The Color of a Wife

Top-Tier Noble Heir × Delicate, Down-on-Her-Luck Beauty One day, two years after their wedding, Lu Zhan finally remembered that he had a young wife living at one of his country estates. His family had arranged the marriage. Years ago, their families had been well matched and close, and they had arranged the betrothal. Later, something happened, and the two families fell out. Her family steadily declined. Her father and brothers lost their influence, their home grew quiet, and all its former glory faded away. He had never liked her to begin with. If his family hadn’t insisted on honoring the betrothal, Lu Zhan would never have married her. After the wedding, Lu Zhan had no choice but to bring her to his domain, but he wouldn’t even let her enter his residence. He had her settled directly in a country estate, then ignored her from that day on. It wasn’t until two years later, when his grandmother wrote to say she was coming to visit, that he remembered he had a wife. To keep up appearances in front of his elders, Lu Zhan had no choice but to bring her back first. When they met for the first time after her return, Lu Zhan regarded her with icy eyes and kept his distance. He said coldly, “Behave yourself and mind your manners in front of Grandmother. Don’t say or do anything unnecessary. Once she’s gone, I’ll give you some money and divorce you.” Jiang Shanshan meekly agreed. Lu Zhan was quite reassured by his obedient, soft-spoken, well-behaved wife. After six months, he was reasonably satisfied with her. Lu Zhan thought that, given the circumstances, perhaps they could continue living together after all. Once his grandmother left, he would find the right time to discuss the matter with her again. But when the day finally came, he was out drinking leisurely with his subordinates that afternoon when he unexpectedly saw her meeting someone too, and that someone was a man! As luck would have it, they were in the very same restaurant. Lu Zhan immediately hurried after her. At the door of a private room, he saw everything clearly through the beaded curtain. His usually meek and gentle wife was now blushing as she said sweetly to the man across from her, “...Once I divorce him, I’ll marry you.” A sudden blaze of fury erupted in Lu Zhan’s eyes. His hand clenched tight. (February 8, 2026: blurb pending revision and completion) 1. Both leads are each other’s only partners, happy ending. 2. Marriage first, love later. They start with physical intimacy, then fall in love. 3. Entirely fictional setting. Some place names were chosen because they sound nice, so please don’t nitpick historical accuracy. Coming soon: The Yan Family’s Noble Wife The Gu family’s eldest daughter was betrothed to Yan Tingyuan, a highly decorated general with command of a powerful army. It should have been a match made in heaven, but she had a physical condition that made it difficult for her to bear children. The Gu family’s influence was waning, and this marriage was their only hope of restoring their status. If they wanted to secure the Yan family’s support and continue their bloodline, having children was the only way. Desperate, someone came up with a plan: have Shengsheng, who resembled the Gu family’s eldest daughter in three ways out of ten, impersonate her and marry into the general’s household in her place. Once she gave birth, they would find the right opportunity to switch the two women back... Shengsheng was the youngest daughter of the Gu family’s master. Her mother was of low birth and died young, leaving Shengsheng the most insignificant person in the family. She endured endless bullying and barely made it to sixteen. The matriarch came to her and forced her to take part in a charade on behalf of the eldest daughter. Shengsheng understood exactly why: she had no one to rely on, so she was easy to control. In exchange, the matriarch promised to give her money and let her leave the capital once she had a child. Shengsheng agreed without hesitation. She thought, she would get money, leave the Gu family, and enjoy a few glamorous days as a general’s wife. It seemed like a pretty good deal. As it turned out, life in the general’s household really was quite nice. She had fine clothes and delicious food, and no one hit or scolded her. It couldn’t get much better. The only downside was that Yan Tingyuan was a military man: tall, powerful, and insatiable. He was simply too much for her to handle! Fortunately, she soon became pregnant. After giving birth, Shengsheng finally won her freedom and fled to Jiangnan. She had barely enjoyed a year of peace when, one afternoon, she was walking down the street and unexpectedly ran into Yan Tingyuan! The man stared straight at her, his features stern and his gaze dark... (Revised July 3, 2026) Theme: Rebuild after ruin