A Losing Deal

Blurb:

Rumor had it that, in order to feed the soldiers of Juedong, the Prince of Dongchuan had bitterly sent his youngest son to become a live-in son-in-law of the Yin family. As soon as the news reached the imperial capital, countless young ladies wept themselves red-eyed. After all, the Prince of Dongchuan's household, with its ancestral rule against taking concubines, was the dream in-law family of every young lady in the capital. To make matters worse, the men of the household were renowned for their good looks. For a time, the whole city buzzed with gossip.

"The Yin family? What backwater hillbillies are they? I've never heard of that surname. I wonder what tiny, obscure household they crawled out of."

"The Yin family has hit the jackpot! That's the Prince of Dongchuan's household, the one that even princesses and commandery princesses marry into."

"Boo-hoo! Just last month my father said he'd write to the prince to discuss a marriage alliance. What ugly nobody ruined my chances?"

When Yin Xinyue, who was scratching her head over account books at Crescent Moon Manor, heard the news, she slammed the ledger onto the table and snapped, "For this marriage being forced on us, my Yin family has to hand over a thousand qing of fertile land, a million dan of grain, and countless gold and silver treasures. On top of that, we have to give up me, a beautiful and virtuous young lady! So who exactly is getting the better deal here? This is a terrible bargain!"

The male lead's story:

When word got out that the Shao and Yin families were betrothed, everyone in the world thought the Yin family had hit the jackpot. Even Shao Lin'an himself thought he was getting the short end of the stick.

Later, someone dragged him out of a muddy ditch on the battlefield. He'd lost the use of one leg, and now he felt unworthy of that wonderful girl, so he cruelly pushed her away.

Later still, the Yin family moved to the imperial capital, and Miss Yin became one of its most sought-after young ladies. Shao Lin'an began to feel that other people were coveting what had once belonged to him. But would the girl who had once loved him choose him again?

The female lead's story:

Out of respect for her parents' wishes, Yin Xinyue decided to accept the marriage, and she didn't look down on her so-called fiance even though he was lame.

But she never imagined that he would look down on her instead. If that's how it is, there's no reason for her to hang herself from this crooked tree.

But, Young Master Shao, I already decided we'd never see each other again, so why are you still haunting me like a ghost?

Author's note: The whole novel is written in advance, with daily updates. Come on in and add it to your collection!

A transmigration novel, a feel-good story with strong male and female leads. No brainless characters, no fake sweethearts.

Theme: In this complicated world, I only want to be the person I was from the start.