A Touch of Vermilion

[Prince Version] At Junjun’s hundred-day celebration, the Empress Dowager privately told him that the pink-cheeked little girl was his future bride. “Do you like her?” The Crown Prince: “What’s a bride? Can you eat one?” The Empress Dowager: “...Sure! Raise her well, and you can pick her when she’s grown.” And so the Crown Prince began his long journey of raising a wife. [ Bai Jun Version ] When she was little, her mother warned her that she must never accept gifts from those ill-intentioned older brothers, especially the one from the Eastern Palace. Bai Jun: “Crown Prince Brother gave me a cute little white rabbit.” Her mother: “Good girl, I’ll raise it for you.” Bai Jun: “Crown Prince Brother gave me a box of sweet cakes.” Her mother: “Good girl, those cakes smell funny. They’ll upset your stomach.” From then on, Bai Jun’s mother kept a vigilant watch over her day and night, afraid the wolf cub from the Eastern Palace would snatch her away. [Biological Father Version] The Emperor: “My sons, have you got a good look? Prime Minister Bai has no sons. Marry his only daughter, and when he kicks the bucket, you won’t have to worry about the family of your in-laws seizing power.” The former Empress: “Han’er, take a good look. That’s your future father-in-law, Prime Minister Bai.” The current Empress: “Hao’er, take a good look. That’s your future father-in-law, Prime Minister Bai.” Prime Minister Bai: “Daughter, take a good look. You mustn’t marry any man who only has eyes for your father.” Bai Jun: “Father, I was blind and fell for the Crown Prince, Wei Zihan. What should I do?” Prime Minister Bai: “Daughter, why not go blind again and fall for Wei Zihao? I think he’d do just fine.” Wei Zihan: “Father-in-law, I’ve kept myself pure for Jun’er for twenty years. Would he do?” Prime Minister Bai: “...You’ll do!” One-line summary: The Crown Prince’s courtship, a sweet childhood-friends romance. A goofy, sweet romance. Drama-loving heroine versus a Crown Prince who “can’t do it.” Theme: Protecting our home