The orphan herb gatherer, who grew up in the wilderness of Cangwu Mountain, turns out to be the long-lost imperial princess.
Xie Ren is hiding in the mountains on a secret order from the prime minister. When his leg injury flares up, she finds him and takes him back to her hut to care for him.
As they spend their days together in the mountains, she teaches him the warmth of human kindness, and he helps her learn to read by lamplight.
When A He returns to the imperial family and becomes heir to the throne, noblewomen of the imperial clan and court officials alike make things difficult for her.
Everyone looks down on Xie Ren for his murky origins and injured leg, taking turns pressuring A He to send him away.
“A limping nobody of unknown origins has no place in the Eastern Palace!”
In the great hall, Lin A He stands up for him before everyone, her words ringing with conviction.
“He is mine. Anyone who dares to drive him away will be overstepping their bounds.”
Xie Ren was meant to be a blade used to keep the imperial princess in check.
He was supposed to watch coldly as she sank into a mire of political intrigue.
But a bowl of hot porridge in the mountains and her defending him time and again in the palace eventually melt the cold blade.
From then on, the guard abandons the schemes and machinations of the game. He uses his mastery of the blade for one purpose only: to protect the girl who protected him.
