[Heroine: Shen Zhaoning] [Hero: Pei Changyuan]
[Slow-paced, pure historical romance, strong hero and heroine, marriage before love]
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An imperial decree arranging her marriage sent Shen Zhaoning, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jing’an, through the gates of the Duke of Zhenguo’s residence.
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Pei Changyuan, heir to the Duke of Zhenguo, was known throughout the capital as the “Living Yama.” He had outlived three fiancées and was ruthless, decisive, and cold-hearted. Everyone in the city said she would be the next unlucky woman to die at his hands, but on their wedding night Shen Zhaoning calmly laid down her terms to her new husband: “We’ll act like a loving couple in public, and keep out of each other’s way in private.”
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She thought their marriage was simply a matter of mutual benefit: he could use her to silence the gossip, while she could rely on him to protect her young brother. What she didn’t know was that he had been waiting for this day for a very long time. From the fleeting glimpse he caught of her on a Jiangnan street years ago to the day he welcomed her into his home amid a procession of wedding gifts stretching ten miles, every step had been part of his carefully laid plan.
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Amid the hidden dangers of the inner household, she investigates embezzlement, roots out corruption, and establishes order, using gentleness to overcome force. Amid the shifting currents of court politics, he pursues the salt-smuggling case, foils a palace coup, and brings peace to the realm with ruthless decisiveness. These two master schemers go from harboring their own agendas to fighting side by side, from treating each other with polite respect to entrusting each other with their lives. Then she discovers that this seemingly aloof heir has saved all his tenderness and affection for her.
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“I never said this marriage was against my wishes.”
“From now on, I’ll go lantern watching with you every Qixi Festival.”
“You take care of the household. I’ll take care of the court.”
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The begonias bloom year after year.
From the capital to Jiangnan, and from Jiangnan to Jizhou.
To hold each other’s hands and share the realm: that is all there is to it.
