The Xu Family's Beloved Daughter

Blurb: Xu Zhao has pretended to be well-behaved countless times. Everyone says that the fourth young lady of the Xu family is sweet, gentle, and lovely. She never expected someone to see right through her. Xu Zhao declares that she must stay far away from that person. But as she keeps trying to avoid him, she somehow ends up becoming the Empress. VIP Announcement: I've received notice from my editor that the novel will go VIP tomorrow, with three chapters released that day (2015/5/24). I recommend my friend Tong Zhan's new book, The Whole Capital Says She's Married Above Her Station. Please give it your support. In her previous life, Gu Ying, the eldest daughter of the Huai'an Marquis's first branch, was kidnapped and taken to Jiangnan, where she was adopted by the famous courtesan Wan Niang. After Wan Niang was bought out of the brothel by the wealthy Master Xu, Aunt Wan looked at Gu Ying and said to Master Xu, "This girl has the makings of a beauty. Why not keep her and raise her by your side? She'll surely be useful to you one day." So Master Xu registered Gu Ying under Aunt Wan's name and raised her as a concubine-born daughter of the Xu family. More than ten years later, the Xu family's eldest branch moved to the capital, hoping to secure a vacant imperial merchant post. Master Xu hit upon the idea of presenting Gu Ying to the powerful and influential people of the capital. But no one expected that just a few days after arriving in the capital, Gu Ying's true identity would come to light, along with the news that she had been betrothed since childhood to the heir of the Duke of Xinguo. Would Her Highness the Grand Princess, who doted on her legitimate grandson, really let her precious grandson marry the infamous Gu Ying? In her previous life, even Gu Ying herself never expected the Duke of Xinguo's household to accept the marriage. But with her reputation in tatters and no support from her birth family, she suffered daily at the hands of her mother-in-law, Dou, after marrying into the Duke of Xinguo's household. Her sisters-in-law also mocked and sneered at her. At long last, she gave birth to a son, but before she could even see her newborn, her mother-in-law had someone take the baby away to her own courtyard. After years of groveling and keeping her head down, Gu Ying met a tragic end. Reborn just before her wedding to the heir of the Duke of Xinguo, Gu Ying is still anxious and uneasy. Who could have guessed that her younger stepsister would come to her, claiming she wanted to ease her worries and was willing to take her place in the marriage? Her stepsister was reborn too?! Theme: