Welcoming My Beloved

What’s it like to have a gambling addict for a father? As a child, Huo Aying earns money by being cute. As a teenager, Huo Aying studies literature and sings. By the time she comes of age, Huo Aying has blossomed into the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan. So her father announces, “Anyone who wants to marry Aying must offer a thousand taels of gold as a betrothal gift.” In an instant, everyone says Huo’s father has gone mad. With her background, she should be throwing herself at some wealthy man to become his concubine, not shamelessly demanding a fortune as a bride price. But when they see Huo Aying’s flawless skin and breathtaking beauty, all the men in Lin’an can only curse their empty pockets. The next day, the Huo family vanishes without a trace. * In the capital, at the Dingyang Marquis’s residence, Madam Guan brings home a distant niece. Hoping to strengthen the family’s connections, she plans to offer the girl to the emperor’s maternal uncle. But before she can send the girl off, the young marquis is drugged by his dissolute friends. Madam Guan is heartbroken. “You good-for-nothing! That girl cost a thousand taels of gold!” * The heroine’s point of view: I was born trapped in the mud. If I wanted to defy fate, I could only rely on myself. As a child, I bribed a tutor to say I was exceptionally gifted and talented. As a teenager, I bribed a brothel madam to say I had perfect features and was destined to be a beauty. When I came of age, I bribed a fortune-teller to say I was born for greatness and destined to be extraordinary. After doing all that, I murmured, “This way, even if I run away, I’ll still be able to scrape by.” Who could have known that my scumbag father might be heartless, but he had a brain. He sold Aying with a packet of knockout powder. * The hero’s point of view: Other noblewomen want me, covet my body, and dream of taking my place. This woman wants gold, silver, and money. After one stolen night together, she took off running. I thought she was calculating, ingratiating, and eager to curry favor with the powerful. Who knew she could read people, keep the marquis’s household in check, and be both talented and compassionate?