Regret at the Imperial Court

(The second male lead takes the heroine, and the male lead gets his regretful comeuppance.)

In the third year after Pei Ling was divorced and expelled from the palace, she met Xiao Hui at the border. He was now emperor. His gaze passed over her without a flicker of emotion, and he said calmly, “You’ve lost weight.”

Back in the prosperous days of Chang’an, Pei Ling had been a crown princess, born into a prestigious family and spoiled by her elder brother into a willful, overbearing girl who looked down on everyone.

Yet she had knelt for Xiao Hui until her knees were permanently injured, and, because of the political situation, had painfully lost a child. In the end, she helped him rise from an idle prince whom no one believed in to the supreme ruler of the empire.

But she had never expected this would be her reward: her family destroyed, and herself demoted from wife to concubine.

“The Cui family’s daughter is dignified and virtuous, with a better reputation than yours. No one in court or among the people will object to her being made empress. Out of pity for you as my first wife, I will make you a Zhaoyi. I’ve done all I can for you.”

All her hopes crumbled, and every feeling in her heart froze into silence.

Pei Ling had never been one to put up with half-cooked rice. Her heart dead, she left without hesitation.

…

After three years apart, the emperor’s belated regret grew unchecked.

Seeing how destitute and wretched she looked, he assumed she had suffered terribly and was still waiting where she was, enduring until she came back to him.

Xiao Hui said calmly, “The situation forced my hand back then. I acted to keep you safe. Now that everything has settled, I can make it up to you by giving you the title of Imperial Noble Consort.”

“Your brother is getting on in years and still hasn’t married. The daughter of the Chang’an county magistrate would suit him well. Then she could come to the palace and keep you company.”

But Pei Ling wanted nothing more to do with him.

Besides, her current husband was the very brother he said ought to marry. They had already wed.

Reading guide:

The male lead changes. The second male lead gets the heroine. Xiao Hui is the original male lead, and this is essentially a story about his regretful comeuppance. Lin Yunhan is the second male lead and the heroine’s adoptive elder brother. They are not related by blood. By the time they get together, the marquis’s estate has fallen, and their sibling relationship has already ended.

The heroine is not a virgin, but the male lead is. Plenty of regretful comeuppance scenes.

P.S. If you don’t like romance novels, please don’t come comment. This novel is not historical fact. Please respect different tastes.

Coming soon:

Jiao Ling

When Yu Lingyuan was living in Jiangnan to recover from an illness, she fell in love with a young gentleman. The two secretly exchanged vows before Heaven and Earth, promising to stay together.

She thought meeting her true love was the greatest blessing of her life.

Only after following him back to the capital did she discover that her husband was a man of high status, already promised in marriage to a princess of the current dynasty.

Yu Lingyuan was unwilling to accept this, but she happened to overhear him speaking arrogantly to the princess: “She’s lowborn, and she’s devoted to me. Once she gives birth, I’ll take the child and let the princess adopt it.”

Each word was like ice, chilling her to the bone. Yu Lingyuan lost all hope and fled in the middle of the night while he was away investigating a case.

She sought refuge with her maternal aunt. By chance, her cousin was gravely ill and needed someone to take her place as a bride.

She knew that man would never let her go. The status of the Prince of Yunyang’s heir might offer her protection, so she knelt before her aunt and said resolutely, “I’m willing to marry the Prince of Yunyang’s heir in my cousin’s place.”

…

Cui Xiao had made a name for himself at a young age and was devoted to building his career. This marriage was an unexpected arrangement.

Now that he had married her, he would give her the respect she deserved. Beyond that, he had no interest in anything else.

They agreed to be a married couple in name only, and to divorce when the time was right.

But as they spent day after day together, he discovered that she was clever and capable, and every time she spoke softly, his heart grew unsettled.

During the Lantern Festival, Cui Xiao was about to confess his feelings and make her his true wife.

Amid the noisy crowd, a cold figure suddenly appeared. His eyes blazing with anger, the man ground out, “Yuan Niang, you have no idea how hard I’ve had to look for you.”

This man was Cui Xiao’s own uncle.

Cui Xiao was struck as if by lightning. He suddenly understood that the woman he had fallen for was his aunt. The woman beside him trembled all over, tears falling like rain. Only then did Cui Xiao truly understand what it meant to be heartbroken, and what it meant to yearn for someone day and night.

A voluptuous beauty × a sharp-tongued, cunning general × a cold-hearted, calculating minister

Content warning: The heroine is not a virgin, while all the male leads are. No improper relationships occur while any relationship is ongoing. This story combines regretful pursuit, marriage before love, romantic rivalry, and coercive love. As for the male lead… read the story.

Theme: The past is dark and cannot be pursued; the road ahead is bright and splendid.