Rich or Noble

(My new novel next door is now live. I hope you'll check it out!) Qian Tong, just like her name suggests, is the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Yangzhou. At her full-month banquet, a fortune-teller read her fate. This girl will be either rich or noble one day. Qian Tong didn't believe it. As the saying goes, wealth rarely lasts three generations, and poverty rarely lasts five. Her family was now in its third generation. When she learned that her family planned to offer a mountain of gold as her dowry and marry her off to the prefect's younger son, Qian Tong firmly refused. She went to the docks herself, picked out the shabbiest-looking young gentleman she could find, and pulled a sack over his head. Better safe than sorry. She planned to sacrifice herself and marry a poor boy, hoping to curb the world's resentment of the rich. Song Yun Zhi, the only son of the current emperor's elder sister, could recite the Three Character Classic at three and compose poetry at ten. Gifted in both letters and arms, he had made a name for himself at a young age and believed he'd reached the pinnacle of life. After spending four years working himself to the bone for the emperor, he was given a new assignment. A wealthy merchant in Yangzhou was running rampant, and he was ordered to investigate undercover. He had barely arrived in Yangzhou when someone pulled a sack over his head. When he could see again, a young lady peeked out from a golden glow and smiled at him. “My lord, how about I promise you a lifetime of luxury?” At his first meeting with Qian Tong, Song Yun Zhi sneered inwardly: “You’re exactly who I’m investigating!” The next time he saw her, he thought: “Extravagant and unscrupulous. No merchant is honest. I’ll investigate her thoroughly!” A month later, he was beginning to question his whole life. Half a year later: “Qian Tong, where’s my belt...?” On their wedding night, Song Yun Zhi sat amid piles of gold until midnight. At last, he picked up his brush and wrote to the emperor: The situation is complicated. Your nephew is settling down here, so I won’t be returning to court for the time being. Blurb written on 2024/09/12. No borrowing; violators will be held accountable. My lovely readers, please add my next novel, What Gives? Every Time She Turns Around, I’m There, to your to-read list~ Lou Lingfeng, the eldest son of the Lou family, became its head at twenty-four. His family ranked first among the Six Great Clans, and he was known as the imperial court’s moneybag. Yet he could never shake one stain from his past. As a young man studying away from home, he fell for a young lady from the Jin family, another of the great clans. He confessed to her in public and got this in reply: “I don’t like men like you, Young Master Lou.” People speculated that the reason he still hadn't married was that he remained hung up on that old romance. When the rumors reached him, Lou Lingfeng simply laughed them off. But one day, the Jin girl from those rumors actually came to see him. Facing his former flame, Lou Lingfeng found it both pitiful and amusing. Pitiful, because someone he'd once liked had become an ordinary social climber. Amusing, because did she take him for a fool? During the long silence, Jin Jiuyin sensed the resentment coming from her former flame. He’s still holding a grudge... Unsure how much of their old affection remained, Jin Jiuyin said, “Head of the Lou family, I’ve come to ask for medicine.” “What ails you?” “Blindness.” A few months later, the two formally discussed marriage. When his friends questioned him, Lou Lingfeng had his own reasons: “I’ll marry her, then divorce her, so she’ll learn not to look down on people.” His friends praised the plan. “Brilliant.” Lou Lingfeng added, “It’s easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but hard to go back. I’ll give her money to spend until I’ve spoiled her rotten.” His friends nodded. “How clever, Head of the Lou family.” “Even if I’m henpecked, she’ll be the one who looks bad if word gets out, not me.” His friends were beyond reacting by now. Right, whatever makes you happy. One day, while the two were quarreling and giving each other the silent treatment, her personal maid worriedly asked, “Miss, aren’t you afraid the head of the Lou family might call off the engagement?” Lou Lingfeng stood behind a rockery, inexplicably curious about her reaction. He heard his fiancée, who'd claimed to have reformed and loved him with all her heart, reply with a faintly contemptuous smile: “He’ll talk himself around.” Theme: Don’t judge what you don’t fully understand