Ling Zhao, the eldest young master of the Ling household, is notorious in the capital for being arrogant, overbearing, and stupid. Yet he has an exceptionally beautiful face, with red lips and pearly teeth, and a dazzling, graceful charm that draws every eye. His parents and elder brothers dote on him, too.
Word on the street is that he often bullies Ling Shi, the talented third young master of the household. This infuriates the many noble young men who admire Ling Shi.
So whenever they hold poetry gatherings or banquets on pleasure boats, these wealthy young men love inviting Ling Zhao, just so they can watch him make a fool of himself and then mock him.
Later, he falls for Wen Yan, the astonishingly gifted heir of the Marquis of Pingning. Everyone laughs at his foolish hopes and takes every opportunity to taunt him about it.
Ling Zhao's simple mind can't understand it. He only goes to these gatherings to catch a distant glimpse of the man he loves, so why does everyone keep picking on him?
Still, he knows the Marquis of Pingning's heir is a heaven-blessed prodigy, and could never be involved with a foolish man who likes other men like him. Heartbroken, he stays at home to amuse himself and rarely attends those pointless gatherings anymore.
The next time he hears news of Wen Yan, Wen Yan has fallen from a horse and injured his legs. He will never walk properly again. He shuts himself away in his manor, refusing to see anyone, and his moods become unpredictable.
Ling Zhao finds all sorts of folk remedies and secretly sends them to him, but gets no reply.
Then the Ling family is suddenly implicated in a major case. His parents and brothers are wrongly put to death. Before they die, they beg the emperor to spare Ling Zhao's life. He is sentenced to work as a servant in the entertainment quarter, where he is made to do the cleaning.
Meanwhile, Ling Shi changes his name and becomes the Fourth Prince's trusted aide.
He draws a sharp knife across Ling Zhao's face and sneers, "If it weren't for the Ling family, the Zhou family would never have suffered the calamity of being wiped out. This is what your parents owe me. They're dead, so you'll pay in their place. You can't die too quickly."
Disfigured, Ling Zhao is tormented by him for a long time, yet clings to life, hoping that one day he can avenge the Ling family. In the endless darkness, despair overtakes him. He stifles his tears and blames himself for being so stupid.
One day, he wakes to find himself dressed in new clothes, his wounds treated, and his body tucked into soft brocade quilts. When he opens his eyes, he sees Wen Yan sitting in a wheelchair. He throws himself into Wen Yan's arms and clings to him desperately.
Wen Yan coldly lifts him away, saying he only saved his life because of the remedies.
Over the next ten years, Wen Yan nurses him back to health and personally teaches him to read and write, paint, and play weiqi. They fall in love and privately pledge themselves to each other.
On the day Ling Shi and the Fourth Prince launch their coup, Wen Yan finds himself in grave danger, narrowly escaping death.
A poisoned arrow flies toward him. Ling Zhao rides up on horseback and leaps in front of him without hesitation, taking the fatal blow.
After being reborn, Ling Zhao finally understands that he is living inside a melodramatic novel. Ling Shi is the protagonist, who has been lying low for years and will help the Fourth Prince ascend the throne, becoming the subject of a celebrated tale of loyalty in the history books.
Ling Zhao is the villainous extra whom the protagonist tramples underfoot, while Wen Yan is the Third Prince, who grew up among ordinary people.
Back in his youth, the first thing Ling Zhao does is stop Wen Yan from falling off his horse and injuring his legs.
After seeing that Wen Yan is safe, he runs breathlessly out of the riding grounds beyond the city. He brushes the dirt from his knees and wipes his tears away, thinking in despair that Wen Yan won't love him in this life. He's just a fool who can't help him with anything.
But when he looks up, Wen Yan is standing before him, wiping the tears from the corner of his eye with a silk handkerchief. "Why are you crying?"
[Reading Guide]
1. The young emperor is the young master's beloved.
2. Gentle, refined nobleman x foolish, pitiful sweetheart
3. A satisfying rebirth story about taking down scum
Theme: The bright moon above the sea rises with the tide
