Yun Shuhan was an unloved son of a concubine in the Shuntian Prefecture.
For sixteen years, he was left in the most remote corner of the back courtyard, ignored by everyone, like a shadow that should never have existed.
Until a bridal sedan carried him into the Grand Tutor's residence. Shen Qingyan, Kyoto's foremost young gentleman, was gravely ill, and marrying him was meant to bring good fortune.
Before the bridal veil was lifted, he thought he would be marrying the sickly man who was as gentle as jade, according to the rumors.
But beyond the red silk, the figure taking part in the wedding rites with him belonged to someone else.
Shen Qingyan was elegant and proper. He taught him to read and write, and treated him like a student and a friend.
Shen Yanyun was cruel and brooding. After taking his place in the wedding rites, he treated Yun Shuhan as his own possession.
One pulled him up out of the mud. The other trapped him in the palm of his hand and refused to let go.
“I'm sorry you had to marry me,” Shen Qingyan sighed softly, full of sympathy.
Shen Yanyun spoke in a low voice, his whole being steeped in menace. “I was the one who took part in the wedding rites with you. Don't forget that, sister-in-law.”
Yun Shuhan lifted his eyes and smiled faintly, perfectly clear-headed.
He had never been a pawn for others to manipulate. He was simply waiting for the right moment to flip the board.
He thought he was only using this marriage to turn his life around. But he didn't know that this marriage meant to bring good fortune wasn't about saving Shen Qingyan's life. It was about the inescapable fate binding three people together.
