Synopsis
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Pampered noblewoman x aloof scion of an old aristocratic family
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The prestigious Shen clan has served as high-ranking officials for generations and is one of the foremost aristocratic families. Second Young Master Shen, Shen Yi, is a figure like a white crane amid snow-covered pines, upright and refined, with a handsome face. He is a model for the young men of the aristocracy.
Lin Zhengyu, the fourth young lady of the Duke of Zhenguo's household, is renowned throughout Wangjing for her beauty.
Her maternal family is the wealthiest in Jiangnan, and she enjoys the utmost luxury in food, clothing, and every other comfort. Doted on by everyone since childhood, she's grown up willful and spoiled.
The noblewomen of Wangjing all love to imitate her. From the floral ornament on her forehead to her hairpins and dresses, whatever Lin Zhengyu wears today will be all the rage across the capital tomorrow.
A man should choose a virtuous wife. When Shen Yi saw Fourth Miss Lin again at the palace, she was dressed in silk and brocade, her hair laden with jewels. She was even more capricious and wilful than when he'd rescued her from bandits several years earlier, and showed even less restraint.
Shen Yi thought, She's beautiful, certainly, but unfit to manage a household.
Whoever married her would be asking for trouble. He would never marry her.
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On the day the emperor granted Shen Yi an escort of honor guards and a ceremonial procession through the streets on horseback,
Lin Zhengyu leaned against the vermilion railing of a teahouse and caught a glimpse of Shen Yi in the distance.
The young man rode through the street, his back straight as a pine. Fruit filled his carriage, thrown by admirers, and nearly struck someone.
She thought, This man really does have what it takes to win the hearts of the capital's women.
Zhengyu knew her family had begun discussing marriage prospects for her, and he was the intended match.
But she didn't want to marry him. The man she wanted to marry was far away on the frontier.
Zhengyu tried every way she could think of to refuse the match, but still couldn't stop it.
The engagement was ultimately settled.
Shen Yi had seen her draw a bow and shoot a tiger during the winter hunt, defeating all the men to take first place, her red robes burning their way into his heart.
When foreign envoys came to pay tribute, she sat high on her horse and swung her polo mallet, unstoppable...
He thought, So be it. A little spoiled and willful is no big deal. Once she marries into the Shen family, he can teach her the rules gradually.
But on their wedding night, he lifted her fan and revealed a face as lovely as a spring-blooming crabapple.
His new bride's wide eyes were clear as if washed by water as she said:
"There's someone I love. You have no feelings for me, and I have none for you. Let's be husband and wife in name only, and divorce after a year."
Shen Yi was unable to sleep that night.
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The end of their one-year agreement drew near.
Zhengyu's beloved returned to the capital, and Shen Yi followed her carriage, catching the two of them meeting in secret, whispering and behaving intimately beside a stream and a little bridge.
The usually cool and self-controlled Shen Yi was consumed by jealousy and went completely mad.
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In the predawn darkness, a man's voice rasped, "Say you love me. Say you don't want a divorce."
Zhengyu was crying like a flower in the rain. "I won't say it!"
The candlelight flickered. He caught her ankle and dragged her back. A bell rang all night on her pale, slender ankle...
Content warnings: one-on-one pairing, both leads sexually inexperienced, happy ending, imperfect characters
Arranged marriage to love, household intrigue, daily life, mild coercion
Fictional dynasty, intense romance, the plot serves the romance
Theme: Those who love each other will be together in the end