Seven Years After the Substitute Marriage

Shen Weiwan died beneath the cold blade of an assassin, carrying the humiliation and resentment of seven years spent as a substitute. Reborn on the 365th day after marrying into the Jing'an Marquis's household, her eyes had only just begun to heal, and the tragedy had yet to take hold.

In her previous life, she was her legitimate younger sister's shadow and a pawn the emperor used to keep Xie Jingyuan in check. She had spent her youth only to meet a gruesome end.

In this new life, she casts off her disguise. Right from the start, she blocks the aloof Marquis of Jing'an, Xie Jingyuan, and declares, word by word: "I won't stay in this cage of a marquis's residence. Let's divorce!"

But Xie Jingyuan sees her as a piece on his board. How could he let her walk away so easily? Cold treatment, surveillance, and trouble from the women of the household soon follow one after another.

Shen Weiwan keeps her sharpness hidden and puts her memories of her past life to use, taking careful steps: she secretly seeks allies and builds an escape plan, outwits the concubines to avert crises, and even helps Xie Jingyuan avoid a deadly fate with her "premonitions." For the first time, the cold-faced marquis recognizes the edge of his "blind substitute."

Political undercurrents swirl at court, and enemies surround them. Xie Jingyuan finally realizes her worth and proposes a mutually beneficial partnership.

From offering clever advice to break a deadlock, to predicting shifts in the political landscape, to joining forces to consolidate military power, the two gradually draw closer amid suspicion and probing. When her younger sister tests her with false concern, Shen Weiwan counters calmly. When rumors beset her, Xie Jingyuan protects her in secret. At the brink of life and death, he shields her in his arms at the risk of his own life and confesses his ambition to seize the throne.

When her eyesight returns and the truth of her past life comes to light, neither of them can go back.

Open ending

Theme: Though love may lie beyond mountains and seas, even mountains and seas can be crossed.