[Chasing the husband + sweet romance + marriage before love + mutual devotion]
Clever, fiercely protective young wife versus gentle, reserved young man
Hua's perspective: Hua Fushu is the eldest daughter of the Hua family and a student of the renowned physician known as the greatest in the world. Two years ago, she left her fiancé on the eve of their wedding and ran away to attend the Apricot Grove Assembly!
Two years later, Hua Fushu still refuses to submit to an arranged marriage. She goes to find her fiancé and call off the engagement. Hearing that he has a female confidante, she swaggeringly goes to “catch him in the act,” partly to annoy him, and tells him, “I don't mind taking you as my male concubine.”
Who knew she'd fall for his charms?
Her fiancé is quite handsome, she admits she's taken a fancy to his looks!
Ye Zelin's perspective: He's the legitimate son of the Grand General who Guards the Nation, and a close confidant of the emperor. When they were young, he said he liked little Fushu, and just like that, she became his fiancée. When he was nineteen, the little Fushu he'd cherished in his heart since childhood ran away from their wedding. Just then, an enemy nation invaded, and he put on his armor and went off to war on orders.
When he returned victorious, the emperor told him, “Yushi, I intend to make Prince Qin the heir. You're the only person I can trust.”
With reddened eyes, he forced himself to calm down...
It was two years before he saw his fiancée again. In a brothel, he didn't recognize her and mistook her for a lecher harassing his friend.
He'd resented her for running away from their wedding, but what was wrong with her pursuing what she wanted? He, too, had his own duty to fulfill...
This isn't a wish-fulfillment story. It's a slow burn, with the important plot developments coming in the second half.
