The Madam Refuses to Divorce

A soft-hearted, easily swayed, occasionally sharp-tongued female captain as the top × a strong-willed bottom who likes representing people in court and later becomes a female official in the Ministry of Justice.

Married first, fall in love later / Share a bed before falling in love / Mutual pursuit and a little heartbreak

1

At fourteen, Shen Qingmo was dragged into proposing marriage to Su Yunxiu. She didn't know the other woman or understand love, but after Su Yunxiu rejected her with cutting words, she became the laughingstock of the entire capital.

From then on, she lived with the mockery of the aristocratic families and became a favorite topic of post-meal gossip at teahouses. Whenever she went out, people would tease her for being a toad who wanted to feast on swan meat.

Later, she heard that Su Yunxiu was engaged. By coincidence, she discovered that the person Su Yunxiu had chosen secretly visited a brothel, so she tried sending Su Yunxiu an anonymous letter.

Didn't Su Yunxiu think she was utterly worthless? Then she'd make sure the woman knew her own choice was even more disgraceful!

But to her surprise, the very next day after receiving the letter, Su Yunxiu sued to break off the engagement. The case caused a huge stir...

After that, whenever Su Yunxiu got engaged, Shen Qingmo kept watch. Whenever she found something disgraceful, she sent a letter, and every time, Su Yunxiu promptly investigated and sued to end the engagement.

All told, she'd broken off four engagements.

Shen Qingmo was amazed. Just as she was wondering which family Su Yunxiu would choose for her next match, an imperial edict of marriage arrived.

When she heard the news, she was dumbfounded. Her family? Her?

Was there still time to write a list of her ten biggest flaws?

2

Su Yunxiu was famous in the capital for breaking off engagements.

After she called off her fourth engagement, she received an imperial edict of marriage. To her astonishment, it matched her with Shen Qingmo, the young lady of an earl's household.

The very girl who had proposed to her at fourteen, only to be rejected in the harshest terms. At the time, Su Yunxiu had thought it absurd. By the time Shen Qingmo grew up, she'd be twenty-two...

But what Su Yunxiu hadn't expected was that all four matches she'd carefully chosen over the past four years had been tainted. From investigation to engagement to breakup, she'd managed to wait for that fourteen-year-old girl to grow up.

The young lady held a grudge. They only consummated the marriage the next day, and after the wedding, Su Yunxiu had no love for her and therefore no particular expectations.

But at night, the young lady would always cling to her, drenched in sweat, and ask about her feelings. Su Yunxiu wasn't willing to lie.

Su: My heart isn't yours, but I'll honor my duties and spend my life with you.

The young lady kept her head down, fuming, but didn't lash out. She continued to accompany Su Yunxiu in petitioning the court to open schools for women and establish women's civil service examinations. She fiercely defended Su Yunxiu's right to take the exams. Later, when this left them at odds with everyone and estranged from their friends, she even moved out of the household with Su Yunxiu to live in poverty.

Just as Su Yunxiu was planning to have a little daughter with the young lady, one of her old letters came to light, sending the young lady into a rage. In tears, she slammed a divorce agreement onto Su Yunxiu's vanity table!

Shen: Your heart belongs to someone else, so why did you marry me?! I want a divorce!

That night, the young lady moved to the study outside, while the lights in Su Yunxiu's room burned all night...

A divorce is out of the question!

One-on-one happy ending

The first female lead is four years younger than the second female lead. Younger top.

The daughter is the second female lead's older sister's child, not her biological daughter.

Fictional setting with original worldbuilding. The young ladies and their daughter are all women. The story is set in a world where women can have children together. No magical childbirth aids.

Theme: What life gives you may not be so bad.