The Lovely Beauty Who Married a Pedantic Husband

Song Mingli was born to a lowly village woman, yet she married Cui Shijin, a man of noble birth whom everyone in Chang'an praised as a gentleman as graceful as the moon.

People gossiped endlessly, most saying she had used underhanded means to marry Cui Shijin.

She paid no heed to the rumors, focusing instead on being a good wife. She had always envied the harmony between her parents. At first, she had pursued him despite his cold demeanor, but later she settled into her role as a dignified, well-mannered lady of the clan.

She knew Cui Shijin did not love her. His sense of duty was simply part of his nature, and he treated her accordingly.

Once, when she was drunk, she confessed her love for him. Cui Shijin only replied politely, “Thank you.”

~

Cui Shijin, heir to the Duke's estate, observed every rule and upheld propriety. To him, his wife was too flamboyant and her manners not nearly dignified enough. He had married her out of duty, not love, while she adored him and was constantly clinging to him, spoiled and ill-mannered.

He felt nothing for her, so he decided to teach her to become a proper lady of the clan.

When she made mistakes, he made her copy texts as punishment. When she broke the rules, he coldly rapped her with a ruler. Later, she stopped clinging to him and became composed in word and deed. The softness and affection vanished from her eyes, and he found himself inexplicably restless.

One night, after a banquet, he was a little drunk. He saw his newly returned younger brother staring at them, his gaze like that of a hunting dog lurking in the shadows, sinister and crazed...

His wife was clearly terrified of him. Cui Shijin's gaze darkened as he realized she was hiding a huge secret from him.

Later, he even caught her looking at him with disgust. “If I hadn't mistaken you for someone else, I would never have married Cui Shijin! I truly have no feelings for him... Even if you became my dog again, I would never forgive you!”

So her rescue had been staged, and their physical intimacy had been deliberate. She had even been engaged to the fifth brother he had only just found again!

They had once been a loving couple, and she had told him over and over that she loved him. Was it because his face resembled his brother's, or had she been deceiving him all along?

~

Cui Shiyun had always looked up to his elder brother, so he greatly disliked his brother's new wife. She was lowborn, nowhere near as virtuous and refined as the women of the great families, and poorly educated. His brother even had to teach her.

That day, his brother punished her with a ruler. She held out her palm, her eyes red. Cui Shiyun was irritated by her weakness, but his gaze lingered on her.

Later, she leaned against someone, her voice soft and sweet as she complained about all the rules. Her porcelain-pale face was streaked with tears.

He left at once, but at the same time, an almost identical image appeared in his mind, except that he was the one in it.

He began to envy... them.

Then he regained his memories. It was his brother who had taken his place!

He deserved to die!

~

When Cui Shiyun learned that Cui Shijin knew the truth, he no longer held back. His eyes bloodshot with rage, he glared at the older brother he had once respected most. “She should have been my wife!”

Cui Shijin sneered, just as furious, his gentlemanly composure entirely gone. “You should call her your sister-in-law.”

Song Mingli could only run far away. But one day, she woke in a dark room to the sound of a bell and jolted in fright.

Other voices suddenly rang out, closing in from either side, sending chills down her spine:

“How will you make it up to me for deceiving me, Madam?”

“Suisui, I'm the one who's your husband!”

Content warnings:

1. All male characters are sexually experienced.

2. Over-the-top melodrama; everyone falls for the heroine.

3. The heroine is scheming and not a good person in the traditional sense.

4. This is not the complete synopsis.

Theme: Just live well