Courting the Noble Young Master

A gentle, delicate-looking cousin with a clever mind x a cool, carefree-looking cousin who is inwardly obsessed with power, possessive, and domineering [1] Xie Wanning was beautiful and captivating, with a clear, graceful loveliness, but she was not blessed with good fortune. Her mother died young. Hoping she would marry into a powerful family, her father sent her to her maternal grandfather's home, the Duke of Zhenguo's manor. The Duke of Zhenguo's manor seemed resplendent on the surface, its brothers devoted to one another. But who could know that beneath this peaceful appearance, undercurrents were always surging? A fight over the title, brothers turning against one another, one dramatic scene after another played out. In her previous life, Xie Wanning had trod carefully, not daring to make a single misstep. Yet in the end, she was still forced to become a concubine and died by suicide, consumed by grief and anger. She never expected that when she opened her eyes again, she would find herself back at the moment she first entered her maternal grandfather's home, the Duke of Zhenguo's manor. Looking at the manor's magnificent gardens, she suddenly thought that perhaps it wouldn't hurt to reach for one of the powerful branches here. [2] Pei Zheng, the Duke of Zhenguo's second son, was gentle as jade and a peerless gentleman. Everyone thought he was carefree and had no interest in worldly struggles, but they didn't know that his very heart was engraved with the words "lust for power." He presented himself as a cultured scholar and cultivated a reputation, studying day and night for the imperial examinations while battling his brothers for the title. To him, power was the finest wine in the world. Until he met his cousin, Xie Wanning. Power-hungry Pei Zheng had never thought much of a helpless, weak woman like her. He should follow his parents' arrangements, marry a noblewoman from a prominent family, and take the broad road to success. But somehow, Pei Zheng found that he couldn't take his eyes off her more and more. He told himself that it was just the last bit of conscience he had left, making him sympathize with her situation and pity her background. So he had helped her a few times and looked after her on occasion. Then one day, news spread through the manor that he was engaged. Xie Wanning came to find him. With a sweet, gentle smile, she said, "Cousin, I'm old enough to marry, too. Father says he's already found a suitable match for me. Thank you for looking after me all this time." Pei Zheng felt as if the sky had fallen! She was the jewel of his heart. They were meant for each other! No one could stop him. No one could take her away from him! Theme: If you want something, you have to be willing to pay for it.