The Madam Is "Virtuous and Proper"

[A seemingly perfect noblewoman with no heart]

[A fiercely loyal, straight-laced general]

Jiang Lanyin lost both her parents at a young age and was raised in the palace.

At the Qionghua Banquet, her breathtaking dance captivated every guest and stirred the heart of a proper gentleman.

That same year, Chancellor Fu Tang earned merit for disaster relief and asked for only one reward.

The following year, she became Fu Tang's wife.

In the third year, she was buried in the Fu family tomb. Fu Tang carved her headstone with his own hands, and he was the one who poisoned her, too.

When she was reborn, she returned to the day of the Qionghua Banquet.

Once again, her dance captivated everyone. She used it to ask His Majesty for a reward.

The following year, she became Ji Zhiyi's wife.

In the third year, she became renowned throughout the land for her virtue and refinement.

---Little Moments of Jiang Lanyin's "Virtue and Refinement"---

Late at night, Jiang Lanyin grew angrier the more she thought about it. She rolled over, climbed onto Ji Zhiyi, and shook him by the neck. "Tell me honestly, what were you doing in the Soft Fragrance House that night?"

Still half asleep, Ji Zhiyi caught one of her hands and lightly kissed it. "What else would I be doing? Sleeping, of course."

Jiang Lanyin: !!!

That night, General Ji stood outside the room for half the night without even an outer robe.

At a banquet some time later, when someone asked about it, Madam Ji graciously replied, "Why would I ever throw my husband out? My husband was simply devoted to his training, and I couldn't stop him!"

Note: One-on-one romance, both leads are each other's only partners. The setting is entirely fictional, so please don't overanalyze it!

---Blurb for the next historical romance, Good Fortune Today---

[A refined official with eight hundred schemes up his sleeve]

[A sweet noblewoman with a negative number of wits]

Ruan Xinli always thought she was the happiest child in the world. Her family was powerful, wealthy, and harmonious, with a handsome father, a beautiful mother, and a talented older brother.

Until her tenth birthday, when she received an exquisite gift: a colored-glass cup. She never expected the cup to become sentient and start spitting out fortune slips at random to predict good and bad luck. For example:

The day before her father was due to visit a patient, the cup spat out a slip: "The seventh day of the second month: great misfortune. Do not leave home or practice medicine."

Ruan Xinli: ???

She'd heard of drawing lots to predict good fortune or bad, but who'd heard of one that gave such specific instructions?

Skeptical, Ruan Xinli gritted her teeth and took a cold bath. A fever kept her father from leaving that day. That night, news came that the house of the family he was supposed to visit had accidentally caught fire, killing everyone inside.

Ruan Xinli grimaced as she sipped her medicine through a spoon, glancing at the colored-glass cup on the table. What a treasure!

In the days that followed, the cup kept dropping all kinds of fortune slips to warn Ruan Xinli of the day's good and bad luck. She also gradually uncovered many of her family's secrets...

*

One day, Gu Mingchi, the newly appointed Vice Minister of Justice, was strolling down the street when he spotted a rosy-cheeked little dumpling sneaking into the capital's most famous treasure shop with a small bundle.

He turned to his attendant and asked, "Was that little dumpling who just went into the shop the daughter of the General Who Guards the North?"

The servant went to ask around and returned with a report. "It was Miss Ruan, but..."

Seeing the servant's strange expression, Gu Mingchi tapped his fan. "But what? Did something happen to her?"

The servant scratched his head in confusion. "Miss Ruan was holding the birthday present you gave her and asking about the whereabouts of immortals. She says the colored-glass cup is a divine artifact that can predict good and bad luck!"

Gu Mingchi: ???

How had that rare treasure from the Western Desert Kingdom that he picked out on a whim become a divine artifact?

Gu Mingchi, who ultimately won the beauty's heart: "Much obliged, much obliged."

#MyFatherIsASpyForAnEnemyNationAndMyMotherIsAVillainWhatDoIDo#

#OneHundredAndEightWaysToSaveTheFamily#

#HowToWinOverTheNeighborBoyEightYearsOlderThanMe#

In short: Everyone in my family is a schemer, except me!

Author's Notes:

1. The story begins when the female lead is ten. The leads interact often during that period, but only as friends. Their romance begins after she comes of age.

2. The leads have an eight-year age gap. The male lead is an old ox eating young grass. One-on-one romance, both leads are each other's only partners.

3. This is not fantasy! There are no gods, demons, ghosts, or monsters!

If you're interested, please check out my author page and add it to your favorites. Thank you!

Theme: Love matters, but so does becoming strong and independent.