Refusing to Yearn

The emperor decreed a marriage, and the eldest daughter ran away. Gu Yuqing, the second daughter of the Gu family, was forced to hide her identity and take her sister's place in a marriage that was never meant for her.

After the wedding, Gu Yuqing carefully concealed who she was. She served the Duke's eldest son, whom others described as temperamental and erudite, while trying to find a way to divorce him and escape the husband who wasn't hers.

As time passed, she discovered that the eldest son was even-tempered and kind, nothing like what people had said.

And he couldn't read or write, often getting himself into all sorts of embarrassing situations.

Gu Yuqing: No matter. If he can write his name, that's enough to sign the divorce papers!

His elder brother disapproved of the emperor's marriage decree and vanished on the eve of the wedding. Wei Shiyan had no choice but to take his brother's place in the marriage to save the lives of the hundreds of people in the Duke's household.

To avoid giving himself away, Wei Shiyan put down his weapons for the time being and tried his hardest to appear diligent and studious, but he still slipped up.

He thought the eldest Gu daughter would grow suspicious, but instead she took his hand and said earnestly, "It's all right if you can't read. I can teach you. How about we start by learning to write your name?"

She taught him to read and write, while he told her stories and shared interesting tidbits. They were inseparable, spending every day together.

When he came to his senses, Wei Shiyan realized he had fallen for someone he shouldn't love.

The political climate shifted, and the Duke's household was dragged into a power struggle, leaving them in danger.

Unable to bear the thought of the eldest Gu daughter being kept in the dark, Wei Shiyan told her the truth. "I'm Wei Shiyan, the second son of the Wei family. You were supposed to marry my elder brother. You should have been my sister-in-law."

But the eldest Gu daughter replied, "Your brother was supposed to marry my elder sister. I'm the second daughter of the Gu family. My name is Gu Yuqing."

#Their identities were false, but their feelings were real!

Blurb captured on 2026.08.05

Theme: Each finding their rightful place, understanding and staying by one another