Yifang Ci

[Serious Drama] [No Mindless, Clichéd Angst] [Not a Wish-Fulfillment Story] [Carefully Crafted] [Slow Burn]

She is the widowed daughter-in-law of the prestigious Pingchang Marquis household. Brought into the family with a marriage contract, she suffers neglect and scorn. Though skilled at arranging flowers and as lovely as a pearl or jade, she becomes a stepping stone for the Marquis household's second young lady to win a reputation for herself.

He is nearly thirty and holds the highest ministerial office. He mourned his late wife for three years and never remarried, making him the unattainable white moonlight of the capital's noblewomen.

The first time she speaks to him, he responds with cool detachment:

"The person you're looking for was dismissed from office and imprisoned for taking bribes. If you go, I'm afraid you'll make the trip for nothing."

She looks up in shock, only to meet his eyes, deep as a cold pool. His gaze is still as an ancient well, yet unfathomable, as he looks down at her from on high.

Later, she leaves the Marquis household, establishes her own household, and opens a shop. Everyone laughs at her as a fallen merchant's daughter.

What they don't know is that she eventually becomes the matriarch of a great family, marrying the very man who once told her she'd "make the trip for nothing."