Ruan Ruan was born into the wealthiest family in Yinzhou. She was blessed with a gorgeous face and skin as smooth as ice and jade, earning her the title of Yinzhou's number-one beauty. She and her childhood friend, her maternal cousin, were engaged and in love. Her life had gone smoothly for the most part.
But just before she was due to marry her cousin, disaster struck her family. Her father was thrown into prison, with his life hanging in the balance. Friends and relatives from the past avoided them, while her uncles and aunts eyed the Ruan family's immense fortune, waiting for her father to die.
Ruan Ruan had nowhere else to turn. At last, she sought out Huo Xiu, the newly appointed governor.
In the snowy depths of winter, Ruan Ruan knelt on both knees and held out all her family's property deeds to Huo Xiu with her hands red from the cold. She offered him a large reward and begged him to clear her family's name and deliver justice.
The candlelight in the hall shone brightly. The man sat in the seat of honor, gazing at her for a long time with an inscrutable look in his eyes. Then he waved the deeds aside, leaned toward her, and asked, "Why not offer yourself as collateral instead?"
Later, Ruan Ruan became Madam Huo in name as well as in fact. She invited her friends to the Huo residence, where the women closed the doors to chat privately. One of them asked how the two of them had first met.
Remembering how sore her waist was every day, Ruan Ruan grumbled, "That old man fell for me because of my looks!"
Passing by outside, Governor Huo gave a light cough and stepped inside. "Don't talk nonsense. It was love at first sight."
Theme: There's no obstacle in life that can't be overcome.
