[Marriage Before Love] [Chasing His Wife and Face-Slapping]
Cool-headed, decisive, slow-to-understand heiress VS elegant, refined, scheming gentleman
Lin Lingjiang spent seventeen years as a well-bred young lady who strictly followed the rules for women. But after she rebuked a wastrel who tried to take liberties with her close friend at the Flower Festival Banquet, her fiancé, Ruan Yu'an, went straight to the palace to file a complaint. Claiming she was "too fierce to be a suitable wife," he asked his distant relative, Consort Zheng, to let him marry Lingjiang's cousin instead.
But Consort Zheng had long admired Lingjiang in secret.
She sneered, "Indeed, you are not worthy of her. Perhaps you'd be doing Lingjiang a favor. She'd be much better suited to your uncle, Ruan Qingxing, the top scholar and the most gifted young man in all of Great Zhou."
Ruan Qingxing, the brightest jewel of the Ruan clan, the foremost aristocratic family in Jiangnan, was the Grand Secretary's carefully groomed successor: a man of great talent, noble bearing, and striking looks. Just like that, he was dragged into the matter for no reason at all.
When the imperial edict granting the marriage arrived, his colleagues warned him that the consort meant to use this woman to lure him into a factional struggle. He must not let himself be captivated and jeopardize the bigger picture.
The top scholar thought of the proper, boring young woman and paid them no heed.
"Captivate me? Let's see if she has what it takes."
Lin Lingjiang was apprehensive about this unexpected marriage.
But once she was married, she found the family easygoing and the elders reasonable. She could make all the decisions herself, and life was so comfortable.
As for that distant top scholar, he was just an extra to carry on the family line. They only needed to do their duty once in a while, and she didn't mind.
One time, she was away for several days. After coming home, she lingered in her mother-in-law's courtyard and refused to leave.
Just as she was planning to spend the night there, she saw her proper, well-mannered husband barge in.
In the lush lamplight, he stood tall and straight, like a pine tree dusted with snow, yet his expression shifted unpredictably.
Lin Lingjiang: ?
She was about to ask what was going on when her husband suddenly swept her into his arms and whisked her away like a gust of wind.
Ruan Qingxing thought, My wife is always so proper, and doesn't know how to captivate anyone. It would be a disaster if she ruined the consort's plans, so I should teach her myself.
Many busybodies in the capital speculated that this forced marriage would never last. His nephew, Ruan Yu'an, who had long since regretted everything, eagerly hoped the couple would divorce. Taking the opportunity to congratulate his uncle on his promotion to the Grand Secretariat, he went to spy on them.
Sure enough, the two of them were at odds.
In the Pear Blossom Courtyard, the door was firmly shut.
His uncle, who dared to argue with the emperor at court, was now in a state of panic. He held a warm imperial decree in one hand and pounded on the door with the other, his voice turning soft and then stern.
"A Jiang~ I only lied and said the emperor had scolded me because I wanted you to feel sorry for me. Don't be mad~"
"What divorce?! I've won your heart and body, and now you don't want me? Forget it!"
Ruan Yu'an was delighted.
But the next moment, his uncle, in a foul mood, grabbed him and kicked him away. "Stay away from your aunt. Get lost!"
Both are inexperienced, one-on-one, happy ending; set in a fictional world with original details.
Reader's Guide:
1. The leads are four years apart in age, both inexperienced, and the male lead is young but holds a senior position in the family.
2. The female lead grows as a person, not through being mistreated by the male lead. The leads are not reborn, but a supporting character is.
Theme: Women should strive to claim their own rights.
