After Breaking Off the Engagement, I Married His Older Brother

Jiang Nian grew up in Gushan, a frontier stronghold plagued by constant warfare. When she was fifteen, her family finally brought her back to the capital. Jiang Nian thought that from then on, she would live like her sisters: get engaged, marry, support her husband and raise children, and spend the rest of her life in the inner quarters. She was promised an excellent match. Her betrothed came from a marquis's household, noble and handsome. In every way, he was far superior to her, an obscure illegitimate daughter. But soon, this marriage, the envy of countless people, became her crime. Her betrothed had originally sought to marry her second older sister. Someone had secretly switched the birth-date cards and put Jiang Nian's name in their place. Jiang Nian was the prime suspect. No one believed she was innocent, not even the second older sister who had once been closest to her. Scolding, suspicion, and condescending charity: "Just admit you were wrong, and you can still have the marriage," they told her. Jiang Nian refused to admit fault. She had not done it, and she would never confess to it. She would never take what did not belong to her, either. Stubborn, shallow, and uncouth: those were their verdicts on Jiang Nian. When her reputation was in ruins and she stood alone, only Shen Li, her betrothed's older brother, came to her aid. He was trapped in hardship himself, yet still stepped forward to speak up for her. Jiang Nian suddenly remembered that she had glimpsed Shen Li from afar when she left Gushan. Back then, he was the young marshal of the Jian'an Army, renowned throughout the frontier. He had defended a lonely city with his isolated forces, leaving a vivid impression in the lonely days of her youth. They were both innocent people, both trapped in the mire, and neither would bow their heads. They did not belong in the capital. They deserved a better life. Jiang Nian did the boldest thing she had ever done. She found Shen Li and asked him, "Would you like to go back to Gushan with me?" ◆ Shen Li had devoted himself to serving his country and never gave a thought to romance. At first, he sought to marry Jiang Nian only to find her a place where she could be safe. Later, amid turbulent times, she went with him to the frontier, and together they stood shoulder to shoulder to hold up a faltering world. He thought: his life belonged to his country, but every day he was alive belonged to her. (Weibo: @Di Yi Zhi Miao Ya) 1. A story of growth and healing, with an eight-year age gap, set in a fictional world. 2. The romance develops slowly. Coming next: The Powerful Minister Only Learned He Was a Substitute After I Died: That year, Wang Shiliu Niang was sixteen, the beloved jewel of the military governor and the most dazzling flower in Hebei. Pei Shu was twenty-four, the most outstanding scion of an aristocratic family and the court's sharpest blade in its campaign to strip the regional governors of their power. Wang Shiliu knew his intentions, but the first time she saw those fathomless eyes, she still fell head over heels. She wanted him. She had lost him once before, and would never let herself lose him again. She made no effort to hide her feelings and refused to back down, using her burning love to capture him. Later, Hebei fell at Pei Shu's hands, and everything Wang Shiliu had relied on vanished like smoke. Wang Shiliu jumped from a cliff. She went blind and could no longer see those eyes. Instead, her heart became clear. No one could replace what she had once lost. Not even Pei Shu. She no longer wanted him. ◆ Wang Guanchao was the name of his fiancee. After calculating every last detail, Pei Shu had made a marriage pact with her. He had never loved her, so he never expected that after she leapt to her death, he would be left with such a heart-wrenching grief. Even less did he expect that after searching to the ends of the earth for her, her eyes would be fixed on another man. A man so much like him. The author's completed novels: My Brother Is No Gentleman: A possessive-love story with a regretful pursuit. My Friend's Wife: A friend's wife is off-limits. Scheming for a Wife: The male lead is a virgin, the female lead is not; a possessive-love story. The Chancellor's Regrets After Our Divorce: A regretful pursuit. The Beauty in His Palm: A possessive-love story with a regretful pursuit. Theme: For sensitive, lonely young people who fall down and keep getting back up.