[Family, country, and power + historical political intrigue | Pure historical fiction + high-IQ twists | Ensemble cast | A couple who are always at odds | No golden finger, no transmigrate, no System, no reborn | Meticulous historical research | A must-read for detail lovers | Marriage before love | Spies | Schemes within schemes in the palace]
[A wildflower heroine who grows as she goes 🌸 × A cold, scheming crown prince of an enemy kingdom 🦊]
Jiang Tao saves a man covered in blood.
She slaps him, searches him, and steals a kiss.
The battered sheepskin scroll she takes from him turns out to be the southern campaign map he spent three years surveying and drawing. The first city marked for destruction is her hometown.
He sends people to make inquiries in the village: “Find a loudmouthed village woman who curses like a fishwife.”
With the map tucked away, she brings out a plate of dried peaches. “Big brother, want to buy some?”
One pretends to be searching for family, the other pretends nothing is amiss. They trade moves and try to outdo each other in acting.
Then war threatens Southern Liang.
Jiang Tao becomes a refugee. During her flight, she and Jiang Shi switch identities, and she enters the palace as a concubine under an assumed name.
Only then does she discover the crown prince Xie Changyun’s true identity. Later, when the old emperor dies, he ascends the throne.
The whole court kneels and urges the new emperor to fill his harem. He names her alone.
On their wedding night, red candles weep.
A false couple, with two true hearts.
A secret order from Southern Liang is hidden in her sleeve, while his eyes reflect the old peach hairpin in her hair.
“I know whose side you’re on.”
Xie Changyun lifts a hand and brushes her long hair.
“I came here to walk into the trap.”
After such a farcical beginning, watch how a lone girl from the frontier uses peaches to set the stage for a royal comedy of errors.
