After Marrying Up

The powerful man bows his head | Married first, love later | Both leads are virgins Plainspoken, beautiful village girl x cold, ruthless prince To repay the bandits who had saved his life, Prince Zhao arranged a marriage between his eldest legitimate son, Wei Heng, and a bandit’s daughter. Years later, Prince Zhao passed away, but the childhood betrothal, made without the couple’s knowledge or consent, still stood. Everyone knew that the heir to the prince’s estate, Wei Heng, was as elegant as jade and peerlessly handsome, the finest of the capital’s young noblemen. His future was bright, yet he had to obey his father’s wishes and marry a country girl. A flaw in a flawless gem: Wei Heng became a laughingstock among the nobility, and even the old princess, heartbroken for her son, found fault with her daughter-in-law at every turn. After their marriage, Wei Heng was quiet and aloof, but never harsh with Shen Qingtang. They treated each other with courtesy and respect. Shen Qingtang gradually let down her guard. Her parents had died when she was young, and now her only family was the husband she had just married. Still, aside from their monthly conjugal visits, Wei Heng never spent the night in their bedchamber. On the rare occasions when he showed her tenderness, it was in bed, as Wei Heng brushed the small mole behind her ear and kissed it softly. At those times, Wei Heng was no longer aloof and untouchable. Like the family she had known in life, he would call her Qingqing. - One day, Wei Heng’s childhood friend and cousin came to visit. The old princess deliberately kept Shen Qingtang away and entertained her niece herself. The old princess hugged her niece tenderly, cursing Shen Qingtang for being shameless enough to steal the girl’s marriage. When Shen Qingtang brought in a tray of fruit, she overheard them, but didn’t care in the slightest. That was until she escorted the cousin out of the estate and happened to notice the familiar little mole behind her ear. She learned that the cousin’s childhood nickname was also Qingqing. Only then did Shen Qingtang realize that Wei Heng merely saw her as a substitute for his cousin. A gentleman kept his word, and the match had also been his father’s dying wish. He could not disobey it without being unfilial. Wei Heng’s affection for her had all been a lie. Heartbroken, Shen Qingtang sent Wei Heng a divorce agreement and ended things between them. - Later, Wei Heng and Shen Qingtang unexpectedly crossed paths in a border town. At the time, Shen Qingtang was looking after her godson. She let her guard down for a moment and lost track of him. The child went missing in the busy streets, crying for his mother, and happened to run into Wei Heng. When Shen Qingtang encountered her former husband, she didn’t exchange pleasantries. She simply held out her hand and said, “Give me back the child.” Wei Heng’s phoenix eyes turned icy as he asked, “Yours?” Shen Qingtang nodded. “Mine.” For years, Shen Qingtang had been nowhere to be found. After so long without seeing his former wife, Wei Heng had finally met her again, only to learn that she had married and had a child. The child’s repeated cries of “Mother” grated on Wei Heng until all traces of his good temper vanished. Beneath his sleeves, his fingers curled as fury rose in his heart. …When had she married another man? (The blurb contains a point-of-view error. The story itself takes precedence.) 1. The aloof beauty loses control; the powerful man bows his head. Later there’s possessive coercion and plenty of angst and push-and-pull. 2. Heng is pronounced “heng” and means jade. 3. Shen Qingtang is 18 and Wei Heng is 24, a six-year age gap. There are both nasty male and female supporting characters. This isn’t a story where everyone gets along, so read with caution. Drop it if it’s not for you. 4. Updates may not be daily, and there may occasionally be a day between updates. Blurb recorded on 2024.12.28. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reposting or plagiarism will be pursued. Please add my new novel, “Married to a Fallen Noble,” to your reading list! Naive younger sister who has had bad luck with men x hypocritical, villainous older brother On the day the real Fifth Miss Wen was found by her family, Miao Yuan knelt at a side gate of the Wen estate, begging the old madam to spare her and not throw her out. But her once-kind family now showed a completely different face. They condemned Miao Yuan with utter disgust, calling her a filthy girl from a disreputable theater troupe and asking how she dared to harbor such wicked intentions. She had impersonated a Wen family daughter and moved into their grand mansion. Miao Yuan knew she had been raised among the great aristocratic families since childhood and had long since become spoiled and delicate. She had no money and no useful skills. If she left the estate without a plan, she would be abducted by a procurer and sold into the pleasure quarters. Miao Yuan was at the end of her rope, but fortunately her elder legitimate brother, Wen Ziqing, had returned after placing first in the imperial examinations. She grabbed hold of the brother she hadn’t seen in years as if clinging to a lifeline. Miao Yuan’s fingers trembled as she stood in the pouring rain, looking into his cold, deep-set phoenix eyes and pleading desperately. “Yuanyuan grew up here and has always thought of the Wen estate as home. Big Brother, for the sake of all these years of being siblings, could you please not drive me out…?” The Wen family’s main branch had few children: only Wen Ziqing, the eldest legitimate son who upheld the family name, and their concubine-born Fifth Miss, Wen Miaoyuan. Perhaps the years they had spent relying on each other as children had moved Wen Ziqing. The usually cold and unfeeling eldest brother gazed down at Miao Yuan for a moment, then slowly said, “All right.” - And so, Miao Yuan stayed with the Wen family. She knew Wen Ziqing had given her a way to live and a roof over her head. She was not a Wen by blood and didn’t dare stay here forever. She hoped to find a good family and marry soon, escaping a life in which she had no control over her own fate. On the eve of her wedding, Miao Yuan brought her elder legitimate brother Wen Ziqing his usual soothing tea before bed. Through the door, she heard the wet sounds from inside, along with the lingering, breathless call, “Yuanyuan.” Miao Yuan had no idea what Wen Ziqing was doing. Thinking that he must have come down with a fever after being caught in the rain that morning, she instinctively pushed open the ajar door. But what she saw made her blood run cold with fear. Miao Yuan’s almond-shaped eyes widened as she stared at the little red undergarment pinched between Wen Ziqing’s fingers. Lotus pattern, brocade with a subtle design: it was the garment that had gone missing from her room. Miao Yuan was mortified, but Wen Ziqing let out a low laugh. In that hoarse, desire-filled voice, he coaxed her unhurriedly. “Yuanyuan, come here.” 【Reader’s guide】 ① This story features a fake sibling relationship and elements of possessive coercion. The leads are not related by blood. This is made clear from the beginning. Also, the male lead is a virgin and has feelings only for his younger sister. Theme: Pursuing the one you love