Plain-language summary:
I thought you just sold porridge. I didn't know you sold yourself, too!
A scholar falls in love at first sight with a porridge seller while heading to the capital for the imperial exams, only to discover that the seller is actually a flirtatious opera performer. This leads to all kinds of complications~ The secondary couple is a prince of the current dynasty and the crown prince of the former dynasty.
Couple dynamics: genuinely scheming scholar top VS seemingly aloof opera performer bottom; seemingly cold prince top VS truly devoted former crown prince bottom.
Literary summary:
[One]
Their first meeting began with a bowl of porridge,
Setting off all this turmoil that neither could escape.
One was a rootless duckweed, wandering the world,
The other, a refined scholar in a long gown, on his way to office.
One was proud and indifferent, his cutting words wounding the heart.
The other was earnest and upright, determined to lead him toward goodness.
Prejudice and misunderstanding ended in a fleeting brush past,
Yet unknown feelings stirred in their hearts, rippling in quiet waves as the years drifted by...
When they met again... Neither had expected their memories to age into fine wine. Only when drunk did they realize that the years had settled in another's heart.
[Two]
When they first met, one was the crown prince of the former dynasty, the other the prince of an enemy state.
Life is more changeable than the heavens. If you're still alive, there's always a new smile to find.
One was a remnant of a fallen kingdom, with a complicated past, drifting through the pleasure quarters.
The other was a prince of the current dynasty, high-born and long at home in the world of pleasure.
To protect him, he kept his distance, cold and aloof.
Out of gratitude, he served tea without a word.
They fell in love without knowing it, idly playing with the lamp wick as the night wore on.
Wherever life takes us, love will find its way.
Every meeting is fate; every understanding comes from the heart.
A few moments of quiet, and the garden is filled with springtime love.
[The main story is complete. No extra chapters are currently available.]
