Lin Zhiyu was the most unconventional noblewoman in Bianjing.
She had been married twice, once to a scholar and once to a military man, both excellent matches in the eyes of the world. But she cared nothing for propriety or wealth. If she was unhappy, she had the nerve to end a marriage without hesitation.
People laughed at her for being willful and spoiled, saying she would regret it sooner or later.
But only she knew the truth: she would rather face gossip alone than die trapped behind the walls of a marriage.
But debts of love are easy to leave behind, while the human heart is hard to sever. After she walked away, her two former husbands came to their senses. Their obsession spiraled out of control, and they returned one after another to torment her. Gossip from across the city closed in around her, leaving her no escape.
Exhausted, Lin Zhiyu fled to her maternal grandparents' home in Shu to heal her heartbreak among its mountains and rivers and escape the troubles of the world.
It was there that she met Su Yanci.
He was a gentle, clear-minded court official who never rushed, pressured, or clung to her. The world might prize passionate possession, but he alone understood respect and giving someone room to breathe. Others coveted her radiant, lively nature, but he embraced her vulnerabilities, understood her scars, and placed every choice in her hands.
Under the moonlight in a sea of bamboo, with the breeze as their witness, he confessed his feelings and promised to take things slowly, letting her choose the path they would walk together.
Her days in Shu were gentle and free. They were the most relaxed and carefree time of her life.
But when she returned north to Bianjing, everything changed.
