A Wu, the only daughter of the Director of the Ministry of Rites, is breathtakingly beautiful, but she's a cold, quiet, wooden beauty.
Only she and her father know that she was born face-blind. Even at sixteen, she can't recognize the family members she sees every day.
Her father frets over her marriage day and night, but A Wu herself is perfectly calm. She walks into the flower hall and tells him, "Father, A Wu is willing to remain unmarried for life."
To her surprise, her father cries out in terror behind her:
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, please forgive her. My daughter has poor eyesight."
A Wu draws a sharp breath. The Crown Prince before her turns gracefully, revealing a face of peerless grace and elegance.
A Wu's handkerchief drops to the floor.
Not because she's dazzled by his beauty, but because she's seen this face before. She's flirted with him. She remembers...
She wants to retreat.
But the man before her steps closer, one pace at a time, crossing through the shadows of the flowers. "My lady, you are a beauty beyond compare. Would you do me the honor of marrying me?"
*
The emperor is choosing a consort for the Third Prince.
The Fourth Prince strongly recommends the only daughter of the Director of the Ministry of Rites, praising her as dignified and gentle.
The Third Prince shakes his head and judges Shen Qingyi beautiful, to be sure, but cold to the extreme.
The imperial family argues back and forth.
Someone suddenly asks: "What does the Crown Prince think?"
A faintly mocking smile tugs at the Crown Prince's lips.
Dignified and gentle? Cold in disposition?
Then why does he remember her as passionate, with her heart set on him?
He's met her three times, and each time she came up with a new trick.
The first time, she called him "big brother."
The second time, she called him "husband."
The third time, she called him "Master."
What will she call him next time?
*
Later, on their wedding night.
A Wu's hairpin is askew, her hair disheveled, and her wedding gown half-slipped off as she opens her eyes beneath the golden canopy and its hanging tassels.
Pearls sway, shadows dance, and fragrant mist fills the air.
A damp finger softly comes to rest on her lips.
"A Wu, who am I?"
She turns toward the voice. The man behind her is impossibly handsome, a playful smile on his lips.
The golden canopy sways, and at last, the broken fragments of a title escape her lips.
"Pei Yan... husband..."
A gentle, slow-witted beauty with face blindness x a cool, noble, scheming Crown Prince
Theme: So what if you can't recognize faces? Stay positive and live life with optimism. You'll find your own spring one day.
