The Madam Is Ill

[Updated daily, tentatively at 12 noon] Chu Shuying was born into a prominent family and had been beautiful since childhood. Everyone knew that the Chu family of Chang'an had a daughter who was refined, gentle, and virtuous. After she came of age, her family arranged a match for her. Xi Yuhuan was the husband her family had chosen: the eldest legitimate son of the Duke of Dingguo, a man as elegant as a spring breeze beneath a bright moon. Chu Shuying was quite pleased with him, too. But after the two families arranged the engagement, Chu Shuying realized something seemed off. At first, she only found it strange. People kept probing her discreetly: “A Ying, what exactly is your relationship with that man from the Xi family?” That man from the Xi family? The one everyone in the capital was too afraid to mention couldn’t be Xi Yuhuan. It could only be Xi Yancheng, the Xi family’s second son. A treacherous minister whom everyone cursed in private, but dared not even bring up in public. Chu Shuying was baffled. What could she possibly have to do with Xi Yancheng? Then one day, she suddenly woke up standing in front of a bronze mirror. She wore a thin dress, with bright eyes, a slender waist, dark hair, and pale shoulders. Someone grasped the hem of her skirt and wrapped an arm around her waist from behind, burying his face against her neck. He looked at her through the mirror with a crooked smile and said carelessly, “Have you had enough of looking, sister-in-law?” Sister-in-law? When Chu Shuying saw who was behind her, she froze on the spot. Why was she with Xi Yancheng?! Chu Shuying had always known she suffered from amnesia. Only now did she realize that she might have forgotten something quite important. Bonus scene: Chu Shuying kept writing letters to her amnesiac self: “Isn’t Xi Yuhuan good enough? He’s elegant as a spring breeze beneath a bright moon, a true noble young master. Why would you fall for Xi Yancheng?” The next day, she received a reply: “He’s handsome.” Chu Shuying stared at the letter, speechless for a long time. When it came to looks, who could compare to Xi Yancheng, whose smile captivated all of Chang'an? Chu Shuying had never known she could be so bold. She had actually dared to set her sights on Xi Yancheng. Xi Yancheng had never expected her to be so bold, either. She was arranging to marry his older brother while secretly trying to get involved with him. Then the next day, she would act as if nothing had happened. Hah. So the Chu family’s daughter was gentle and virtuous? P.S. Their memories will soon be reunited. [My next book will be “After Becoming a Widow.” Please add it to your reading list, everyone. You can save it from my author page!] Synopsis: Tan Shuying was born into a prominent family, but her mother died tragically when she was young. Her father brought his mistress into the household, along with an older daughter, leaving Tan Shuying dependent on others. When she came of age, her stepmother arbitrarily arranged a marriage for her, sending her far from the capital. Her stepmother had no kind intentions. In just four years, Tan Shuying’s husband died of illness, and she became a widow overnight. Just then, a terrible case broke out in Wuzhou, and a nobleman from the capital arrived to take charge of the investigation. Tan Shuying looked toward the nobleman on horseback, aloof and dignified. She knew him. When her older sister married him, she had called him brother-in-law. Her husband’s family made life difficult for her, and all Tan Shuying wanted was to use him as a way back to the capital. Later, Tan Shuying bent her long, pale neck toward him and lowered her eyes, her voice trembling with careful restraint as she called him again and again: “Brother-in-law.” There was just one thing Tan Shuying couldn’t understand. Every time she called Xie Chuyuan “brother-in-law,” he would pause suspiciously for a moment. Nobody expected Xie Chuyuan to return from Wuzhou with a woman. Everyone said he was cold and distant, and that he had treated his former wife, Tan Xuning, with nothing more than mutual respect. But that day, everyone saw how tenderly he helped the woman down from the carriage and wrapped her in his fur cloak, as if afraid she might feel even the slightest chill. After their divorce, Tan Xuning had always wanted to remarry Xie Chuyuan. But she never imagined that her ex-husband, who had never cared much for romance, would one day bring a woman back to the capital. And even less did she expect that the woman he brought back would be the person she hated most in the world. P.S. Both leads have been married before, and neither is a virgin. Theme: Break free from constraints