The Illegitimate Daughter of a Noble Family

Being a secondary daughter in a prominent family is hard. Being a secondary daughter in the second branch of the Jing'an Marquis's household is even harder.

So Pei Rongyun chooses to lie flat, avoiding "hard mode" by hiding in her little courtyard, eating and drinking, and living peacefully as a slacker.

When a noblewoman mocks and ostracizes her, she calmly responds with such lavish praise that the other girl is hastily married off to a faraway place.

When her concubine-born mother urges her to steal her elder sister's marriage match, she firmly refuses, saying that no man is more important than sisters.

When she learns her name has been submitted for the palace selection, she accepts it calmly. She is mediocre at music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, so she won't be chosen anyway.

But her legitimate younger sister suddenly throws a fit and insists on entering the selection too. Both sisters are chosen.

Her younger sister is honored with the title of a Crown Prince's consort, while Pei Rongyun is betrothed as the principal wife to Zhao Che, the notorious Prince of Qi.

After the wedding, rumors spread that Pei Rongyun was having a terrible time.

She had to put up with Zhao Che staying away from the manor night after night, keeping women at his country estate, and even having red nail marks on his face.

But Pei Rongyun, who secretly went to the night market with Zhao Che for late-night snacks, stayed at the country estate for ages, obsessed with horse racing, cockfighting, and fishing, and accidentally scratched someone after that one time, could only think:

Her younger sister sure has a vivid imagination.

Zhao Che was made Prince of Qi at the age of eleven. Raised by his imperial grandmother, he was spoiled rotten and became a notorious little terror.

He had beaten a powerful eunuch known as the "Inner Chancellor," kicked a censor who dared to scold the emperor in the middle of court, and even the feared commander of the Imperial Guards ran away the moment he saw Zhao Che...

Almost no one could make him back down.

Until one day after their wedding, his princess consort, still with tears on her face, kicked him out of bed after he went too far.

This time, the man who wouldn't even kneel before his own father hit the floor faster than anyone.

Before you read:

1. Both leads are sexually inexperienced. Gentle, kind, and clever heroine X wild, mischievous playboy hero. A capybara-and-beagle love story.

2. The hero will not become emperor.

3. An alternate world, with household and palace intrigue and a little childcare. The general direction is a sweet story about a marriage that comes first and love that follows.

4. The legitimate younger sister isn't really a villain. She's a cog that changes everyone's fate, accidentally altering how everyone's story ends.

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Please bookmark my upcoming novel, The Idleness of a Noblewoman. Here's the blurb~

After transmigrating, Lin Qingyou is very satisfied with her life:

She was born into the Rongping Earl's hereditary household, where her parents are devoted to each other and practice monogamy. There is no scheming among the elders, and as the youngest daughter of the family, she is adored by everyone...

That is, until she is granted a marriage to Shen Zonghuan, heir to the Duke of Dingguo.

All at once, the noblewomen who used to envy her good fortune are waiting to see her make a fool of herself. After all, they are worlds apart in every way.

In terms of family standing, the Rongping Earl's household has a scholarly tradition, and the two branches of the family get along harmoniously. But the old duke and the current Duke of Dingguo are both military men of humble origins, and the household is in chaos every day.

In terms of reputation, Lin Qingyou is renowned throughout the capital. Even the empress can't praise her original embroidery techniques enough. Shen Zonghuan, on the other hand, is a vicious, ruthless hound of the court whom everyone avoids.

In terms of temperament, one is gentle and easygoing, wanting nothing to do with the world, while the other is arrogant, aloof, and has made plenty of enemies.

Over time, even Lin Qingyou can't help developing a prejudice against him.

But on their wedding night, the unsmiling Shen Zonghuan's ears turn red the moment he lifts her veil. The next morning, he even spends the whole morning massaging her lower back.

From then on, Shen Zonghuan indulges her in everything.

If she doesn't want to get up early, she doesn't have to pay her respects to her mothers-in-law. If she dislikes the food, he'll set up a separate kitchen for her. If the capital feels stifling, they'll go have fun at the country estate for as long as she likes...

And so Lin Qingyou goes from being the most carefree noble girl to the most carefree noblewoman. Each day, her biggest concern is how to guide the cook in making all the foods she longs for: stir-fried eggplant, potatoes, and green peppers; fresh vegetable congee with salted egg yolk; shrimp dumplings; spicy hot pot; fried chicken; red bean double-skin milk pudding; dry-fried beef ho fun, and more.

Of course, she has one concern: at night, they have to switch, and she must do whatever Shen Zonghuan wants.

Before you read:

1. Both leads are sexually inexperienced. The heroine is 19 and the hero is 25 from the start.

2. Before the heroine is granted her marriage, she has a verbal engagement to another man, but there are no feelings between them.

3. A pure sweet, doting marriage-first-love-later story, mostly about everyday life and food. There is a little household and political intrigue, but it's all background.

Theme: Treasure what you have and work hard at life.