The Substitute Bride Princess

[Marriage Before Love] [True Love After All] [Substitute Marriage]

Qiu Xuetan was raised in the countryside for ten years, neglected by her father and mistreated by her stepmother.

When her second younger sister goes missing after falling into the water, her father brings Qiu Xuetan home to take her sister's place in an arranged marriage to Prince Anding.

Prince Anding, Xiao Hanmu, has won countless battles and earned the Empress Dowager's wariness. She arranges for him to marry the second daughter of a minor official, hoping to blunt his ambition.

Xiao Hanmu is naturally unhappy with the match.

At a palace banquet, he takes one look at Qiu Xuetan and makes no effort to hide his disdain. "A minor official's daughter will never be fit for high society." Qiu Xuetan finds him repulsive. What an unpleasant brute.

On their wedding night, Qiu Xuetan writes out a divorce agreement. Xiao Hanmu feels utterly humiliated.

"I'm handsome and refined, with an impressive record on the battlefield. What's wrong with me?"

"I'm the one who isn't good enough for Your Highness. We should divorce." Qiu Xuetan rests her chin in her hands and blinks up at him.

Xiao Hanmu scowls, slams the door, and declares that he'll never set foot in her courtyard again. From then on, Qiu Xuetan enjoys a carefree life in the prince's residence.

Three months later, at the imperial hunt, Qiu Xuetan rides with such skill that she wins the applause of the entire crowd.

Xiao Hanmu thinks she looks strangely familiar.

"Your Highness, that's the princess consort!" his attendant says.

Xiao Hanmu is stunned...

One dark and stormy night, Xiao Hanmu slips into her bed and wraps his arms around her.

She opens her eyes, turns to him, and blinks. "Your Highness, tonight is perfect for a divorce!"

Xiao Hanmu: "..."

One day, her missing younger sister returns, and the truth about Qiu Xuetan's substitute marriage comes out.

She puts on a weak, pitiful look. "Your Highness, please give me some money, and I'll leave without disturbing your peace."

Xiao Hanmu bends down, lifts her chin, and smiles. "I'll give you ten thousand taels of gold. Be a good Princess Consort of Anding."

Qiu Xuetan: "..."

The eldest legitimate daughter of a minor official, married in her sister's place x the battle-scarred Prince Anding of Northern Yan

A beauty in a substitute marriage x a proud prince

Xiao Hanmu: What do I do when my princess consort only wants a divorce? Asking online. Pretty urgent.

1. Both leads are each other's first and only | Seven-year age gap | Happy ending

2. Substitute marriage | Marriage Before Love | Face-slapping

3. Fictional setting

[Enjoy my completed historical romance, A Beauty Hidden in a Cage!]

[Please add my upcoming novel, After Marrying My Foe, to your reading list!]

Su Zhen, the third daughter of the Minister of Revenue, and Pei Jin, heir to the Marquis of Wuping, have been at odds since childhood. Whenever they attend poetry gatherings, they always end up at each other's throats.

Then an imperial decree suddenly orders them to marry.

Su Zhen: How could I possibly marry that uncultured brute?

Pei Jin: How could I possibly marry that spoiled young lady with no talent or virtue?

After the wedding, they put on a show of mutual respect, while under the surface, tensions simmer.

Until a palace coup puts them face-to-face beneath the swords of the rebels.

Su Zhen: You seem so handsome and refined, talented, thoughtful, and gentle.

Pei Jin: You seem so beautiful, virtuous, cultured, and graceful.

Rebel: You're about to die and you're still being mushy. I can't stand it.

The affected, fiery-tempered third young lady x the clueless heir to a marquis who pretends to be a libertine

Theme: Make an effort to discover what makes the other person shine