The Lady and the Steward

People often say: scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants, with merchants at the very bottom of society.

Su Qingning, once a daughter of an official family, is worse off than even the lowest of them. Crouched in a cage, she watches people come and go outside, praying that some kind person will pay a hundred taels to buy her.

Her beautiful face attracts plenty of attention, but as soon as people learn she has a leg injury, they all keep their distance. Just as she's about to be sent to a brothel to work as the lowest-ranked prostitute, someone finally offers a price.

Half price, then half again: twenty-five taels. From that moment on, she becomes a slave to a man from the north.

The young, handsome man who takes her home is dressed with refinement and clearly isn't an ordinary commoner. The naive Su Qingning, raised in the sheltered inner quarters, can't help guessing that he must be someone important.

She decides to follow the methods in the storybooks and make him fall in love with her so he can free her from slavery.

But after trying for a long time, Su Qingning realizes she's been tricked.

He's no young nobleman from a powerful family. He's clearly just a lowly steward down on his luck!

The day she exposes him, he calmly says, "I never said I was some young nobleman."

Su Qingning refuses to let it go, tearfully listing his crimes.

"You lied to me, you're mean, you exploit me, you force me to learn arithmetic, and you make me drink bitter medicine..."

She hasn't even counted many offenses on her fingers before a warm outer robe is draped over her.

"Let's talk inside. It's very cold out here. If you catch a chill, you'll fuss and refuse to take your medicine again."

He's a bad seed, deliberately stopping her from continuing! Su Qingning decides she won't speak to him ever again.

But she never imagined that later, this man, a commoner with no official title, would brave every danger for her, clear the Su family's name, and restore her honor.

Side story:

On a day when the rain clears and the sky turns bright, Su Qingning runs into the man on her way home after meeting her former fiance.

Her heart leaps. "You came looking for me in the pouring rain. Were you afraid I'd rekindle things with my former fiance?"

"You're a mother now. Try to be more sensible."

His tone is flat, as if he couldn't care less, but his clothes are soaked through. He must have been waiting here for a long time.

First-draft synopsis saved on 2026/4/12

Theme: A pure white flower blooms in the mire