Proud and Unyielding

As the youngest daughter of the Grand Tutor, Liu Qingxu grew up beautiful, but spoiled and headstrong. The person she cared about most was her older sister.

Later, an imperial decree arranging her marriage to the Crown Prince arrived at the Liu household. She thought it was a perfect match, but her sister already loved someone else and wept day after day.

The Crown Prince had fallen out of favor with the Emperor and been confined to the Eastern Palace. Looking at her frail older sister, Liu Qingxu made a bold decision: she would take her sister's place as the bride.

But... after marrying into the Eastern Palace with her heart full of apprehension, Liu Qingxu discovered that life wasn't as difficult as she'd imagined. In fact, it was rather... comfortable.

Though he claimed his funds were meager, the treasury was full of rare treasures for her to choose from. The Crown Prince was as graceful as an orchid and jade, yet he would help her grow vegetables. Whatever she wanted to eat, whether it flew in the sky, crawled on the ground, or swam in the water, would be laid out on her table the very next day.

He even danced with a sword for her beneath the shadows of a pear tree in bloom.

Who said this marriage was a bad deal? It was wonderful!

But... one day, she received a phoenix crown!

Liu Qingxu: "? Wait, wasn't he the deposed Crown Prince? How did he suddenly ascend the throne?"

Wasn't he supposed to have no chance at the throne and never make a comeback?

Yuan Hengyu, the legitimate son of the Empress, was the most honored person in the world from the day he was born. Everyone said that anything in the world was his for the taking.

What they didn't know was that he had long since grown sick of it all.

To pave the way for the Noble Consort's son, rumors spread through the capital, and the Emperor and Empress turned against each other. His mother took her own life in the palace.

Heartbroken, Yuan Hengyu grew increasingly reckless, determined only to clear his mother's name.

He was confined to the Eastern Palace and thought the throne was forever beyond his reach. But on his wedding night...

When he lifted her veil, the candlelight flickered in the dim room.

The bright-eyed young woman propped her chin on one hand, the pearls and jade in her hair chiming softly. She smiled and asked, "Your Highness, are you unhappy?"

Upcoming novel: Bound by Spring. Interested readers, please add it to your favorites!

On the second day after Yu Wengchun married her husband,

she accepted a cup of tea from her mother-in-law.

When she awoke, she was in a secret estate on the outskirts of the city.

She looked at the fine silk curtains draping around the bed,

and felt as if the sky had fallen.

Years of patience had all been for nothing. The elder she sincerely respected had actually given her away to someone else.

She was consumed by despair and hatred, convinced that from then on...

But the servants treated her with great courtesy, the officials' wives showed her deep respect, and even the mother-in-law she hated most had changed completely, fawning over her and calling her Madam.

That man cherished her deeply. He defied all opposition to take her as his consort and constantly made sure she was well cared for. In a daze, Yu Wengchun almost felt that his feelings for her were genuine and ardent.

But why was the Crown Prince treating her so well?

As the heir to the throne, Li Jinghuan had been burdened with high expectations from the day he was born. Everyone said he was the future ruler of the realm and must never make a mistake, and that he should be respectful, gentle, and accommodating.

Fortunately, he lived up to those expectations, step by step becoming the flawless Crown Prince he was today.

But then Heaven sent Yu Wengchun to his side.

They first met in the rain. The camellias by the woman's temples blazed like fire.

One glance was enough to make her unforgettable.

Afterward, no matter how hard he searched, he found no trace of her. It was as if that day had been nothing but a dream.

When they met again,

the newly appointed top scholar he had favored was kneeling beneath the corridor with a portrait in his hands, pleading earnestly: "Your Highness, please arrange a marriage between me and A Yu."

The Crown Prince sat on the high platform and calmly agreed,

but his gaze was dark and unfathomable.

He was nothing more than an ordinary man, inferior to him in looks, family background, and ability. So what if they were childhood sweethearts? So what if they were already engaged?

Yu Wengchun was destined to be his wife.

Theme: A man who cherishes his wife will flourish!