The Spoiled Young Master's Easygoing Little Bride

[The flamboyant, spoiled second-generation heir x the easygoing, cool-faced but tenderhearted little beauty] [Blurb] After the Crown Prince of the previous dynasty was murdered by a treacherous villain, his former friend, the second son of Chancellor Duan, fell from a promising top scholar to a dissolute, idle wastrel. Everyone in the capital sighed whenever they heard the name of the Duan family's second son, mourning his wasted potential, then made snide remarks about his debauched habit of frequenting brothels. Duan Er, for his part, took pride in this reputation rather than feeling ashamed. After living it up in style for several years, one day, while visiting a brothel, Second Young Master Duan had some strange impulse and, for reasons he couldn't explain, brought home the beautiful young woman who had fallen into his arms, marrying her as his principal wife. He successfully infuriated his father, the Chancellor, who had never liked him. -- Ever since A Shu was taken in by the Qianjin Brothel, she knew that the word "lowly" would follow her for the rest of her life. What prostitute could ever have the right to control her own fate? So A Shu had made peace with it long ago. She let the madam of Qianjin Brothel sell her to one of the capital's most notorious womanizers. She'd have to live somewhere, and this was just a change of scenery. She could lie flat. But on the night he welcomed her into his home, that womanizer slipped into her room, tore off the wedding dress that marked her as a concubine, and gave her a set of phoenix crown and ceremonial robes. He bullied her, yet also shielded her from every rumor. He called her overly sentimental, yet opened his arms to her. In the end, he stood atop the red walls, facing an army of thousands, and solemnly proclaimed her status above all others. -- At first, Duan Shuyan only wanted to keep her by his side. He followed his heart and bullied her, only to find that he was the first to lose control of his own. After going to every length to make her fall in love with him, Duan Shuyan was devastated to discover that the little wife he'd taken by force was the beloved younger sister of his brother, who now lay in his grave. Duan Shuyan: "...Brother, let me explain!" Original blurb: Everyone in the capital knew that Second Young Master Duan spent all his time in the pleasure quarters, with a woman in each arm. But they had forgotten how he had once been the most celebrated talent among his peers, brilliant and unmatched. A Shu was "married" out of Qianjin Brothel and brought to the Chancellor's residence by him, enraging his father. People waited for the day she would be driven out, eager to watch the spectacle. Yet when he abandoned his womanizing ways and stopped acting on a whim, he stood atop the world, his foot planted on the hand of the treacherous, oath-breaking emperor. And she became the woman every woman in the capital envied. Only then did everyone understand: Oh, right! This was who he had always been! ** A Shu had always lived by the principle, "My fate is in Heaven's hands. I'll just live one day at a time." She never imagined anyone would adorn miles of road with red decorations for her and take her to see the vast land and starry rivers. In Duan Shuyan's heart, there had once been the burning ambition of a young man, thousands of miles of mountains and rivers beneath a boundless galaxy, and years of simmering resentment. But in the end, he discovered that all he wanted was a warm bed where he could hold A Shu as they fell asleep. ** The male lead only pretends to be a playboy, but is truly devoted. A wastrel puts on an act while secretly plotting. The heroine is truly beautiful and delicate, a cool-faced sweetheart doted on by everyone. This novel is also known as The Wastrel's Beloved, Marrying That Wastrel, The Grand Secretary's Guide to Spoiling His Wife, and A Buddhist Wife's Guide to Winning Him Over. Theme: A serious story of defending the country. The two come to know and love each other, and as long as they never give up on one another, they will see the dawn.