Xue Ying was the daughter of a concubine kept outside the household.
As her mother lay dying, she revealed Xue Ying's true identity: her father was a high-ranking official in the capital.
Although Xue Ying was acknowledged by her father's family, she was timid and tongue-tied.
Everyone in the household found ways to exclude and bully her, mocking her behind her back.
One day, as a servant was mistreating her, a handsome young man with an elegant, refined air happened to pass by and stepped in to help.
Only later did Xue Ying learn that he was Lan Tingzhou, the most renowned young master of a distinguished family in the capital, and her elder sister's betrothed.
*
Before long, the Lan family was caught up in a political struggle, and overnight, Lan Tingzhou fell from his place among the nobility into ruin.
He was not only badly injured, but also lost his sight.
Xue Ying used her elder sister's name to secretly save him, then bought a small courtyard outside the capital and hid him there.
She visited him every day, kept him company, and found doctors to treat him.
As Lan Tingzhou's injuries gradually healed, Xue Ying found she could no longer bear to let him go.
Her whole life, she had been lowly as mud, while to her, Lan Tingzhou was like the moon in the heavens, impossibly far beyond her reach.
And yet she insisted on making that moon fall into her hands.
Steeling herself, Xue Ying slipped a dose of aphrodisiac she had bought on the streets into his tea.
They shared one night of passion, a reckless night together.
The next day, Xue Ying regretted it.
So she fled, vanishing without a trace.
She never returned to that little courtyard.
*
Three months later, the new emperor ascended the throne, and the Lan family's wrongful accusations were overturned.
Lan Tingzhou became once more the noble young master, as radiant as the wind and moon, and his sight was restored as well.
Xue Ying hid in a corner, secretly watching him and her elder sister. Standing together, they looked like a perfect match.
Just then, her father found her a marriage prospect.
The man she was to marry was a rising star at court, with a boundless future ahead of him.
Xue Ying decided to put the past behind her and calmly prepare for her wedding.
When the wedding day arrived, the veil was lifted, and the familiar figure standing before her was none other than Lan Tingzhou.
He smiled faintly. "A Ying, I've finally found you. You seduced me, and now you think you can marry someone else?"
Theme: Love requires mutual respect
