The fallen princess versus the powerful minister of the new dynasty
[Double purity] [Contract] [Alternate world]
On the day her kingdom fell, Song Yuan did something everyone thought was insane.
Wearing her princess’s ceremonial robes, she stopped the enemy who had destroyed her kingdom in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
A contract in writing made her Xie Yun’s nominal advisor from that day on.
He taught her political strategy, and she helped him investigate cases.
At court, he slammed the conclusive evidence of embezzlement she had uncovered onto the table, then turned to ask her in front of everyone, “Foolish people can’t understand this move, while clever people don’t care to look. Which kind are you?”
The night the vassal kings raised their armies, she laid a military strength analysis she had drawn herself before him.
After reading it, he looked up at her. “This is remarkably detailed. Have you been conspiring with him for a long time?”
She shot back, “Are you afraid?”
He put down his brush and walked toward her, step by step. “I’m afraid you’re foolish enough to think this little trick can bring me down.”
Later, someone’s gaze upon her made him lose his composure, a rare sight.
That night, speaking to her over the courtyard wall, he said, “The third clause of our contract says you may not leave my sight. It takes effect immediately.”
He admired her integrity and was wary of her abilities. Yet, through their daily clashes, he gradually realized that she was the only person in the world who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
But she had never forgotten that he was the man who had brought down her family and kingdom.
Later, she uncovered an old debt spanning two dynasties and traced it to the source of all their grievances.
When their three-year contract expired, she stood before the Imperial Ancestral Temple and tore it to pieces. He took from his robes the broken hairpin she had left behind three years earlier and placed it back in her hair.
“I want you to remember this. I, Xie Yun, am the only one in this world who can both accept your sharpness and be worthy of your kingdom.”
