The Second Wife Only Wants to Raise a Prodigy

Coming soon: “I'll Only Be the Matriarch.” Please add it to your favorites! Cheng Wan transmigrated and became a concubine-born daughter of the newly prominent Cheng family in the Jing Dynasty. The Cheng family had children aplenty and paid no attention to one concubine-born girl. Having worked herself to the bone in her previous life, Cheng Wan didn't bother competing for favor. She only wanted to lie flat. Just when she thought she would live out her life in peace, her legitimate older sister, who had married into a powerful marquis household, died. For the sake of the child her sister had left behind, her stepmother came to her and asked her to marry into the marquis household as the second wife. Cheng Wan was unwilling, but on the night the match was proposed, she suddenly dreamed that she was inside a novel. The villain in the novel was the young son her sister had left behind. The villain had been brilliant from childhood and could have become a pillar of the state, bringing glory to his family. But his elders spoiled him, and he eventually became a good-for-nothing playboy who never studied. In her previous life, Cheng Wan had been a preschool teacher. She suddenly came to her senses. If she could raise the villain properly while he was still young and help him become a pillar of the nation, she would never have to worry about enjoying a good life in the future! Work hard for ten years, enjoy a lifetime of happiness! For the sake of a future spent blissfully lying flat, Cheng Wan immediately changed her answer. “I'll marry him!” The Xie family of the marquis household was a distinguished clan known throughout the capital. The heir, Xie Yuzhi, was as elegant as an orchid and a phoenix among men. Even though this would be Cheng Wan's second marriage, everyone thought she was unworthy of becoming a Xie daughter-in-law and told her to know her place. Her stepmother feared she would seduce her brother-in-law. Her mother-in-law worried she would mistreat her stepson. Her younger siblings-in-law feared she would fight them for control of the household. Everyone told Cheng Wan the only reason she was marrying into the family was to raise a son. Everyone thought Cheng Wan would be up to no good, but in reality: When her stepmother arranged a maid for Xie Yuzhi, Cheng Wan was busy telling her stepson the story of Zhong Yong, the prodigy who squandered his talent. When her mother-in-law set spies to watch her, Cheng Wan was assigning her stepson his winter-break homework. While her younger siblings-in-law were run off their feet managing the household, Cheng Wan had already become the top female teacher at the Imperial College, thanks to her stepson's exceptional achievements. Cheng Wan: “I only wanted to raise a talented kid. How did I end up becoming a national teacher?” P.S. This is a fictional setting! The male lead has no concubines! Please add my upcoming novel to your favorites: “I'll Only Be the Matriarch” Blurb: The Liu family was one of the four wealthiest families in Jiangnan. Their legitimate daughter, Liu Xi, was not only breathtakingly beautiful, but also a gifted businesswoman who could plan and strategize with the best of them. Plenty of people made snide remarks: “So what if she's capable? In the end, she'll still have to marry into a household, bear children, and waste her life away.” Liu Xi refused to be confined to the inner household, but the prefect pressured her to marry. She had no choice but to go to the capital and find a family she could easily manage, so she could continue ruling her own little kingdom and doing business. On the surface, the Earl's household in the capital looked prosperous. In reality, it was a complete mess. Earl Shao was weak-willed, and his heir, Shao Yu, was mediocre. Lady Shao was gravely ill. Before she died, all she wanted was to find a capable daughter-in-law who could manage the household and uphold the family's standing. The two families hit it off and arranged a match early. But when the wedding date was being set, the legitimate son, Shao Yu, suddenly changed his mind. He said he would rather die than marry a lowly merchant's daughter. Lady Shao was so angry she burst into tears. She had no choice but to bring all the young men of the Shao family before Liu Xi and let her choose! She even said, “If none of them will do, I have a youngest son studying at Tongshan Academy. He's only fifteen.” Liu Xi: “...No need to go that far.” In the end, she chose Shao Yu's illegitimate older brother, a man six feet tall and peerless in martial arts who had been framed by villains and forced to make a living as a blacksmith in the army. At first, Liu Xi only wanted a family she could easily manage, so she could be the undisputed matriarch of her household while continuing to make money through business. But after they married, her husband distinguished himself. First, he took Shao Yu's position as heir, then used his military achievements to earn a marquis title. The family became a hundred times more illustrious than the Shaos had ever been. As his legal wife, Liu Xi, who came from a merchant family, became the most powerful matriarch in the entire capital. Theme: When the young are strong, the nation is strong.