The Charming Wife Laughs at the World

Blurb:

She can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, and is endlessly alluring. She moves through the world with connections everywhere. She belongs neither to the jianghu nor the imperial court, dislikes constraints, and lives life on her own terms. Dressed in red, she laughs at the mortal world. Rumor has it her husband died, leaving her a widow who has always lived alone, with only wine for company. She owns many inns and taverns and is known as Madam Ming. No one knows her real name, but among the people she is nicknamed "Laughing at the Mortal World."

In truth, she is the sole survivor of the Murong clan, a family that founded a martial arts sect. She holds a treasure worth more than a kingdom, controls the martial arts manuals of the great sects, and knows how to forge the world's most unusual weapons.

The rumor that "whoever wins Laughing at the Mortal World wins the realm" has circulated for years, and has even caught the attention of Empress Wei Qingyao. A scheme to summon her to court is now underway...

Empress Yao declared, "If this person cannot be made to serve the court, she must be killed to eliminate future dangers." The one assigned to carry out this mission is none other than Madam Ming's lost beloved. She survived death, became a palace spy, and took the name Tinglan.

How can Tinglan help Madam Ming escape the court's power struggles and keep her out of trouble?

Tinglan is torn with anguish. She dares not acknowledge her, nor show her true face, afraid that she might become leverage for Empress Yao to use against Madam Ming. But that day has come all the same…

Theme: Optimism is the key to living happily.