Marrying Up (Reborn)

Xu Yan, heir to the Duke of Dingguo, is stunningly beautiful and peerless in looks. Talented in both letters and arms, he is brilliantly gifted, making countless noble young ladies fall for him. Yet Xu Yan marries the daughter of a sixth-rank official. The girl has limpid, autumn eyes and a naturally bewitching air. Whenever she walks beside Xu Yan, she clings to him all over. Such affected behavior is naturally looked down upon by the great noble families. Before long, rumors spread that she had schemed to sleep with Xu Yan and force him to marry her. When the gossip reaches Xu Yan, he becomes even more indulgent toward his wife. * In her previous life, Xue Ningning married into a powerful family and spent thirty years in a distant marriage with Xu Yan. She was not happy. She knew Xu Yan married her only out of gratitude and propriety. She knew Xu Yan had a dignified, virtuous woman he had always cherished in his heart. And she knew the Duke of Dingguo's household needed a noble mistress who was well-read and well-mannered. As she lay dying, Xu Yan asked if she had any unfulfilled wishes. Xue Ningning said that if she had known she would spend her life like this, they would have been better off never meeting. If she could live again, she wanted to marry her childhood sweetheart, her cousin, and stop reaching above her station to marry Xu Yan. * Xu Yan is reborn, but he has no intention of granting Xue Ningning's dying wish. Remarry her cousin? Dream on! He immediately goes to her home to propose. In this life, he will give her a different kind of life. [One-line blurb: A slow-burn reckoning, my dead wife suddenly starts attacking me] Please note: * One-on-one romance, reborn male lead, doting romance! * The heroine is not reborn, but she has a different golden finger. * The story is set in the Ming dynasty, but focuses on everyday life and does not involve much court intrigue. #Next up for pre-order: "Marrying the Empress Dowager Again." Visit my author page to add it to your collection.# Empress Dou Shiran was born into nobility, possessing celestial beauty and receiving the love of countless people. Yet in her three years as empress, Dou Shiran has not borne a single child, because the emperor is impotent. With the emperor gravely ill and without an heir, the court officials submit a memorial asking the emperor's only younger brother, Prince Yue, to come to the capital and oversee the government. Dou Shiran understands that if Prince Yue takes the throne, even if he honors her as empress dowager, she will only hold the title in name. To secure her position, she must bear a royal heir. She changes her identity, enters Prince Yue's residence, seduces him, and becomes his most favored concubine. After becoming pregnant, Dou Shiran fakes her death and escapes back to the palace. * Ever since his beloved concubine died a tragic death, Prince Yue's luck has grown worse and worse. First, the empress bears a son to his elder brother the emperor, costing him his chance at the throne. Then he is hunted by more than a dozen waves of ruthless assassins and left seriously injured. Once he finally understands what happened, he swears to take revenge on Dou Shiran for using him. Three years later, the emperor dies, and his young son succeeds him. At the enthronement ceremony, Prince Yue points his sword at the empress dowager Dou Shiran seated on the phoenix throne. Looking at her as her beauty pales in fright, he says hoarsely: "This phoenix robe is so heavy, it hides your sister-in-law's graceful figure." Please note: One-on-one romance (you read that right), happy ending. Theme: Though our bodies lack phoenix wings to fly side by side, our hearts share a single understanding