A Chance Encounter with a Beauty

Piracy protection: 70% threshold, 72-hour delay

Forced to Marry a Cold, Powerful Minister:

A fun-loving princess who adores talent disguises herself for a spring outing and falls in love at first sight with the top-ranked candidate in the palace examinations. Only after returning does she learn that he is already betrothed. His fiancee is said to be his childhood sweetheart, and the two are deeply in love.

Unable to have him, the princess goes before the emperor and has his engagement broken off, forcing the top scholar to marry her.

The emperor, who dotes on the princess, feels guilty. To make amends, he arranges for Sheng Yuzhuang to marry the man he had originally chosen as the princess's consort.

Thus Sheng Yuzhuang, who was supposed to marry her childhood sweetheart, is forced to wed Lu Bingqian, a cold and powerful minister.

-

Lu Bingqian comes from a distinguished family. He is brilliant in both letters and arms, has already risen to the highest ranks of government at a young age, and is also strikingly handsome. At least to outsiders, this is an excellent match, a hundred times better than marrying the top scholar. Sheng Yuzhuang should count herself lucky and know her place.

But to Sheng Yuzhuang, her heart died on the first day of her marriage to Lu Bingqian.

Sheng Yuzhuang closes her heart to love. She resolves to spend the rest of her life doing her duty as a daughter-in-law of the Lu family and minding her own business.

Fortunately, her husband is reserved and composed, with a steady temperament, and easy enough to get along with. Their life together will probably be cold and distant, but not too hard to bear.

Before she knows it, things fall into place, and their life together gets better and better, far beyond her expectations.

-

But later, Sheng Yuzhuang realizes she had made things too simple.

The husband who is refined and courteous in public has two very different sides.

Lu Bingqian is domineering, jealous, and moody. The virtuous gentleman is only a facade.

-

At a spring banquet, Sheng Yuzhuang stares distractedly at the top scholar's retreating figure.

A large hand wraps around her waist. Her elegant husband leans close, his handsome face smiling as he speaks softly to her amid the clink of cups and chopsticks:

"If you look at him one more time, my dear, I'll punish you for an extra hour tonight."

Later, Sheng Yuzhuang also discovers by chance that her husband's hand was in the princess's spring outing all those years ago.

[Novel Blurb:]

When the new emperor ascends the throne, the Wen family is purged for backing the wrong side.

The most noble and beautiful flower in Chang'an falls from her branch, left for anyone to pluck.

Wolves circle her, each one coveting her.

Trapped in a den of wolves, Bai Li does everything she can to protect herself, trembling with fear and walking on thin ice.

She had hidden herself well, but still managed to attract a man she can't afford to offend.

.

The Princess of the Commandery had a son in her later years, Mu Zijin, whom she doted on endlessly.

Mu Zijin is heaven's favorite, handsome and dashing. He can compose poetry and lyrics with ease, and wield a sword with equal skill. In Chang'an, he can practically do as he pleases.

The noblewomen of Chang'an all say, "The handsome ones aren't as talented as he is, and the talented ones aren't as good with a sword." Yet not one of them dares marry him.

The reason is simple: he is carefree and debauched, and loves nothing more than carousing with courtesans. He may be the man of your dreams, but he is not husband material.

Recently, however, a new romantic rumor has been spreading through Chang'an:

They say the young prince has changed his tastes. He no longer likes slender beauties, but full-figured women.

.

One day, Mu Zijin was drinking and celebrating with his friends when he caught a glimpse of a beauty in the corner.

A gorgeous woman sat stiffly behind a screen, clutching a pipa. Her lovely face was full of alarm, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears. She looked like a frightened fledgling about to fall into a hawk's claws.

One wrong note, and something stirred in his heart.

He still remembered the little girl who used to trail after him like a ball of snow-white jade, calling him "Brother Zijin" and saying she would marry him when she grew up.

But now she sat primly, not even glancing his way, pretending she didn't know him.

Was she planning to take it back?

Also known as The Noble Lady Falls from Her Branch and Gets Snatched Up by Her Playboy Childhood Friend

[Full-figured beauty x flirtatious young lord]

[One-on-one, both leads sexually inexperienced, sweet romance, with rivals competing for the heroine]

[Historical fantasy setting, very loosely based on anything]

[Please be kind when reading]

Theme: Respect is just as important as love