Jade Bones in Hiding

*Originally titled After We Became Each Other's Substitutes, a delicate and clever young lady x a gloomy, obsessive regent

[Double Substitutes / Marriage Before Love / The Powerful One Bows Their Head / The Husband's Long Road to Winning Her Back]

Chu Fuyan, the powerful regent who stood at the pinnacle of the court, had a secret.

He had long been in love with Princess Changyun, but she was beyond his reach. He could neither forget her nor let go of his feelings.

Wen Yuyi, the gentle and lovely daughter of the prime minister, also had a secret.

She had admired the Imperial City Guard for years and harbored deep feelings for him, but fate took an unexpected turn, and one impulsive decision became a lifelong regret.

The two were married by imperial decree and became husband and wife.

But Chu Fuyan's thoughts were fixed on the princess, and he felt no interest in Wen Yuyi.

They never consummated the marriage. Wen Yuyi did not mind, since she felt nothing for him either.

*

One day, they drank too much wine, their hearts trapped in the prison of love, both half-drunk and half-awake.

"Lord Chu, neither of us wanted this marriage, but now that it's done, why don't we each take what we need?" Her eyes glimmered as she spoke in a cool voice, proposing the perfect solution.

He had no feelings for this beautiful woman, but to satisfy his own desires, he pretended to go along with her. He pressed her against the soft couch, and though their hearts were elsewhere, they clung to each other in passion.

And so, beneath the swaying red bridal curtains, by candlelight,

he kissed the cinnabar mole at the corner of her eye and called her Changyun; she touched the old arrow scar at his waist and thought of her beloved.

*

But later, Chu Fuyan regretted it.

One day at noon, the letter of divorce on the desk was gently unfolded.

Wen Yuyi pushed it across the desk. "I dare to ask, my lord... please divorce me!"

"Divorce you?" Dark currents surged in his eyes. Unable to believe it, he suddenly laughed scornfully. "You want me to divorce you? Only over my dead body!"

She opened her eyes in the midst of their passion, her voice still indifferent. "My lord, don't mistake your unrequited feelings for something else."

The incense burner toppled over. Chu Fuyan slammed her against the desk, finally unable to hold back. "What's wrong with sparing a little of the affection you feel for him for me?"

In the end, he was forced to sign the divorce papers and part ways with her. But the feelings that had taken root in him continued to grow like plants.

*

Later, on the day of the coup and attempted palace takeover, war drums and horns shattered the lingering snow on the city walls.

Wen Yuyi saw Lord Chu cross a mountain of corpses on the battlements.

In front of everyone, he cast aside his sword and knelt. His long blade clanged against the blue-green tiles. "Today, I offer the Nine Provinces as your bridal sedan. Please marry me once more..."

"This time, I won't imagine someone else's face or call you by an old lover's name. I'll only look at the person before me."

#The substitute is a pretext; madness is his true nature#

Reader Notice:

1. A delicate and clever young lady x a gloomy, obsessive regent. Double-substitute romance, marriage before love. Happy ending, both leads have only ever loved each other. The male lead falls first, then spends the latter part chasing his wife and suffering for love. He completely loses his composure and loves her desperately.

2. At first, neither lead can have the person they love, and both are somewhat awful. The male lead is a real scoundrel. The female lead suggests the substitute arrangement, so please take note if this bothers you.

3. The male lead is a prince, but he likes being addressed as "Lord Chu."

4. The cover is authorized by the artist Paigu Xiaobao.

Theme: Love can warm even the coldest things.