Etiquette is woven like a net, but it cannot smother a young woman’s brilliance. The gates of Qinglin Academy swing open, and beyond the confines of the inner chambers, a legendary tale of a girl disguised as a boy begins to unfold.
Jiang Manyi’s bright eyes conceal a steadfast spirit. She dares to compete in everything from archery and horsemanship to poetry and the classics. Following her cousin into the academy, she hopes to pursue her dreams and seek knowledge, only to find herself swept into a treacherous whirlpool of intrigue.
Xu Jingcai, a noble young man, arrives with a sword at his side. His eyes shine like stars, though he was once arrogant and overbearing. He initially approaches Jiang Manyi to get closer to Ruan Yinghan, but in time, her spirited, dashing bearing quietly captures his heart.
The road of learning stretches far ahead. Amid misunderstandings and tests of trust, she has no idea where her wavering heart will lead her.
And he transforms through love, going from pursuit to protection, from spoiled playboy to mature man, willingly tempering his sharp edges.
Yet her heart is filled with the ideal of forging a new path for women, while the shackles of old conventions loom like layers of fog, making their two hearts falter and stumble as they draw near.
When his transformation moves her, and his vow is cemented by his defense of her before the teachers, their tender feelings at last become a red thread of fate, binding arrogance and stubbornness, vulnerability and courage together.
She wins the academy over with her knowledge and becomes its first female teacher. He casts aside his former vanity and stands by her side as a mature man.
That fleeting glimpse of her disguised as a boy is where love begins. Their journey toward one another, overcoming prejudice, is where love takes root. And the figures standing side by side beneath the sun are the most perfect answer of all, when love reaches its deepest point.
