The Minister of Personnel, Shen Jiangli, came to the Jia estate to ask for Lin Daiyu's hand in marriage, sending the entire household into an uproar.
For Shen Jiangli, marrying this orphan, whose parents were both dead and whose health was frail, would fend off the emperor's repeated urgings to marry without inviting suspicion. It was the perfect solution. As for Daiyu, since she and Baoyu were never meant to be, she might as well use this chance to escape the misery of living under someone else's roof and begin a new life. Each got what they needed, and together they entered a marriage that seemed to be nothing more than a transaction.
Neither expected that after marrying, they would discover how well their temperaments and intellects matched, and that affection would quietly blossom between them. Daiyu stayed by Shen Jiangli's side as he rose from minister to chancellor, his power growing with every step. The Jia family believed they had found a powerful ally. What they did not know was that this seemingly perfect union would ultimately become the thunderclap that destroyed their entire clan.
Theme: Rewrite Daiyu's fate and give her a platform on which to realize her talents.
