Hidden Spring

In her previous life, Lin Shuyi lost her mother when she was young. She was the least favored and most superfluous member of her family.

An accident nearly killed Lin Shuyi, but by a stroke of luck, a benefactor saved her. The situation had been urgent, and she hadn't had time to ask her rescuer's name before he left. She thought that if they were fated to meet again, she would thank him properly.

A few days later, a magnificently dressed man with the accent of the capital came to her home. He said that he had recently rescued a woman from drowning, and since they had already shared intimate contact, he had come to ask for her hand in marriage. He was dressed in finery and carried himself with great distinction. A crowd of servants followed him, and one of his attendants let slip that he was a prince.

Faced with this heaven-sent wealth, her biased stepmother twisted the truth and forced the marriage onto her own daughter, Lin Shuyi's second younger sister.

Afraid Lin Shuyi would cause trouble, the mother and daughter set out to eliminate her.

When Lin Shuyi breathed her last, firecrackers were going off outside. The wedding procession had arrived.

Reborn into another life, she refused to meet the same end. This time, she decided to strike first.

*

Prince Regent Xie Junheng had a kind heart. One day, as he passed by Lake Mochou, he casually rescued a woman.

Who could have guessed she'd cling to him and refuse to let go? Grabbing onto him with both hands and feet, she shouted that she would repay him by marrying him.

Xie Junheng stared at her darkly, his brows furrowed. "I suggest you behave yourself."

Later, worn down by her persistence, he took her to the capital. He had thought that since she was so devoted to him, he might as well grant her wish and take her into his household as a concubine.

But who could have guessed that once they arrived in the capital, there would be no sign of the lovestruck young woman? She hadn't even left him a scrap of her clothing.

Instead, a beautiful and witty tavern owner named Lin had appeared in a two-story inn on one of the capital's busiest streets.

*

Years later, Lin Shuyi had had enough of being a princess consort by day and making baked flatbreads by night. She kicked the man out of bed and shouted, "I suggest you behave yourself."

The man by the bed raised an eyebrow, his words light and teasing.

"And why should I?"

[Both leads are virgins. He did not marry the younger sister in his previous life, and there was another reason.]

Theme: Royal power and riches are fleeting as clouds