Did My Husband Send Me to the Crematorium After I Faked My Death?

[Seeking readers for the historical romance novel Xue Yun. Blurb below]

1.

Because Chief Councillor Wen had helped defend the city twelve years ago, at the cost of his entire family, the emperor bestowed a marriage lottery on his granddaughter, Wen Shu, allowing her to choose a husband by throwing an embroidered ball.

At the time, Wen Shu was being pressured to marry by outsiders. When she returned home, she also had to face challenges from her uncle and the clan elders: How could a young woman with no parents protect the family estate? Wouldn't it be better to divide half the property with her uncle?

Attacked from both sides, surrounded by wolves.

Then Wei Huaizhou, the only son of the Duke of Wei, came to her door and offered her his hand. With a marriage contract, he took her out of danger.

In the third month of late spring, they became husband and wife.

Wen Shu remembered the first time she saw Wei Huaizhou. It was in the plum garden at Daxiangguo Temple. Among the green plum blossoms, the young man held a branch of green calyx plums. His features were clear and bright, his face as beautiful as jade, like an immortal crane from another world.

She fell for him.

2.

Wei Huaizhou was a man who excelled in both letters and arms. He could pass the imperial examinations and quell rebellions among the barbarians. A refined gentleman, polished like jade through carving and grinding, he was the most promising of the capital's rising nobles.

Wen Shu didn't dare hope for too much, so she made an agreement with him: they would only pretend to be husband and wife for one year. Once that time was up, she would leave of her own accord, and Wei Huaizhou could marry again.

But after spending every day and night together for a year, Wen Shu couldn't help asking herself: Were they really only pretending to be husband and wife?

When worries kept her tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Wei Huaizhou went out of his way to find her calming pine-needle incense in Qingzhou.

When everyday troubles weighed on her and put her in a bad mood, Wei Huaizhou was not only willing to listen to her worries, but also kept her company on outings.

When she needed to return to her hometown to pay respects to her ancestors, Wei Huaizhou went with her to keep her unreasonable uncle from causing trouble.

Each of these things made it impossible for Wen Shu to deceive herself.

And yet, she still chose to leave.

3.

When they met again, Wen Shu had become the Second Miss Ji, while Wei Huaizhou had risen through the ranks and was now a third-rank official.

He greeted her with a smiling, "Miss Shu," and Wen Shu replied with perfect decorum, "Lord Wei."

Once again, it was the third month of late spring. The Ji family had been invited to the Wei residence, and Wen Shu was among them.

The banquet outside was full of clinking cups and lively conversation, but she was trapped in her old bedroom. Everything in the room was just as it had been, and Wei Huaizhou stood right before her.

Wen Shu's mind was full of the latest rumors from the capital: After losing his wife, Lord Wei had become ruthless and merciless, showing no leniency in investigations or official business. He was no longer the refined gentleman he had once been.

As the man drew closer and closer, she closed her eyes in despair.

1. Both leads are inexperienced, 1v1, happy ending.

2. Fictional setting, no historical accuracy intended. The political scheming is worth about five cents, and the costumes are a mishmash.

3. If you dislike a picky heroine, this may not be for you. The heroine is ridiculously rich and will run away. She won't have children. The early chapters are more slice-of-life, with a little domestic scheming. Later, both leads have their own career arcs.

4. This is not a forced romance. It's quite sweet (nods) (absolutely sure).

5. No male-male couple, but there is a female-female romance. Don't read if that's not to your taste.

6. So, after his wife faked her death, did Lord Wei chase her through a fiery gauntlet? No, his wife loved her scheming green-tea husband even more (fake smile).

First version of the blurb screenshotted on January 15, 2023.

Blurb for Xue Yun:

1.

Xue Yun was the daughter of a Vice Minister. After her parents died, the Empress Dowager took pity on her young age and issued an edict bringing her into the palace to be raised.

During the long years she spent in the palace, Xue Yun was disliked by the other princes and princesses. Only the fifth prince, an aloof man who was never given an important position, would occasionally speak to her.

After Xue Yun came of age, turmoil broke out in Wuqian, a region on the frontier. The emperor made her a princess and sent her away to marry for the sake of peace.

Not long afterward, the emperor died, and the fifth prince, who had lain in wait for many years, ascended the throne.

Once he had secured his position, the first thing he did was send troops to the frontier and seize several cities from Wuqian. Then he wrote Xue Yun a letter, asking if she wanted to return to her homeland.

Xue Yun had once thought the fifth prince, Xiao Yan, was quiet and gentle on the surface but sinister and cruel beneath it, the person she least wanted to provoke.

But now he had become her only lifeline.

2.

While Xue Yun was still on her way to marry for peace, the old King of Wuqian, whom she was meant to marry, died. His son succeeded him, and Xue Yun, as his mother in name only, earned his respect as best she could.

But she never expected him to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, lusting after her. He could ride wild horses and tame fierce eagles, the most skilled warrior among his people. He only pretended to be self-disciplined and proper in front of Xue Yun to manipulate her.

After countless twists and turns, Xue Yun finally returned home. The fifth prince had become emperor, and he used his sincere love and the position of empress as bargaining chips to keep her by his side.

What he hadn't expected was that before Xue Yun was forced into a diplomatic marriage, she had already been promised to someone in the capital as a child.

Xiao Yan had no idea who Xue Yun truly loved, but he hated the new King of Wuqian and her fiance with all his heart!

Theme: Become a better version of yourself.