler devise a game-changing strategy.

When the corrupt official grew suspicious of her identity, she paled and wept pitifully.

"This humble concubine is nothing but a woman of the demimonde. Why must Your Excellency make things difficult for me?"

On the day the corrupt official was brought to justice, she nestled in the arms of the man she loved and smiled gently.

"My lord, you should never have underestimated us 'weak' women."

*

Huo Qingyan, Marquis of Dingyuan, was handsome and distinguished, yet had never shown interest in women. Rumor had it in the capital that he was saving himself for his beloved childhood sweetheart.

But he had been away fighting for six years, and his beloved had long since become a pile of bones.

People also envied his extraordinary good fortune with women. Not only did he take a wife and concubine on the same day, but the emperor also personally gifted him more than a dozen beautiful women.

Yet in less than a day, rumors spread from the marquis's residence that Huo Qingyan suffered from a hidden ailment. Overnight, he became the laughingstock of the entire capital. His supposedly unparalleled devotion was actually because he was all show and no substance.

On the night he took Meng Yin as his concubine, Huo Qingyan stumbled into her room, reeking of wine, and simply held her while pretending to be drunk.

As time passed, Meng Yin came to believe the rumors. But he was a man who loved her as she loved him, so what did a little flaw matter?

Until Huo Qingyan openly made her his wife. On their wedding night, she was about to sleep fully dressed when Huo Qingyan suddenly leaned over her.

His breath brushed her ear, sending a tingling sensation through her.

"My lady, isn't it a little early to turn in?"

[Reading guide]: One-on-one romance, light political intrigue and ensemble cast, both leads' first love, no substitute romance, no heroine suffering, happy ending. The story focuses on the plot and the heroine's career, with a theme of women supporting women. Most of the supporting characters are women.

The heroine is a gifted, otherworldly woman, and the hero is a good person too.

The heroine isn't a high-level martial artist or an all-powerful female lead. Please don't expect her to know everything or do everything. If it's not your thing, please don't complain.

Readers are welcome to leave comments and discuss the plot~

Theme: Cherish peace and always keep a kind heart.