Lin Ci, the only daughter of a wealthy family, was the most beautiful woman in Yizhou. Her beauty was unparalleled, yet overnight she fell from the clouds into the muck. Her parents died, and both her fortune and marriage were taken from her. With no other choice, Lin Ci had to rely on the new prefect.
On a cold, damp winter night in Yizhou, the slightly tipsy prefect held Lin Ci in his arms, enjoying a rare moment of lazy comfort in their bedroom.
But Lin Ci was so angry she could hardly breathe. That day, the shopkeepers outside had cheated her on the accounts, and when she came home, she found her former lover bringing her younger sister back to visit...
He looked at her, unable to understand how such a gentle girl could have suffered so much.
"Would it make you happy if I threw them in jail?"
Lin Ci was shocked. As expected, he was an impostor prefect who had conspired against court officials. He could hand down unjust punishments as easily as breathing. That was what she thought, but she still smiled brightly at him.
"Then I'll leave it to Your Excellency."
++++Who cares what they think? As long as Lin Ci is doing well!
[Down-on-her-luck orphan girl x impostor prefect]
[The rise of the emperor and empress] [1v1]
--Please save my new novel, My Beauty Runs After Flirting--
Xia Xi was a concubine-born daughter with an extraordinary beauty. Her elder sister and stepmother hated her face so much that they tried to marry her off as a second wife to Old Master Liu. He had tormented eight wives to death, and Xia Xi would surely suffer the same fate if she married him.
Everyone who had ever been jealous of or hated Xia Xi waited to see her make a fool of herself. But to their surprise, Xia Xi wound up as a concubine in a general's residence. Everyone in Dawei knew General He Xiao had sworn not to marry until he defeated the Northern Rong, and there wasn't a single woman by his side. How had Xia Xi managed to get into the general's household?
Only Xia Xi knew that if she failed to bear He Xiao a child within a year, Old Madam He would surely drive her out. And then she'd meet an even worse end. After thinking it over, Xia Xi took the initiative and knocked on He Xiao's door after dark.
At first, He Xiao thought a woman who had bewitched his grandmother and willingly become a concubine was a temptress. He wouldn't give her a second glance.
Later, He Xiao learned how cautious Xia Xi was, and how difficult her life had been. She was also obedient and sensible. She was only a concubine, after all, and the general's household could afford to keep her. When he returned in triumph after a great victory, he even spent the whole journey thinking: perhaps Xia Xi could be his wife after all.
But when he turned down the emperor's marriage arrangement and returned to his residence, the news waiting for him was that she had run away.
The woman who had once had eyes only for him had actually fled?
.
A beautiful, wealthy young widow arrived in a small village at the foot of Cold Mountain. After looking over her choices, she finally picked a kind, hardworking husband who lived alone. On their wedding day, the whole village came to see the beautiful bride, only to find the little courtyard completely surrounded by the He family army. Through the crowd, they could just make out the bride sitting on the ground, her beautiful face drained of color, her watery eyes fixed in terror on the fearsome man before her.
The man was handsome and imposing, but now he looked terrifyingly sinister. He gripped the bride's pale chin, his voice cold as ice.
"Xia Xi, I never knew you had this much nerve."
Daring to run away, and daring to marry someone else?
Theme: See your true self, and win a true heart.
