The Cold-Hearted Marquis Gets a Face-Slapping

Luo Feifei, the youngest daughter of Prefect Luo, was a peerless beauty with the grace of a willow and the allure of a peach blossom. Her betrothal was arranged on the day of her coming-of-age ceremony.

Her father was thrown into prison, and the Luo family received back her birth details, canceling the engagement. Luo Feifei went to the capital to ask an old family friend to save her father, only to be held captive and forced to become his mistress.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Luo Feifei escaped to the neighboring residence, thinking she had gotten away. She didn't know it was the secret residence of Marquis Gu Xuanzhuo.

He studied her slender figure, then asked calmly, “Who sent you this time? Your master must have some skill to find this place.”

Luo Feifei froze in surprise. Remembering that the Marquis of Wu'an oversaw the Three Judicial Offices, she saw a glimmer of hope and respectfully bowed. “I beg Your Lordship to deliver justice for my father. I am willing to abstain from meat for the rest of my life and pray for your good fortune.”

Gu Xuanzhuo tugged at his collar. A trace of drunkenness showed in his brows as he replied with a carefree sneer, “Abstain from meat? Hah. How affected. Excessive piety defeats its purpose. If you showed a little more sincerity, perhaps I would consider it.”

By the time a small sedan chair quietly delivered a peerless beauty, the fire at the neighboring residence had been put out.

Beneath the lowered bed curtains, Gu Xuanzhuo gazed at the vivid blush on Luo Feifei's cheek and recalled her words anew.

The hero's side:

Gu Xuanzhuo oversaw the Three Judicial Offices, and plenty of people tried to curry favor with him. He had always been calm and self-controlled, keeping himself above reproach.

Until one day, someone found out where he was and drugged him.

A wicked thought arose. He decided to go along with it, then turn cold and send the woman back, making her master suffer a double loss.

Who could have known that the woman in his bed wasn't a pawn sent to him, but an innocent girl?

And that she had once been engaged to his cousin?

Reading Guide:

1. An imaginary setting with original worldbuilding, one-on-one romance, both leads' first time.

2. Pure romance, focused on the relationship, a short story.

3. The characters aren't perfect. If this isn't for you, please stop reading. Let's be kind to each other. Thank you!

Check out my completed works on my profile. Next up: “Scheming to Marry the Beauty,” coming soon. Please add it to your library. Blurb:

Lin Yan was cherished and spoiled from childhood, but her marriage prospects were particularly unlucky. Either their birth charts were incompatible, or the other party suddenly broke off the engagement.

Fu Jinchao had no better luck with marriage. Of the two families he nearly became engaged to, one had a well-behaved daughter who eloped with someone, while the other had a perfectly healthy daughter who suddenly died of an illness. High society whispered that he was destined to bring death to his wives.

On the day of the flower-viewing banquet, Fu Jinchao emerged from behind a rockery. His loose robe and flowing sleeves gave him an easy grace as he blocked her path. “I hear Miss Lin has had little luck with marriage. I've thought of a way to break the curse.”

Lin Yan lifted her eyes to him, her lovely face bright and charming, her voice soft and lilting. “My father says there's no good person in the Fu family. Keep your solution for yourself, Lord Fu.”

Hmph. She wasn't falling for that.

Whether that solution was offered to Lin Yan or used for himself amounted to the same thing.

So, after the flower-viewing banquet, when Minister Lin tore into Fu Jinchao's proposed reforms, the emperor, who had been hesitating, promptly issued a decree betrothing his only daughter, Lin Yan, to Fu Jinchao.

The Lin and Fu families had been enemies for generations, and everyone waited for a spectacle.

They waited and waited, and the reforms went into effect as scheduled.

Amid a sea of lanterns brightening the main street like daylight, Fu Jinchao, the youngest cabinet minister in Great Wei, lifted Lin Yan onto his shoulders so she could pick the lantern she liked.

Theme: Finding hope in the darkest hour.