Princess Yongning is born to wealth and privilege, yet lives entirely on her own terms. She loves good food, sneaking out to shop, and galloping around the courtyard on horseback. Then an imperial decree marries her off to a poor scholar.
Shen Heqing has gentle features, speaks softly, and smiles with an air of harmless innocence. He pours her tea, cooks and washes the dishes, and even warms her a cup of soothing tea in the middle of the night. The princess wonders: What does he want?
At first, she treats him like a tireless hired hand, while he sees her as an easygoing patron. Each has their own motives, and they test one another as they settle into life under the same roof. Every day, the princess complains about him, and every day, her husband just smiles and takes it.
But somewhere along the way, things start to feel different.
The tea he makes grows more and more fragrant. She insists she won't drink it, yet secretly spends the whole night savoring its aroma. The hairpin he gives her is supposedly too plain, but she wears it every day and can't bear to take it off. When he gets hurt, she says he deserves it, but stays by his side all night. He stands in the courtyard for an hour; she watches him from behind the window all night. Neither is willing to speak first.
Then one day, she realizes she can't sleep because he glanced at another woman for a moment too long.
She asks him, "What do you want, really?"
He smiles. "I want to make you happy, Your Highness."
But this man is no poor scholar. His calligraphy puts the Hanlin Academy to shame, his tea is better than anything in the palace, and when he steps in to protect her at a crucial moment, he is nothing like a frail scholar who can't even lift a chicken.
He has hidden himself so well, but little by little, she sees right through him.
