The Slave Who Became a Maid

[Angsty romance + the husband pursues his wife to the crematorium + fleeing while pregnant + proud fallen noblewoman vs. obsessive marquis + rekindled love]

Xiao Che was a renowned young general.

He came from a distinguished family and was strikingly handsome, like a bright moon hanging high in the sky. In the eyes of the noble young ladies of the capital, he was a flower atop a snowy mountain, beautiful and untouchable.

He loved only Shen Nanxi.

He cherished and adored her, unwilling even to sully her, and treated her like a treasure in his hands.

She loved peach blossoms, so he promised that for the rest of his life, he would pluck flowers for her alone, and no one else could pluck them for her.

He said she was as delicate and precious as a flower and jade, and that he would protect her for a lifetime, making her a woman everyone envied.

But a political upheaval drove a deep wedge between them with the feud between their families, and they went their separate ways.

She became engaged to another man, while he went north to guard the frontier.

They saw each other again two years later, when she was stripped of her family home and exiled to the northern border as a slave.

Her clothes were disheveled when he rescued her.

Knowing this was no simple matter, the steward did not dare neglect her and asked, "My lord, should this criminal slave be sent to your room to serve you?"

Xiao Che's voice was colder than the ice of the north. "A criminal slave is only fit to wash the chamber pots and dispose of filth!"

He hated her to the bone. He made her his slave, tormented her, and put her through unspeakable suffering...

When she disappeared, he should have felt free, but instead he went mad with longing.

"If you can't be my wife, then even as my slave, I'll cling to you for the rest of our lives!"

Much later, when the heir to a Western Regions principality visited Great Yong, he plucked a peach blossom and said, "My wife loves peach blossoms. I'll take this one to her."

That day, Xiao Che said icily, "Do you know that your wife is a criminal slave of Great Yong?"

Shen Nanxi no longer avoided him. Her expression calm, she said, "Grand Tutor Xiao, let's not dwell on the past. Let's talk about our alliance. Great Yong's throne should change hands."

Xiao Che: As long as you come back, I'll do whatever you say.