She was forced to marry in someone else's place, while he watched with cold indifference. Their marriage of convenience would set the court and the martial world astir.
Su Ruo Jin, the illegitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites in the Great Zhou dynasty, lost her birth mother at an early age and endured her stepmother Lin's mistreatment just to survive. When her legitimate younger sister, Su Zhi Lan, poisoned herself to escape an arranged marriage, Su Ruo Jin was forced to take her place and marry Xiao Yu Chen, heir to the Marquis of Ningyuan. From then on, she was swept into a vortex of political intrigue and hidden identities.
Cold and aloof, Xiao Yu Chen commanded a powerful army and distrusted this marriage by proxy. The two made a deal: they would be husband and wife in name only, each getting what they wanted. He would help her investigate her birth mother's death, and she would manage the Marquis's household for him.
However, as the investigation deepened, Su Ruo Jin discovered that her birth mother was actually Princess Ming Yue of Northern Di, who had gone missing. Behind her identity lay a blood feud and conspiracy involving the royal houses of both kingdoms. The Lin clan had allied with Northern Di rebels and planned to overthrow the court. At court, the "Night Owl" lay in wait, ready to strike.
When war flared anew at the border and Xiao Yu Chen found himself in danger, Su Ruo Jin disguised herself as a man and traveled a thousand miles to find her husband. Amid trials by fire and blood, love began to blossom between them. Yet the King of Northern Di suddenly recognized her, her twin sister appeared, and the truth about the late emperor's edict came to light, repeatedly forcing her to choose between her identity and her loyalties.
She was Su Ruo Jin, a descendant of Northern Di's royal family, and Princess Zhao Yang of Zhou.
He was Xiao Yu Chen, a battle-hardened general and a husband willing to turn the world upside down for her.
In this contest of political intrigue and love, could she uncover the truth behind her mother's death? Could the two of them keep their vows to each other in these turbulent times?
◇ Tags:
Marriage by Proxy #IdentityReversal #PowerfulAllies #CourtIntrigue #FamilyAndCountry #AngstyRomance
I haven't read such a beautiful book in a long time ()
The pace is not sluggish, the ideas are clear and smooth, and the language is natural. It is a good book that I found after looking for a long time.