A Slow Spring in the Brocade Hall

The blurb for my upcoming historical romance The Heart of a Wolf is below. If you're interested, please give it a star!

Blurb:

Jiang Jinsui, a noble young lady of Yanjing, has always followed the rules. Everyone in the city calls her a gentle, virtuous capital beauty.

But Jinsui has always kept a secret in her heart.

She has a quiet crush on the dashing young General Pei.

The young general is as bright and untouchable as the moon. She knows the two of them seem to belong to different worlds.

But an unexpected mishap brings them together by chance.

After the emperor grants them a marriage decree, Jinsui presses down her excitement and marries him, full of hope.

But all she gets in return is his indifferent gaze on their wedding night.

The man before her tersely says, "Marrying you wasn't my choice," then hurries away.

Left alone on her wedding night, neglected by her husband, she knows he was forced to marry her, but Jinsui refuses to lose heart.

After the wedding, she always keeps to her place, and they treat each other with polite respect.

Jinsui thinks that if she tries harder, he will surely see her good qualities.

If she treats him with care, surely the day will come when they understand each other's hearts.

Her husband is a promising young man, already renowned for his military achievements at a young age.

Then one day, word comes that he has died in battle.

At first, Jinsui is stunned. Only after the devastating blow does she gradually accept the truth.

The mourning hall is set up in the west courtyard of the Pei residence. Dressed in mourning clothes, she kneels on the cold bricks and watches the candle flame flicker before the memorial tablet.

She comforts herself that she has merely become a widow. It's not the end of the world.

It is only later, when she sees with her own eyes that her supposedly dead husband is alive and standing before her, that she suddenly realizes he faked his death.

The body thrown into the icy river, the remains that were never found: it was all part of his scheme.

He would rather make her suffer the pain of losing her husband and let her be hurt by rumors than tell her the truth.

She had been kept in the dark. How ridiculous.

Her feelings seemed even more ridiculous.

She said nothing else, leaving behind only the letter of divorce.

-

Pei Jiming barely noticed Jiang Jinsui at first.

To him, Jinsui was simply a pampered young lady he happened to rescue while carrying out the imperial order to suppress bandits that day.

He never expected that this rescue would bind them together for good.

He resisted the marriage.

The way Jinsui called him "husband" over and over made him uncomfortable.

But little by little, he began to care about his wife in name.

He thought they were husband and wife, so there was nothing wrong with caring about her.

But that care gradually changed. He had never known love before, and for the first time, he was drowning in it.

After his triumphant return, Pei Jiming couldn't find her. All he had was a letter.

A letter of divorce.

He had lost her.

The Heart of a Wolf [Forced Marriage and Conquest + The Second Male Lead Wins]

Jiang Ning fell in love with Lu Huaiyuan at first sight, and the way she got him was hardly honorable.

She knew Lu Huaiyuan had someone else in his heart, but she used her family's power to force him into marrying her.

After the wedding, the two always treated each other with polite respect. Lu Huaiyuan remained cool toward her and never crossed the line.

She thought their days would simply go on like that.

But then disaster struck the family, and the Jiang family fell into decline.

Only then did Jiang Ning realize that the husband who once bowed to her was no longer the same man. He had become a powerful official who could turn the tides of the court.

For the first time in her life, she humbled herself and begged him to help her family.

All she got in return was his icy stare and the words, "Don't be absurd," each one cutting to the bone.

The once-glamorous young lady was now in a pitiful state, but Lu Huaiyuan seemed to think that wasn't enough.

Lu Huaiyuan brought his former beloved into the household.

Jiang Ning was furious, resentful, and bitter. At the same time, she regretted using her family's power to trample on and humiliate him.

Then she and his former beloved both fell into danger, and Lu Huaiyuan chose to save his beloved without a moment's hesitation.

Jiang Ning had expected it, but still felt as if her heart had been torn open.

She had never given up hope, always thinking she and Lu Huaiyuan would fall in love over time.

But she was wrong. Whenever Lu Huaiyuan showed her a little pity, it was only because he was fulfilling his duties as a husband.

Overcome with despair, Jiang Ning suffered an accident and nearly died.

Fortunately, someone rescued her, but she had lost all her memories.

She forgot all the pain she'd endured, and also forgot her entanglement with a cold-blooded man.

Though she had forgotten everything about her past, the man who rescued her treated her very well.

Later, she married him.

The two lived in harmony and spent a blissful life together.

She felt happy to have such a good husband.

But one day, a stranger with bloodshot eyes grabbed her wrist. His voice was hoarse, filled with obsession and madness.

"But you are my wife."

-

Lu Huaiyuan had always thought he hated Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning was overbearing, unreasonable, and domineering. Aside from her pretty face, she seemed to have no redeeming qualities.

But when he learned that Jiang Ning had suffered an accident, it felt as if a piece of his heart had gone missing.

Night after night, he dreamed of her over and over: spoiled, wronged, and even begging him with her head bowed.

Later, he was sent to Wu Jun. One day, while sheltering from the rain beneath the eaves, he finally saw the face he had yearned for.

The Jiang Ning before him was gentle and composed, her expression soft, completely different from how she used to be.

But the "husband" she called was someone else.

Message: A love that goes both ways