Stealing Beauty

(Complete manuscript ready) Down-on-her-luck sweetheart x sinister power minister

[Coercive Possession | Stealing Someone's Love | Age Gap | The Pursuit After Losing Her]

Shang Qiong married into the Eastern Palace, only to be cast aside not long afterward.

The Crown Prince hated her for driving the woman he loved to her death, but refused to let her go, keeping her imprisoned in the Eastern Palace to repay her debt.

She endured endless torment, yet had no way to escape.

Until one day, at a teahouse, their eyes met across a beaded curtain. The man seated high above looked at her with cool, distant eyes, hiding a fierce, blazing fire within.

That very day, with snowmelt damp on her wrists, she knocked on the vermilion gates of the Grand Preceptor's residence. "His Highness the Crown Prince doesn't want Shang Qiong. Does Grand Preceptor Xie?"

Xie Jiulan gazed at her for a long while, the faintest ripple stirring in his eyes.

"If Your Highness wants to borrow my influence, you'll have to offer me a little sweetness in return."

*

At a young age, Xie Jiulan was appointed Grand Preceptor, his power soon unmatched throughout the court. He had never failed to obtain anything he wanted in life. There was only one person he wished to clasp in his hand and meld into his very bones.

Yet she came knocking of her own accord, bringing nothing but her pliant body to bargain with him.

She said that once everything was done, she would marry him.

He agreed at once.

Back then, he thought that if he kept this little bird in his palm and pampered her every day, she would be his alone forever.

Until one day, she leaned against the carved window of a teahouse, gazing absentmindedly at an old friend working an abacus at the table.

The tenderness in her eyes was a kind of enchantment he had never seen before.

Only then did he realize that every heartfelt word she'd said... had been a lie.

Liar!!!

Xie Jiulan stood in the shadows, looking down at the teacup crushed in his hand.

*

Her great revenge was complete, their debts settled, and everything over. Shang Qiong wanted nothing more than to part ways with Lord Xie and leave their past behind.

She never expected to be shoved deep into the bed, soft silk winding around her wrists, growing tighter the more she struggled.

In the dim glow of red candles, someone seized her waist from behind, then leisurely stroked the corner of her reddened eye.

"You sweet-talked me every which way when you needed me, then tossed me aside the moment you didn't?"

His thin lips brushed her nape. His breath was scorching, sending a shiver through her. "Qiong'er, that's not how the world works..."

#After Getting Revenge on Her Trash Husband, She Is Coercively Claimed by a Useful Tool#

Reading Guide:

1. HE, SC. The heroine is nineteen, and there is an eight-year age gap between the leads. From the start, the heroine has already been removed from the family register and is in the state of having been repudiated. She has little sense of morality and is especially good at playing the victim. She is a scheming canary the hero keeps hidden away, and she has no feelings for her scumbag husband. (P.S. The scumbag husband is a clown.)

2. The hero is temperamental and their relationship is unofficial, but he's a hopeless romantic. In the end, he forcibly claims her, is made to bow his head and pursue her, and does whatever she tells him.

3. The story focuses on romance, with a high emotional intensity.

4. The dynasty is fictional, so please don't overanalyze the historical details.

A recommendation for my next historical romance about coercive possession, Twin Brothers. Here's the blurb:

Everyone said Su Miaoli was lucky.

Her eldest brother, Su Chenglin, commanded the army and had a string of illustrious military victories. Her second brother, Su Chengjing, held the prestigious post of Vice Minister.

As the only daughter in the family, she had been cherished by her father and brothers since childhood. Even the emperor praised the Su family's harmony.

But whenever her eldest brother came home, Su Miaoli could never sleep soundly.

At night, a scorching palm would cover her mouth.

Su Miaoli trembled, but dared not hide.

She was not of the Su bloodline. If the truth got out, she would bring disgrace upon the family, and they would surely eliminate her to protect their name.

The bedpost creaked softly. Her eldest brother's hot breath brushed her ear. "In this household, I'm the only one who can protect you."

*

Only when her eldest brother went off to war could Su Miaoli enjoy a moment of freedom.

Her second brother always came by at dawn to check her lessons.

Distracted, she let her brushstroke stray across the paper.

Before she could come to her senses, someone came up behind her. He took her hand and said meaningfully, "Little sister, you're daydreaming."

Su Miaoli froze, the tips of her ears turning red. "Second Brother, please behave yourself."

"You're playing favorites..." Ink still scented his hand as her second brother pinched her chin with a smile. "If Eldest Brother can have you, why can't I?"

From then on, Su Miaoli was completely caught in the grasp of her two elder brothers.

At the dining table, just as Eldest Brother placed a piece of shad in her bowl, Second Brother's jade chopsticks cut in. "Don't you know, Eldest Brother? Little Sister can't eat river fish."

*

She thought marriage would let her escape.

She never imagined that as soon as the bridal sedan chair arrived, before she could even step into the wedding hall, she would receive a letter from her husband's family breaking off the engagement.

Still dressed in her red wedding gown, Su Miaoli was sent back home in disgrace.

There, she discovered someone was already waiting for her.

"Little sister, where do you think you're running?"

Her eldest brother, Su Chenglin, wrapped a hand around her ankle without a word and fastened a golden chain to it. "I told you long ago: who else could protect you but me?"

Then her second brother, Su Chengjing, removed her phoenix crown and gently rubbed the vermilion mark between her brows. "If you have time to think about other things, why don't you tell us..."

"Which of us treats you better, Eldest Brother or me?"

Theme: Love helps people grow together.