Picking Up a General to Plow the Fields

Do her origins eventually get revealed (her business savy-ness)? If so, how does everyone react?


Also, does the ML finally realize his childhood friend's nature? If so, how does he sent her away? Also how do the people supporting the childhood friend react? 

There's another noble girl in love with ML. I think her family is a marquis or duke family. She had been in love with ML since before he left for the battlefield, and has always been waiting for him to marry her (delusion, since he never even knows her other than the slightest courtesy greetings). When ML's "death" was spread in the capital, she mourned his death as if he's her fiance and said she's not going to marry and going to the temple, etc. This girl is very, very delusional. She thinks that since she likes the ML, and there is talks about marriage to ML (but ML never responds) before so she's entitled to be his wife. Then BAM! ML marries MC and the girl can't give up, start pressing MC to let her marry ML as wife. ML ignores her, even insulted her for being so shameless for crying over trying to take pity from everyone when he never promises her anything. Even her family was ashamed of her but can't do anything (the standard pearl in the palm of the hands) and wants to send her to the temple to calm down. But then she escaped from the temple and disguised herself and wanted to frame MC but was captured and sent to prison for slandering a noble. I don't remember what happened to her in the end, but she's dead. 

Holy moly! The emperor obviously wanted to drop bombs ಠ_ಠ big jerk he should silently enjoy his messy harem and leave other innocent people live *slap him with smelly fish >* ))))><* 

This is an awesome book with a strong, practical, smart and capable female lead and an ML who is not intimidated by her strength. Romance is slow burning and there's a lot of family politics, business and descriptions of raising a family. I enjoyed it a lot! 

MC's younger sister becomes good friends with one of the princes and is playing together with him in the palace when the concubines are rewarded to ML. She and the prince plot to make them trip and act disgraceful which lowers the emperor's face. This means that the emperor won't protect the concubines in the future. ML doesn't bother with the concubines at all and slowly they start to get impatient and try things like drugging ML. Of course, MC is aware of their plans and lets them go ahead just so that they can be caught and penalized. There are also some concubines who are realistic and understand that ML is never going to look their way and ask MC to grant them marriage to other people. MC gives them a dowry and helps them pick out people according to their wishes. Some of the concubines are stubborn and keep trying to get with the ML. MC lets them dig their own graves and then once they get caught, she and ML banish them to solitary confinement. 

DISCLAIMER: It's been a while since I read this and my memory may be wrong.

As I remember, the concubine was the sister of a young lady who had been infatuated with the ML before his amnesia. The young lady wanted to marry the ML and her parents convinced her to wait till the ML came back from war because they didn't want their daughter to marry a guy who was lower in status, had lots of problematic relatives and hadn't proved himself in battle. The ML then went on to show great achievements and was very valued by the Emperor for his loyalty as well. The young lady was expecting that her parents would get her married to him once he returned to the capital but ML was hurt on the way back, lost his memories, met MC and married her. The young lady didn't give up even after ML was married and tried to force MC to propose that ML marry her as a senior wife while degrading MC to concubine or some such stupidity. MC laughed in her face. So, the young lady tried to scheme against MC and create problems for her. MC stood up to her and handled each occurrence. Finally the young lady went too far and MC ended up getting her banished from the capital to the countryside.

Concubine is the young lady's sister and she also feels like MC shamed her family which is very powerful by not going along with their whims. So, she keeps trying to plot against MC. The whole point of getting the Emperor to bestow women on the ML was because
(a) MC had made it clear in public that she would not share her husband with other women and the ML would have to accept these women thereby shaming MC & (b) because the concubine thinks that these women can steal ML's attention from MC at which point she would be easy to deal with, not having any support. 

@lazynoodles well, at that time, she already transferred all her businesses to her younger siblings, eventhough all her siblings want her to have the majority of their properties, cause they really love and adore their elder sister, but she rejected it telling them that even in the beginning she already plans to give all of it to them, so other than her "hidden business" like her participation with her  rich cousin, she only has parts of her wealth. But people are still shocked, especially as she was the "creator" of cooton clothes, etc. and they now think, unlike before, that general Li is lucky to marry a rich woman. And i think, they all know too, that she has good instincts in business.

@elnuni it was the girl that was so obsessive with ML that was once a doted daughter of a noble family in the capital, but due to certain circumstances she had to hide her identity until she went to that far-off province and became a concubine to one of the sons of one of the leading families there. 

what a stupid family... seriously, she should have been ashamed of her sister who chases a married man and forces the person to be with her even if the other doesn't give a fuck about her... pls tell me she lost the emperor's favor  (sorry for constantly asking )