Better to Live in Seclusion

Thanks to the policies enacted at the beginning of the new dynasty, Liu Xia goes from being a maid to a commoner. The price is that she must obey the government's matchmaking office and marry a soldier retired from the battlefield.

Liu Xia has always wished to marry a strong, honest, simple-minded man and live a happy life of farming and weaving together. Isn't this exactly what she wants?

The new dynasty's rule is secure. General Mu Bincheng understands one thing: when the birds are gone, the bow is put away; when the hare is dead, the hunting dog is cooked. He decides to retire to the mountains, but life alone would be too lonely. Why not find a gentle wife to keep him company?

And so Liu Xia meets Mu Bincheng.

But they have been living in seclusion for less than two years when the founding emperor dies, turmoil erupts, and foreign enemies invade...

An unserious, cheerful version of the blurb: One day, Liu Xia points to a patch of lush green plants and says, "These chives are growing so well."

The villagers, looking thoroughly unimpressed, gossip: "You really can't marry maids from rich households. She can't even tell chives from wheat seedlings. She'll cut her hand with a sickle or smash her foot with a hoe. She can't do a single thing."

Another day, the villagers see Mu Bincheng with a mountain goat he has hunted. They can't help exclaiming happily, "The man of this household seems pretty capable."

The next day, one of the villagers tries to trade rice with Mu Bincheng for some goat meat.

Mu Bincheng replies woodenly, "I ate all the goat meat."

The villagers cry out, "Whatever you do, don't marry a glutton like him. What will you do in winter when he can't catch anything? You'll starve to death."

Two people who know nothing about farming try to force their way into a life of seclusion. Later, Mu Bincheng takes Liu Xia back to court. At a gathering held under the pretext of admiring flowers, the wives of two third-rank officials whisper, "Have you heard? The Duchess of Huguo used to be a maid."

At that moment, Liu Xia strides past them with her head held high. They immediately lower their eyes, bow, and say, "Greetings, Madam Meng."

Liu Xia gives them a haughty nod, passes through, and walks toward the seat of honor in the inner hall.

A colleague grabs Mu Bincheng with a sleazy grin and says, "I hear the new courtesan at Wanhua Pavilion is gentle, beautiful, well-read, and the granddaughter of the previous dynasty's chancellor. Let's go check her out together."

Mu Bincheng pries his hand away and says, "I'm going home to eat with my wife."

The other man keeps grinning. "You're so uptight. You're a grown man, why should you care about this? Your wife comes from such a lowly background. Whatever you do, she has no right to tell you what to do."

Mu Bincheng glares at him and says, "My wife is the best."

Then he walks away in a huff, deciding to keep his distance from this man from now on.

Note: Marriage first, love later, with a love so intense it feels like dying. They dote on each other. Happy ending, one-on-one.

P.S. To everyone who's read this far in the blurb, give the first chapter a try. The story itself is better than the blurb!~

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