[I'm sorry. I've never been satisfied with the blurb, and I won't be working on it for now. My apologies.]
Ethereal, art-obsessed noblewoman x brooding, beautiful, tragic puppy
Find a handsome young man and paint his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and eight-pack abs.
Rutu Ruyi finally got her wish.
He stood straight as a model while Ruyi studied him inch by inch and began to paint.
The master and servant got along wonderfully.
But when she was about to continue painting, the guard fell silent for a long while. His ears burned red as he resolved to protect his chastity.
"I... that part... can only be seen by my wife."
Ruyi realized what he meant and glared at him, flustered and annoyed. "I never said I was going to paint that part!"
Not that she didn't want to.
The guard was of humble birth, but undeniably handsome.
In ancient times, a stable boy had risen to become a great general and married a princess. Surely her guard could marry a young lady from a marquis's household too.
And so Ruyi began working hard to call off her engagement.
*
Yes, Ruyi was already engaged.
The heir to the Duke of Song's estate came from a noble family, kept a spotless household, and pleased her father and brothers immensely. They firmly refused to let Ruyi break off the engagement.
That is, until Ruyi pushed open the door and saw the heir protecting her half-sister, who in turn was protecting her belly.
Though morals were in decline, this was just what Ruyi wanted.
So the wedding went ahead as planned, but the bride was replaced.
Ruyi offered her heartfelt congratulations. "You two must be happy together!"
The heir, who had hoped to enjoy both women: "?"
She'd really handed her marriage over to a concubine-born daughter just like that?
Her half-sister, who'd been pretending to be pitiful, was stunned too: "???"
Suddenly, the heir she'd stolen didn't seem so appealing.
*
When he was young and destitute, Qi Xiu met a noble young lady of ethereal beauty.
She paid him handsomely to paint his body.
Qi Xiu pretended to be calm as he took off his clothes, but the young lady's focused, peach-blossom eyes stole his soul.
He longed for her and dreamed of marrying her.
But before he could achieve fame through his service to the empire, the young lady married into the Duke of Song's household.
Of course. How could a country bumpkin like him ever be worthy of a golden branch and jade leaf? Qi Xiu mocked himself.
He licked blood from the blade's edge on the battlefield and indulged in base longing beneath the moon. Day after day, his heartbreak did not heal. Instead, a knot formed in his heart as sinister, damp vipers coiled tighter and tighter around it.
He would kill her husband and take her for himself.
With his military achievements, he would build her a golden cage and lock her inside.
Later, the Prince of Pingnan, reunited with his beloved son, scolded him for failing to see reason. "She wronged you, and you still think about her. Son, you're about to become the new emperor, not a servant beneath another man's wife's skirts!"
Qi Xiu's gaze was cool. "Stay out of it."
How could the goddess he'd longed for day and night become another man's wife?
Now that he held power, he would naturally set things right.
"Reading guide and content warnings"
1. This is a beautiful misunderstanding. The heroine switches brides, but the hero mistakenly believes she's married. He even goes to the wedding and sees his "goddess" getting married with his own eyes, then returns home so furious that he gets a fever and vomits blood.
2. Both leads are sexually inexperienced, one-on-one, and have a happy ending. The hero is utterly faithful and will never have an ambiguous relationship with any other character. The heroine loves painting, and it will be described many times in the story.
3. The heroine will lose her memory because of the male supporting character's interference.
Theme: A moment of love at first sight lasts forever
