A rakish young master, bottom x a refined young lady, top
Lu Jize x Song Yutan
Lu Jize was a rakish young master who frequented every pleasure house in town. To the people, he was the shameless playboy who “stood out like a single green leaf among a sea of flowers.” Then one unlucky wager led him, by sheer chance, to meet the person everyone called his opposite: the refined and gracious young lady Song Yutan. Thanks to his talent for getting into trouble, he stumbled upon the young lady's secret. The two, who had belonged to completely separate worlds, were suddenly thrown together. Before long, his father was arranging a marriage between him and “her.” Thinking the matter was all but settled, he went to demand an explanation from “her,” only to overhear “her” discussing with a subordinate a scheme to use him and his family's influence.
His heart sank. “She” spotted him eavesdropping and casually laid down three rules: since he had heard everything, he must not cause trouble or bother “her.” “She” already had someone in “her” heart.
And “she” was a commandery princess, someone he could not afford to offend.
Bound together by their circumstances, he and “her” went through many trials, and he fell into an unrequited love.
But his family was gradually brought down because of him. His father and brothers were persecuted and thrown into prison, their property confiscated, and two elders of the clan were angered to death. His mother, sisters, and he were exiled. Bandits attacked them on the way, leaving him as the only survivor. Not long afterward, he died of hunger on the street like a stray dog.
Only then did Song Yutan realize that Lu Jize was the person who had saved “her” as a child, the one she had held dear in her heart. She rushed to find him, but all she found was his frozen corpse and a thin stone slab with a message carved into it. As the stone slab fell, “she” finally abandoned her usual composure and held his remains as if embracing her beloved.
