The Concubine's Daughter's Substitute Marriage

[The whole story is complete!] Thank you, sweethearts, for supporting the official release. Kisses! [The companion story, A Man of My Heart, and the upcoming story, My Childhood Sweetheart's Charm, are listed at the end. Please add them to your collections!] -Beautiful concubine-born bride sent in another woman's place x cold, reserved, and dignified prince The God of War Prince Yao of the Great Qi spent ten years on the northern frontier. At last, he won a great victory over the barbarians and returned to the capital. The emperor was overjoyed and told him to ask for any reward he wanted. But this cold, aloof, and dignified man asked for nothing, making only one request. A decree of marriage. He requested the daughter of the Marquis of Yongchang as his principal wife. There was only one legitimate daughter in the Marquis of Yongchang's generation: Shen Nianxiao. The whole capital was thrown into an uproar. For although the marriage seemed like a heaven-sent fortune, the truth was quite different. Even before Prince Yao returned to the capital, rumors had spread that he had been injured in the north and might never be able to consummate a marriage! Others said that his unexpected injury had changed his temperament, turning him into a ruthless killer! The Marquis of Yongchang's household was thrown into a panic. Someone came up with the rotten idea of finding a substitute bride, and so the third young lady, the concubine-born Shen Li, was forced into the bridal sedan. Shen Li knew her lowly status and could only secretly wipe away her tears at night. She would stare blankly at the letters in a little brocade box. She had a secret that even her birth mother didn't know. For years, she had exchanged letters with a young man, and she had always dreamed of marrying him. She vaguely remembered what he looked like. He had been a spirited young man with a face as lovely as jade, able to twirl a folding fan into a graceful flourish. So many years had passed, and Shen Li often imagined what he looked like now. Surely he had become a refined gentleman, gentle as jade. Not long ago, he had said he would come to marry her. Now, it seemed she would never get to see him. And so, Shen Li married into Prince Yao's household. Prince Yao was tall and handsome, though he seemed rather cold. Even though he knew the Marquis of Yongchang's household had sent a substitute bride, he didn't make things difficult for her at all. That made Shen Li think that perhaps the rumors weren't entirely true. Until one day, Shen Li found a small open box in Prince Yao's study. Inside were neatly stacked letters. On the envelopes was her delicate handwriting: To Brother Changyun, to be opened personally. -She thought her pen pal was a gentle scholar, but it turned out he was a powerful prince! Reader's guide: 1. Ten-year age gap, sweet everyday romance. 2. A story of an ancient-style online romance meeting in person. Entirely fictional, so don't take it too seriously. If it's not your thing, please don't read! 3. None of the rumors are true. The prince is more than capable! Blurb screenshot dated 2021.8.3 ★ A Man of My Heart One late autumn, a young girl suddenly came to live at the residence of Mr. Yan, a celebrated gentleman of the capital. She was said to be his adopted daughter. The girl was born to a concubine, and her family had suffered a misfortune that brought them shame. She had also been cruelly mistreated by her father's principal wife, living worse than a servant. Even at a young age, she was timid and apprehensive. When she first arrived at the Yan residence, she respectfully kowtowed to Mr. Yan and his wife to greet them. She kept her head bowed and hardly dared to say a word, afraid that living under someone else's roof, she might displease them. Fear had seeped into her very bones. Behind Mr. Yan stood his son, a young gentleman famous throughout the capital. He watched the little girl, timid as a rabbit, for a long moment, his eyes bright with interest. From that day on, Yan Xu had a younger sister. Everyone said he had passed the imperial examinations at a young age and was arrogant about his talent. Even the Grand Secretary had to ask again and again before Yan Xu agreed to become his student. He seemed refined and elegant, but was really cold-hearted and indifferent. No one could have imagined that he would treat the little girl in his home with such tender care. He coaxed her into looking up at the flowers, taught her to read and write, and took her to meet renowned teachers and see the world. They brewed tea beneath spring snow and tucked summer blossoms into her hair. His friends all sighed that, despite his aloof nature, he treated his adopted sister so well that his future wife would surely be eaten up with jealousy. “Wife?” Yan Xu scoffed. The world didn't know that from the very first moment he saw her, he had longed to hear her timid, sweet voice call him “Big Brother,” but was unwilling to be only her brother. - On the day Shen Mei came of age, Mr. Yan gave her the courtesy name Jiaojiao, meaning pure and bright as moonlight. Mrs. Yan treated her like half a daughter and teased her that she was now a grown woman, ready to be matched with a husband. Shen Mei lowered her head shyly, concealing the way she looked at Yan Xu. He was the distant moon atop a snowy mountain peak. Apart from the courtesy name he had given her, she had nothing else to connect her to him. Shen Mei thought that the days of basking in his moonlight were probably over. She was grown now and couldn't cling to him as she had in previous years. She had to keep her distance. So she became ever more strict about observing propriety, telling herself she ought to stay away from him. Even when it hurt, she went to meet the young men Mrs. Yan recommended as potential husbands. But Yan Xu lost his restraint. On a snowy night in the depths of winter, he cornered her behind a garden rock and wrapped her in his fox-fur cloak. The man kissed the young woman deeply, his eyes like an unfathomable sea beneath the moonlight. A faint wash of moonlight fell upon the rockery. The man pressed his lips to hers and spoke word by word, full of tenderness and longing: “Don't marry him. Marry me.” -An elegant young gentleman, seemingly gentle as a breeze and bright as the moon, but actually cold-hearted and indifferent x a timid, insecure girl who always walks on eggshells ★ My Childhood Sweetheart's Charm The noble young lady Qiao Zhenzhen and the heir Zhang Ting'an were sworn enemies. Everyone in Jinliang City knew it. Yet their families were old friends, and there had been talk of arranging a marriage between them more than once. Qiao Zhenzhen was fed up with her mother's nagging and declared that she would never marry Zhang Ting'an even if every other man in the city died. When Zhang Ting'an heard this, he was so angry that he snapped a fine wolf-hair brush. He then loudly declared that he wouldn't marry Qiao Zhenzhen even if she were the only girl left in the entire city. They couldn't stand the sight of each other. Whenever they met on the street, they would roll their eyes at each other before walking on. People loved to tease them about the two of them, and no one thought they were a good match. Qiao Zhenzhen was pampered and demanding, and she had said she would only marry a top-ranked scholar who had passed all three levels of the imperial examinations. Zhang Ting'an was a spoiled playboy who hated trouble. Aside from his family background and good looks, he was at the bottom of his academy class year after year. They hardly seemed like a match made in heaven. - Three days after their harsh words, Qiao Zhenzhen accidentally fell. When she woke up, she blinked her reddened eyes and suddenly grabbed her mother, pleading, “Mother, I want to arrange a marriage with Zhang Ting'an.” Madam Qiao sighed. “It's too late. The day you fell, Ting'an was thrown from his horse in an accident and has been unconscious ever since.” Qiao Zhenzhen panicked. With a bandage still wrapped around her head, she rushed to the Marquis of Guang'an's residence. Zhang Ting'an lay on the bed, pale and lifeless. She sat beside him and suddenly burst into tears. She quietly gripped his hand and softly called his name: “Zhang Ting'an.” Before she woke up, she had had a very, very long dream. In the dream, the Qiao family fell on hard times, and she was about to be sold to a brothel. No one helped her; everyone stood by and watched. Only Zhang Ting'an rushed to protect her. He drew his sword and said fiercely, “Let's see who dares touch her!” In the dream, she trembled all over, her lips bitten bloody. But Zhang Ting'an, who had never been able to stand her, wrapped her in his fox-fur cloak, wiped the dirt from her face, then gently kissed her bloodied lips and held her close, soothing her: “Zhenzhen, don't be afraid. I'm here.” A pampered little childhood sweetheart x a spoiled childhood sweetheart Theme: Stay positive and keep striving, even when faced with adversity