The Corrupt Official's Guide to Winning His Wife Back

The Regretful Powerful Minister: Looking for advance readers!

Blurb

In the third year of Zhao Zhen's rule as Regent Princess, one of her trusted aides defected, and she was placed under house arrest.

Three days later, Duke Pei Huai, who had protected the state, obtained an imperial decree from the new emperor and brought Zhao Zhen to the Duke's residence to recuperate.

They called it recuperation, but no physician came and she was given no medicine. A bowl of rice and half a cup of water were all she had to eat each day.

Sometimes, when her illness made her delirious, Zhao Zhen would greedily try to get to the window for a glimpse of the view outside.

She would forget the shackles on her feet and trip, leaving her head covered in blood.

But the shackles could not be removed, because Pei Huai had said their clinking sounded more pleasant than the delicate chime of wind bells.

One by one, her friends and old companions left her, but Zhao Zhen unexpectedly gave birth to a child.

Yet the child did not stay long, either. On the day Pei Huai became engaged to Princess Zhaoyun, the child was gone, too.

Zhao Zhen went mad.

*

Pei Huai had only just settled the matter of his marriage to Princess Zhaoyun when he heard the terrible news that Zhao Zhen was near death. He was frantic with worry.

He cautiously summoned Zhao Zhen's personal imperial physician, and finally saved her, but she had gone mad.

Zhao Zhen would occasionally slash his face, yank out his hair, or leave him with a black eye. His handsome face was injured every day, but his smile never faded.

Worried that she might hurt her feet while out of her mind, he carefully removed the shackles, but he still didn't dare let his guard down.

That night, for the first time in ages, Zhao Zhen did not go mad. She was as beautiful as a celestial maiden, and Pei Huai thought they had returned to the way things were before. They made love until late into the night.

Lost in passion, Pei Huai lost track of time. In a daze, he heard chaos erupt outside and a guard cry out, "My lord, run!"

It took Pei Huai a long while to come to his senses. Zhao Zhen had already calmly dressed herself and was leaving with the female guards of the Princess's residence, who had forced their way in and somehow escaped their confinement. As if their night together had been nothing but an illusion, she walked away without looking back.

Later, the Regent Princess ascended the throne.

They say the empress values talent, but when Pei Huai came out of the imperial prison, he had gone mad!

He clutched a broken wind bell in his palm, bloodied, yet completely unaware.

Bonus scene:

In the third year of Jinghe, the ministers, either threatened or bribed by Marquis Pei Huai of Jinyang, all knelt before the throne and begged the emperor to make Pei Huai her imperial consort.

After calmly considering their request, the emperor replied, "Marquis Pei suffered in the imperial prison. He is still frail, so choose your words carefully."

The ministers were sweating like rain. Your Majesty, you should be the one choosing your words carefully! It would be one thing to privately say that Marquis Pei is impotent, but you said it in public. You may be fine, but we're the ones who'll suffer!

Marquis Pei was equally calm. "Although I am frail, I care for all under Heaven. The military tally in my hand and the generals under my command all serve only Your Majesty. And though I am frail, I am utterly loyal. I have never once thought of letting go of Your Majesty's slender waist, which fits in the grasp of both my hands."

The ministers did not dare wipe away their sweat, only cover their ears. Marquis Pei, you should choose your words carefully, too! You're threatening His Majesty so openly, and discussing your bedroom affairs in public. You may be willing to risk your life, but we aren't!

The powerful ministers knelt together again and pleaded: Please stop fighting and get married already! You'll be fine, but the rest of us are nearly done for because of you!

The Regretful Powerful Minister: Looking for advance readers!

In the thirty-fifth year of Jiading, the Lin family was implicated in a scandal in the imperial harem and fell from grace overnight.

Lin Ruolan happened to save a Jinlin Guard officer on duty twice. When her father and brothers were in danger and her clan tried to force her into a marriage, the officer appeared out of nowhere and said he would marry her.

Ruolan had been ready to smash her head against a wall and die. The officer agreed to marry her, bringing her back from hell to the world of the living. She resolved to serve her husband well and honor her parents-in-law.

But married life was nothing like she had imagined.

Her husband's family was highborn, but her father and brothers were disgraced.

Her husband's childhood sweetheart had died, and her father seemed to be connected to the cause.

And her husband had only agreed to marry her because someone had forced him...

Ruolan gritted her teeth and endured it.

Until one day, her husband brought home a woman without a word.

At last, Ruolan's heart turned to ash.

*

With a princess for a mother and a marquis for a father, Jiang Xun held the Jinlin Guards' power in his hands at just twenty-three.

As a boy, he nearly drowned while being mischievous. The cousin who desperately pulled him to shore later died an unnatural death. Jiang Xun never gave up investigating the truth, and he had little interest in his own marriage.

That is, until he was forced to marry Lin Ruolan, the daughter of a quack doctor.

Jiang Xun owed her his life twice over, so he never repaid her kindness with malice. But marrying her and giving her his protection was all he intended to offer.

As they spent more time together, he came to realize that she seemed delicate, but was actually quite resilient.

He watched her teach her mischievous younger siblings, care for her stubborn elders, and lead everyone through danger when disaster struck the household. He didn't even realize when his heart had fallen for her.

Just as he wanted to keep their peaceful life going, news arrived from the palace that the Empress Dowager had appointed her as a palace official.

Then he watched her hand him a letter and leave without looking back.

Jiang Xun opened the letter in confusion. The words "letter of divorce" left him stunned.

Longing for Spring in the Deep Winter: Looking for readers!

[A cheerful little chatterbox who is a bit of a "fool" / A taciturn man who nearly loses the bride he already has within reach]

When Ruolan heard the nanny call for her, she slid down from the tree barefoot.

Little Ali and Big Huang came bounding after her.

When she heard they were going back to the capital, Ruolan's eyes lit up.

Is the capital fun? If it is, let's go and have some fun!

The nanny was full of worry, but could only say it would be fun.

The Earl's household was heartless, and the Second Master unfeeling. The young lady had been frail since birth, and after her mother died, she was sent back to the countryside.

More than ten years had passed, and they had never even been in touch.

Ruolan returned to the Earl's household with a little bundle. Her aunt held her hand and asked after her, saying that her eldest cousin was seriously ill and asking Ruolan to help "look after" a young man.

But the nanny was told that Ruolan was to be sent to the Duke of Qing's residence to bring good fortune to the household.

The groom was Lu Zhao, the second son of the Duke of Qing and the current Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. While investigating the cause of the Empress's aunt's sudden death, he had been seriously injured saving the deposed Crown Prince and was now unconscious.

With the wedding date approaching, the Earl's household did not want to break the engagement, so they planned to send Ruolan in the bride's place.

The nanny was frantic, but Ruolan's little face was perfectly calm.

She was clever, after all.

She didn't say a thing when she heard the news, but when she met the Duchess, she held Little Ali in her right hand and Big Huang in her left, then stuck out her little feet, caked in yellow mud, making it perfectly clear she would not be "looking after" anyone.

The Duchess was amused by the guileless little girl, a rare thing indeed.

The two families' engagement was called off, but Ruolan went visiting with the Duchess anyway.

*

The Duke's residence was so big and beautiful, even more fun than the country estate back home. Ruolan ran around happily.

To return their kindness, she brought her flowers and plants, held Little Ali and Big Huang, and chatted with Brother Zhao to keep him company.

Brother Zhao was a good person. He always slept quietly, never complained about her noise, and never chased her little companions away.

One day, Brother Zhao woke up because of her noise but did not scold her. He even secretly slipped out to play in the middle of the night. She found it fascinating, but tried very hard to keep the "little secret" between just the two of them.

Another day, Brother Zhao stopped sleeping in. He went from a handsome young man to a dark-faced King of Hell, but still didn't mind her noise.

Then one day, the household said the Crown Prince had become the Crown Prince again. Ruolan didn't understand, but she heard some good news: the young scholar next door to her clan's old home had passed the imperial examination. She remembered him promising to come ask for her hand.

Ruolan picked up her little bundle and said goodbye to Brother Zhao and the others. "Little Orchid is going home to get married. See you later!"

After she said it, she noticed in confusion that Brother Zhao's face had turned even darker.

Reader's guide:

1. One true pairing, happy ending

2. A light and sweet story, with no deep court intrigue. Just enjoy the ride.

3. The plot serves the story, and the logic will be as consistent as possible.

4. A sister story to Spring Comes Late After the Heavy Rain in the Inner Chambers. The heroines have different personalities, but both are adorable little suns!

Theme: The darkness will always pass.