Wonderful Qing

When Bai Miaoqing was fifteen, she entered Mingxue House. After enduring three whole years, she finally claimed the title of top courtesan, and from then on became famous throughout the capital. Her pleasure boat was moored at the busiest spot along the Muyun River, and countless powerful nobles from the capital spent fortunes on her, willingly becoming her devoted admirers.

She watched their fawning faces with cold eyes. They knew only that the capital's top courtesan was peerlessly beautiful, but no one remembered that the Bai Miaoqing of today was the same girl who, three years ago, had huddled inside a shabby pleasure boat and suffered humiliation at the hands of others.

Bai Miaoqing thought she would take revenge on each of them, one by one. Then she would leave Mingxue House, leave the capital, and never return for the rest of her life.

Later, she really did leave Mingxue House.

But she could not leave the capital, because she got married.

She married the boatman from her pleasure boat.

Only later did Bai Miaoqing learn that the boatman who had stayed by her boat for three years was actually Shen Qinghe, the General Rong'an who now wielded immense power at court.

From then on, year after year, it was this man who stayed by her side, protecting her happiness and safety through every storm.

At eighteen, Shen Qinghe became the General Rong'an personally appointed by the emperor.

But no one knew that the dignified General Rong'an spent every night at the bow of the capital's top courtesan's pleasure boat.

Only Shen Qinghe himself knew that from the first moment he saw Bai Miaoqing, he had sworn to protect her for the rest of his life. The cool beauty who had huddled in the corner of the pleasure boat that day, biting her lip and refusing to cry, had long since been etched into his heart.

So he stood silently in the darkness, keeping her safe and helping her grind her enemies to dust, one by one.

At last, he stood before her, his eyes burning bright, his warm breath brushing her ear. "Now that your wish has been fulfilled, I won't be your boatman anymore."

Bai Miaoqing was startled. "Then what will you be?"

"Your... husband."

[Reading Guide]

1. Purely fictional setting. No need to fact-check.

2. Though the heroine was humiliated, she was not sexually assaulted.

Theme: Even when facing adversity, meet it head-on.