Paying Homage to the Red Gown

After transmigrating, Xie Yingshi became a bride forced to marry a wealthy young master to bring him good luck. Faced with Shen Ningyan, who was on the verge of death, Xie Yingshi fell into deep thought.

Should she become a widow or run away from the wedding?

After much deliberation, Xie Yingshi decided to marry him, for three reasons:

First, if she ran away, she would be alone and might not survive.

Second, Young Master Shen had lost both parents, so there would be no in-laws to deal with. He only had his elderly grandmother for company.

Third, a doctor had already declared that Young Master Shen was not long for this world!

If she married into the family, even if she became a widow, she could enjoy the entire fortune all to herself. What could be better?

Run away? Not a chance.

Marry him! She absolutely had to!

On their wedding night, her husband laid down the rules.

"I paid you to marry me and bring good luck, so Grandmother wouldn't worry. That doesn't mean I recognize you as the mistress of the Shen household. Know your place. From now on, I'll sleep in the bed and you on the floor. No complaints!"

Xie Yingshi appeared teary-eyed, but secretly rejoiced.

One day after the wedding, Xie Yingshi looked at Shen Ningyan with concern.

"Husband, if you pass away, how will anyone manage the family's vast business? So it won't fall apart, teach me how to handle the accounts."

Shen Ningyan gave her a cold sidelong glance. "Get a grip. I'm not dead yet!"

Unwilling to give up, Xie Yingshi watched Shen Ningyan cough as he worked through the accounts and asked worriedly, "Husband, are you about to kick the bucket?"

Shen Ningyan felt his heart and liver ache. He nearly snapped his pen in half, then gritted his teeth and replied, "Bullshit!"

To feel at ease about inheriting the estate, Xie Yingshi did her utmost to care for Grandmother and look after her husband.

But she knew that even if she really inherited the fortune, she was a frail woman, and such wealth would only draw trouble. She'd probably die even sooner. It would be better to learn how to run a small business, so she could leave the Shen household by choice and still have enough to eat.

Her business flourished, and she made like-minded friends. Xie Yingshi thought life was wonderful!

One day, she returned from an outing and was about to go back to her room when she saw a figure in black vault into it from the corridor.

Worried for Shen Ningyan's safety, Xie Yingshi hurried back inside. A person dressed in black lay on the floor, while Shen Ningyan stood by the desk, wiping blood off a dagger in his hand.

He wasn't holding a pen, but wiping a blade. His sinister gaze made Xie Yingshi's blood run cold.

"What? I'm not dead yet, and you're already thinking of remarrying?"

Just as Xie Yingshi was deciding where she wanted to be buried, Shen Ningyan suddenly said coldly, "Come here. I'll teach you how to read the account books."

Cover: Tang Jiuxi

Content warnings: Marriage before love, alternate universe, very loosely based on reality, really very loose.

The male lead has another identity and had no choice but to marry her under a secret identity to bring himself good luck. The female lead also has another identity, but the newly transmigrated heroine doesn't know about it.

The heroine is half easygoing and half ambitious. She doesn't seek great wealth or status, only a way to survive in a feudal society.

In this setting, women can attend school, but not many people approve of it.

Blurb written on August 17, 2022.

Contest entry reason: The heroine transmigrates as a bride married to bring good luck, but refuses to spend her whole life confined to the inner quarters. Instead, she buys farmland, opens a shop, becomes independent, and befriends a group of like-minded people.

Theme: Join hands and forge ahead, together creating a better tomorrow!