My Wife Is So Charming

[A gentle beauty who overcomes force with softness × a deeply ambitious schemer; both devoted only to each other]

Everyone said Sang Rou was blessed to marry into a powerful family, and should be grateful, humble herself to the dust, and never complain.

Even on her wedding night, when her husband rode a thousand miles to escort his young lord home, she sat alone in the bridal chamber until dawn.

Even on the day she nearly died in childbirth, her husband's aunt brought her a stack of portraits of eligible young ladies and asked which one seemed most virtuous and sensible.

Even after her son grew up, he was no less worrysome. He ran off in the middle of the night to find his father, who never came home, leaving her anxious and prematurely gray.

Everyone kept telling her to be reasonable and put the greater good first. So Sang Rou endured it for twenty years, until she was exhausted, spent, and at death's door. Her daughter-in-law, born to an influential family, struggled to hold back tears as she said with utmost sincerity, "Mother, you may rest easy. I'll take care of the family's affairs. If I come across a virtuous woman, I'll keep an eye on her too. You needn't worry that Father will be lonely in his old age, with no one by his side."

Sang Rou struggled to utter one word: "Get out."

As Sang Rou lay dying, the man finally arrived on time. Now the Grand Commander, whose power was unmatched and achievements unparalleled, he held her in his arms, trembling faintly.

"A Rou, I..."

"Jin Zipei, if you marry again, I'll visit your dreams every night and make sure you never know peace."

She was actually quite petty. If she couldn't be happy, neither could he.

When she opened her eyes again, it was the perfect season for falling blossoms. The most handsome and distinguished man in all the eighteen prefectures of the Nine Provinces plucked the prettiest crabapple blossom from a branch and tucked it into the young woman's hair.

"A Rou, I..."

"Cousin, the fourth son of the Xie family of Jiangdong is well-read and a gentleman of upright character. Please arrange this marriage for A Rou."

After a long silence, the man softly said one word: "All right."

At her second wedding, Sang Rou felt neither joy nor sorrow, wishing only for a peaceful life. But when the bridal veil was lifted, there stood the same man who had haunted her all her life.

This time, he didn't leave. He did everything a groom was supposed to do, then waited until she was fast asleep, snapped a silver lock around her, and carried her away.

"You're my wife. Wherever we are, we belong together. Even in the underworld, we must never be apart in life or death."

"Jin Qing, you lunatic."

Fine. If we're going to hurt each other, then bring it on.

Please support the new novel: Pregnant with My Brother's Nemesis's Child

A bold and sweet country girl / A scheming crown prince who pretends to be a gentleman but is truly ruthless / A seemingly gentle, actually unhinged eunuch brother

A tutor moved in next door, and Yu Nong took an interest in him at first sight.

She had never seen a man like him. Frost and snow seemed to veil his brows, yet he was as gentle as a spring breeze. Walking along the ridges with a book in hand, he looked like an immortal in a painting.

She brought him tofu, borrowed his oil-paper umbrella, and pretended to fall into his arms, each time bolder than the last.

The man was always cool and quiet. When she touched his sleeve, he stepped back. When she offered him wine, he accepted it but didn't drink.

When the county magistrate's son wanted to take her as a concubine, she went to his door with red-rimmed eyes and asked if he would marry her.

After a long silence, he finally replied in a hoarse voice, "Wait for me to come back."

She took it for an excuse and angrily turned to leave.

Several days later, the county magistrate's son was trampled by a runaway horse and died on the spot.

After that, a matchmaker came by during the day. At night, he climbed over her wall, soaked to the skin, his gaze so burning it frightened her.

"Don't look at other men."

"I will. Mmm..."

Only when his lips met hers did she realize how hard someone had worked to pretend to be a gentleman.

He kept the hairpin she had dropped in his room. He had nearly worn out the book she'd touched by reading it over and over. The moment she left, he clutched the teacup she'd used until it grew hot in his hand.

It wasn't that he didn't care. He was waiting for her to deliver herself right to his lips.

But a woman's heart is like a child's face: it can change in an instant.

Yu Nong pushed him away with tears in her eyes. "My brother has no future to count on. The family is depending on me. I have to marry in a son-in-law."

Huai Zhen didn't care in the least. He gathered her struggling body into his arms, kissing and clinging to her.

"Whether you have children or not, and how many, is up to you."

Her brother finally returned after many years away from home, and studied his future brother-in-law thoughtfully. "My sister can be quite a handful. I'll leave her in your capable hands."

The man cupped his hands in greeting. "Nongnong is wonderful."

Both men smiled warmly.

After nightfall, an urgent secret letter was sent to the capital, and another flew to the border garrison. Their contents differed, but the meaning was the same: kill.

The next day, both letters were intercepted. The two men crossed swords at a distance for several rounds, then sat down to eat tofu pudding together, still smiling.

One thought: This man must die, but I can't let my sister see blood.

The other thought: Taking his life is easy. The hard part is what she'll ask when she wants to know where her brother went.

Until one day, Yu Nong suddenly fainted, and both her husband and brother changed their expressions.

Yu Nong's one failing in life was her sharp eye for men. The man she chose was the former crown prince, missing for years, while the brother she had waited for was the notorious Director of the Eastern Depot.

Neither wanted to lose, and both hid their knives behind their backs, unable to bear seeing her cry.

Worse still, the devoted husband was about to become a father, and the doting older brother was about to become an uncle.

Yu Nong placed their hands together. "Our whole family has to be happy and safe!"

Both men lowered their eyes and answered, "All right."

How to make the other man die without knowing, without a sound, and without a trace was a difficult problem.

Theme: Be the best version of yourself