marry new rich

The latest historical novel from Li Zi, author of *The Golden Bough*, follows Yuan Ying, the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Guo. Once envied as a future princess, she is forced by a marriage contract to wed a street gangster. Determined to preserve her family’s honor, she resolves to treat her rogue husband as little more than a guest. But her husband’s brother, Song Yan—a promising young general favored by the emperor—quietly shields her at every turn. When her mother-in-law schemes against her, he steps in to smooth things over; when her husband tries to take a concubine, he puts a stop to it; when the emperor grows suspicious of the Duke’s household, he defends them at court. He entrusts her with his private affairs and allows her free run of the general’s residence. Grateful for his constant care, she decides to arrange a match for him with a noble lady—only for the young general to lower his eyes and say, word by word: “It was I who made that engagement with you all those years ago.”