Frost Falls on Gu Chen

Princess Wenshuang of the Great Jing Dynasty is a treasured jewel, adored by everyone around her. Her parents, the emperor and empress, love each other dearly, the imperial harem is free of rivalries, and her two older brothers dote on her. Yet one thing is missing from this perfect life: the man she longs for, Gu Yan, the Empress Dowager’s adopted son and a powerful figure who holds sway over the court.

Ever since childhood, Wenshuang has clung stubbornly to Gu Yan, and his coldness has never dimmed the stars in her eyes. Gu Yan, too, has fallen for the sweet, innocent princess. But the gulf between their positions and the boundaries between sovereign and subject force him to bury his feelings, disguising his love with distance.

Then Lin Wan, the daughter of a loyal official, arrives, and everything changes. Lin Wan’s father once saved Gu Yan’s life, and on his deathbed entrusted his daughter to Gu Yan’s care. After moving into the Gu household, Lin Wan falls deeply in love with him. When she learns how Wenshuang feels, she repeatedly plots to frame her. And Gu Yan, bound by gratitude and their difference in status, chooses to believe Lin Wan time and again, subjecting Wenshuang to cold suspicion and hurt.

When Wenshuang’s deep love has been worn away, she puts aside all affection and stops calling him the familiar “Uncle” in favor of the respectful “Lord Gu.” Just then, the emperor decrees a marriage, and she accepts the proposal of General Xiao Yan, who has silently guarded her for years.

On their wedding day, Gu Yan finally realizes his mistake, but can only watch helplessly as the woman he loves becomes another man’s wife. Afterward, he tries countless times to win her back, but Wenshuang simply takes Xiao Yan’s hand and calmly tells him, “Lord Gu, I no longer love you. I love my husband.”

What was once a love separated by only a short distance has become a parting of ways that will never be crossed again. Gu Yan is left to spend the rest of his life in endless regret, guarding the love he buried with his own hands, alone until the end.