Crazy Duke and Fallen Queen - Chapter 4 - Cultural Differences (1)

This is the novel behind the TV series, “Love Like the Galaxy”.
The following synopsis is based on the TV Series.

“The young Cheng Shaoshang was left behind because her parents had gone off to fight in the war. In order to protect herself from her scheming aunt, she had to be extra diligent while pretending to be the opposite. However, years of estrangement have made it difficult for them to become family again.

Lacking love her whole life, Cheng Shaoshang is both pragmatic and insecure in choosing a partner for marriage. She encounters three men – the emperor’s adopted son Ling Buyi, the talented Yuan Shen of Bailu Mountain, and the aristocrat Lou Yao who each have their pros and cons. Although the road to love is bumpy, she never regrets every choice she makes. Through her interactions with Ling Buyi, she unintentionally becomes involved in the mystery surrounding his family and his identity. The two grow from their experiences and worked together, upholding the righteousness in their hearts to resolve a national crisis.”

- Description from Novelupdates

When a person dies, they either die light as a feather (aka unimportant) or heavy as Mt. Tai (aka very important).

Fengyu loved gold, silver, and jewels more than anything. Her greatest dream was to eat, drink, and enjoy life as a salted fish. Her fiancé was the third-ranked scholar in the imperial exams, handsome as the legendary Pan An. Her salted fish life was perfectly complete.Her husband was poor? No problem, she was rich!But who would have thought that the winds of fate would shift, causing her soul to transmigrate into the body of Xie Xun, a dashing and rebellious young marquis, even making him lose a leg due to her. To survive on the battlefield, the salted fish had to turn over and rise, learning horseback riding, archery, and military strategy. The young marquis, bearing her face, caused chaos everywhere. Her fiancé, deeming her wild and foolish, broke off their engagement.She got engaged, and he reneged. She made money, and he squandered it. Her mountains of gold and silver were all emptied by him, and the two became locked in a love-hate relationship. Gradually, the plot started to go off the rails.The ex-fiancé, after breaking off the engagement, regretted it and confessed his deep love.Fengyu: I've already fallen for someone else.A scheming girl at the archery range tried to kill her, only for Fengyu to stab herself instead.Fengyu: What to do now? It looks like you've committed murder.Her parents, who had defended the borders for decades, returned home only to say, “Daughter, go follow the young marquis and start a rebellion!”How did the originally carefree salted fish storyline turn into one of a villain rising?In the end…Raising a husband turned out to be a money pit, but the husband was certainly worth it!A sickly schemer hiding their true nature (Fengyu) vs. A dashing but cunning strategist (Xie Xun)

The Xie Family all studied law, possessing the fine qualities expected of a scholarly family. Xie Shang too had them: elegance, deep learning, a Fragrance Connoisseur versed in classics, also skilled in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.But he was mad, capable of reciting the scriptures while holding a Buddha statue, as well as breaking people's hand and foot bones, very gentle, yet very cruel.Xie Shang didn't become a lawyer but opened a pawnshop instead, where you could pawn anything as long as the story was compelling.One day, someone came to the pawnshop and told a story:In Fragrant City, there was a family with the surname Wen, where daughters took their mother's surname. The daughters of that family could cast spells, the kind that bewitched men, leaving their lovers either buried with them or taking vows of celibacy; in short, either dead or destined for a lonely life.Xie Shang's uncle had died in Fragrant City, which is why he accepted this particular pawning business.Bewitched, confused, thrilled, deeply in love, but love unattained, and a pain so intense it made life unbearable. — This was the script Xie Shang had prepared for the deaf boy Wen Changling.In the end, it was Xie Shang who ended up with this romance-addled script.Wen Changling: Are you surprised, Mr. Xie Shang?(This isn't a book transmigration story, it's a contemporary sweet romance. The 'script' in the book title implies deliberate plotting.)