A Hairpin of Snow

There is a little-known secret in the Ji family of the Imperial Academy: the eldest daughter of the Ji family, unloved by her parents due to an inauspicious birth date, has a twin sister who has been lost and living elsewhere.

The two sisters, living vastly different lives, have developed contrasting personalities.

The elder sister is weak and easily bullied, simple and unsophisticated; the younger sister is vengeful, ruthless, and kills without blinking.

In the political turmoil of the court, disaster strikes the innocent.

The elder sister is schemed into marrying her father’s archenemy—Ho Xian, the infamous Commandant who recognized a traitor as his father.

Huo Xian is notorious for his ruthless methods and association with eunuchs, despised by many. He is also infatuated with beauty, with a harem filled with countless concubines, each as cunning as the next.

While everyone was mourning for the elder sister’s fate, little did they know that the one sitting in the bridal sedan heading to Huo household was no longer a meek and easily bullied innocent.

–

On the wedding night, facing her notorious husband, Ji Yuluo pretended to be frightened, trembling so much she fainted from fear.

Huo Xian found it boring and didn’t visit the inner courtyard for several days.

One day, by chance, he returned home and saw one of his beloved concubines struggling for help in the water while his timid new bride sat nearby, casually applying nail polish, and said nonchalantly, “What’s the rush? She won’t die.”

The other concubines knelt nearby, trembling as if they had seen a ghost.

Huo Xian watched with interest.

Later, he stared at the sparkling water droplets on the beauty’s neck, his gaze dark and unreadable—

“Tsk. She truly is an ancestor, my ancestor.”

Huo Xian, despised by everyone, walked a path of betrayal and isolation until he met someone who, in the face of extreme danger, handed him a blade to cut through the waves.

– Even if my name is forgotten in history, I will stand by him.

Mad (Loyal) Dog Villain × Scheming Beauty

Reading tips:
The male lead is physically and emotionally clean; the harem mentioned in the synopsis is just a setup.