Historical romance: A powerful, untouchable male lead and a lazy, timid beauty, the daughter of a minor official*
Li Lezhi hates drawing attention and loves hiding away in her own courtyard to enjoy some peace and quiet. Though she has gotten herself entangled in a mess, she avoids suspicion whenever she can.
Chen Yulin keeps finding himself seeking her out. One day, he happens to see her relaxing in her courtyard and is struck by an idea. He keeps arranging chances for them to meet. When he learns that she had originally planned to marry a merchant and has already started meeting potential suitors, he goes along with a scheme to drug him. He even plans to drug her too, so she'll come to him for the antidote and everyone will know about it.
Li Lezhi thinks getting entangled in this would be too much trouble, so she suggests returning to her hometown to lie low. Afraid things might take a turn, she packs her bags that very night, climbs into a carriage, and heads home to pray at the temple. …
The male protagonist should have been open and aboveboard in wanting to marry the female protagonist. If his family disagreed, he should have found a way to persuade them; there are various methods. Why did his process of winning her over involve ruining her reputation? Women in ancient times already lived such difficult lives, and now they had to be framed and have their reputations destroyed.