A Splendid Array of Gold and Jade

Everyone said Ruan Linlang was lucky, and she thought so too.

After a mix-up in which the wrong baby was sent home, she went from a destitute little beggar to the eldest daughter of the richest family in Jinling, the Ruan family.

Not only did she get to wear fine clothes from then on, she also had a perfect husband-to-be, promised to her as a baby.

The Mu family of Jinling lived in grand splendor, and their eldest son, Mu Youzhi, was as graceful as a crane among pines. One glance was enough for Ruan Linlang to fall for him.

But a case involving a forged imperial decree brought the Ruan family to ruin overnight. They were convicted and their home was confiscated.

On a rainy day, Ruan Linlang knelt before Mu Youzhi, who had been ordered to confiscate their property, and begged him to find a doctor for her gravely ill father.

Mu Youzhi's voice was cold. "Miss Ruan, the Mu family has already broken off the engagement. Our families have no ties anymore."

When Ruan Linlang awoke from a high fever, she looked at the roomful of elderly people, women, and children, and her gaze grew resolute. "Mother, Grandmother, if my great-grandfather could go from being a beggar to becoming the richest man, then so can we."

A few months later, when Mu Youzhi saw Ruan Linlang again, she had become a famous cloth-scrap beauty in the Western Market.

Looking at the radiant young woman and thinking of the past, Mu Youzhi asked confidently, "Miss Ruan, if you're willing to marry and raise children, our former engagement can still stand."

Ruan Linlang didn't even look at him. She pointed straight at him. "Of course it can't."

She smiled. "I've found myself an obedient husband. He's more useful than you."

Beside her, a tall young man carrying more than a dozen bolts of cloth gave him a cold glance, then added a few more bolts to his load.

Because of a case involving a forged imperial decree, the dashing young General Pei of Bianjing was betrayed by his colleagues, disgraced, and gravely wounded. When he awoke, all he saw was a little girl with a bright, flowerlike smile.

She bossed him around without a hint of politeness. "I saved your life, so you have to work for me until you've paid off the cost of your medicine."

The bustling life of Jinling healed his wounds. On the day he finally paid off the cost of his medicine, she bluntly told him to leave.

The young general's eyes reddened. Gritting his teeth, he held her in his arms. "You used me and now you don't want me anymore? I won't accept that."

Reading notes:

Both leads have had no previous partners. The heroine is resilient, optimistic, adorable, and a great beauty. The hero is a handsome, powerful, tragic young general. The second male lead is an aloof beauty who pursues the heroine after losing her.

Theme: Work hard to build a better life