In the late spring of the Great Jing dynasty, the western courtyard of the Protector of the Nation’s mansion, where begonias drift through the air, holds two secrets: Lin Zhixia, the mansion’s legitimate daughter, and the child in her arms, Lin Xueer, supposedly the orphan of a distant cousin but actually the orphaned daughter of the late Crown Prince. She had meant to keep to her little courtyard, raise Xueer in safety, and stay far from the storms of court politics. Instead, at a turn in the covered walkway, she accidentally collided with Gu Yanci, the powerful Regent who ruled over the court.
The hem of his dark robes swept over the blue bricks, and callused fingertips brushed her arm. A simple silver longevity lock and the bright yellow talisman he handed her became the beginning of their intertwined fates. He was a cold, ruthless Regent bent on pushing through new reforms, yet in her eyes as she protected the child, he saw a tenderness he had not felt in years. She was a cautious daughter of the Duke’s mansion, careful to keep her distance, yet his willingness to defy opposition to protect the people and secretly clear obstacles from her path gradually broke down her defenses.
Flirtatious tests at the royal hunt, open and covert attacks in the political arena, and the long road to clearing the late Crown Prince’s name bound them tightly together. When the gulf in their status meets a willingness to entrust each other with their lives, and buried secrets collide with surging ambition, can they protect each other and the infant in her arms amid the treacherous court intrigues? Can the affection that began beneath a shower of begonias become a lasting happiness shared for the rest of their lives?
Snow fell and melted again in the Warm Winter Courtyard. Pink lanterns beneath the walkway illuminated the gentle way she lowered her eyes, as well as the tenderness hidden in his cool gaze. A jade lock had first brought them together, while the political storms and family ties that followed drew them closer, until, through cautious tests and growing affection, they engraved each other’s names in their hearts.
As political intrigue shrouds the capital and the difference in their status stands between them, can he keep her safe, and will she dare to overcome every obstacle?
