On the day the engagement was broken off, Jiang Manzhi, the pretended adopted daughter of the Hou family, was abandoned by her fiancé, humiliated by the real daughter, and even betrothed by Mrs. Hou to an old widower whose two wives had died.
Jiang Manzhi knew that if she accepted her fate today, her life would be over.
In desperation, she rushed out of the Marquis Mansion and hugged Xie Linyan, the eldest son of the Duke of Zhenguo, who was passing by, crying so hard: "Your Majesty, you said you would marry me last night."
The whole hall was dead silent. Everyone was waiting for this cold, dignified, uneducated prince to throw her away.
Unexpectedly, Xie Linyan lowered his eyes to look at her for a moment and said softly: "Yes, he is from this prince."
From then on, Jiang Manzhi changed from the abandoned daughter of the Hou Mansion to the "fiancée" of Prince Xie.
The Queen Mother didn't believe it, so a trial marriage order was issued. Within three months, she must accompany Xie Linyan to palace banquets, poetry gatherings, flower banquets, and deal with the eldest princess's temptations. If it is found to be false, she deceives the palace, and he resists the decree and refuses to marry, neither of them will be able to escape unscathed.
Jiang Manzhi was scared to death, but he couldn't bear to part with the five hundred taels of hard-earned silver given by Xie Linyan.
While she shyly called him "Brother Linyan" in front of others, she secretly counted money, bought a house, and built a road guide behind others, only to wait three months to take the money and run away.
But he pretended to be so, and everyone in the capital believed it.
The Marquis regretted it, his ex-fiancé went crazy, the real daughter was jealous, the ladies were sour, and even Xie Linyan himself took it seriously.
Later, when the three-month period expired, Jiang Manzhi packed up the banknotes and said goodbye with a smile: "Your Majesty, we are all fake."
The prince, who had always been calm and self-possessed, finally lost control and blocked her in front of the door, saying word by word:
"Jiang Manzhi, I take this seriously."
