After a Night of Passion With My Late Husband

A spirited young general 💛 A frail beauty, gentle yet strong-willed

Please read the notes at the end of the blurb before starting.

[Blurb]

In the second year of pretending to be the widow of General Shen to make ends meet, Qu Yuan was framed and poisoned with a slow-acting aphrodisiac.

She went out to seek treatment, only to run into bandits. As she fell from a cliff, she grabbed the best-looking one to cushion her fall. She survived, but the poison chose that moment to take effect.

Overcome by heat, Qu Yuan flipped the bandit beneath her. When he refused, she threatened him with her identity as a general's wife. It worked: his hand stopped in midair, and, face cold, he gave in.

The young man was handsome, if rather stiff-tempered. She coaxed and sweet-talked him, patiently training him for half a month. Once the poison had completely left her system, she left him a few taels of silver and slipped away.

A mere bandit, nothing more than a passing dalliance. Besides, she had paid him.

*

Shen Guiyan became a general at a young age and won countless battles. He had never been involved in romance. Then he faked his death and encountered a woman claiming to be his wife.

She insisted it was true, convincing him for a time that his family had arranged a marriage for him. Thinking of how she had been widowed for years and was now poisoned, he did not resist. He only hoped that when he returned to the capital, he could make up for all he had owed her.

But half a month later, his subordinate presented him with every detail of Qu Yuan's past. He pushed open her door, intending to question her himself, only to discover that she had already grown tired of him and left.

*

The general had not died. He returned victorious from putting down a rebellion. On the day he came home, everyone praised Qu Yuan's good fortune: after two years as a widow, she had finally been reunited with her husband. Only Qu Yuan, staring at the familiar face before her, was too frightened to speak.

She thought her identity was about to be exposed, but he calmly took her hand and acknowledged her as his wife in front of everyone. Only when they were alone did he pin her to the bed like a madman. His kisses on her earlobe were no longer as tender as before.

“You took my body and deceived my heart. You sat in the place of a general's wife for two years. How will you repay the price of that, A-Yuan?”

★ One man, one woman, both devoted to each other. The male lead has no past love or unattainable first love.

★ The author is firmly on the side of the main couple. There will be a second male lead and a little romantic rivalry in the middle and later parts, but the heroine sees him more as an older brother. His role is to make the male lead jealous and help the heroine grow.

★ Young man and young woman, the same age, no age gap. All intimate interactions are mutually consensual.

★ The tone leans sweet, but this is not pure fluff. It is mostly sweet with a touch of bitterness. The estrangement after their reunion will last for a while, though less than a month in the story, and things will return to normal once they work it out. The male lead does not know everything. When he learns what the heroine went through, he feels guilty. There is a little groveling later on, but only because he is too stubborn for his own good; he has done nothing to wrong her, so it is mild. I try to keep the story's overall logic consistent, but there will inevitably be a few painful moments for both leads. Readers who are extremely devoted to either the male or female lead should stay away. To be clear: extremely devoted readers. Overall, this is a sweet story with a happy ending.

★ The heroine is just an ordinary person doing her best to survive. She is timid, suspicious, and has plenty of flaws. Even when circumstances leave her no choice, she acts according to her conscience, so please don't judge her too harshly.

★ Please don't offer writing advice. If you read the chapters after the paid section begins and are unhappy, you can ask me for a refund, and we can part on good terms. Please don't attack me. The author has mental health issues and will fall apart.

My next book, The Substitute Bride Pawn the Powerful Minister Kept Hidden, is about a pawn who becomes a wife. Marriage first, love later, with groveling. A sweet story in the same style as this one 💛 Please add it to your collection.

[Blurb]

Princess Minghua was ambushed on her way to marry abroad. Her body was never found.

A farm girl named A-Qi was brought from a poor alley by Chancellor Su Jin because her face looked so much like the princess's.

He promised her riches and fine clothes, and demanded that she take the princess's place and marry his enemy, the Second Prince.

After a month of grueling etiquette lessons, she was stiff and nervous at every turn, terrified that she'd be exposed at the wedding and executed for deceiving the emperor. But on the day of the wedding, when the veil was lifted beneath the glowing red candles, the man standing before her was no prince. It was the court's powerful chancellor, a refined and ascetic man who concealed a ruthless heart.

“The Second Prince has suddenly fallen gravely ill, so the wedding is off. The emperor has issued an order: from now on, I am your husband.”

*

Su Jin and the Second Prince were sworn enemies, locked in conflict for years.

The princess's death was the perfect opportunity for him to put his plans into motion.

He had deliberately chosen a farm girl with the same face as the princess. Low-born and alone in the world, she was the perfect pawn.

His plan was to marry her into his enemy's household, then kill her and frame the Second Prince, killing two birds with one stone and clearing away his political rival.

He had planned for every contingency, only to lose to fate.

The Second Prince suddenly fell ill, and the wedding order was changed at the last minute.

The pawn he had used to manipulate the game became his legal wife by a twist of fate.

*

When Su Jin first met A-Qi, he disliked her country ways and lack of manners, and thought her crude behavior unfit for polite society.

After the wedding, she kept making mistakes, driving him to despair.

He hated her, but couldn't kill or scold her. All he could do was clean up her messes and protect her from trouble, time and again.

He had only meant to maintain appearances and leave once he had used her. But when the Second Prince recovered and returned, insisting on reclaiming his “princess,” the usually composed and calculating chancellor lost his composure for the first time.

He had spent half his life scheming and plotting for the world, only to fall for the country girl he had looked down on more than anyone.

Theme: Whether at home, in the country, or in the world at large, people's happiness is the most important thing.