After Being Forcefully Claimed by a Powerful Official

[Possessive pursuit begins in Chapter 23 | Honest, gentle wife x obsessive, ruthless powerful official] Blurb: A year into their marriage, Liu Qingwu dreams that her husband will sacrifice her to his superior as a gift to advance his career. To escape a terrible death, Liu Qingwu rushes in panic into the chambers of a powerful official who has come from the capital. The man is handsome, aloof, and dignified, someone she could never hope to approach in this lifetime. With tears in her eyes, Liu Qingwu begs him to help her escape disaster. He once saved her, so surely he will pity her now that she has nowhere to run and save her again. The man raises a hand to wipe away her tears and says coolly, “I once told you that it’s better to rely on yourself than pray to the gods. Do you understand now?” Liu Qingwu gazes into his deep eyes and nods. She never imagined then that this man, whose power reached the highest levels, would imprison her in a gilded cage she could never escape. At a young age, Lu Jingheng has risen to the highest ranks of government and wields supreme power. While traveling south to investigate a case, he meets a woman at the prefectural offices. Mistaking her for a beauty sent by a subordinate, he has his men put her in a side courtyard to await his favor. The next day, he happens upon her warmly calling another man “Husband.” Lu Jingheng’s handsome face darkens at once. She is another man’s wife. The wife of a poor scholar, she thinks only of using her husband to curry favor with powerful people and offering flattering words. He should not have let her beauty sway him. To desire another man’s wife would bring shame upon him if the world found out. Awu, Awu… Why did she have to marry, leaving him yearning for her in defiance of propriety? He could hardly keep from killing her husband and taking his place. [Bonus Scene] Liu Qingwu runs away again and again, but never manages to escape Lu Jingheng’s grasp. The last time, taking advantage of the turmoil in the capital, she sets fire to the courtyard and fakes her death to slip away, finally escaping her gilded cage. She flees the capital. Liu Qingwu settles in Jiangnan and opens a small shop. A wealthy local merchant comes to ask for her hand. Suddenly, cavalry surrounds the shop. The man’s legs are broken and he is thrown out. A figure slowly appears, looking at her with a sinister gaze. “Qingwu, I told you: wherever you are, I’ll find you.” [Please Note] 1. The heroine is not a virgin, while the hero is; they become intimate only after she divorces her husband. 2. This is a fictional setting. The heroine has lived in ancient times for years and has no golden finger. 3. A powerful hero and a vulnerable heroine, in a melodramatic, sweet story of possessive pursuit. Theme: If freedom is at stake, everything else can be cast aside.