The Powerful Minister's Wife

[Complete] In the tenth year of Chunhua, the court was in turmoil. Liang Xiao, Prince Jingmu, commanded the elite 100,000-strong army of Hedong Circuit. He threw his support behind the young sovereign's ascension to the throne, then took sole control of the government as regent. He was at the height of his power, and nobles and members of the imperial clan alike fawned over him. Liang Xiao, Prince Jingmu, wielded immense power, yet he and his consort, Jiang Heng, had been estranged for years. Rumors had been swirling of late that the two were about to divorce. Just as the noble families of the capital began scheming to marry their daughters into the prince's household, everyone noticed that Prince Jingmu was lavishing rewards on his consort's family. When he went out with her by carriage, he took great care to help her down, even though she remained cold and distant, never once returning his warmth. His Highness didn't mind at all. Later, Prince Jingmu personally rode out, returning covered in dust just to buy the honey-preserved cherries his consort liked. Everyone thought Prince Jingmu truly doted on his consort. But they did not know that from the day Jiang Heng married Liang Xiao, she had lost her freedom completely. Beneath her gauzy sleeves were iron shackles; the courtyard enclosed by red walls was a cage; and someone watched her night and day. ** Jiang Heng and Liang Xiao grew up together. She watched him arrive at the prince's residence as a frail, undersized boy. She saw him suffer countless indignities because his birth mother was lowborn, saw him burn himself out with long nights and early mornings to make something of himself, and saw him build his strength and resort to any means necessary to gain power. She thought she understood him and felt sorry for him. Then one day, her world turned upside down, and everything she relied on collapsed overnight. He stood before her and said gently, yet cruelly, "Hengheng, you will marry me, whether you want to or not." ** Liang Xiao had always hated Jiang Heng for not loving him. For seven years, they had been bound by grievances and had tormented each other. Then, all at once, he realized that she had loved him at the very beginning. He regretted everything and wanted to turn back and reclaim that love. But she gave him a cold smile. "It's gone. I don't even know where I threw it away." ** Both leads are sexually inexperienced. The male lead is deeply flawed and obsessive. A wife-pursuit-after-the-divorce story, with him chasing and her fleeing. Happy ending. Coming soon: The Emperor's Wife Zheng Zhixian had always tried her best to be a virtuous empress. She stood by Li Ji as he lay low in the Eastern Palace, enduring the hardest times with him. At last, he ascended the throne and ruled the realm. But she never expected the Zheng family and the imperial power to become irreconcilable. Once Li Ji had secured his throne, he turned against the Zheng family, confiscating their property, stripping them of office, and exiling them thousands of miles away. In an instant, Zhixian became an empress everyone laughed at. On a sunny spring day, she took off her ceremonial robes and removed her phoenix crown, then climbed the city tower alone in plain white clothes. As far as the eye could see, the realm was peaceful and the scenery beautiful. She thought it was all lovely, then leaped without a trace of regret. As she fell, she saw Li Ji rushing toward her. Usually so particular about his appearance and propriety, he had run until his crown sat askew and his robes were crooked, but he did not notice. He could only reach out helplessly, trying to catch her. He called her by her childhood name, his voice full of aching tenderness, tears falling from his eyes. ** Zhixian slept for three whole years. Li Ji did not remarry or take any consorts. As before, he left the six palaces empty and devoted himself to raising their crown prince. Her portrait still hung in the sleeping quarters of the Taiji Palace. In it, the young woman was bright-eyed and radiant with a smile, happy and carefree. But after waking, Zhixian wanted nothing more than to leave the palace. ** The courtiers never imagined that their usually diligent and self-disciplined emperor would one day go mad, sealing the city gates to stop one person from leaving. Note: 1. One-on-one romance, both leads are sexually inexperienced. 2. A wife-pursuit-after-the-divorce story. If you like it, click [Author's Page] in the upper right to add it to your collection. Theme: Oppose feudalism and oppression