Brewing Green Plums

After Qu Ci's father and brother were imprisoned one after the other, she had nowhere else to turn, so she went to ask her former sweetheart, Lu Shenbai, for help.

The impoverished boy of years past had become a rising star at court, and rumors even said he was about to marry a princess.

Qu Ci felt nothing for him anymore. She only hoped Lu Shenbai would help her father and brother for the sake of their past.

That night, heavy snow blanketed the world, and lanterns cast shifting shadows.

After Qu Ci explained why she had come, Lu Shenbai stood in the snow and gave her just one condition: "Marry me."

Three years earlier, Lu Shenbai had rejected her. Qu Ci didn't believe he was sincerely asking for her hand now, but she had no choice.

Qu Ci imagined married life would mean she earned her own money and Lu Shenbai climbed the ranks, with the two of them keeping out of each other's way as a couple in name only.

But after they married, she discovered that only the first two parts of that plan were possible for them.

Mrs. Lu, who makes a fortune x Official Lu, who climbs the ranks

Reading Guide:

1. A sweet story about two people choosing each other.

2. One-on-one, both leads are each other's only partner.

3. Completed novels: The Marriage Edict, Reborn and Forced by the True Crown Prince to Usurp the Throne, and Picking Up the Imperial Uncle.

4. Recommending my friend's completed novel: The Disabled Regent's Beloved by Tao Yijin.

Currently writing: Plum Blossoms

Xu Lingjiang had been married to her childhood sweetheart, Ye Zhiqiu, for barely half a year when he showed up with a divorce agreement.

Looking apologetic, he said, "Jiangjiang, the woman I love refuses to be a concubine."

Xu Lingjiang granted his wish, took the divorce agreement, and left the Ye family.

A talented woman becomes a discarded wife, mocked by her clan.

Xu Lingjiang moved straight into her late mother's old home. Her neighbor, Li Muzai, was cold on the outside but warm-hearted, and helped her in countless ways.

Before long, Xu Lingjiang's talent was known throughout the land. She made a fortune and earned everyone's respect. Then Ye Zhiqiu suddenly came to beg her to reconcile.

Her grandparents tried to persuade her, but Xu Lingjiang firmly refused.

At that moment, Li Muzai also came to ask for her hand. "With a proper matchmaker, I would like to take you as my wife. I've admired you for a long time, and I will cherish and treasure you."

Xu Lingjiang accepted. Everyone said she was crazy: how could Li Muzai, the impoverished wife of a convicted official, compare with a titled lady?

But Xu Lingjiang devoted herself wholeheartedly to building a life with Li Muzai.

Later, Li Muzai's true identity was revealed: he was the Crown Prince's eldest grandson, heir to the throne. The noblewomen of the capital grew restless, and one minister even memorialized the court: "How can the Crown Prince's principal consort be a discarded wife?"

"I love Lingjiang, and my eyes can see only her. When I saw that she had been divorced, I felt no shame, unlike all of you. I only thought that someone had been blind. Being able to marry Lingjiang is the good fortune of three lifetimes."

Theme: Turn the tables against the odds, sharing both honor and disgrace.