A coup leaves the master dead and his hidden guard on the run.
Shen Wan flees south with her late husband’s memorial tablet and the “blade” that belonged to her master, eventually settling in the small town of Jinxi.
In public, she is a gentle, reserved young woman, and he is her quiet younger brother.
In private, she is a mistress who strictly upholds propriety, and he is a humble, self-effacing shadow.
Lu Li has only ever understood two things: killing and protecting his master.
With his master dead, his life belongs to his madam.
He hides in the shadows, watching her weep before the memorial tablet, believing he is destined to be nothing but a death-for-hire all his life.
Until one day, as red candles flicker, she blows out the lamp and accepts him, wounds and mud and all.
A wooden hairpin gathers her dark hair; a red candle shines on the two of them.
He no longer wants to be the one in the shadows. He only wants to be her living, breathing man.
Clumsily, he learns to shop for groceries, chop firewood, and carve flowers. He learns how to be a husband and how to hold a home together.
“Madam, I used to be my master’s blade. From now on, I’m just your Lu Li.”
[Reader’s Guide]
The heroine and hero are not each other’s first. The heroine was previously married and is not a virgin; the hero is a hidden guard who is insecure and stoic early on. This may end in tragedy, because the heroine’s former husband is still alive.
Early on: Loyal hidden guard x Gentle mistress
Later: The former husband pursues his wife to the bitter end, with coercive love and a tragic ending, written according to my own tastes.
The subject matter is actually not new, but the writing is very good, but I don't want to continue reading, because the author's results for several characters may not be very good, especially for Lu Li. If the results for Master Gu are too good, it will make people feel that it is too much. However, reality also allows such high-ranking and powerful people to get what they want, which is very contradictory and cruel. The author hasn't finished writing yet. It is estimated that the subsequent author will make the heroine get used to everything Master Gu has and get used to Master Gu's love. The heroine and Lu Li's children will also forget about Lu Li, so that's it.
It looks good, but I really don't want it to be!
I hope to give Gu Xingzhou and the heroine a good ending. I feel sorry for Gu Xingzhou too. I'm so angry that I want to give up. This author spends three days fishing and two days surfing the Internet. I don't know what he wants to do. It doesn't really respect us readers who follow us either.
It looks good, the subject matter is very novel, let's give Lu Li a good ending.