The Emperor's Terrace's Beloved

A year ago, Shu Yun became engaged to the Heir of the Prince of Huaiyang. Everyone envied her. She guarded the engagement carefully and worked hard to please her fiancé, all to preserve the match and win a little prosperity for the Third Branch of her family. None of the Shu family girls was willing to see such staggering fortune fall to her. At the annual flower-viewing banquet, her cousin schemed to be found in a compromising situation with the Heir of the Prince of Huaiyang, forcing Shu Yun to break off the engagement. Shu Yun looked at her fiancé, who was brazenly holding her cousin, her eyes reddening. She turned and tossed the betrothal token into his hands. She hid away at the Star-Picking Pavilion to drink her unhappiness away. Drunk and muddled, she encountered a tall, broad-shouldered man. In the night, he stood like a mountain over a deep pool, his brilliance held in check. She gazed at him, entranced, and, as if possessed, grabbed him and kissed him. * The current emperor, Pei Yue, was the late emperor's youngest son and his only legitimate son. After the late emperor abdicated, Pei Yue expanded the realm and reformed the administration, achieving as much in civil and military affairs as any ruler could. Meanwhile, the late emperor and his elder sons indulged in wine and revelry, enjoying themselves immensely. The only thorny issue was that the emperor was over twenty-seven and still unmarried. The court officials and the retired emperor went to great lengths to coax the emperor into attending the flower-viewing banquet. Pei Yue went, only to be accosted at the Star-Picking Pavilion by an unfamiliar young woman. He held the handkerchief she had left behind, suppressing the inexplicable stirrings of his heart. Never mind. At last, one day at a palace banquet, Pei Yue saw the young woman laughing and talking with someone, her features bright and vivid. His usually calm, deep-set eyes stirred for the first time. The Heir of the Prince of Linchuan, Shu Yun's prospective match, led her over to Pei Yue. "Yun Yun, this is my imperial uncle." Shu Yun smiled and bowed. "Greetings, Imperial Uncle..." Pei Yue held the imperial edict he had planned to use to arrange her marriage and narrowed his eyes. (A lofty, unattainable man pursuing his wife, age gap, size difference, sweet romance, both are each other's first.) PS: The heroine is 16, the hero is 27, and he spoils her. Coming soon: A Noble Marriage, marriage first, love later Shen Yao was sent to live at a country estate as a child. Her family put off arranging a match for her until she was seventeen. At a banquet, her peerless beauty caught the eye of the crown prince, who wanted to take her as a secondary consort. The Shen family had been a family of scholars for generations, and having a daughter become a concubine would disgrace their name. But they couldn't afford to offend the crown prince, so Shen Yao's parents decided to lie and claim she was their adopted daughter. Shen Yao laughed in disbelief. With her unyielding nature, how could she become someone's concubine? Just as she was fretting over what to do, Xie Qin, the Grand Secretary, arrived at her home with a matchmaker. His peerlessly elegant eyes settled directly on her. He was brief and to the point: "I'll marry her." Shen Yao shivered and, giving up on everything, said, "At least I'll be a proper wife. I might as well marry Xie Qin." Only later did she learn that Xie Qin had married her to repay a debt of gratitude. On the eve of the wedding, they agreed: separate rooms, no managing the household, and a divorce after two years. One day after the wedding, Shen Yao whispered to her maid, "Grand Secretary Xie's looks really are something." At the evening banquet, Shen Yao accidentally ingested a drug and consummated the marriage with him. When she woke, Shen Yao felt deeply embarrassed. She and Xie Qin were only a married couple in name. This marriage was bound to end sooner or later. To avoid awkwardness, it would be best to pretend nothing had happened. * When Xie Qin first entered public service, he was sharp and outspoken. While investigating a case, he was pursued by the mastermind behind it, and a beautiful young woman saved him. Later, when her marriage was in jeopardy, he protected her with a marriage contract. She didn't want to be his real wife, so he indulged her. He agreed to all three of her terms. But one night, the dignified beauty suddenly became alluring and insisted on pulling him into bed. Xie Qin gazed deeply at her. "Will you take responsibility?" Shen Yao's eyes were hazy with wine as she answered without hesitation: "Of course!" Xie Qin indulged her again. The next morning, Xie Qin woke up thinking their marriage had finally become real, only to see his lovely wife yawn and ask groggily, "Where were you last night, Grand Secretary? I waited so long for you." Xie Qin raised an eyebrow. "So you forget everything the moment you get out of bed?" No way! Marriage first, love later; secret love becomes mutual, and they save each other. A mad beauty VS a ruthless powerbroker. Coming soon, modern romance: Wildfire, rekindled love, and a husband chasing his wife to the crematorium. Synopsis: Yan Jia was a gentle, quiet beauty, an untouchable fairy in everyone's eyes. But she had once had a short-lived marriage no one knew about. The two had treated each other with respect, but remained distant and formal. She thought they would never cross paths again, until the tech tycoon and Jiangdu's most eligible bachelor, Lu Wenzhou, made his first public appearance at a charity gala, becoming the center of attention. The heiresses of Jiangdu's wealthy families and the actresses of the entertainment industry all pulled out every stop to win his favor, but he rejected them all. Yan Jia, brought along by her boss to serve as eye candy, sat quietly in the crowd, pretending not to notice. Her friend nudged her and pointed at Lu Wenzhou. "Hey, isn't that your ex-husband?" * Yan Jia helped her boss land an important project of the year. The mysterious client was none other than Lu Wenzhou. At the celebration dinner, Lu Wenzhou quietly watched the petite woman being led onto the dance floor, her waist curving alluringly. His gaze deepened. Theme: Keep going when you encounter difficulties.