The Alluring Bride

Song Jiao was the daughter of the county magistrate of Huainan. Her parents were loving, and her family was fairly well-off. She had just turned fifteen, and one suitor after another came to propose.

Just as her elders were about to arrange her marriage to a young scholar she'd known since childhood, a group of people arrived at the door in a grand procession, carrying a marriage contract.

Cui Che, the top third-place winner of the imperial exams, was the head of the Chang'an Cui clan and a powerful figure from a distinguished family. Countless women admired him, and even a princess wanted to claim this rare prize. Who could have guessed that he would marry the daughter of a mere county magistrate from the barren northern lands?

When Song Jiao first married into the family, she was dignified and virtuous. She and Cui Che weren't exactly a loving couple, but they treated each other with respect. She felt no particular affection for her future husband and only hoped they could live together in peace.

Cui Che looked at the woman before him, gentle but lacking in intimacy, and lifted her chin with a finger. "Why won't you look at me? Am I so unappealing to you?"

Song Jiao gracefully dodged his hand and smiled brightly. "How could I dare, husband?"

She said she wouldn't dare, but her eyes held not the slightest emotion.

This marriage wasn't her choice. She would play the part of Madam Cui, but nothing more!

Content warning: Mild coercive romance.

Both leads are each other's first.

Theme: I plant flowers in barren soil