One Must Say, the Blossoms Are Lovely

Ming Guantang disliked her betrothal, and that meant she disliked her fiancé, Xie Jichuan, too.

Though he had done nothing wrong.

Xie Jichuan came from a ducal household. His mother was a princess, and he himself was a talented young man.

By every measure, he was an excellent match.

So, after Xie Jichuan completed his term of service and returned to the capital, the elders of both families naturally moved the engagement forward, frequently arranging chances for the two of them to be alone together.

Xie Jichuan showed up every time.

At last, in the Ming family garden, Guantang couldn't hold back. Gritting her teeth, she asked him:

"Young Master Xie, you seem to have plenty of free time outside your official duties."

Who would have thought he wouldn't take offense at Guantang's rudeness? He merely turned his head slightly and said,

"This is an agreement between our two families. How could I shirk my responsibility?"

Guantang sneered. What a fine agreement between two families.

So Xie Jichuan felt no romantic affection for her either. He was only keeping his word.

Not long afterward, Guantang found an excuse to ask Xie Jichuan to break off their engagement.

His answer was: "Our elders arranged this betrothal. I have no right to decide."

*

Xie Jichuan had followed his family's teachings since childhood, keeping his mind pure, upright, disciplined, and respectful of ritual.

He had thought that, to him, the betrothal was nothing more than a responsibility he had no choice but to shoulder.

Until the day he heard her ask, "Young Master Xie, is there any way to end our engagement sooner?"

She was skilled with words. She said they had little affection for each other and she didn't want to ruin his life.

Xie Jichuan fell silent for a long while. He knew that there was no point in clinging to her, and that agreeing would best preserve both their dignity.

The words of agreement were already on his lips, but for some reason he said something else.

Only afterward did he realize that he wanted them to love each other.

-

Reader's Guide:

1. An atypical little ray of sunshine × an iceberg: a spirited, lively heroine who's a little slow to recognize her feelings × a noble, aloof yet tender-hearted hero.

2. Set in an alternate Northern Song. Please don't fact-check.

3. The heroine has a loving family. The story will cover some of her career (inheriting a bookstore) and her family, but will mainly focus on romance. There is little court intrigue, and it isn't very sophisticated.

4. The hero falls first.

5. Mutual devotion.

6. The hero is a traditional gentleman, calm and deep as still water. He will not turn evil or become obsessive and unhinged.

Theme: Pursue happiness, not perfection.