Hiding a Beauty in Winter

[Blurb to be revised + marriage first, love later]

Jiang Mingmei, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jing'an's household, was passionate about fishing. She had soft, fair skin and a strikingly beautiful face.

The emperor held a flower-and-fishing banquet. While the noble young ladies leaned on the branches and sized up the eligible men, only Jiang Mingmei had come fully prepared and was seriously fishing.

When her older brother invited talented young men to drink aboard a pleasure boat, many gazes turned to her. She was fishing again.

At long last, her family arranged a match for Jiang Mingmei, but she fished up a romance novel about a kept woman.

The novel's male lead was her own betrothed, Song Yuan. It said he had used threats and inducements to force an impoverished noblewoman to become his mistress, and that he had become engaged to his fiancée only to cover up the scandal.

The heroine was determined to escape, but Song Yuan refused to let her go. They went through a torturous romance before finally living happily ever after.

And she was the unfortunate fiancée who spurred on their relationship. Once the kept woman's family was cleared of its false charges, Jiang Mingmei would be cast aside and left with a ruined reputation.

Furious, Jiang Mingmei swept her fishing rod aside. After breaking off the engagement, she set her sights on Xie Yanhua, heir to the Duke of Cheng's household, hoping to marry into a family that wouldn't interfere with her fishing.

Xie Yanhua lost his father and older brother when he was young. At six, he was sent to Jiangnan to study under a renowned teacher. At seventeen, he broke tradition by earning top honors in both the civil and military examinations.

Rumor had it he was cold by nature, with few desires and a clear heart.

But the novel said:

"Xie Yanhua stands nine chi and one cun tall, is peerlessly handsome, and is virtuous and devoted to his family. He's undoubtedly the best choice in the capital for anyone seeking a husband. Don't miss your chance."

It even got the aloof young heir's height down to the exact inch. What a truly divine book!

Jiang Mingmei quickly picked out the key information:

Her mother-in-law stayed home to pray to Buddha, her husband earned money and never came home, and she had no sisters-in-law to cause trouble.

A husband this good was hard to find anywhere!

So what if he was hard to hook? She'd just cast her fishing hook straight into his mouth!

One day, Jiang Mingmei nervously brushed a scented handkerchief across the young heir's long fingers. To her surprise, his gaze stayed calm as his slender fingers lightly brushed her palm, casually caught her handkerchief, and tucked it into his sleeve.

Jiang Mingmei: ?

After the wedding, the newlywed Jiang Mingmei unexpectedly spotted the familiar original manuscript of that romance novel in the study.

Her eyelid gave a hard twitch.

The handwriting on the page was unmistakably Xie Yanhua's.

*A model of chastity and top scorer in both exams × a fishing expert and the family's beloved daughter

*A reserved, flirtatious heir × a lively noblewoman

#The most skilled hunters often appear as prey#

#My husband is feeding me empty promises#

Reader's guide:

1. The male lead is utterly, overwhelmingly in love. The heroine is his one and only first love.

2. The blurb may undergo major revisions at any time, and the premise may change. Save with caution.

Theme: Follow your heart.