Marrying the Powerful Minister Again

[Vivacious, spirited female shopkeeper] × [Beautiful, aloof high-ranking official]

Both leads are each other's first and only + Reconciliation after a breakup + Male lead is a human-shaped jealousy jar

[Blurb]

The Chi family is a well-known merchant family in the capital. Their only daughter, Chi Lingchun, has been spirited and exceptionally clever since childhood.

At seventeen, Chi Lingchun takes a liking to a refined, scholarly young pauper named He Guiwan and is determined to marry him into her family as a live-in son-in-law.

Though He Guiwan comes from a poor family, he has plenty of pride. He refuses to accept Chi Lingchun's ardent advances or her generous support, and remains utterly unmoved by her attentive gestures.

Chi Lingchun perseveres, and after considerable effort, successfully brings He Guiwan into her family as a live-in son-in-law.

She thinks she'll be able to spend her days peacefully with her handsome, talented husband, have an heir, and expand the Chi family's business. But He Guiwan is so diligent and learned that he places first in the highest level of the imperial examinations, becoming the capital's most sought-after third-place graduate.

Her husband, once content to stay in the inner quarters, transforms into an important court official, busy with government work all day and rarely seen. There are even rumors that the daughter of a high-ranking minister has set her sights on He Guiwan and openly declared her love for him. The two of them leave early and return late, and the pretty husband and adorable child Chi Lingchun has dreamed of seem to have become an unattainable fantasy.

Exhausted, Chi Lingchun grows increasingly distant from her husband, and after three years of marriage, they divorce.

Three years later, Chi Lingchun has finally recovered from her heartbreak and pulled herself together. She asks her parents to introduce her to suitable men from families of equal standing, hoping to find love again.

But her former husband, He Guiwan, who has long since risen to great heights, begins appearing in her life again and again.

Intimidated by his current power and their shared past, the men all flee, ruining one promising match after another.

After He Guiwan secretly scares off another matchmaker, Chi Lingchun catches him red-handed, furious and embarrassed. With red-rimmed eyes, she demands, "Lord He, what exactly are you trying to do?"

The aloof court official feared by everyone in the capital now has red ears as he gathers the courage to confess. "Lingchun, why not choose me? We know each other inside and out, and we were husband and wife for three years. I'm better-looking than them, and my prospects are brighter. Surely I'm a hundred times better than they are?"

"Why can they all have you, but I can't?"

Note:

1. Both leads are each other's first and only. Fictional setting.

2. The male lead is a human-shaped jealousy jar, cold on the outside and warm on the inside, a taciturn man who never speaks his mind.

3. Their divorce stems from a misunderstanding. Neither lead is perfect, and both have flaws.

Upcoming novel: A Concubine's Marriage. Please add it to your reading list~

[Quiet, composed beauty serving as a companion concubine] × [Arrogant, calculating, aloof prince]

Both leads are each other's first and only + Star-crossed love + The younger brother inherits his late brother's wife

Blurb:

Lin Qi was the sixth daughter of Prince Su. Her mother died early, leaving her without protection. When the emperor sought a companion concubine to accompany the princess on her marriage alliance to the Li Dynasty, Lin Qi was sabotaged by her stepmother and chosen against her will.

The Li and Ye Dynasties have long been enemies, and the marriage alliance is a desperate measure. The political situation in the enemy state is complex and unclear. The princess and her two companion concubines are all terrified, and they encounter danger several times on the journey, nearly losing their lives.

Fortunately, the young general "Zhou Heng," who comes to escort the bride, is steady and dependable, giving clear orders and repeatedly helping everyone escape danger. In the end, the escort party arrives safely.

But at the palace banquet, the young general transforms into the empress dowager's second son, the new emperor Pei Huan's younger brother from the same mother, the renowned Prince Li: Pei Heng.

Lin Qi recalls how, as one of Pei Huan's companion concubines, she spent the journey chatting and enjoying music with Pei Heng. The memory makes her hair stand on end, and she shudders at the thought. To survive in the enemy state's harem, she has no choice but to put away her girlish feelings and keep a low profile, helping the princess win the emperor's favor and gradually establish herself in the Li Dynasty's harem.

With Lin Qi's help, the princess and the new emperor, Pei Huan, fall for each other. The princess soon becomes pregnant, and life improves for the two companion concubines as well. Lin Qi has always been obedient and kept to her place, never trying to compete for favor. She only hopes to live out her days in peace in the enemy state.

Unfortunately, the good times don't last. The two countries erupt into fierce conflict, and when Pei Huan personally leads his army into battle, a general from the Ye Dynasty shoots an arrow through his heart, killing him on the battlefield. The alliance between the two countries is completely shattered, and they become mortal enemies.

The situation for the princess and her two companion concubines in the harem takes a sudden turn for the worse. To preserve their lives in the enemy state and avoid becoming casualties of the war between the two countries, Lin Qi is forced by the princess to give herself to the new emperor, Pei Heng.

Pei Heng and Pei Huan were close brothers, and he blames Lin Qi for his elder brother's death. Time and again, he humiliates her in bed. "My brother just died, and you've already rushed to climb into my bed. What, are you really so shameless and eager to curry favor with the powerful?"

To keep everyone alive, Lin Qi silently cries each time and passively endures all of the new emperor Pei Heng's fury.

Pei Heng hates himself for having once loved Lin Qi. He had even agreed with his elder brother that when it was time for him to leave the capital and take up his fief, his brother would give him Lin Qi, a companion concubine.

Pei Heng, convinced that his sincere feelings were misplaced, is torn with conflicting thoughts. "You people of the Ye Dynasty are all the same: you break your promises and scheme for petty gain. Lin Qi, just like that princess, you're unworthy of the love my brother and I gave you!"

Premise: Grow together and reach the pinnacle side by side