My Cousin Is Delicate and Frail

Qi Yao is the cousin of the Marquis of Shunning's household.

As lovely as the autumn moon and peerlessly beautiful, she is unfortunately a sickly invalid who spends her days confined to bed.

Wen Xu is the heir to the Marquis of Shunning.

He idles away his days and lives without restraint. The noblewomen of the city avoid him like the plague.

Before returning to Ruyang to discuss marriage arrangements, Qi Yao sets her sights on the second branch's illegitimate son, thinking he's soft-hearted and easy to handle, so he won't scheme against the Qi family later. After several failed marriage arrangements, Wen Xu is thrown out of the estate. The weather is chilly despite the warm spring, and he shivers in a single layer of clothing. Marry him? Absolutely, right away!

So, while Qi Yao is busy plotting against someone else, Wen Xu suddenly appears and shamelessly blocks her path. "Cousin, you want to marry someone, and I want a wife. Why don't we make our families even closer?"

Qi Yao clutches her chest and steps back. Suddenly, she feels like she might be getting better. She'll pack her things and hurry back to Ruyang tonight to inherit the family fortune.

On their wedding night,

Wen Xu tries to help his cousin change, only to get kicked off the bed.

He watches in disbelief as his cousin, who usually gets winded after taking two steps, smashes a huge hole in the bed with her bare hands!

The morning after the wedding,

A servant in the marquis's household says, "Have you heard? Last night, the heir... the bed collapsed!"

The marchioness says, "My son, your mother isn't in a hurry for grandchildren. Your health comes first."

Wen Xu weeps silently.

Years later, even after Wen Xu becomes the terrifying commander of the Imperial Guards, his place in the household hasn't changed. Every night he's banished to sleep in the study, he holds his son and patiently lectures him. "Next time you upset your mother, you'll sleep in the study by yourself. I'm not keeping you company."

"But Mother says it's because of you, Father, that I have to sleep here."

Note:

* The leads are cousins in name only and are not related by blood.

* A hapless, unruly heir x a frail, sickly cousin

* The male lead grows as a person later on. The female lead really is ill, but not as badly as the rumors say.

Theme: With hard work, you'll always see a rainbow.