Ruan Suihe x Huo Zhao | Dutiful wife x refined scoundrel | Female lead is not a virgin; male lead is
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The newly appointed censor repeatedly impeaches Huo Zhao, accusing him of neglecting his duties as a prince and losing himself in mechanical devices and other distractions.
As it happens, Huo Zhao runs into the censor's wife in the imperial garden that very day.
Rumor has it that the censor is deeply devoted to his wife, and chose to marry this beautiful woman from a farming family over a daughter from a distinguished household.
Not knowing whose tea Ruan Suihe had drunk, he finds her like a fledgling just out of its nest: uneasy, her almond eyes glistening and her cheeks flushed, asking him for directions to the Noble Consort's banquet.
Huo Zhao decides to have a little fun teasing this sparrow.
He wraps an arm around Ruan Suihe's soft waist and meaningfully rubs the glistening damp mark on his deerskin glove.
"If you want to keep this secret, why not help me test my mechanical devices yourself?"
Huo Zhao had only meant to toy with her using the device he had designed himself. But when he saw her delicate, flushed eyes and heard her softly drawl, "Zhao-lang," he nearly lost control.
As a reward, Huo Zhao left Ruan Suihe a generous gift.
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Ruan Suihe's husband asks her to attend a banquet at the palace and build a closer relationship with the Noble Consort.
It's her first time in the palace, and she's afraid of making a mistake and embarrassing her husband. Yet she unexpectedly falls into the hands of a palace artisan named "A Zhao" and is thoroughly undone.
A Zhao is the most wicked person Ruan Suihe has ever met.
Whenever the cold mechanical sounds send her thoughts adrift and she soils his workbench, A Zhao merely watches, his phoenix eyes clear, refusing to cross the line. Yet he also subtly helps her make a good impression on the Noble Consort.
Then, before the date she is supposed to return home, she catches sight of A Zhao at a palace banquet she was never meant to attend.
Everyone respectfully addresses him as "His Highness, Prince An."
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By the time Huo Zhao returns to the capital, rumors are spreading through court that the censor's wife is three months pregnant.
Carrying proof of treason uncovered outside the capital, he leads his troops into the censor's residence. Amid the flames, Ruan Suihe is still flustered and helpless, a sight that stirs one's pity.
Only Huo Zhao knows how greedy she is.
He finds the long, rectangular sandalwood box he gave her before leaving, hidden beneath her bedding, and presses it against her soft belly.
"I meant for Madam Ruan to get used to me early. Surely a mere child would never satisfy you?"
TIPS:
1. The female lead is not a virgin, while the male lead is. When she meets the male lead, she and the second male lead are no longer physically involved as husband and wife.
2. The pregnancy is a misunderstanding. The female lead will only have the male lead's child.
3. The male lead is pretty messed up early on, then later goes through hell trying to win her back.
Theme: Treat others sincerely
