Dark Jade

After a sudden coup, the state of Qi was destroyed.

Zhao Yizhu, daughter of the Chief Minister, became a prisoner overnight and was forced to be sent to Wei as a hostage bride.

Among the many possible marriage partners was Zhou Peiyu, the renowned Grand General of Wei. Violent and bloodthirsty, he was a veritable living King of Hell. The only person he had ever treated with genuine affection was Zhao Yizhu's elder half-sister.

When the Qi palace fell, he had even defied public opinion and kept her by his side for several days, forcing the King of Qi to arrange their marriage.

But just before she was due to leave, her elder half-sister suddenly came down with a serious illness and was left on the brink of death.

Afraid of angering Zhou Peiyu, her family gritted their teeth and pulled off a switch, sending Zhao Yizhu in her place.

The road ahead was treacherous, and the women sent off to marry into Wei had uncertain fates.

Zhao Yizhu wanted to survive, and Zhou Peiyu became her greatest source of support.

To keep up the deception, she tried hard to imitate her elder sister's spoiled manner, learned her ways of seducing men, and did her best to act just like her

But who could have guessed

*

At their first meeting, when others gave her a hard time, she didn't want trouble and let them off. The man caught her in the act. Zhao Yizhu hurriedly clenched her small hands, lowered her head to reveal her slender, snow-white neck, and stepped forward to pay her respects.

The man, with his arrogant brows and playful smile, leaned close to her ear and chuckled hoarsely. "You used to call me Yulang. Why are you calling me something else today?"

On their wedding day,

she was made to drink until she was tipsy, then collapsed into the man's arms, her almond-shaped eyes glazed.

With one arm around her slender waist, the man bent his right index finger and gently tapped her pretty nose. His jade-green phoenix eyes were full of casual suspicion. "You used to be able to drink so much. Why are you drunk after just two cups today?"

Zhao Yizhu completely lost her composure.

If he ever found out she was an impostor, he would surely tear her limb from limb and leave her in a mass grave to feed the snakes.

The male lead's perspective:

Everyone knew Zhou Peiyu wielded power over the court and was ruthless, killing without a second thought.

But no one knew that when he was young and destitute, he had been trampled into the mud like an ant, forced to snatch food from a dog's mouth.

A girl who claimed to be the daughter of Chief Minister Zhao had kindly saved him and rekindled his will to live.

At that moment, with nothing to his name, he suddenly wanted to claim her for himself.

But he couldn't help wondering: why was the woman before him so different from the one he had protected beneath his wings when the Qi palace fell, the one who had pretended to obey him while secretly defying him?

*

Later, when Zhao Yizhu's identity was exposed, the whole country was thrown into an uproar. Terrified, she took advantage of the man's serious injuries and fled.

But before she could even leave the city, she was caught and brought back.

Just as she trembled with fear, convinced she was about to die,

the man abandoned his usual cold, unruly demeanor. He bent down and kissed the tears from her face one by one, his gaze burning with passion. "Didn't Zhuzhu say she'd grow old with me? Why break your promise? Hmm?"

Zhao Yizhu was utterly stunned...

Wait, how was this not at all what she'd imagined?

★★★★★★★★★

A few things to know:

1. Both leads have only ever been with each other. The male lead is a bit of a jerk early on for plot reasons, but he'll bend for love later. The female lead trains her man.

2. There's revenge and a little bit of household intrigue, but not much. Everything serves the romance between the leads.

3. If you don't like this story, you can click the X in the top right to leave. Please don't make personal attacks. Important note: the author bites.

Theme: Be strong and independent.