Jiang Yuan grew up in the Marquis's household. The whole world mocked her for falling in love with the heir, her older foster brother, when she was young. At fifteen, she was forced to retreat to a nunnery in Jiangnan to cultivate in seclusion. To make a living, she boldly disguised herself as a Daoist priestess, visiting wealthy families to investigate the secrets hidden in their inner quarters.
Shen Yan, the youngest junior duke in the Great Sheng dynasty and the most powerful man among the nobility, was ruthless and arrogant. No one dared cross him, and people called him the Living Yama.
The first time they met, Shen Yan was secretly investigating a salt case in Jiangnan under imperial orders. Jiang Yuan disguised herself as a wealthy merchant's mistress to slip into a banquet. Amid flashing blades, someone shoved her, and she accidentally took a knife meant for Shen Yan.
Shen Yan watched as the gaudily dressed, vulgar-looking woman fell into his arms. He frowned fiercely and instinctively threw her into a corner by the wall. When he came back to look for her, she was gone.
The second time they met, Jiang Yuan was dressed in Daoist robes, holding prayer beads and chanting sutras, when a merchant's wife publicly humiliated her and drenched her in pig's blood.
Shen Yan watched coldly from the sidelines. When he came across the girl crying her heart out in the hills behind the temple, he felt pity for the first time. He strode over abruptly. "What are you crying for? Come with me, and I'll make you my mistress!"
Jiang Yuan looked up in shock. Then, remembering that people from the Marquis's household were waiting outside the temple and she had nowhere to run, she nodded happily without hesitation. Her dewy eyes blinked as she held out her hand, waiting for him to take it.
Shen Yan frowned in distaste, but still pulled her to her feet. For once, he spoke seriously. "From now on, I'll protect you."
Jiang Yuan nodded shyly, judging the act to perfection: just enough to satisfy a man's vanity.
Half a month later, once she was sure the Marquis's household wasn't coming after her, and realized that the seemingly foolish young man beside her was becoming her biggest problem, Jiang Yuan fled. She left behind just one line: "Thank you, kind stranger. Let's never meet again."
Shen Yan's face darkened like the bottom of a pot. "What...? Find her! When you do, kill her so I can vent my anger!"
Guard: "...You really want us to kill her?"
Shen Yan fell silent for three seconds... ten seconds... half a quarter of an hour. "Just bring her back first. We'll figure out the rest later."
The guard thought to himself: Heh. Knew the master wouldn't have the heart to do it.
Half a year later, when the Marquis's heir got engaged, Shen Yan saw the woman who had deceived him and managed to escape once again. Only then did he learn she was Jiang Yuan, the adopted daughter rumored to have designs on her older brother.
When no one was looking, Shen Yan pinned Jiang Yuan against a wall and gritted his teeth. "You little liar. Now that you're in my hands, let's see you try to run!"
Theme: Understand you, love you, and cherish you!
