The heroine Shen Qingci is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo. She has a stunning appearance. She has been well-dressed and well-fed since she was a child. She has a arrogant temperament and is arrogant towards her subordinates. However, she is gifted in calligraphy, painting, riding and shooting, and is the leader in the circle of noble ladies in the capital.
• The male protagonist, Lin Fu, is a commoner boy whose family is in decline. In order to raise money for his seriously ill mother, he works as a chore outside the town government (such as sweeping snow and carrying goods). He is silent and diligent, but he is often bullied by the servants because of his ragged clothes.
• First encounter: Shen Qingci was traveling in a carriage on a snowy winter day. Lin Fu accidentally splashed muddy water on her skirt in order to avoid it. Shen Qingci angrily scolded him for being "as lowly as dust", ordered someone to push him to the ground, and broke the medicine money he had just earned. Lin Fu looked at her carriage as she drove away, clenching her frozen red fists, with a look of grievance and unwillingness in her eyes.
