[Reunion after a long separation · The second male lead wins · Older brother steals younger brother's wife]
Gentle, honest wife & seemingly kind but secretly scheming Marquis of Dingbei
In the seventeenth year of the Xiyuan era, Pei Jinhan, the young general who guarded the North, returned from the northern frontier. After earning great military honors, he returned to the capital, where the Emperor bestowed upon him the title of Marquis of Dingbei.
Everyone in the capital knew that the Sang and Pei families were both renowned military houses. Pei Jinhan had been engaged since childhood to Sang Xueling, the legitimate daughter of a general's household.
But fate had other plans. As a young man, Pei Jinhan was ordered to defend the northern frontier, and his childhood engagement was transferred to his second younger brother, Pei Zhiyu.
When Pei Jinhan returned to the capital, he heard that Sang Xueling and Pei Zhiyu were deeply in love, with their wedding fast approaching. They were truly a match made in heaven.
When he saw Sang Xueling again, she looked at him like a stranger she had never met.
At a banquet hosted jointly by the Sang and Pei households,
Pei Zhiyu casually brought up his elder brother's childhood engagement to Sang Xueling.
Everyone fell silent.
Pei Jinhan smiled warmly, putting his younger brother at ease. "Don't worry, Second Brother. That childhood engagement was just an offhand remark by our elders. There was no matchmaker and no betrothal gifts, so how could it count?"
After that, Pei Zhiyu trusted him completely.
His elder brother was an upright man. He was certain his brother would never do anything wicked.
2.
Later, Pei Zhiyu became the Crown Prince's study companion in the Eastern Palace. Knowing how busy he was with official duties, Sang Xueling made pastries and nourishing soups by hand every day and sent them into the palace.
One day, while passing the Marquis of Dingbei's residence, she happened to run into Pei Jinhan. He said politely, "Since it's inconvenient for my younger sister-in-law to enter the palace, I can deliver them there for you from now on."
Sang Xueling hesitated for a moment, then agreed.
After that, Pei Jinhan invited her to the marquis's residence, where she prepared meals for Pei Zhiyu every day.
He praised her gently. "My younger sister-in-law is an excellent cook. If I had a virtuous wife like you, I would be delighted."
Only after spending time together did Sang Xueling learn that Pei Jinhan was not as ruthless as the rumors claimed. On the contrary, he was openhearted, gentle, and modest.
Until she found a privately kept erotic painting in Pei Jinhan's study. The figures depicted were her and Pei Zhiyu.
She suddenly saw through the difference between his outward appearance and his true nature. He had been coveting her in secret for a long time.
Terrified, Sang Xueling wanted nothing more than to get away from him.
3.
Sang Xueling and Pei Zhiyu's wedding date was set. Her dowry was prepared and everything was in order, with only the auspicious day left before she could marry.
She was full of joy as she waited for the day to arrive.
Unexpectedly, on the eve of the wedding, another imperial decree arrived from the palace:
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The engagement between Xueling, legitimate daughter of the General's household, and Pei Zhiyu is hereby annulled. I hereby grant Sang Xueling in marriage to Pei Jinhan, the young general who guards the North. The wedding shall take place on the originally appointed auspicious day."
Pei Zhiyu: ?
Sang Xueling: !
#Weren't you supposed to be a good brother? Why are you stealing my wife!
#A love begun in youth, and a lifetime spent together.
Reader's guide:
■ The heroine is not a virgin, while the hero is. For a time, it's a 1V2 relationship.
Blurb revised and uploaded on June 6, 2026. Screenshot saved.
Theme: Love is a kind of strength.
