Sheng Yu'an was born into a distinguished family. Spoiled and willful, he knows nothing of the world and has been indulged by his father and brothers until he can do whatever he pleases. He has grown into a spoiled young master who always gets his way.
That is, until he meets Cui Zhi, the newly appointed Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a man as cool and stern as he is upright.
The young man's feelings take him by surprise, and they burn with fierce intensity.
No one can talk this willful young master out of anything. Clinging to every bit of his spoiled temper, he forces his way into the Court of Judicial Review, determined to stick close to that cold-faced official.
He used to have everything handed to him, but now he has to investigate cases and run errands, working hard in wind and rain. He used to fly into a rage at the slightest harsh word, but now Cui Zhi treats him coldly and pushes him away time and again. All he can do is swallow his grievances and keep doggedly pursuing him.
Only when his pride as a spoiled young master has been battered bloody does he realize that not everyone in this world has to indulge him.
*
Cui Zhi is the Cui family's adopted son, burdened by a blood feud and with no interest in love. He thinks Sheng Yu'an is just a badly behaved young master acting on a whim, so he keeps his distance and even goes out of his way to make things difficult for him.
But as time passes, that scorching, impulsive affection leaves a mark on his long-dead heart.
Then an old case resurfaces, implicating several powerful families, including the Shengs.
The once-glorious great houses fall in a single day, facing confiscation of their property and execution.
Sheng Yu'an, who has always been proud and arrogant, gives up all his pride and kneels before Cui Zhi, begging only for him to show mercy.
A little scene:
After his family falls, Sheng Yu'an is forced to leave the capital and earn his living as a corpse collector at a charitable burial ground. By chance, an investigation by the Court of Judicial Review leads to the burial ground, and Sheng Yu'an is arrested and questioned.
His old acquaintance still has that same cold, upright bearing. They question and answer each other until it is time to sign the confession. Sheng Yu'an quietly protests, "Cui Zhi, my name isn't Chen Wu. My name is Sheng Yu'an."
Reading guide:
1. One true pairing, one-on-one, happy ending.
2. The newly appointed Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review dares to offend the powerful families. This isn't the author being ignorant of history; there's another reason behind it.
3. They are separated by a family feud. Even after the gong falls in love, he will hold back, so from the shou's perspective, he's the only one relentlessly pursuing the other. By the end, he won't even dare to hope for anything.
4. There is heartbreak.
Theme: If love between two people lasts, what does it matter if they cannot be together every day?
