Brilliant Pearls

After years as a noble household's dutiful daughter-in-law, laboring without complaint and holding herself up as a model of virtue, Wei Zhuang suddenly grew tired of it all. In the eyes of outsiders, she had married above her station and should have been grateful. Her husband was a gifted and refined man, now the powerful Left Chancellor, and he had never taken a concubine. Besides, he had given her a life of luxury. But who knew that she and her husband had lived in separate rooms for years, their affection long gone, unable even to keep up appearances? When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to the time before her marriage. She had not yet worked herself into illness, and her limbs were warm and full of life. The Xie family had not yet used her as a shield in their bid to marry a princess. She no longer had to worry that her mother-in-law would take her son away to raise. Nor did she have to swallow her anger as she watched Xie Jingyan bring his beloved into the household. Excellent. Wei Zhuang stroked her slender, youthful waist and touched her soft, supple cheek. She looked at the several pots of precious flowers in the cabin of the boat bringing her to the capital to attend a birthday celebration, flowers she had originally planned to give away. Then in this life, she would be a black peony, dark purple and strikingly beautiful. She would start by breaking off the engagement. She would please herself and live a different kind of life! * Xie Jingyan came from a distinguished family. He was refined, upright, careful, and diligent. For some reason, he frequently dreamed of a bewitching woman. A tiny crimson mole nestled in the hollow of her neck, and she lay beside his pillow, dazzlingly beautiful, soft and fragrant. The dreams troubled him. Whenever he leaned closer to see her face, he would suddenly wake. Then one day, he realized that his fiancee, who had come to the capital from Junzhou, was the very beauty from his dreams. Xie Jingyan was finally relieved. After they married, he would surely cherish her. Who could have expected the woman to lift her eyes, smile faintly, and say, "I'm sorry, but I want to break off our engagement." Xie Jingyan: What happened? Note: Romance after marriage; both leads are virgins; there was a misunderstanding in their previous life; he regrets his actions and pursues his wife.