[New Release: "Widowed at the Gate, Adored by All" is now serializing]
Ruan Qingdai, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Wei's household, is dignified and gentle, and has always followed the rules. Since childhood, she has been the model of a noble young lady, as well as the ideal choice for Crown Princess.
But at the spring banquet in the Apricot Garden hosted by the Crown Prince, she was caught meeting in secret with a poor scholar.
To protect the reputation of the Duke of Wei's household, the Crown Prince ordered the scholar punished for theft. Who could have guessed that Ruan Qingdai would shield him, kneel down, and confess of her own accord, her voice cool and utterly calm?
"I am the one who fell for him. I gave him a silk handkerchief to express my feelings. What does he have to do with it?"
The entire banquet erupted into an uproar.
Even the scholar's gaze turned inscrutable.
Female Lead's Blurb:
Ever since her coming-of-age ceremony, Ruan Qingdai has dreamed night after night of being humiliated and killed in the Eastern Palace.
While worrying about how to avoid this marriage, she is framed and ends up having an "affair" with Yan Wenzhao, a man she has never met.
At first, Yan Wenzhao is nothing more than a pawn she uses to avoid entering the palace. But later, Ruan Qingdai feels that someone as aloof and proud as him should not be dragged down by her. In the end, she cuts off all contact with him and marries into the Eastern Palace.
Days later, an old case of a switched prince is brought to light.
Overnight, Ruan Qingdai's husband is revealed as a false Crown Prince who has passed off another's bloodline as the royal family's, while the once-poor scholar now wears a princely robe and sits high upon the palace dais.
Only then does Ruan Qingdai remember everything from her previous life.
The Crown Prince who humiliated and killed her in her dreams had always been Yan Wenzhao!
Male Lead's Blurb:
In his previous life, Yan Wenzhao had been proud and upright, with a heart set on helping the world. Yet he suffered countless setbacks and sank into the mire. After reclaiming his identity, he took ruthless, vicious revenge on everyone who had bullied him.
Reborn, he is once again a penniless scholar without power or influence, about to have his right hand broken and be branded as a criminal.
But this time, Ruan Qingdai, who had refused to bow to him even at the point of death in her previous life, steps in front of him and repeatedly declares that she has fallen for him.
From that moment on, Yan Wenzhao discovers the joy of being reborn.
Watching her court him, stand up for him, and even become estranged from everyone for his sake, he finds himself developing a taste for it.
Returning to the Eastern Palace, Yan Wenzhao walks toward Ruan Qingdai, kneeling below the steps, and smiles tenderly. "Stay. You can still be Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace."
But Ruan Qingdai avoids his touch. Her face is deathly pale, and her eyes hold no love, only fear and hatred.
"I refuse."
A smiling, ruthless schemer who hides his darkness x a gentle noblewoman
1. One-on-one romance, both leads' firsts, happy ending
2. Both leads are reborn: the male lead has retained his memories from his previous life all along, while the female lead only recalls hers later. The female lead's death was not caused by the male lead.
[Content warning: melodrama and coercive pursuit. The male lead is an utterly unhinged romantic who is wholly devoted to love, so this may not suit readers who prioritize career plots. A female character, not the heroine, becomes emperor in the end. The heroine has a growth arc, but not the kind found in empowering wish-fulfillment stories. Every plot point serves only to heighten the dramatic conflict. I don't recommend buying the whole book at once; feel free to stop if it's not for you. Peace and love.]
Completed novel set in the same world: "Don't Leave the Mountain Empty"
Upcoming novel: "Spring Ripples on the Steps"
--- Blurb for "Spring Ripples on the Steps" ---
Su Miaoyi is as lovely as a lotus rising from clear water, and everyone who sees her takes pity on her. She is the dream girl every scholar in the county longs to win. Yet she has eyes only for the handsome man she rescued, and insists on marrying him into her family.
In Su's father's eyes, the man is hardly a suitable match.
Not only has he lost his memory and fallen on hard times, with no clear identity, but he is also cold and shows no affection for Su Miaoyi at all.
Just as expected, he disappears without a word before the wedding, turning Su Miaoyi into the laughingstock of the entire county.
Months later, Su Miaoyi sees her fiancé in Lin'an.
The young man sits in a lacquered, jade-inlaid carriage, aloof and noble, surrounded by attendants. He clearly sees Su Miaoyi, yet his gaze passes right over her, with no sign of recognition.
Only then does Su Miaoyi learn that he is Rong Jie, the legitimate son of the Rong clan of Lin'an. His family has produced chancellors for three generations, and his mother is a county princess. How could a man like that ever be a proper match for a merchant's daughter like her?
Still, Su Miaoyi goes alone to the Rong residence.
It happens to be the county princess's birthday banquet, with relatives and neighbors there to witness it. Su Miaoyi takes out their token of affection and weeps prettily, tears streaming down her face.
Everyone assumes she is overestimating herself and wants to use her past kindness to force Rong Jie to marry her.
But, choking back sobs, she says, "Back then, Young Master said he had no way to repay me for saving his life, so he proposed we become sworn siblings, calling each other brother and sister and looking after each other from then on... Does that still stand?"
The entire hall falls silent in shock.
A ripple of emotion flashes through Rong Jie's eyes. He nearly crushes the wine cup in his hand.
Su Miaoyi has the face of a celestial maiden, but a mind devoted to money.
After her fiancé abandons her, she takes her banknotes and the title of adopted daughter of the Rong clan and happily opens a bookstore. It sells all sorts of unusual books, as well as gossip about court affairs and rumors from the streets.
Three years later, Su Miaoyi's bookstores can be found throughout the land, and the doors of the mansion are besieged by the prominent families of Bianjing, all hoping to marry her.
First, they want her immense wealth.
Second, they have their eyes on her sworn elder brother, Rong Jie, who became chancellor at a remarkably young age.
At the Chancellor's residence, Rong Jie burns every marriage proposal from her suitors.
Su Miaoyi watches him lose his mind without trying to stop him. "Brother, do you have someone more suitable in mind?"
In the firelight, Rong Jie's face is impossible to read.
"What about me?"
"Rong Jie, what makes you think I would take you back?"
Su Miaoyi smiles brightly.
[A cunning, money-loving sweetheart with a pure-white-lotus facade x a cold, disillusioned cynic]
Theme: Loving yourself is the beginning of all good fortune.
Miss Chen Is Up to Her Tricks Again
Guiqing, You Need to Turn Over a New Leaf!
Beyond the Empty Mountains
I Lost to My Actor Ex in a Battle of Devotion [Showbiz]
Undercover in the Fandom
Colorful Dynasty
A Love Letter to Myself
What If the System Deceived You
Debuting in Center Position on an Esports Variety Show
Shakespeare's Dictionary
An Unkind Master (Transmigrate into a Book)
Not a Heartthrob, but a Good Man
The line of the heroine's aunt is really great, from the poor little girl who was raped and robbed and her family was ruined to the empress, I like it very much. The heroine is very sensitive because of the virtues of her relatives, and she can give everything to the only aunt who loves her. In fact, in the final analysis, she still doesn't know how to love herself. It's really good to go from someone who wants to be recognized to find herself later. The male protagonist is not bad, and the author is good.
I was tortured over and over again, and I felt tired after seeing it.
The male protagonist is really too miserable. I feel really lovable. I feel that the female protagonist is really naughty and doesn't deserve the male protagonist's love.
It would be better if there were less torture parts. I prefer the plot after the male protagonist gives up everything. It's also cool to have a female emperor. My daughter is ambitious.
I have been disgusted by Jin Jiang for so long and finally got the best of me? I didn't like the involuntary camera feeling in the middle period when the heroine was caught between the male protagonist and the empress dowager faction. Fortunately, in the later period, the heroine ran away and turned into a knife for her aunt. The charm came back. Finally, congratulations to the beautiful, strong and tragic heroine of this book, the empress dowager Ruan, for getting her revenge and risking her death to survive.
It's pretty good, but I didn't like the heroine when I read it for the first time.
Who knows how this male protagonist made his laborers cry? Oh my god
Very good! Become a minister for one year! Two years as prime minister! Three years to become empress!
This book is really well written and engaging. I plan to read it again when I have time. In addition to pursuing freedom, the heroine may also be worried that the fortune teller's prediction will come true and that being around the hero will bring bad luck to him, so she desperately pushes the hero away. This was only apparent later in the story. When I watched the scene where the male protagonist found the female protagonist, I thought that the female protagonist really had no affection for the male protagonist at all. I felt that it was boring to force the protagonist, and it was a bit miserable that the male protagonist was unloved. It would be better if more of the heroine's worries could be written in this paragraph, even if the reasons are not stated, leaving some thoughts for the readers (of course this is just my personal opinion)
It's too cruel, but the extras are good