Did Madam Blow Up the House Today?

The new novel, Why Is the Marquis of Jing'an Like This?, is currently being serialized and updated daily. If you're interested, give it a try!

[Scion of a prestigious family x young general, intense push and pull between husband and wife early on, then they join forces to overcome obstacles] [One-on-one romance, two capable leads, both leads are smart, no women fighting over a man, heroine is clearheaded and independent, flexible when circumstances demand, with a political career storyline; hero seems aloof but is actually sensitive and thoughtful, a model husband who always protects his wife]

For generations, the Nangong family has refined pills for the imperial family. There are two direct-line heirs: the elder brother is a once-in-a-century alchemy prodigy, while the younger sister has a furnace-exploding constitution that would be hard to find even with a lantern.

Nangong Yue is the latter.

After a sudden upheaval, the prodigy died, and Nangong Yue took her brother's name and offered the emperor an elixir of immortality, securing ten years as family head for her mother. But with the ten-year term nearly over, her secret is about to be exposed at the family-head election ceremony. Her mother says:

"There's only one way out: a marriage alliance! Once you're married, you won't have to take part in the election."

Nangong Yue: "Who am I marrying?"

"Baili Yufeng."

"...I've heard he's chopped off more heads than our family has refined pills in decades. If he finds out I can't refine pills at all, won't I be dead for sure?"

Her mother: "Then don't let him find out."

*

A month later, her handsome husband, who hadn't shown up for the betrothal discussions, the engagement, or even the wedding, finally returned.

Dressed in a black robe, with a handsome face and elegant bearing, he greeted her by saying:

"You have three months to refine a fifth-grade elixir of immortality for me."

Nangong Yue was dumbfounded. Three months? An elixir of immortality? What kind of outrageous nonsense was that?

Baili Yufeng: "You don't want to, Madam?"

Nangong Yue: "It's not a question of whether I want to..."

*

Three months later, after the general's residence had suffered N furnace explosions, Nangong Yue finally presented her masterpiece on the appointed day!

Baili Yufeng: "It's perfectly round, with a bright yellow hue and three raised lotus-shaped patterns naturally formed on its surface. Why are you giving me a beauty pill, Madam?"

Nangong Yue: "? General, how do you recognize this thing?"

"I may not know how to refine pills, but I can read."

"..." (Nangong Yue covers her face and smiles bitterly.)

*

Later, when her secret was exposed, Nangong Yue thought she would be made to stretch out her neck and await execution. But her husband said, "I'm here. What is there to panic about?"

P.S. Alchemy in this story is purely a technical craft, with no magic or spiritual energy.

Theme: Sharing every dawn and dusk, walking together until daylight.