Chasing the Spring Decree

Please add my upcoming novel "How Could My Husband Be a Cruel Villain?" to your reading list. The blurb is at the very bottom. Love at first sight, but unaware of it x casually flirtatious, slow to realize his feelings | Marriage first, love later | Sweet two-person story | Content warnings at the end of the blurb The main story has been revised several times, with numerous interactions added and updated. Thank you to all readers supporting the official version. - Xie Jianing first met Qi Wenyuan on her wedding day. She was the youngest daughter of the Jiangning Imperial Silk Bureau director, born in a prosperous, romantic city and raised in luxury from childhood. When she came of age, she traveled north as agreed to marry the third young master of the Yongning Marquis household, her betrothed. But on the wedding day, her groom was nowhere to be found! In her gold-embroidered red wedding dress, Jianing heard the guests whispering and felt a surge of resentment. When she was in Jiangnan, had she ever suffered such a humiliation? Just as she was about to announce that she wouldn’t marry him and head home, a handsome, refined young man rode up on horseback and said flatly, "My lady, please." - Qi Wenyuan, heir to the Yongning Marquis, was gentle and dignified, with the elegance of jade and gold. Unfortunately, he had no interest in romance, leaving countless young women in the capital sighing with regret. His younger brother was a dissolute rogue. The day before the wedding, he abandoned his bride and stormed off. Qi Wenyuan said the marriage agreement was between the Qi and Xie families and did not specify which Qi son would marry her. Then he set aside his official duties and went to escort the bride. At first, Qi Wenyuan only wanted to keep the marriage from turning the Xie family into enemies. He had to marry sooner or later, so he might as well marry Xie Jianing. After they wed, he would give her all the respect she deserved, but nothing more. Love was so fleeting and intangible. He had never taken it to heart. Later, amid the winding mists and rain of Jiangnan, Qi Wenyuan met a pair of limpid eyes. It was like a drop of water falling into an undisturbed ancient well, sending ripples spreading out in circles. - Qi Wenhong had spent a long time living it up away from home. When he heard that his marriage contract had gone to his elder brother, he packed his things and returned to the Yongning Marquis household. He rounded a covered walkway and saw, beyond the flowers, a proud young woman with her hair piled high and full lips like summer cherries. She smiled brightly in Qi Wenhong’s direction. Her eyes seemed to hold countless pearls. Before long, the young woman came gracefully over to him. Qi Wenhong was just about to speak when a man in a purple robe passed in front of him. Qi Wenyuan reached out to straighten the young woman’s collar and sleeves, then took her fingertips and drew her behind him. He turned back to Qi Wenhong and said coldly, "Call her sister-in-law." [Important] [Important] [Important] 1. This is a fictional setting, very fictional. Please don’t nitpick the historical details. 2. One-on-one romance, first love for both leads, six-year age gap. 3. A sweet slice-of-life story. Both the logic and plot are weak; everything serves the cuddly moments. 4. A two-person story. 5. Repeating myself: everything serves the cuddly moments. 6. The place names in the novel are only borrowed names. Don’t associate them with real locations. 7. This is my first time writing a full romance. [Important] I recommend buying it one chapter at a time. 8. If anything in the story bothers you, it’s a problem with my writing. Blame me, not the leads. Blurb for "How Could My Husband Be a Cruel Villain?": - Sweet, slow-witted girl x cynical, scheming general - Marriage first, love later | Mutual redemption | Past life and present life | Wolf-and-rabbit romance | First love for both leads Before her wedding, Wen Zhiheng once had a nightmare. In the dream, she was offered up to the powerful Marquis of Huai'an. As soon as she entered his residence, she saw him behead a relative with his sword. The rolling head terrified her. After that, she was bedridden for a long time and died in despair. When she woke from the dream, drenched in cold sweat, she repeatedly said she would marry the young general, Meng Xun, at once. Everyone said Meng Xun had been poisoned by a strange toxin, was unpredictable, and was extremely difficult to get along with. But she remembered how he had ridden through a rainstorm to save her life years ago. She knew he was a good man. After they married, Meng Xun treated her well in every way, from food and clothing to daily comforts. As time passed, his health gradually improved, and he grew ever closer to her. Later, when others condemned him as calculating and ruthless, She rose onto her toes and rubbed her cheek against his expressionless face, gently reassuring him: "Husband, don’t listen to their nonsense." Meng Xun discreetly wiped the blood left on his palm after killing someone, then reached up to stroke the top of her head with an unreadable smile. "Then what should I listen to?" "The truth from me." Her ears flushed pink as she spoke slowly. "My husband is honest, kind, and gentle." Then, one night, after they had been intimate, Wen Zhiheng dreamed that the Marquis of Huai'an, having just slaughtered his relatives, turned around. The man had long, slanted brows, a high nose, and a small mole at the end of one eyebrow. It was unmistakably Meng Xun’s face. Terrified, she fled to Xing Shan Temple under the pretense of praying for blessings. But that day the sky was overcast and a storm was brewing. When she hurried back to her meditation room, she saw Meng Xun standing by the door, though he was supposed to be in the palace discussing state affairs. He strode over to her and gripped her wrist tightly, his blazing gaze fixed on her fingertips, utterly unlike his usual calm and gentle self. Meeting his dark eyes, Wen Zhiheng felt she was seeing the very same ominous shadow from her nightmare. ...Did he want to kill her? But Meng Xun’s voice was exceptionally gentle: "A Heng, come home with me." Theme: Live each day with both feet on the ground