The Four Swords - Chapter 23: Parade

He was a simple man in his past life – a masseuse, not a hero. His hands were trained to heal pain, not cause it. But when fate dragged him into another world, those same hands became the only thing keeping him alive.Unlike the chosen ones who gain holy blessings or unrivaled power, he has nothing but skill, wit, and stubbornness. He doesn’t seek glory, nor does he dream of leaving his name in history.But the world has other plans.A kingdom built on lies. Families fighting for power in the shadows. Betrayals hidden behind smiles. And he? He’s caught in the middle, forced to navigate schemes that could devour him whole.He isn’t the strongest. He isn’t the bravest. But sometimes, the man who doesn’t want the spotlight… is the one who survives it.________I get this alot so I'm going to clarify:This is not a smut novel, there will be romantic scenes but not as pronounced.

[#lovesosweet][WARNING: Mature content 18+][WPC #AUG2023Entry]« Is it not enough that I have been 'sold off' as a catalogue bride but also have to compete with a dead woman for favour? »Shelby looks like she has it all. The perfect family and all the perks that come with it. But she must go through a 'forced contract marriage' and also compete for the attention of the man she had been unwillingly tied to...Ian lost the love of his life so suddenly that his mind still refuses to accept that reality. He gave up everything and secluded himself until his mother found him a bride. His one task was to give the family an heir but how can Ian do this when the air he breathes all revolves around the one woman he can never have. However, he finds himself in a predicament and dilema when the new contracted bride is thrust into his life unwittingly... especially, when he finds out that she is more than meets the eye.

When Qin Yan was five years old, she left the capital with her mother and went to the Pingxi Army under the command of her grandfather, Duke of Zhenguo, in the Northwest. When she returned twelve years later, things were different.

After the mother was attacked and disappeared, everyone in the Prime Minister Mansion only knew of Concubine Song, but not her mother, the honorable mistress. They only knew that there was only one Miss Nian in the mansion, and they did not know that there was also her, the only eldest young lady of the first wife.

The concubine took over her mother’s dowry and pretended to be rich and generous to win people’s hearts. The concubine-born younger sister, with the identity that belongs to Qin Yan, was mixed up like a fish in water in the circle of noble daughters in the capital, and she also intended to get involved with Qin Yan’s fiancé.

The people in Prime Minister Mansion thought that Qin Yan could only be at their mercy when she returned to the capital alone. However, they never thought that within a few days of returning to the capital, Qin Yan was granted the title of Princess of Zhaoren by the emperor and given a palace as the Princess Mansion.

When Qin Yan took back the dowry that belonged to her mother, only then did her father Prime Minister Qin and Concubine Song knew that Qin Yan was the owner of Yu Qingfeng, the first bank in Great Xia.

The City Master of Gu City, an important town outside the Northwest Pass, was known as the owner of Yu Qingfeng, the first bank in Great Xia which claimed to be able to reach half the national treasury.

How many secrets have not been uncovered on Qin Yan?

- Description from Novelupdates

Ye Zichen was just a normal university student. Or so he thought.