The Bookish Merchant's Daughter and Her Good-for-Nothing Husband

The Fifth Prince is known as “The Bane of Ghosts.” He acts in strange and unpredictable ways, shows no regard for etiquette, and when he's in a bad mood, he won't even spare his own father, the Emperor, a shred of respect. Countless people have come to grief at his hands. Yet somehow, this man met his match in a low-ranking editor who served under him.

They say the Fifth Prince is a terrible germaphobe. If even the tiniest speck of mud splashes onto his outer robe, he takes it off at once. In the depths of winter, he'd rather wear only a thin inner robe than put up with it. So why, when Miss Shen deliberately rubbed her greasy hands on him and left two very obvious handprints on his chest, didn't he even furrow his brow?

They also say the Fifth Prince likes gentle, delicate women best, preferably the sort who look as fragile as Xi Shi, with a touch of melancholy. So why did he announce in public that he would marry no one but Miss Shen? That young lady couldn't be further from “delicate.” To chase down a manuscript, she'll block doors, climb walls, scramble up trees, leap through windows, and even run a full lap around the vast capital without batting an eye.

And they also say the Fifth Prince is carefree and above all despises petty men. But really, Your Highness, Miss Shen only invited that gentleman to dinner to discuss her manuscript. Did you really have to chase after them before you'd even finished getting dressed?

Where are all these rumors coming from? The Fifth Prince's face is about to be slapped raw.