After Being Reborn, I Married a Powerful Minister

[Complete] [The blurb for my upcoming novel, My Black-Hearted Ex-Husband Regrets It, is below. Please add it to your collection~~] *Resilient official's daughter x gentle, restrained powerful minister In her previous life, Jiang Shuning was the legitimate daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites. When her husband rebelled, she was implicated and went from being the marquis's wife to a lowly musician registered with the entertainment bureau. Her life ended in tragedy. Reborn, Jiang Shuning wants only to stay far away from the treacherous currents of court politics. She carefully avoids danger, yet still cannot escape it. Before Jiang Shuning is forced to become one of the Crown Prince's attendants, the man who will one day become a grand secretary, now a Hanlin Academy reader, reaches out to help her. “Would you be willing to become the wife of a Hanlin reader?” “I cannot offer Miss Jiang great wealth, but I can keep you safe. That much, I, Ji Minxu, can do.” He could have had a far better career. Why make his path more difficult for her sake? He smiled and replied, “But I owe Miss Jiang a debt of gratitude.” Many years ago, in Nanling County, Huai'an Prefecture, Ji Minxu fell for an official's daughter who had come from the capital. She gave him copies of the Book of Songs, wrote elegant calligraphy for him, and even asked him to teach her about medicinal herbs. When clerks accused him of a crime, she saved his life. Ji Minxu knew she would return to the capital. She had a childhood sweetheart who was a young heir, and a happy, fulfilling life ahead of her. He, meanwhile, was burdened by a terrible vendetta. To take revenge, he could only become a pawn in the emperor's schemes, a deadly blade. But later, when he saw her threatened and targeted with ill intent, he wondered: why couldn't he protect her? *This is a fictional setting. No historical research required. Slow burn. *They are each other's first and only partner in this life. *The female lead grows over time. She is imperfect, and this is not an instant-gratification story. My completed novel: Reborn as the Scheming Minister's Short-Lived Older Sister ------Upcoming Novel------ At sixteen, Zhu Yiyi married Meng Xun, the top provincial graduate of Huizhou Prefecture. She had never told anyone that she had fallen for Meng Xun long before then. After they married, she followed him from Huizhou to the capital. He worked tirelessly in the officialdom, while she managed the household and took care of its daily affairs. In the eyes of the world, they were a perfect couple, made for each other. That is, until Meng Xun was injured and lost his memory, and a beautiful woman appeared at his side. They admired the moon and composed poetry together, always appearing as a pair, while Zhu Yiyi, born into a lowly merchant family, could only watch from the sidelines, the odd one out. She told herself to be patient. Meng Xun had only lost his memory. Once he regained it, things would go back to the way they were. But the leaves in the courtyard turned green, then yellow, and the seasons passed. Meng Xun remained cold and distant toward her. Only then did she understand that the gentle, upright Meng Xun who had cherished her like a treasure might never return. It was almost as if he had never existed at all. Zhu Yiyi no longer wanted to be the odd one out. She obtained a divorce agreement and returned to her hometown in Huizhou. * In Huizhou Prefecture, she no longer had to manage a household or take care of domestic affairs. She lived in comfort and freedom. Later, she found herself a dear young husband. He was as handsome as the autumn moon, with a touch of youthful charm. She thought she could spend the rest of her life with him. But just before the wedding, Meng Xun, who should have been enjoying a high-ranking position and a generous salary in the capital, suddenly appeared. Elegant and dignified, Meng Xun walked toward her through the soldiers who had surrounded her. His smile was refined, but his fingertips, hidden in his wide sleeves, had pinched themselves pale. “Yiyi, you're quite something. You'd even marry a remnant of the previous dynasty.” * Meng Xun had married Zhu Yiyi, a merchant's daughter, to repay a debt of gratitude. Over the years they spent together, the warmth she gave him drew him in. He knew he wasn't the upright gentleman Zhu Yiyi loved, but for her, he could pretend, restrain himself, and endure. Then an accident robbed him of his memory. He forgot Zhu Yiyi and let his true nature show. By the time he recovered his memories, she had left. Ever since he was fifteen, when both his parents were murdered by villains, he had known he could only survive by becoming a ruthless man. But for Zhu Yiyi, he could pretend to be a gentleman. To win her back, he could also be shameless and deceitful. He found a way to confine her in the inner quarters, donned the mask of an upright gentleman once more, and patiently coaxed her. “Love me again, Yiyi. Let's go back to how we were before, all right?” But Zhu Yiyi remained calm and unmoved. “Vice Minister Meng, people change.” Theme: Take each step carefully and leave yourself with no regrets.