The Li in Li Shuzhi came from the Zhao Commandery Li clan, one of the Five Surnames and Seven Great Clans. His family was noble and distinguished, with generations of officials in its ranks. Li Shuzhi was every bit as impressive, a refined gentleman as graceful as an orchid or a jade tree. Calling him one of Chang'an's finest scions of a great clan would be no exaggeration.
Unfortunately, even a fine jade tree can wither, and the young master had an illness that made marriage difficult.
Helian Fangfei, daughter of the Grand Princess, was as beautiful as a peach blossom and the loveliest woman in the capital. She had known the Seventh Prince, Li You, since childhood, and he had once sworn he would marry no one but her. But when the time came for them to wed, Li You said that to become Crown Prince, he had to marry the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, and asked her to wait for him.
Wait? As if! Helian Fangfei turned around and married Li Shuzhi instead. The reason was simple: she liked his looks.
After they married, Helian Fangfei gradually fell for Li Shuzhi and boldly confessed her feelings, only to receive this answer:
“I have nothing but respect for the Commandery Princess.”
Only later did she learn that Li Shuzhi had married her at Li You's request. They were supposed to be a fake couple, and when the time was right, he would return her to Li You.
Furious, Helian Fangfei turned around and set Li Shuzhi up. The promising young vice director of the Ministry of Justice was demoted to Zhenzhou overnight.
The two became a magistrate and his wife in that land of heat and miasma.
Li Shuzhi governed diligently, cared for the people, fulfilled his duties, promoted beneficial policies, eliminated harmful ones, and upheld justice and integrity.
Helian Fangfei befriended the local tribes, put an end to their brawls, and worked alongside the people in the fields.
The famous high-born couple everyone in Chang'an had called a bitter match became, in the eyes of the people, a truly blissful couple worthy of the heavens.
Later, Li You failed in his bid for the throne and went to his fiefdom. He wrote to Li Shuzhi, asking him to give Helian Fangfei back.
Li Shuzhi replied: “Prince Ying, mind your words. You should know that the man whose wife has been stolen and the thief cannot live under the same sky.”
Li You: “???” I thought we'd get a divorce if I asked for her back!
Reader's Notes:
1. The male and female leads grow over time, and neither is perfect.
2. There is a male love rival.
3. Set in an alternate Tang dynasty.
Theme: Go out and discover a wider world, and a wider version of yourself.
