The plum rain season.
The handsome man Yu Changwan, daughter of the richest family in Jiangnan, casually rescued on a street corner soon became her tutor.
Beauty is a pleasure, and having such a handsome man before her every day made the young girl's heart flutter.
So she wrote him love letters each day and secretly left them in his room. Yet half a year passed, and he remained composed, not replying with a single word.
At last, after six months, Yu Changwan could bear it no longer. She confessed her feelings on a rainy night, only to scare her tutor into fleeing Suzhou overnight.
Out of more than a hundred letters, he deigned to reply with just one:
"I am a withered tree, lacking virtue and talent, and truly no suitable match for you."
Now, beneath the watery night sky, spring stirs behind the bed curtains.
The Imperial Tutor, so dignified and solemn by day, is now lost in passion, shedding every trace of his lofty bearing and utterly becoming a servant beneath her skirts.
Yu Changwan chuckles, gives him a kick, and orders him out:
"I am a widow in mourning for my husband. I am truly no suitable match for the Imperial Tutor."
┈︎┈︎┈︎┈︎
The Imperial Tutor Mu Huai has students by the thousands. From the Son of Heaven himself to the high ministers of court, all have benefited from his guidance.
He commands unparalleled respect, ranking alongside heaven, earth, sovereign, parents, and teachers.
And yet he fell for a young woman from Jiangnan.
She was the least promising student he ever taught, but because she once saved his life, she gained a hold over him that would last a lifetime.
From then on, year after year, no matter what scandalous trouble she got herself into, Mu Huai could only clean up after her.
He watched her marry into a noble household in the capital out of spite, only to become a widow on her wedding night.
He watched her inherit the Marquis's estate and spend her money as she pleased, buying land and amassing wealth.
He watched her gain a stranglehold on the illegal salt trade and become a local power, just like her father in his prime.
The girl was spoiled and capricious, yet undeniably beautiful. She nursed an old grudge over his cold rejection years ago and deliberately set out to unsettle him, trampling his boundaries and doing whatever she pleased.
Then, just when Mu Huai finally laid down his arms, she had to rub it in.
Whenever passion overcame her, she could barely string a sentence together, yet she would still whisper by Mu Huai's ear in vengeful murmurs: "Back in Jiangnan, Teacher was always scolding me... Once a teacher, always a..."
Mu Huai could keep his composure through anything, but he couldn't bear her saying such shameless things at such a crucial moment. His heart surging, he could only cry out hoarsely, his voice trembling: "Wanwan, be quiet."
᪥
᪥ One-on-one, both virgins, happy ending, older man, nine-year age gap
᪥ The teacher-student relationship only lasted a few months in Jiangnan. Their romance began years after it ended, so there are no ethical issues.
Theme: Respect for teachers
