My Virtuous Wife Is Too Coldhearted

Xue Yining was born into a distinguished family. Beautiful and graceful, she was gentle and refined in her manners. When she came of age to marry, her parents arranged for her to wed the great general Luo Jinyun. As a wife, she strictly observed her duties and cared for Luo Jinyun with tender devotion. When he led his troops to war, she stayed home to honor her parents-in-law, look after her husband's younger siblings, and manage the household flawlessly. Every elder in the family praised her. More than a year later, Luo Jinyun returned victorious, bringing home a beautiful woman. He explained that one of his personal guards had died in battle and had asked him to look after his younger sister. He had decided to take the woman as a concubine and protect her for the rest of her life. Xue Yining didn't make a scene. After a moment's silence, she agreed and made proper arrangements for the woman. Luo Jinyun felt his wife was indeed virtuous and considerate, and was deeply pleased. Later, however, he discovered that she had been secretly taking medicine to prevent pregnancy. Before he could ask her about it, he was ordered that very night to kill his father-in-law's old friend's son on a stormy night. She rode hard to catch up and stood in front of the man in the cold rain. Pulling a hairpin from her hair, she held it to her own throat and declared, “If you want to kill him, you'll have to step over my corpse!” Only then did he realize she wasn't gentle and virtuous, free of jealousy. She had simply given all the tender feelings of her youth to someone else, living like a corpse in his household and merely enduring each day. Luo Jinyun had always believed a wife was there to forge alliances, manage the household, and produce heirs. Love was just a silly girl's fancy, something he scorned. Only when he became consumed by love for someone who didn't love him did he learn that love could kill. A groveling wastrel's road to redemption. One couple, one-to-one romance, both leads' first relationship, happy ending. The heroine has a first love she can never forget. (The comments are closed not because of any scandal, but because the plot was controversial and the author was subjected to personal attacks.) Upcoming: Marrying into a Powerful Family. Please add it to your reading list. Lu Lin was a handsome, elegant young master of the Minister of Rites' household, as graceful as a jade tree. He should have had a happy marriage, but in the year he came of age, a country girl showed up at his door with a token. Only then did his grandfather remember that he had once arranged a betrothal for his grandson. At his grandfather's command, Lu Lin married the country girl. Naturally, he didn't like her. In fact, he detested her. Their three years of marriage held no affection at all. He had thought she would never let go of the wealth and status she had schemed so hard to obtain. But when he told her he wanted to take his teacher's daughter as a second wife, she replied that they should divorce. Though surprised, he felt relieved and agreed. She took the divorce papers and left, never to appear before him again. Four years later, Lu Lin's official career stalled, and he was demoted from the capital to become magistrate of Anlu. There he met Shi Wan, a physician known as the “Little Medicine Immortal,” and remembered that he had once been married to her for three years. He also remembered that Anlu was her hometown. But she was nothing like the shallow, ignorant, and devious woman he remembered. She was beautiful, clever, and kind, and the smile that often graced her face stirred his heart like a spring breeze. He decided that the little town wasn't so bad after all, and began to think about taking her back to the capital. After much deliberation, he told her how he felt. She smiled and, while drying the herbs beside her, casually replied, “Lord Lu comes from a powerful, noble family. Our stations are too different. We aren't suited to each other.” Seven years earlier, Shi Wan had been foolish enough to love someone she could never have. He was a nobleman's son, while she was merely a country girl from the mountains. Though she knew they were worlds apart, she still dared to hope and married the man who was beyond her reach. She was young then, and believed that her wholehearted love would eventually be returned. Only after reality left her utterly broken did she understand how foolish she had been. Her dream wasn't a dream at all, but a joke. [A husband groveling to win back his wife, one couple, one-to-one romance, happy ending] Theme: Where there's a will, there's a way.