As the Minor Gay Love Rival in Het Novels - Chapter 8.2

In a land where ancient families are as common as the stars, the weight of millennia-old legacies brings not only honor but also the chains of rigid traditions. Here, bloodlines are the cornerstone of power, the unyielding foundation for climbing the ladder of authority.But what hope does the descendant of a mere hunter have in such a world? How can they claim a seat at the table in this grand feast of ambition and betrayal? Is it through the fragmented remnants of a cheat ability from the game For Honor, now warped and unrecognizable? A fleeting glimpse into an uncertain future? Or perhaps a stroke of intangible, invisible luck?The stage is set, the pieces are moving—will this unlikely contender rise, or will they become just another casualty of the Game of Thrones?

The journey of a generation’s male empress started because of four words.

“Send a dowry escort.”

During the 19th year of Yuanqing, Qi Yunruo boarded a carriage and entered through a corner door of the second prince’s estate. Then, across the watery corridor, he gazed at the prince from afar.

Notes:

For aristocratic women in imperial China to marry into a family part of the upper nobility, they must be of the legitimate line and must also have an escort/dowry maid that married into that family. That escort would be a “ying” (媵) and could be considered a concubine.

- Description from Novelupdates

Bai Yanliang, male, 23 years old, unmarried.Condition improving, good personality shaping, has met the discharge criteria.Today, discharged.

Su Jianan was marrying the love of her life. It all seemed picture-perfect, except for a few catches. One, it was a marriage of convenience. Two, she would be divorced after two years.

With her well-being under threat, Su Jianan had only one choice to keep herself safe: marrying, and pretending to be loved by a powerful man capable of protecting her. Conveniently, her soon-to-be husband was Lu Boyan, a man she had been secretly in love with for fourteen years. She went along with the marriage, knowing full well that her love was one-sided.

Or was it?

Business tycoon Lu Boyan had known Su Jianan ever since she was ten. Back then, the death of his father had plunged his world into darkness, and Su Jianan’s presence had brought a new ray of light into his life. Now, it was his turn to protect her. He would marry her to keep her safe. But two years later, he would divorce her: it would no longer be safe for her to remain by his side.

What fate awaited Su Jianan and Lu Boyan? Would their marriage mark the beginning of a happily ever after? Or would it lead to heartbreak and sorrow? Would their marriage outlast the two years? What kind of secret was Lu Boyan keeping?

Follow along with the twists and turns of this slow-burn, action-packed love story!