Shen Zhaoning, the princess of Daliang County, came from a century-old family. She was able to write poems at the age of seven and became famous in the capital at the age of twelve. She was supposed to marry her childhood sweetheart and her young lover, Gu Changyuan, and live a smooth and worry-free life. However, an imperial decree granting marriage drove her from the mist of the south of the Yangtze River to the wind and sand of the north - she became a pawn in the marriage between Daliang and Beishuo, and she was to marry Xiao Yan, the king of Shuozhou, who was known as "Shura" in the court.
It was rumored that Xiao Yan was a prolific murderer, his face was covered with old scars, and he had a violent temper. Some even said that half of his face was destroyed on the battlefield and he wore a black iron mask all day long. Shen Zhaoning thought she was just marrying a martial artist, but the moment she lifted her hijab, what she saw was a pair of eyes that were so calm that they were almost indifferent—the eyes didn't look like a reckless man, but more like a knife hidden in a sheath.
It was bitter cold in Shuozhou and the palace was cold. Xiao Yan treated her politely and distantly, never breaking the rules, but never getting close. Shen Zhaoning thought that this was what she would be like for the rest of her life, until one day, she accidentally saw Xiao Yan taking off his armor alone late at night. His body was covered in old wounds and looked hideous, but he was whispering something to a portrait. The person in the portrait... Is clearly what she looked like when she was young.
Shen Zhaoning finally realized that this marriage was far from simple as she imagined. And that man who is as silent as a mountain hides a secret greater than the snow in the north.
This is a chess game with the country as the matchmaker and life as the stake. They are all people pushed forward by fate. Caught between intrigue and war, a marriage that started as a transaction will eventually become the obsession that two people are unwilling to let go of in their lives.
