Wei Xiao, the regent of Great Chu, holds power over the entire court. Everyone knows that his face has been disfigured and that he is cruel and ruthless. None of the three princesses he married survived their wedding day.
Princess Li Miaoyi is born to wealth and splendor, unmatched in beauty, and the late emperor's most beloved daughter. Yet the current emperor orders her to marry the regent.
The people of Chu's capital sigh and lament, convinced the princess's happy days are over. Only the princess knows she has gotten her wish: she is marrying the man she loves.
On their wedding day, Wei Xiao lifted her chin. "From now on, the princess may not take a single step outside the manor without my permission."
Li Miaoyi: How does he know I don't like going out?
When a spy appeared in the manor, Wei Xiao shot her a sidelong glance. "From today on, the princess and I will eat, live, and sleep together."
Li Miaoyi: Things are moving so fast. He must be in love with me. Is this what the storybooks call a secret crush coming true, and falling in love after marriage?
Inspired by this, Li Miaoyi picked up her brush and started writing her own storybook.
Only when she was nearly finished did she realize she'd misunderstood everything because she read too many romance stories. Wei Xiao had never loved her.
Downcast, she packed her things, left a letter of divorce, and slipped out of the manor in the dead of night.
When Wei Xiao heard what had happened, he rushed back from the battlefield without delay.
With red-rimmed eyes, Li Miaoyi asked, "What are you doing here?"
Glancing at the words in her storybook, Wei Xiao's breath turned hot. "Shall I discuss with the princess what it means for a pair of mandarin ducks to entwine their necks? Or for lovers to make love?"
Theme: Love at first sight, then a heartbeat that quickens with every day together
