[Fictional setting] + [One-on-one, both leads’ first time] + [A mix of sweetness and angst] + [Multiple couples]
[A gentle yet resolute, brilliant and resilient noblewoman VS a worldly on the surface, meticulous underneath, highborn gentleman who does as he pleases]
P.S. This isn’t based on any historical period, so just assume I made it all up.
-
The day Lin Ji returned to the capital, Zhou Yan set his sights on her.
Her father, Lin Xu, had been the emperor’s most trusted friend since their youth. He rose to second-rank official but died young. Her mother, Wei Ruyue, later died at the hands of collateral relatives who wanted to seize the family fortune. Lin Ji, an orphan with her late father’s vast wealth and a reputation for unparalleled skill at chess and painting, returned to the capital. What awaited her was a hunt that had been planned long in advance.
-
The Pei family, the empress’s clan, wanted to swallow up her estate. The third prince, Min Chao, wanted to claim her for himself. The capital’s nobles all had their own schemes, but in the end, they were simply waiting for the crown prince’s position to be settled so they could each grab a share.
Only Zhou Yan slipped a personal safety charm into her hand on a stormy night and told her not to worry.
-
But Lin Ji knew this marriage wasn’t just about romance. It was her protection.
As time passed, she discovered that vermin were hiding in the household accounts, that the egg wine she drank every day had been laced with Dutchman’s pipe to kill her, and that even her father’s death seemed suspicious.
Danger followed danger in the capital. When a plot to push her into the water at a palace banquet failed, they framed her for attempting to harm an imperial heir and conspire to seize the throne. Her innocence and her marriage both hung by a thread.
-
The person behind it all had used a single game of chess to ensnare both the Zhou and Lin families.
Grand Tutor Lin wagered the century-old foundations of the Lin family to protect his granddaughter.
This marriage tottered amid imperial suspicion and palace intrigues. The wind had risen at the water’s edge, and the waves were only just beginning to swell.
