The Profligate (Volume 3)

半瓶Nov 2022

3.2

Word count: 187K words
Chapters: 48

Summary

Lady Xie Nanjia, wife of the heir, is murdered in the delivery room and returns to the marquisate in the guise of a maid, vowing to find the culprit and avenge her death. To gain a foothold in the marquisate, where blades come from both front and behind, she must find herself a patron.

The wastrel second son of the Dingyuan Marquisate has lately become infatuated with a little maid—charming and pretty, yet full of schemes: she wants an alliance with him against their enemies, and to put him on the position of heir.

The second son waves his folding fan carelessly: "This young master has no interest in power—only in beauties."

The beauty flatly refuses: "An elder brother's wife is as a mother; please conduct yourself with propriety, Second Young Master!"

Editor's review

This volume continues the rebirth-and-revenge narrative thread, blending household intrigue and light romantic push-and-pull with reasonable ease. Xie Nanjia's return to the marquis's estate as a maid creates strong dramatic tension through her fallen status; her step-by-step search for a patron is both suspenseful and strategically engaging. The second young master's facade of a dissolute idler that hides a sharp mind makes him a worthy match for the heroine's scheming, and the line "A sister-in-law is like a mother, Second Young Master, please conduct yourself with propriety" works as both rejection and probing test, leaving a lingering savor. The pacing is brisk and conflicts dense, well suited to commuter or bedtime reading in short segments. Note that this is the third volume in a series, and character relationships and earlier foreshadowing depend on the first two volumes; new readers may feel disconnected from character motives and the estate's power structure. Overall, this is popular romance with rebirth household intrigue as its shell and alliance maneuvering at its core, suited to readers who favor strong plotting and fast-paced historical romance.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Historical romance readers who enjoy rebirth, revenge, and household intrigue
Readers who prefer romance lines where the hero and heroine are evenly matched and scheme against each other
Office workers who need a stronger plot for fragmented reading time
Series readers who have read the first two volumes and want to follow the estate conflict further

Not a good fit for

New readers who have not read the first two volumes and know nothing of the character relationships
Readers who prefer slow-paced literary fiction with muted plot conflict
Readers sensitive to household intrigue and power-struggle formulas and seeking realistic logic

Reading tips

It is advisable to read the first two volumes first to clarify Xie Nanjia's past ordeal and the estate's character map before starting this volume.
While reading, note the contrasting details in the second young master's words and actions to better appreciate the layers of the alliance.
Chapters often end on suspense, so reading in segments by chapter is recommended to avoid fatigue from binge reading.
Jot down the relationships among the estate's factions to better understand the logic behind the heroine's choice of patron.

版权信息
第一百二十一章将计就计
第一百二十二章偷鸡不成蚀把米
第一百二十三章活祖宗
第一百二十四章笨死他算了
第一百二十五章惊心
第一百二十六章流言
第一百二十七章算计
第一百二十八章英雄救美
第一百二十九章猜测
第一百三十章聪明绝顶
第一百三十一章心机
第一百三十二章试探
第一百三十三章挑明
第一百三十四章较量
第一百三十五章羞死人
第一百三十六章爱憎分明
第一百三十七章瞩目
第一百三十八章挑拨
第一百三十九章她是恶魔变的吗
第一百四十章不择手段
第一百四十一章掌嘴
第一百四十二章要她的命
第一百四十三章遇刺
第一百四十四章凤命之女
第一百四十五章调包
第一百四十六章优秀的男人
第一百四十七章偶遇
第一百四十八章神仙般的人物
第一百四十九章万里山河不及你
第一百五十章托付
第一百五十一章进京
第一百五十二章亲生
第一百五十三章义女
第一百五十四章掌控
第一百五十五章没一个省油的灯
第一百五十六章不动声色
第一百五十七章得偿所愿
第一百五十八章认定她了
第一百五十九章疏忽
第一百六十章网罗
第一百六十一章灭口
第一百六十二章拼死相护
第一百六十三章清算
第一百六十四章借个肩膀给你
第一百六十五章你去死吧
第一百六十六章进宫
第一百六十七章出乎意料

FAQ

Can I read Volume 3 without having read the first two volumes?

Not really recommended. The character relationships in this volume, the heroine's ordeal before rebirth, and the grudges among the estate's factions all build on the first two volumes. Reading directly may leave you confused about why Xie Nanjia returns as a maid and what the patron she seeks means. If you really want to start with this volume, at least learn the prior story summary first.

Is the relationship between the heroine and the second young master love or alliance?

The two are intertwined. The heroine first approaches the second young master to find a patron in the estate and help him rise to heir as leverage for revenge; he, on the surface, cares nothing for power and only loves beauty. As they test and cooperate with each other, genuine feeling gradually enters the alliance, but both remain calculating and guarded, making it an evenly matched push-and-pull romance.

Is the romance line sweet or angsty?

Overall it leans toward light-comedy push-and-pull, sweet with calculation. The heroine is calm, restrained, and methodical; the second young master seems a wastrel but is in fact sharp, and their interactions often include witty passages, such as the line "A sister-in-law is like a mother, Second Young Master, please conduct yourself with propriety," which is both rejection and probing. The revenge mainline runs throughout, however, and the romance never unfolds independently of the household intrigue crises.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

半瓶 Author

Ban Ping is a contemporary Chinese author about whom little public information is available. What can be confirmed is that the author writes mainly modern romance, with forays into time-travel and alternate-world fiction as well as youth literature. Eleven of the author's works are held in the collection, including the modern relationship novels Xianluo (Fall), Jiehun (Breaking Off the Marriage), Liehun (Shattered Marriage), and Shibadu Wanfeng (An Evening Breeze at Eighteen Degrees), along with the multi-volume Wanku (The Prodigal), issued in volumes 1 to 3 and as a complete six-volume set. Judging from the titles and categories, the writing centers on the emotional entanglements, marital relationships, and coming-of-age choices of urban men and women, while alternate settings expand the narrative range; the style tends toward accessible, fluent storytelling suited to popular reading. As no reliable records exist for the author's dates, nationality, education, or awards, personal biography cannot be traced, and only the published works can outline the general shape of the author's writing.