Plaything (Matriarchy)

The young aristocrat Gu Heqing has a problem. He was raised in seclusion outside the capital, and on his way back he met a horse groom who took his chastity. A man who has lost his chastity is worth less than grass. He must either become her kept man or shave his head and become a monk. But he wants neither. He wants good food and drink, inexhaustible wealth, and endless gold and jewels. He wants to be ennobled, to enjoy boundless prestige, and to make princes, nobles, and high officials bow before him. He wants far too much, and not one of those things can be given to him by a lowly horse groom. But damn it, ever since she touched him, his body can't go even one night without her. With no other choice, he has to scheme his way into a lofty marriage, while sneaking around with this illiterate peasant... Sneaking around without end. -- The Prince of Daan, Li Zhiwei, has a problem. While hunting down rebels, she becomes stranded in the wilderness and meets a young gentleman. On a whim, she takes his chastity. She lies and tells him she's a horse groom, an escaped servant who can't read a single character. The young gentleman cries and calls her a peasant, but his hands won't let go of the hem of her clothes. She teases him like a puppy. She watches him read the Six Classics and pride himself on his refinement, yet lose himself to the pursuit of power and wealth. She watches him scheme to marry into high society while shamelessly enjoying every pleasure life has to offer with her. Everything he works so hard to get is hers for the taking. After watching him long enough, she starts to find something appealing about the way he crawls around in his twisted little world. So now the question is this: How can she tell the young gentleman the whole truth without letting him realize... that he was once her bedmate's little plaything? -- A powerful, rough-hewn woman × a greedy, poisonous man -- A few things to note: 1. A deeply patriarchal fictional world, with men serving their lords and women serving their mothers. The setting is entirely original. 2. BG romance, with men bearing children. 3. The heroine is tall and broad-shouldered, 180 centimeters, carefree, and beloved by all. 4. Not a one-on-one romance. 5. Updates are irregular due to work, with at least three chapters a week. 6. This is categorized as historical transmigration because one of the supporting characters has transmigrated. 7. It is not tagged as a great-female-lead or strong-female-lead story. Theme: Hard work and perseverance bring rewards.