Unrequited Love

☆ The scorned lover gets his wife back at any cost ☆ Scheming seduction

☆ A cold-hearted emperor goes mad for love

To balance the court's factions, the emperor plans to marry the Grand Commandant's daughter to Qin Yige, the least favored of the Third Prince's faction.

Qin Yige has never won the emperor's favor. Grand Commandant Jiang Deyuan knows that if his younger daughter marries him, her future will be bleak and hopeless, so he arranges for Jiang Lian, his eldest daughter whom he has never paid much attention to, to marry him instead.

On the day she marries into the prince's estate, Jiang Lian brings only a skinny young maid and a few meager dowry items.

Although Jiang Lian is his principal wife, Qin Yige spends their wedding night in his secondary consort Shi Yue's room and does not return all night.

Everyone can see Qin Yige's attitude toward Jiang Lian: he gives her a title and nothing more, ignoring her completely. His secondary consort Shi Yue also grows arrogant from his favor, repeatedly poisoning and framing Jiang Lian. Even the servants and maids are waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

Jiang Lian, however, never seems to care. Gentle and gracious, she does not compete for his favor, but quietly and silently fulfills her duties as a good wife.

At first, Qin Yige assumes she's merely a meek woman raised in the inner quarters, dull and naive, with no sense of competition. Just an ordinary woman, not worth his attention.

Until the princes begin fighting for the throne and the court is thrown into turmoil. The Third Prince's power grows stronger by the day, while the Fifth Prince is caught in a false treason case and sentenced to death.

As they prepare to make their arrest, everyone waits for Qin Yige to give the order. Jiang Lian suddenly sheds her usual meek composure, points a dagger at his chin, and glares at him with murderous intent.

"Husband, if you turn against your own family and abandon all loyalty, you'll end up with everyone against you and lose the people's hearts forever!"

Only then does Qin Yige understand: her thoughtfulness and virtue were a lie, and her unwavering loyalty was meant for someone else.

She married him against her will. All those years of humiliation and keeping to herself were not because she didn't know how to fight back, but because her heart was dead and she had nothing left to hope for. So she let her sharpness fade.

Qin Yige never imagined that one day he would receive a divorce letter in Jiang Lian's own hand, with not even a single unnecessary word addressed to him.

"Let go of resentment and dissolve our knots. Let us part in peace, each finding our own happiness."

Qin Yige was born cold-hearted. He had never loved anyone and never knew what love felt like.

Later, he finally understood Jiang Lian's anguish.

The pain of loving someone you cannot have was like a red mole in the palm of his hand, like the white moonlight in his heart, wearing him down day and night until there was nothing left.

Reading notes:

1. HE. The plot is melodramatic, and every character gets a revenge arc. Updates follow the rankings before signing, then daily updates afterward.

2. The heroine has someone she loves. She endures things early on, then later lets loose.

3. The hero is devoted to his career, ruthless, and willing to do anything for power. After ascending the throne, he pursues his wife devotedly and loves only her.

4. The dynasty is fictional and does not stand up to historical scrutiny.

Theme: Cherish the person in front of you.