After Marrying the Ailing Marquis

*Gentle and resilient heroine x seemingly innocent but secretly wicked madman

In troubled times, the lords sharpen their blades and prepare for war, while the Great Liang dynasty teeters on the brink of collapse. The emperor must choose a noblewoman to marry into Dingzhou and bring good fortune to Marquis Chu’an.

Yue Qingyu was born to unmatched privilege and was betrothed to Crown Prince Xiao Huai. Such a marriage to bring good fortune would surely never fall to her.

That night, she had a dream.

In the dream, Xiao Huai was truly in love with her cousin. After her cousin married into Chen Commandery to bring good fortune, she nearly died. Xiao Huai later brought her back and made her empress, while Yue Qingyu was merely a substitute. When the palace fell, she died in her cousin’s place.

The next day, Yue Qingyu stood among the noblewomen, all weeping like pear blossoms in the rain. Her expression was calm. “I’ll marry him.”

The entire Xie family of Dingzhou was loyal. All its sons had died on the battlefield, save the sixth son, Xie Manyi, who survived but was badly wounded and plagued by chronic illness.

Rumor had it that he was violent and had killed countless people. Yue Qingyu’s heart pounded as she climbed into the bridal carriage.

On her wedding day, heavy snow fell. Xiao Huai, returning from the mountains with his guards, stopped her bridal procession. His face was dark with anger as he demanded to know why she had chosen another man as her husband.

Someone coughed. A long-fingered hand lifted the carriage curtain, and a man wrapped in a pure white fox-fur cloak stepped down.

His skin was pale, almost cold. He glanced at Xiao Huai’s hand gripping hers and said with faint mockery, “I may be no more than a cripple, but if Your Highness wants to lay a hand on my wife, you’re welcome to try.”

His voice was gentle and even, while behind him the soldiers in dark armor stood ready to attack.

Through the falling snow, she saw his face, so beautiful and striking that he looked like an immortal descended from heaven.

Qingyu thought he wasn’t as cruel as the rumors claimed. He was just a little weak. It would be fine.

After their marriage, he taught her to protect herself. The young man held a long sword, twirling it lazily, then used it to strip off her clothes. He gave a mocking laugh. “You’re not taking your lessons seriously enough, Madam.”

When chaos swept the land and the warlords rose, he gazed at her tear-reddened eyes before leaving, wearing a faint smile. “If I lose, you’ll die with me.”

But when the moment truly came, he said he couldn’t possibly bear to let that happen.

*

When Xie Manyi first met Yue Shiyiniang, his fiancée was frail and delicate, her face heartbreakingly lovely.

Back then, he said scornfully, his expression inscrutable, “I wonder which of us is supposed to bring the other good fortune.”

At first, he thought she was just a sickly girl, so he would keep her around and care for her.

He never expected that later he would willingly use his own blood and flesh as medicine to keep her alive.

And later still, this fragile young woman would walk with him through every hardship.

* Noblewoman x warlord, both hiding their true nature.

* Fictional dynasty, inspired by the Wei and Jin periods.

Content notes:

1. Marriage before love, both leads are each other’s first and only.

2. The second male lead, Xiao Huai, is reborn, but his bones are ground to dust.

3. The male lead’s illness early in the story has a reason, and his leg will recover.

Upcoming novel: This Lady Doesn’t Like Him! Please add it to your favorites.

The sixth young lady of the Zhaoping Marquis household is frail and the youngest daughter of the marquis. Her father, brothers, and older sisters dote on her so much that even their pampering never seems enough.

Wen Yu has a beautiful face and a lively personality. Since childhood, she has been at odds with the young heir of Prince Xuan’s household. The heir is unruly and arrogant, and often makes the little girl cry before she runs home to complain.

As she grows older, Wen Yu follows the principle that men and women should keep their distance and deliberately avoids him.

.

Later, the young man earns great merit. When he returns to the capital, he blocks the carriage of the Wen family, his eyes dark as he lazily curls his lips.

“Little Fish, why are you avoiding me?”

Wen Yu lifts the carriage curtain and looks at him, raising her chin. Her eyes are full of pride. “Beg me, and I might consider making peace with you.”

Su Xian barely lifts his eyelids, a smile playing at his lips. “Making peace isn’t what I want.”

*

Su Xian, heir to Prince Xuan, comes from a noble family and has made a name for himself while still young. He is the ideal husband for countless noblewomen in the capital.

At the victory banquet, the emperor personally asks about his marriage. Noblewomen dress in their finest and wait eagerly, hoping to marry the young general, whose bearing is extraordinary and whose achievements are many.

But the favored son of heaven smiles without restraint. “I love Sixth Miss Wen. I ask Your Majesty to grant us permission to marry.”

His words leave Prince Xuan, his father, stunned, as well as the emperor, his uncle. Wen Yu herself is also stunned, and silence falls over the hall.

The very same Sixth Miss Wen, bedridden with illness, who gets out of breath after walking a few steps?

Once the shock passes, the emperor grants the marriage on the spot. Wen Yu steps forward in a red dress to bow. Her celestial beauty is so striking that she outshines everyone in the hall.

The young man is aloof, the young woman delicate. They look so well matched that no one dares voice their doubts, and the emperor praises them as a match made in heaven.

.

At first, no one approved of the match. The noblewomen who admired Su Xian waited with vicious anticipation for Sixth Miss Wen to succumb to illness and die, so the engagement would end without fuss.

Later, the two not only marry successfully, but the usually arrogant and carefree heir willingly submits to her. He humbly coaxes her in front of everyone, making others green with envy.

And the sickly Wen Yu is cared for until not a trace of listlessness remains. The noblewomen’s hearts break, and at last they give up and marry someone else.

An exceptionally beautiful, proud daughter of a noble family x a bold, carefree young general

Theme: In the end, everything will work out.