People say the eldest daughter of the Xie family, Xie Bingmin, is dull and not very bright. Yet her family dotes on her, letting her sit the exam to become a female official year after year.
Xie Bingmin isn't worried. She has her own pace.
But just as she was one step from success, word came from the palace that it would be selecting women for the imperial harem. Once she entered the palace, she could no longer take the exam, and her future as a female official seemed about to be ruined.
With her civil service ambitions on the verge of collapse, Xie Bingmin had no choice but to find a husband quickly to avoid being selected for the palace, so she could go on to become a female official.
Seeing how desperate she was, the gentle, supportive fiancé she'd originally chosen raised his price, took advantage of the situation, and found fault with Xie Bingmin at every turn.
Xie Bingmin broke things off with him and chose someone else to marry.
Just as she was worrying that she had no suitable candidate, a nobleman from a prominent family approached her with a generous offer. The two hit it off, and Xie Bingmin agreed to marry Jiang Chu, the blind Marquis of Liufang.
Jiang Chu's former fiancée, Han Jia, was born into a distinguished family. She was peerlessly beautiful and kindhearted, the foremost young lady in the capital.
Jiang Chu had once been extremely fierce, renowned for his ruthlessness. Everyone knew that Miss Han was kindhearted and had resolved to marry him and tame his vicious nature, even if it meant offering herself to a tiger.
When Jiang Chu fell from power and lost his sight, he hit rock bottom. Han Jia's elder brother, Han Zhen, didn't want his sister to suffer, nor did he want her to waste her life just to earn a reputation for kindness in the eyes of others. So he sought out a beautiful merchant's daughter to marry in her place.
When Xie Bingmin discussed the substitute marriage with him, the young master Han, who was obsessively protective of his sister, sat behind a thin gauze screen. His silhouette was half-hidden, his features exceptionally beautiful, but his words were as cold as ice and jade.
He was a little cold toward her, but Xie Bingmin still reached an agreement with him and worked out all the details.
After the wedding, Xie Bingmin got what she wanted. She passed the exam and became an inspector with the authority to investigate and review cases, and she began working on cases with great satisfaction.
But then she discovered that the nobleman who had negotiated with her behind the screen hadn't been Han Zhen at all. It was the Marquis of Liufang, Jiang Chu, who had thrown Han Zhen out the window and then arranged for Xie Bingmin to enter his household himself.
Theme: Win happiness through hard work