Marrying Up

I, Shen Qingci, cast aside every last shred of shame and threw myself into the arms of Xiao Jingyuan, Marquis of Yongning.

He gripped my chin, his eyes full of contempt. "The Shen family is a house of scholars. How could they raise a daughter as shameless as you?"

I attached myself to him to save my birth mother's life and protect my younger brother.

After entering his household, I tried to please him with all the humility I could muster. But he knocked over the soup I served him, tossed the robe I had sewn into a corner, and even called me "unfit to appear in public" in front of everyone.

Only when he joyfully married the Chancellor's daughter and promised to cast aside his lowly wife, me, did I finally come to my senses. I wrote a letter of separation and left without looking back.

Later, I lived simply with my younger brother, content and carefree.

But the lofty Marquis of Yongning blocked the entrance to my dilapidated courtyard, his eyes red as he clutched my sleeve.

"Qingci, I was wrong. I'll marry you as my principal wife and give you every honor. Won't you turn around and look at me just once?"

I calmly pushed his hand away. "My lord, when I once reached above my station for you, you wanted nothing to do with me. Now that I've stopped, don't come and disturb my peace."

Bad ending.

Theme: Love may be separated by mountains and seas, but they can all be crossed.