In order to avoid being used as a pawn to marry a powerful man over fifty years old, Xie Mencai, a concubine from the Ministry of Civil Service, reached a "marriage contract" with Cheng Linxu, a border military captain who had returned to Beijing to report on his duties and was also forced to marry. The contract stipulates that the two will become a fake husband and wife, and they will "make peace" after a year, each taking what he wants and having nothing to do with each other.
After her marriage, Xie Mencai relied on her intelligence and prudence to gain a foothold in the crisis-ridden General's Mansion and keep the inner house in order. Cheng Linsu, who has a cold appearance and is not good at words, is attracted by this woman who is weak on appearance but extremely tough on the inside through seemingly inadvertent interactions. He saw her silently resolve the dispute in the back house, and unexpectedly discovered that she could identify poisons by their smell and evaded plots many times.
While Cheng Linxu was guarding the border, the two of them passed letters to each other. From the initial few business-related exchanges, they gradually turned into a daily routine of sharing the wind and snow at the border and the four seasons in Beijing. The war was tense, and Xie Mencai used her knowledge of medicinal materials and fabrics to find ways to deliver much-needed supplies to the border army, becoming Cheng Linshu's strongest backing. Cheng Linxu's frozen heart gradually melted with Xie Mencai.
As the one-year period was approaching, the bad news came from the capital that Cheng Linsu had died in battle. The Xie family immediately came to force Xie Mengcai to "martyr himself" or remarry. Xie Mencai did not believe that Cheng Linxu was dead, so she fought against the family on her own and secretly investigated Cheng Linxu's whereabouts. Just when she was in dire straits, Cheng Linxu, now a general, returned with his blood-stained uniform and defeated thousands of troops. He protected her behind him and tore up the "Book of Peace" in public.
"My wife, Cheng Linxu, you are the only one in this life. I used to be fake, but from now on, I will take my life seriously."
