Married to My Family's Enemy

Jiang Ding'an was once the beloved daughter of an imperial merchant family. When her family became embroiled in a murder case and fell into ruin, their sworn enemy, the Du family, seized the chance to crush them and take their imperial merchant title. Heartbroken and furious, she resolved to take revenge and clear her family's name. Disguising herself, she infiltrated the Du family's incense workshop. There she stumbled upon the Du family's eldest son by a concubine, a handsome young man in plain clothes, lying beneath a tree and barely alive. His eyes were clear as he handed her the only signal flare they had to send a message. The chief aide, said to intimidate all around him and be deeply calculating, was actually this naive. She sent up the flare and watched its sparks light the sky. For saving his life once, she earned Du Xiaoqing's endless care, promotion, and indulgence. But her family's blood feud was forever etched in her heart, an insurmountable chasm between them. When she realized Du Xiaoqing might know her secret, she had no choice but to strike. On a rainy night, she watched coldly as an arrow pierced the air and drove through his chest. She feigned tearful distress and reached out to pull him back, only for him to seize her wrist and drag her over the cliff with him. Inside a cave, their rain-soaked clothes pressed together as they huddled for warmth. After they left the cave, Du Xiaoqing married her to silence the world's gossip. After their wedding, she sensed that Du Xiaoqing both feared her and was helplessly falling for her. She thought she was merely an onlooker, playing along and free to leave whenever she wished. Who could have known that things would spiral out of control, slipping beyond her grasp with every step? [Reading Guide] Both leads have only ever been with each other; they love and fight each other Theme: Justice is greater than power