The Minister's Wife

Gu Luo was the youngest young lady of the Ningguo Duke's household. Unfortunately, her mother was of low birth, and the old duchess never liked her. She had suffered no shortage of mistreatment over the years.

In her previous life, she had been betrothed to the heir of the Cheng'en Marquis from childhood. But in the end, she was reduced to the status of a concubine and met a tragic end.

Now that she had been reborn, she would go to any lengths to avoid marrying into the Cheng'en Marquis household again.

When she finally succeeded in breaking off the engagement, the old duchess secretly rejoiced, while the ladies and young misses of the various branches of the family watched and laughed at her.

In front of everyone, Gu Luo's eyes were red, and she looked utterly aggrieved. But when no one was looking, the corners of her mouth lifted, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

What she hadn't expected was that after ending her engagement to the Cheng'en Marquis household, she would become the cherished darling of the most revered man in the land, beloved above all the women in his harem.

Release announcement: At my editor's request, this book will enter VIP status on Friday, March 19. I hope you'll continue to support it!

I've started a new book, The Future Crown Princess Becomes a Vassal King's Second Wife. I hope you'll support it!

Blurb: At first, Song Yu had never considered marrying Xie Yingshi.

But when the emperor granted them a marriage, he had no choice but to obey. He had already decided to deliberately humiliate Xie Yingshi, so everyone in the realm would know he hated the match.

He did just that, assuming Xie Yingshi would rely on her status as a princess and storm off to live in the princess's residence.

But instead, she endured everything he did to her. Even when he took her to bed again and again, deliberately treating her like a plaything, all she did was cry and beg him for mercy.

Seeing Xie Yingshi like this, Song Yu assumed her aunt, the empress, had ordered her to pretend to humor him so she could spy on his military plans, or perhaps assassinate him.

Yet Xie Yingshi truly treated him as her husband and served him without any ulterior motive. She never showed the slightest jealousy toward the concubines in his household.

If he hadn't known that Xie Yingshi had cried and protested when the emperor arranged the marriage, and if he hadn't known she had once been destined to become the crown prince's consort, Song Yu might almost have believed she had truly fallen in love with him.

Until he discovered that it was all because of a dream. She was only trying to survive, not because she loved him deeply.

When he realized that all her deference was just an act, that her affection was false, and that she treated serving him like a job, his eyes filled with coldness.

No one had ever dared to humiliate him like this.

Ever since she was little, Yingshi had known that she would marry Crown Prince Brother and become his crown princess.

But before the imperial decree arrived, rumors spread in and outside the palace that her imperial uncle, the emperor, planned to make her a princess and marry her off to the renowned heir of the Prince of Yanbei, sending her far away to Yanbei.

Yingshi went crying to her aunt, the empress. Her aunt, who had always doted on her, merely wiped away her tears and said nothing about her leaving the capital to marry far away.

Her aunt's attitude only deepened Yingshi's worries. Several times, she woke from dreams in the middle of the night, crying from heartbreak.

Then, one day, a dilapidated palace appeared in her dream. A woman lay on the bed, pale as a sheet, with a sallow face and a madwoman's appearance. That woman was none other than herself.

In the dream, she was in Jinling. She had gotten her wish and become crown princess, then empress, but she was now in the Southern Zhou dynasty.

A palace maid came in to report, “Your Majesty, I came especially to inform you: three days ago, the emperor made the second princess the Princess Deyang and betrothed her to the elderly Prince of the Southwest as his second wife. But please don't worry. Though the old prince is advanced in years, he knows how to care for someone. He will surely treat the princess well.”

“You must understand that this marriage offers Southern Zhou a rare chance to catch its breath. With the princess's marriage, the Prince of the Southwest will surely join Southern Zhou in opposing the Prince of Yanbei.”

The scene changed. Xie Yingshi was dressed in finery again, and the palace before her was no longer the dilapidated cold palace from before. The middle-aged Crown Prince Zhou Rang, dressed in imperial robes, knelt before her, his face full of fear. He pleaded, “Yingshi, the Prince of the Southwest has broken his promise and submitted to the Prince of Yan! Please save your cousin. Your cousin will give you to the Prince of Yan. Father had intended to make you a princess and marry you to the Prince of Yan all along. You were always meant to be his woman. Your cousin will give you back to him.”

Xie Yingshi didn't know why she had such a terrifying dream. Whenever she thought of it, she was filled with unease.

She would not become that pitiful woman. So she would do her best to be a proper consort to the heir of the Prince of Yanbei. All it would take was a little acting and a bit of patience.

Theme: Never lose the courage to live, no matter what.