Madam Ling Luo

[Coming soon: Second Marriage into a Great Family / The Cultivation World's Nepo Baby~] Fu Lingluo's father was a personal guard to Prince Dingjiang. He died in a peach grove ten li outside Dingjiang City after taking insufficient care during a mission, his blood staining the peach blossoms across the ground. The day after seeing the blood-stained blossoms, her mother, as delicate as a parasitic vine, drank a cup of poison and followed her husband to the grave. Ten-year-old Fu Lingluo was left behind and taken into the prince's manor. There was no secret beauty kept in a golden house, no pampered young lady raised to be a wife, and no secret crushes, open romances, or inner-courtyard drama. Prince Dingjiang was born to royalty. He was aloof and decisive, and women were nothing more than optional adornments to him. From the time she could remember, Fu Lingluo had been cool-headed and unsentimental. She understood human nature and knew her place. So she worked hard to become the most capable steward by Prince Dingjiang's side. She was content with the position she had earned through her own efforts. She planned to wait until Prince Dingjiang took a wife, then use her salary and rewards to buy a house, hire a few young attendants, and retire to a peaceful life in the countryside. She had planned it all so well. She just hadn't counted on Prince Dingjiang growing sick of the cosmetics and perfumes of the inner quarters before he even married. And she certainly hadn't counted on the prince, who disliked the clutter of scents in his rear courtyard, turning a thoughtful gaze on her. Selfish, cold beauty * scheming, obsessive big shot Seven-year age gap, 1v1, 1v1, 1v1 P.S.: An alternate universe, very alternate~ Please be sure to read the author's note in Chapter One~ The heroine has already come of age when the story begins. There are no childhood romance scenes~ I'm bad at writing blurbs. Things might not be what they seem, so feel free to read a few chapters first~ You don't have to like it, but please don't be hurtful. I'll delete inappropriate comments, thank you~ If it's not for you, quit while you're ahead. Come back for my next book, dear~ "Second Marriage into a Great Family" blurb When Zhao Ruiling was eighteen, her husband died on the road to take the imperial examination, leaving her with only her ten-year-old brother-in-law. Her husband's clan came to bully her, so she risked everything and beat the imperial complaint drum. The newly appointed prefect recognized her identity. It turned out she was the daughter of the Empress Dowager's younger sister. Her aunt had fallen from a cliff and disappeared while protecting her elder sister, and the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had never stopped searching for her. To stay alive and allow her brother-in-law to continue his studies, Zhao Ruiling nervously took him to the capital. She was granted the title of Commandery Princess Ruiling and moved into her own residence next door to the Duke of Ying's manor, her aunt's family home. * The Empress Dowager doted on her, the Duke of Ying's family respected her, and her brother-in-law entered the Imperial Academy. Zhao Ruiling was perfectly content, devoting herself to mourning her late husband. Unfortunately, this delicate, beautiful flower from Jiangnan had a dazzling face, a soft disposition, cloudlike hair, and a slender waist. She was irresistible. Her cousin from the Duke of Ying's family wept and begged to marry her as his second wife, the women of the household kept introducing her to their natal family's young men, and even the Empress Dowager wanted to find her a match. Zhao Ruiling had no plans to marry again. She retreated to an estate granted by the Empress Dowager to find some peace, never expecting the Duke of Chun, who had escorted her to the capital, to live next door. The man brazenly said, “You're going to marry sooner or later. Better to marry someone you know than a stranger. Marry me, and I promise you'll have some peace and quiet.” * The Duke of Chun was the most famous widower in the Great Jing. Everyone knew he was tall and powerful, with a brilliant military record. His wife had died young, leaving him with one legitimate son, and every young lady in the capital considered becoming his second wife a fine match. What they didn't know was that aside from warfare, the Duke of Chun also liked delicate beauties and slender waists. On the journey escorting Zhao Ruiling to the capital, he had done hardly a single decent thing. Zhao Ruiling, whose temper was usually mild, spat at him. “I'd rather jump off a cliff and die of annoyance than marry you!” A year later, Zhao Ruiling had failed to jump off a cliff and entered the Duke of Chun's manor in a grand bridal procession. Her brother-in-law, Yu Min, worried that she might be bullied, sneaked out of the Imperial Academy and returned to the Duke of Chun's manor. Sure enough, he found his sister-in-law sitting by the window, crying with rage. She was so furious she could barely speak as she demanded, “You promised to leave me in peace, but marrying you means I can't even get a full night's, ” Her shameless husband grinned like a fox, bent down, and swallowed the rest of her question. Was he bullying her or not? Theme: Live earnestly and face every choice in life with a positive attitude