A slow, honest sweetheart vs. an uptight, repressed older man vs. a scheming younger brother who fights to steal her away.
Her husband, who had risen to an important position in the Ministry of Justice at a young age, led a troop straight to the little courtyard Du Ruo had bought in the suburbs. She carefully straightened his collar, then handed him a packet of osmanthus cakes.
"Husband, if you're going to visit someone three times, you have to show some sincerity. A-Yu loves these!"
The boy living in the courtyard was Xie Yu, whom she'd found frozen on the street a month ago. His clothes were shabby, but after she'd cleaned him up, he had a handsome face and spoke with uncommon refinement.
Du Ruo couldn't bear to leave him to die. Besides, a year ago, her family had callously torn up her engagement to her impoverished fiance, allowing her to marry Lu Ting instead. She'd heard that the fiance she'd never met was two years younger than she was, so she always felt a particular fondness for boys of that age.
The day before, she'd finally worked up the courage to speak to Lu Ting. "Husband, doesn't your office need a clerk? I know someone who lives in a little courtyard by the apricot grove in the western suburbs. Perhaps I could recommend him..."
The cool, stiff man rarely gave her his full attention, but this time he looked right at her and carefully asked what sort of person the boy was.
But now, watching her husband's resolute back disappear in a cloud of dust...
Perhaps he'd brought so many people because the courtyard was in such poor shape that he wanted to help renovate it?
She knew Magistrate Lu was cold on the outside but warmhearted within.
.
Lu Ting hadn't come home for several days. Du Ruo kept asking about the courtyard renovations, but the steward hesitated for a long while before finally reporting that the young man... had been thrown out of the city with his bedding several days ago.
Du Ruo was so angry her eyes filled with tears. His cold words were bad enough, but now he was trampling on this little kindness of hers, too!
When she insisted on returning to her family despite everyone's attempts to stop her, Lu Ting finally showed up and quietly offered to escort her.
But the horse carrying them both turned toward the western part of the city and stopped outside the little courtyard. It hadn't been torn down; in fact, it had been completely renovated.
Du Ruo was baffled as she entered the room. Suddenly, the usually solemn man dropped to his knees in front of her.
"My lady," Lu Ting said, eyes brimming with tears as he tugged at her sleeve. "I've been hungry for days. Let me stay here for a while..."
Seeing that his oblivious wife wasn't charmed by his little act but instead looked frightened and backed away, Lu Ting gave up, scooped her up, and tossed her onto the bed.
As he kissed her until her head spun, Du Ruo saw an expression of hurt on his face that she'd never seen before. "Since you like keeping a lover outside the home, my lady, then I'm the only one you're allowed to keep."
.
Later, Du Ruo went home with Lu Ting. She promised never to pick up strange men off the street again, but also advised him, "You're a third-rank official in the Ministry of Justice. You shouldn't keep trying to play the role of some strange man."
One day, after he'd brought her to the little courtyard yet again, Du Ruo looked down at her husband, kneeling in front of her with a pitiful expression, and resignedly patted his cheek.
"Fine... Come with me, then."
Lu Ting had just stood up when the clatter of horses and urgent pounding at the door came from outside.
When the door opened, Xie Yu, clad in a ceremonial robe embroidered with dragons, dismounted and slapped the old marriage contract against Lu Ting's chest.
"Magistrate Lu, you've had my fiancee for all these years. It's time to give her back."
Lu Ting: "..."
Oh no. This time, I'm really the other man.
Guide: There is rivalry between the men, but this is really just a silly, sweet romance. Lu Ting is the male lead. All the main characters are chaste.
The synopsis was captured on November 13, 2025.
Theme: Don't fight.
