Trapped Behind High Walls

As an unloved daughter born to a concubine, Wen Xi spent half her life treading carefully. Her only hope was to marry Liu Xunian once she came of age.

Liu Xunian was her betrothed. Born to a prominent family and refined in manner, he was one of the most sought-after young noblemen in the capital.

Three years ago, Wen Xi rescued Liu Xunian by chance, and he took a liking to her, sending a betrothal letter to the Wen family.

Wen Xi loved him, and the Wen family had no wish to pass up a chance to become kin to the Liu family, so the marriage was settled naturally.

Liu Xunian treated Wen Xi well. He was disciplined and courteous, and though he didn't often see her, he frequently wrote back to her.

Wen Xi felt that marrying Liu Xunian would be the greatest blessing of her life.

But her happiness was short-lived. Just days before her coming-of-age ceremony, Liu Xunian suddenly fell gravely ill and died.

Wen Xi was still dazed with grief when she heard that her stepmother considered her ill-omened and intended to marry her off to the sixty-year-old Marquis Nian Xun as his second wife!

Wen Xi had Liu Xunian in her heart and refused to marry anyone else, so she made the boldest decision of her life: she entered the Liu household as a widow and asked to hold a wedding ceremony with Liu Xunian's memorial tablet. From then on, she would honor his parents in his place and live as the Liu family's daughter-in-law.

She thought she would spend the rest of her life this way, holding on to her love for Liu Xunian.

But on their wedding night, a masked man broke into her bridal chamber and tried to force himself on her!

Wen Xi fought with all her might and managed to drive him off, but he kept appearing in her room from time to time, speaking and acting in a sinister, terrifying way. From his few words, Wen Xi guessed his identity: the emperor's third son, Prince Pingchang, Xie Xinghan.

The Liu couple were already utterly devastated by the loss of their beloved son. Wen Xi didn't want to cause them any more trouble. Fortunately, after that night, Xie Xinghan no longer crossed the line. She could only silently endure the matter, hoping he would soon tire of her and leave her alone.

But Xie Xinghan's gaze grew more and more unsettling. He kept telling her to forget Liu Xunian and love him instead.

Wen Xi would never love a madman who resorted to cruel methods. Never in this life.

Later, she saw what Xie Xinghan looked like beneath his mask. He was exactly like her late husband, who had died so young.

*The husband pursues his wife to win her back; Xie Xinghan = Liu Xunian

A timid, easily bullied heroine who bites back when pushed too far × an obsessive hero who is a mad dog at heart, pretending to be a gentleman, yet can never outwit his own secret identity

Theme: Love is precious, but freedom is worth more