Marrying into the Duke's Mansion

He Jinyuan, the eldest grandson of the Duke’s household, passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar before he had even come of age. A heaven-blessed talent with a brilliant future ahead of him, he suddenly lost his sight in an accident and acquired the reputation of being cursed to bring misfortune to his wives. When his marriage could be delayed no longer, the family settled on a daughter of the Jiang family, whose patriarch was a seventh-rank official. The Jiang family’s legitimate daughter, Jiang Yi’an, had grown up in the countryside, slaughtering pigs and selling meat. She could barely read and was still unmarried at eighteen. The Duke’s household’s “windfall” landed right in her lap. On the eve of her marriage into a higher-ranking family, she sat in the main hall with one leg crossed over the other, holding a butcher’s knife, and “smilingly” negotiated her dowry with her father and stepmother. On their wedding night, the man wore a black silk ribbon over his eyes. His expression was gloomy, and he had no intention of consummating the marriage. “I, He, have a fate too harsh for marriage. I’m truly sorry to drag you into this. If you agree, we’ll wait three years, then divorce. I’ll compensate you.” Jiang Yi’an asked, “How much compensation?” “I currently have ten thousand taels of silver, which I will give you in full.” Jiang Yi’an looked at him and beamed. If he was that rich and generous, why would she divorce him? What did he mean, his fate was too harsh for marriage? Now that they were married, he was her husband. She had a tough fate of her own. He wasn’t going to kill her off! On their wedding night, she put the illustrated sex manual she had just studied into practice, climbed onto the bed, pinned him down, and consummated the marriage. The Duke’s household was large and full of complicated relationships. Though Madam Jiang was the eldest son’s wife, she had endured plenty of mistreatment from her mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and her husband, the heir. When her son lost his sight in an accident, she dragged her ailing body to pray and eat vegetarian meals, begging the gods to protect him. No one knew how many times she had cried in secret. At last, her son successfully married, but his bride had walked into the house carrying a gleaming butcher’s knife! With such a fierce daughter-in-law, how could her son ever have an easy life? Madam Jiang hid in her room and wept, swallowing her tears in silence. Everyone thought that the Duke’s eldest grandson had gone blind, lost his prospects in government and his chance to inherit the title, and married a minor official’s daughter who had grown up in the countryside. They believed that this was all his life would ever amount to. But in the three years after the wedding, He Jinyuan advised the emperor at court, repelled the enemy on the battlefield, rose in rank, and earned great distinction. As for his damaged eyes, they had long since recovered. And Madam Jiang, once cautious and meek, now stood tall and radiant. Her frail health had completely recovered, her sisters-in-law treated her with respect, and the Duke himself valued her highly! Her son was renowned, the household was in perfect order, and everyone praised her good fortune and skill at managing a home. But Madam Jiang knew in her heart that none of this would have happened if her daughter-in-law hadn’t come through the door carrying a butcher’s knife! Bonus scene: One day, three years later, He Jinyuan stood beside Jiang Yi’an in the study, guiding her as she wrote. The poem she wrote for the third time was still crooked and clumsy. Her patience ran out. She slapped the table, stood up, picked up her butcher’s knife, and prepared to go back to her hometown. “I’m no good at music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, and I can’t write poetry. I’ve let you down, Lord He. When we married, you said we could divorce after three years and that you’d compensate me. Pay me now.” The dignified man, who never showed his emotions in public, flushed with anger and bent down to pull her into his arms. He guided her hand around the brush and said in his gentlest voice, “I wasn’t teaching you properly. Let’s practice once more.” After a pause, he looked at her puffed-up cheeks and added, “It’s my fault. Tonight, I’ll make it up to you by studying the illustrated manual properly and putting it into practice in bed three times.” Brave and clever, a sunny, straightforward girl x A proper gentleman, a gloomy iceberg Notes: 1. Set in an imaginary world. 2. Marriage first, love later. Warmth, healing, family life, and sweetness. Synopsis for my next novel, After the Switch: Su Qingwan was adopted by the Su family. Her stepmother forced her to switch fiancés with her stepsister. Her original fiancé was the heir to a marquis’s household. The man she was made to marry instead was the son of a condemned official. On their wedding day, she saw how tall and fierce the man was, his expression cold and stern. Tears welled in her eyes, and she shivered with fear. Pei Jingshan returned from military service before he could go to the Su family and break off the engagement. Instead, the Su family sent the woman to him. They had secretly switched the brides, giving him their eldest daughter. Seeing the woman look up at him with reddened eyes, timidly begging him not to send her away, he had no choice but to accept the mix-up. He didn’t like weak, timid women. But she was so slight, and she burst into tears at the slightest thing. It was infuriating. He had no interest in romance anyway. He would just take her as a wife who could manage his household, and they would make do with life together. But later, just seeing her smile at the heir of the marquis’s household made his heart feel heavy and kept him awake all night. Bonus scene: One day, three years later, Su Qingwan’s stepsister left the marquis’s household in tears, carrying a divorce notice. She had thought that switching brides with her elder sister would make her the marquis’s wife and bring her wealth and luxury. But on their wedding night, the heir had already neglected her. She had spent three years trying to please him, but his attitude never changed. As she passed the Pei residence, she saw that the son of a condemned official had been appointed a general and made a prince, his seal and ribbon at his waist. Her timid elder sister was now confident and composed, the dazzling wife of a prince! They looked at each other and smiled. Their sweet smile cut her deeply! A taciturn, stern tough guy x A timid, delicate young woman Theme: Injustice and evil will always be defeated by kindness and justice.