* Gentle, sweet girl x icy man. Everyday-life story, arranged marriage to love, and a slow, steady romance.
Content warning: A genuine marriage arranged by the parents and elders. They have no feelings for each other before the wedding, and they get right to it on their wedding night.
[Synopsis]
Prince Jing, Yang Xu, is not an easy man to approach.
Among all the princes, he is the tallest, strongest, and best at riding and archery. He serves as a Lieutenant General in the Left Xiaowei Guard and rides his horse as if it were flying every day.
Handsome and bold, with a cold, hard personality, he has no understanding of human warmth.
Rumor has it that he became so frosty after his only close companion, his elder brother the Crown Prince, was killed for treason.
The young ladies are all afraid of him.
The Empress Dowager thought it over and simply chose Pei Yu, the frailest, most obedient, and most gentle girl, to be his princess consort.
In Yang Xu's eyes, Lu Pei Yu was nothing but a pretty ornament.
She had no temper and no opinions of her own. Whatever the Empress Dowager or his mother told her to do, she obediently did. She was only cute when she cried in bed. Otherwise, she wasn't cute at all.
But there are always exceptions.
She sat beneath the lamplight embroidering knee pads for him, her eyelashes long. She rested her chin in her hand as she focused on reading and writing, her profile gentle. She reminded him to be careful on duty, her eyes curving into a smile.
As the days passed, one morning he was leaving the main room when he suddenly stopped and looked back.
She leaned against the doorway, watching him leave with a tender gaze.
Who could have guessed that the Prince's estate would instead descend into chaos?
"You treat me as your husband, but you don't know what it means to love someone."
Pei Yu looked puzzled. "Your Highness is my husband."
"If Grandmother had chosen you for Third Brother that day, you'd treat him the same way."
Pei Yu mumbled, "But it wasn't up to me, was it?"
"You're kind to everyone." He paused, then said flatly, "That kind of kindness means nothing."
Pei Yu protested, "I don't agree. I'm clearly nicest to Your Highness..."
Then he carried her off to bed again.
She thought that since he did this every time, he might as well just carry her off without a word.
Theme: Live well.
