Beauty's Trial

[Bold, Unrestrained Female Lead x Cool, Stubborn Male Lead] [#Another day of being wrapped around his wife's finger.] Shen Guanyi was breathtakingly beautiful. In her previous life, she used her beauty to bring about the downfall of the Shen family, seducing two men. One was Ning Changyun, heir to the marquis's estate. The other was her husband, Li Hexun. Even as a youth, Li Hexun had been the secret love of countless noble ladies. Later, he became the youngest regent in the Yan Kingdom's history. Everyone had once said he would surely rise to the highest office and become a virtuous minister for the ages. But this young gentleman, who should have gone down in history, was dragged into the abyss by her. He became infamous and was remembered in the capital as a corrupt official too wicked to speak of. Perhaps it was retribution. In the end, she was stabbed to death in the street by a scholar who had come to the capital to sit the imperial examinations. When she opened her eyes again, she had been reborn to a time before she was married. - An imperial decree arranged their marriage, and everyone in the capital felt Li Hexun had been wronged. But Li Hexun didn't think much of it. As long as she was dignified and virtuous and could make his mother happy, that was enough. That was until the day he saw Shen Guanyi at the princess's flower-viewing banquet. Li Hexun frowned: Far too beautiful, spoiled and overbearing, and not at all like a proper young lady from a respectable family! So when someone asked whether he was satisfied with Shen Guanyi, he deliberated before replying, "She still needs some guidance." - Three days after the wedding, the red candles burned out. Before dawn, Li Hexun had to rise for court. He looked at the woman beside him, sleeping soundly and wrapped up like a silkworm in its cocoon. His expression turned cold as he hauled her out of bed, determined to teach her some manners that very day! After Li Hexun had scolded her for quite some time, Shen Guanyi finally raised her sleepy eyelids. Suppressing her impatience, she planted a drowsy kiss on his face. "That's enough. Keep this up and I'll get mad." Li Hexun's voice faltered, and his body suddenly stiffened. After a long pause, he forced the corners of his mouth to stay straight, slowly put his wife back in bed, then turned around before leaving to carefully tuck in the edge of her blanket. Later, rumors began to spread through the capital. They said that even the dignified, powerful Chief Minister was afraid of his wife. [Important] 1. The female lead is imperfect and selfish. The male lead says one thing but means another at first, and changes gradually. 2. An alternate-history setting with a chaotic mix of elements and countless invented details. Don't overanalyze it. 3. A cyclical rebirth setup. The ending is controversial, so readers who only accept a happy ending should proceed with caution. (Bold) 4. One-on-one romance, both leads are chaste in this life. 5. This novel has 70% anti-piracy protection and takes no responsibility for pirated copies. Theme: Live earnestly and hold fast to your convictions.