The Fifth Year After I Abandoned the Powerful Official

A beautiful, delicate young widow × an abstinent powerful minister Jiang Songning was born to a distinguished family and had been close to Xue Tingzhou before she married. Unfortunately, the Jiang family fell, and she could barely protect herself. She said some cruel things, then turned around and married someone else. In the fifth year of her marriage, she was already a widow. She followed the rules and strictly observed the clan’s regulations. Then trouble struck again, and she went to call on an old friend. The other party repeatedly refused to help, then tactfully remarked, “Lord Xue now holds a high position and great power. Perhaps he could lend a hand.” Remembering the hurtful words she had spoken years ago, Jiang Songning lowered her head in silence and said nothing. Others didn’t know, but she understood. There was no fate left between them. She had been widowed for a long time, and had heard people say that Xue Tingzhou, as a close aide to the emperor, was not someone to cross. Jiang Songning thought that their parting years ago had ended whatever bond they had. But fate brought them together again. Rain splashed around her as she silently walked past him, but he stopped her in front of everyone. The powerful minister, now a man of great importance, looked at her with dark eyes and a faint, cold smile. “I remember how you handed out porridge and gave me an umbrella all those years ago, Madam.” “Now, it’s my turn to take good care of you.” Jiang Songning thought he was generous and forgiving, and was deeply grateful. But even after the matter was settled, he did not let her go. Instead, he kept her confined in his mansion, with him day and night. Only then did she realize he had deliberately engineered everything, sitting securely above it all and watching her walk step by step into his trap. She prided herself on propriety, but he insisted on tearing away that disguise, relishing the sight of her flustered and helpless, tears glistening on her lashes. Xue Tingzhou knew Jiang Songning was pampered and hard to please, adept at manipulating people’s hearts, and that she had deceived him and done everything he despised. But a thousand days apart had burned like a fire in his heart. He could not forget her for even a day. Blurb written 2023.6.4 Upcoming: The Supreme Beloved Three years ago, Jiang Yuanzhen found a man at the foot of a mountain ravaged by floods. He was skin and bones, and had nearly died. Only his eyes remained bright as stars, and they were very beautiful. She brought him back to the capital and carefully nursed him. Three years later, he proved himself worthy of her care, repeatedly taking first place in competitions, dazzling everyone with his literary talent, and saving the emperor. In one leap, he became a rising star of the court. He was gentle by nature, and especially so with her. He never refused her anything. That was what she thought, too. When Lu Qingzhou held an umbrella over her, his expression was tender, and he subtly tilted it toward her. He really was very considerate. Until one rainy night, when she stumbled upon him killing someone and hiding the body. Only then did she truly understand what kind of person she had provoked. He had never needed her pity. All that anxiety and hurt had been an act. …He had hidden out at her place because she was the only master of the marquis’s estate, and no one else would discover his secret. From then on, she ignored his strange behavior and sometimes even covered for him in front of others. For reasons she couldn’t understand, his moods grew more and more unpredictable. She was even less daring to treat him as she had before. When he safely returned to the palace to become crown prince, she finally felt at ease and went straight to discuss her wedding with her fiancé. But everything changed without warning. That night, the palace was ablaze with light, and blood covered the jade steps. His long fingers were stained with blood, his eyes dark and brooding, like a demon. With tears in her eyes, she promised again and again, “I haven’t told anyone about what you did.” He pinched her chin to stop her from talking about such insignificant things. His eyes were dark with desire as he kissed the corner of her lips. “Why are you afraid of me? Haven’t you already learned so many ways to deceive and hide things from me?” Tears glittered on her lashes. Hearing that, she bit her red lip, forgetting even to cry. His sleeves still bore flecks of blood. The only clean things about him were the hands that touched her. Did she even have a choice? Theme: True feelings do not change with the passage of time