I Found a Dragon King in the East Sea

[Recommending my friend's historical food novel: The Sickly Young Master I Married as a Substitute (Food), by Zishan Zhi] [Search the title or author's name to find it.] [Blurb:] Qianyu, a ritual officer from the North Sea, finds a man in an ice cave in the East Sea. The man says: There's no light here. I don't know when the sun rises or sets. I don't know the changing of the seasons. All I hear is water dripping as the glaciers melt. I count every drop. Before you came, it was the four thousand nine hundred and ninety-ninth drop. Do you know what it feels like to live in this endless darkness? Qianyu accidentally lets him go, and from then on, every day is a roller coaster ride. [Recommending my friend's historical food novel: The Sickly Young Master I Married as a Substitute (Food), by Zishan Zhi] [Search the title or author's name to find it.] [Blurb:] Cheerful food lover x cunning, ruthless heir to a noble house Qiu Lan was born the legitimate daughter of a prestigious family, blessed with the fate of Tianyi and destined to enjoy a life of wealth and honor. Yet all people could see was the Qiu family, stripped from the family register and fallen into ruin. Her father failed the imperial examinations, and her mother worked tirelessly day and night. The family could barely scrape by on the small breakfast-snack shop they ran at home. To make matters worse, Qiu Lan was forced to take her cousin's place in marrying a dying invalid, in hopes that the marriage would bring him good fortune. Her clansmen were delighted, eager to see how miserably someone with the fate of Tianyi would fare without a prestigious family behind her. But no one expected that, as they took pleasure in her misfortune day after day, they would discover that... The sickly young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's household recovered under her attentive care, the Qiu family's pastries became offerings to the imperial court, and Qiu Lan became famous throughout the capital for opening a successful restaurant with her cooking skills. Only then did everyone understand that the so-called fate of Tianyi was no idle tale. Shen Zhao, heir to the Duke of Zhenguo, was unruly, decisive, cruel, and vicious. After a serious injury left him bedridden, he became a worthless man everyone could insult. The world fawns on the powerful and tramples the fallen. Only Qiu Lan, newly married into the ducal household, always looked at him with a bright smile. She stayed by his side every day, doing her best to make delicious food and caring for him meticulously, from changing his clothes to serving his meals. At first, Shen Zhao watched her coldly, planning to grant her a wish someday. Whether she wanted the Qiu family to rise to prominence or to become fabulously wealthy, he owed her either way. Then one day, he saw Qiu Lan sitting by the doorway, crying as she held a date-paste pastry. The young girl wiped away her tears and murmured to herself, "Why isn't it sweet anymore?" Shen Zhao's brows furrowed slightly before he realized it. From then on, he could no longer stand seeing anyone insult or slander Qiu Lan. Those waiting to watch a good show could only look on helplessly as... They watched Shen Zhao, who had bided his time and acted with ruthless decisiveness, help the new emperor ascend the throne and inherit his title in the capital, becoming the talk of the town. They watched the fearsome Shen Zhao patiently gaze at Qiu Lan with tender affection and ask, "A Lan, is it sweet now?" Theme: Stay true to your original intentions, and see them through to the end.