The Treacherous Minister Beneath Her Skirts

[The story is complete. I don't recommend buying all the chapters at once. Sweethearts, read one chapter first and then decide whether to buy the next, then I'll run away with my face covered~~~] Fuling came from a poor family, but she was born with exquisite beauty and a delicate, touching appearance. On her first day in the capital to find her older sister, she ended up a palace slave. By a strange twist of fate, one "forced kiss" made her cling tightly to Cui Zhan. Everyone who saw them together couldn't help but marvel: How could that cold, heartless minister, who looked down on all the officials, bend so low for one person, make exception after exception for her, and even trample a princess's dignity underfoot? Until that night, when candlelight shimmered and gauze curtains hung low. The young man, pure as a pine tree in snow, leaned against the wall, his black hair cascading loose. Smiling, he whispered in her ear: "Fuling, go spend the night with the Prince of Chu." The moment the words fell, Fuling felt as if she were in hell, terror shattering her to the core. That night, that night. Looking into those black eyes, smiling without warmth, Fuling finally understood everything. From beginning to end, she had been blinded in mind and heart. One wrong step had sent her plunging into the abyss. On their wedding night, she curled against him in a red veil. Her bloodstained fingertips slipped from his palm, leaving behind only these words: "Young Master, you are a heartless man. Don't cry." Before everyone's eyes, Lord Cui, who had never shed a tear even when he cut his wrists for blood or had his tendons severed and bones shattered, held the lifeless woman in his arms. His knuckles spasmed until they turned white. For the first time in his life, he choked on a sob. Great drops of bloody tears fell like pearls. * There is a peerless beauty in Jiangnan. A prince spends a fortune on her. A general leaves his entire inner courtyard empty for her. The top graduate vows never to marry for the rest of his life because of her. But no one knows that in the dead of winter, with snow falling thickly from the sky, Cui Zhan, Imperial Tutor with power over all under heaven, stands alone on the opposite bank, fixing his gaze as if possessed on the lights aboard the boat, never looking away, while laughter and chatter ring in his ears. Blood drips from his tightly clenched knuckles onto the snow, like red plum blossoms just beginning to bloom. When the first breath of morning wind sweeps across his tall, lean shoulders, everyone is horrified to discover that the young man's cascading black hair has turned completely white overnight. Content warnings: * As is customary, expect a bittersweet, melodramatic revenge romance and a forced relationship, with a powerful man and a weaker woman, a love steeped in hatred, and suffering for both the heroine and hero. * The hero has his bones broken and tendons severed because the heroine tried to kill her husband on their wedding night. * The hero and male love interest are both virgins; the heroine fakes her death; happy ending. * The hero has neither a proper wife nor a cherished first love. * A cold-hearted bad seed with a little bit of manners × a catlike, sweet girl who later becomes a beautiful, aloof misanthrope * #A soft song of farewell, yet I still love you# The next novel, with the same flavor: Has the Top Graduate Been Sent to the Crematorium Today? Yu Wen does everything outrageous for the top graduate. Today, she gives him a peach-blossom fan. Tomorrow, she asks for a pair of matching love locks. She offers him her blazing heart. Her eyes see only that elegant, upright gentleman, incorruptible in poverty and as clear as autumn water. She can't see anyone else. Until one day, someone splashes tea all over her. Soaked through, Yu Wen stands in the cold wind. Before she can speak, her half-sister is already weeping with a pale face, looking utterly wronged. It's the same old trick, but no one asks what really happened. Everyone blames Yu Wen. They condemn the eldest Miss Yu as domineering, cruel, and hateful. In an instant, the whole world turns against her. The young man in his crimson official robes stands with his hands behind his back, detached as an immortal, watching from the sidelines. When he speaks, his voice is cold and distant: "Dongyue, apologize." The last taut string in Yu Wen's mind snaps. So she breaks the jade flute he gave her in front of everyone, resolutely accepts the Hou Mansion's marriage contract, and takes a new lover. The always-proud top graduate refuses to back down, coldly tears up the fan that symbolized their love, then turns around and makes a marriage pact with another young lady. She thinks their fate has come to an end. But on her wedding night, Jiang Youbai leads soldiers into her wedding hall. Passion consumes the golden phoenix canopy; blood spills over the pillow shared by mandarin ducks. That night, the bed curtains are ominous, the red candles weep, and the bedding is cold. The young man in armor bends over her. With cool, indifferent fingers, he slowly wipes the tears from her cheek. Before leaving, he gives her nothing but his retreating silhouette and six words: "Dongyue, you must atone." From then on, the legitimate daughter of the Yu family, who had never done a day's housework, becomes a lowly palace slave, beneath the notice of everyone and prey to their cruelty. When Yu Wen wakes, she looks at the person beside her. The emperor's long brows sweep toward his temples, his nose straight and lips thin. He has exactly the same face as the top graduate from her dream. In an instant, she feels as if she has fallen into an icy abyss. ...How could they have become entangled again? The harem whispers that the emperor favors a palace maid every night, choosing her alone from among three thousand beauties. But no one knows that the cramped, dark imperial bed is her deepest nightmare. Whenever Jiang Youbai forces her to make a sound, and she bites her lip and manages only, "Thank you for your imperial favor," the fingers gripping her slender waist tighten ever so slightly. The lights of Ganlu Hall burn all night. The emperor and empress are married that day. Yu Wen, dressed in plain white, lifts her head to gaze at the pure blue of the sky. The wind scatters the clouds, and the past vanishes. Heat scorches the ground beneath her feet. Flames lick at the hem of her skirt. "Dongyue!" Yu Wen spreads her arms. As if she doesn't see the tall figure rushing toward her, she leaps from the altar. Much later, Yu Wen lives a peaceful life, undisturbed by anyone. She only hears that the emperor, who once looked down upon the whole world from his lofty throne, has gone mad. Whenever he wakes from the cold night, he stains a spirit-summoning banner with blood, hangs it in the Golden Throne Hall, and orders monks to chant sutras without end. He builds twelve densely roofed Buddhist pagodas on the outskirts of the city, spends a fortune, and tunnels through the entire imperial dragon vein, dedicating a thousand caves as offerings. In the depths of the caves, he enshrines only one thing: an old dress belonging to a woman. The man kneels before the Buddha all night, cutting out the blood from his own heart and using it to light incense. When the smoke clears, he opens his eyes. He sees Buddhas filling the heavens, but not the smile of the one he once knew. Jiang Youbai lies on the ground, as wretched as a beggar, his jade-white face covered in grime. Blood streams from his lips. He stares at the shapeless smoke for a long time. His swordlike brows suddenly knit together, and he gives a soft, cough-like laugh. ...How resolute your heart was to the very end, my love. Your soul never once came to me in a dream. - #I longed so many times for the one from my past to return, but instead I brewed a peach-blossom sin# #I will never think of you again. Don't you think of me either# The heroine is Yu Wen, courtesy name Dongyue. A classic melodramatic forced romance and revenge story, with both leads being virgins. - A beautiful, fierce heroine who loves and hates without restraint vs. an obsessive, highly intelligent hero driven mad by suffering The hero seems like an aloof noble flower, but inside he's dark, twisted, calculating, and a sadist. The marriage is fake; he never takes a wife, and the harem exists in name only. As is customary, the heroine suffers first, then the hero. The heroine fakes her death. Both have enormous pride. Both are virgins, and each is the other's first. * Win and be happy; lose and be glad anyway. Theme: A woman must take control of her own destiny