Side by Side on the Road to Success

She was the disregarded legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei's household. Her birth mother died young, and her father was stationed far away at the border. For fifteen years, she survived alone in a marquis's residence filled with wolves and tigers. To the outside world, she was Kyoto's notorious “little hellion,” quick to hit anyone who crossed her. In truth, she was shrewd and meticulous, always planning her next move.

He was the heir to Prince Jing, a celebrated war hero. At seventeen, he led three thousand cavalry in a surprise attack on the Northern Di royal court and made a name for himself in a single battle. For the next seven years, he guarded the western frontier, fighting so fiercely that foreign enemies dared not look south. He was the emperor's sharpest blade and Kyoto's cold-faced King of Hell, both feared and admired by the noble ladies.

An imperial edict bound them together.

On their wedding night, he slept on the couch and she in the bed, each keeping to their own side.

When she said she wanted to open a shop, he provided the capital and demanded half the profits.

She thought the marriage was simply a matter of mutual convenience, but whenever she was bullied, he stood up for her. When she was in danger, he left her his personal guard's token. Before setting off for war, he told his mother, “While I'm away, don't let anyone bully her.”

He was a battle-hardened general who didn't know how to express tenderness.

She was a blade hidden in its sheath, long accustomed to facing every storm alone.

Until one day, he held her hand and asked, “Would you be willing to become my wife in truth?”

She looked up and saw that in his eyes, she was the only one reflected.

Later, the court fell into chaos and a prince rebelled. He led his troops to war.

She took three hundred guards and rode a thousand miles to join the campaign, standing shoulder to shoulder with him on the battlefield.

Amid the flames of war, they exchanged a smile.

“In this life, I'm so glad I met you.”