The Scheming Beauty's Plan Backfires

Complete. Bonus chapters are being updated. 1. Song Lian seems to have a Taotie living inside her, with desires that can never be satisfied. But she hides it well, managing the Pingjin Marquis household with impeccable skill and earning a reputation in the capital as a refined, gentle, and virtuous daughter-in-law. Yet one person saw through her true nature. From the adjoining room, a man's voice rang out, cold and calm. "This woman is shrewd and calculating. She is married, yet refuses to stay in her proper place. She is unworthy of you. Yanting, do not persist in this folly." The speaker was Gao Shaozong, heir to the prestigious Duke of Gao's household, a man celebrated throughout the realm. He had always been as bright and unsullied as the moon, with a noble character beyond the reach of ordinary people. Unwilling to accept this, Song Lian spun a web around him. When he was at his lowest, she loved and pitied him, showering him with tenderness and affection until he fell into her trap and could no longer control his feelings. Three months later, she withdrew and left him behind, as coldhearted as she had always been. She never imagined she had provoked a tiger and a wolf. Gao Shaozong came back alive and ascended the throne. 2. The Gao family was wiped out, but Gao Shaozong escaped with his life. From then on, he recruited soldiers and gathered horses, steadily increasing his power until he became a cold-blooded warlord the imperial court did not dare trifle with. His subordinates all praised their lord as brave and imposing, yet disciplined and self-controlled, untouched by women and uninterested in romance. He was simply too stern and solemn. Then his forces arrived outside Pingjin City. By chance, the Marquis of Pingjin was out traveling with his wife. Everyone praised them as a perfect couple, made for each other. Their lord's gaze grew dark and fathomless, and he seized the marquis's wife in full view of the crowd. The realm was in an uproar. 3. At the empress's enthronement ceremony, she wore a crimson robe and ceremonial regalia, a golden crown and a jade tablet, while the officials paid their respects. Through the strings of beads hanging from her crown, Song Lian's gaze met the eyes of the man below the steps. Both froze, but their view was soon blocked. The tall, powerful man standing before her had eyes as unfathomable as the depths. His emotions were impossible to read. "Look at him one more time, and tomorrow his head will be served up on a platter." Song Lian blinked. "I want to go out and have some fun at noon." Gao Shaozong's voice was calm. "The grand court assembly begins at dawn, and I will review memorials in the palace in the late afternoon. Won't you come with me?" Song Lian pressed her glistening lips together and thought for a moment. Then she placed her slender, pale fingertips in his broad palm and gave him a gentle smile. Gao Shaozong clasped her hand, tightening his grip as he gazed at her smiling face. He sighed inwardly. Reading guide: 1. One-on-one romance, happy ending. The male lead is Gao Shaozong. The heroine's romance with the second male lead takes place only after she divorces him. 2. The heroine only pretends to be weak. In fact, she's cunning and capable. Please be gentle if that's not your thing. 3. This is not a story about a female emperor. The heroine will not ascend the throne; her daughter will in the end. Theme: Love is based on equality.