Gentle yet resilient x refined scoundrel
Jin Fuying, the Qinghe County Princess of Prince Duan's residence, has skin like snow and breathtaking beauty. Gentle and compliant, she is nevertheless branded by everyone as lowborn and ill-fated.
Her birth parents were fishermen in Jiangnan. They died protecting the emperor when he was ambushed during a tour of the realm. Taking pity on her young age, the emperor brought her back to Chang'an and bestowed her upon Prince Duan as his adopted daughter.
An orphan with no one to love or care for her, she endured countless cold looks and taunts from her adoptive parents.
In this cold, splendid imperial city, the only kindness she ever knew was the life-saving grace of the young heir of the Duke's mansion, who pulled her from a devastating flood.
Gu Yinghuai, the heir of the Duke's mansion, placed first in all three imperial examinations. He was of exceptional refinement, a noble scion and a close aide to the emperor. Countless young ladies secretly admired him, yet none dared reach for him.
She knew they were worlds apart, so she never dared dream of being with him.
Until one day, Prince Duan's rebellion failed, bringing ruin upon the whole family. Jin Fuying was sent to the Music Bureau, where she became a dancing girl for others' amusement.
That night, rain pattered down. To win her adoptive mother a chance at survival, she knelt trembling before the table in her flimsy dance costume and offered wine to the man seated above her, humiliation filling her eyes.
Gu Yinghuai accepted her wine with a calm expression and said nothing. Before leaving, he draped an outer garment over her, shielding her from the shame of her disheveled state.
At that moment, self-abasement and heartache mingled within her. She suddenly felt that there was no one in the world with better character than Gu Yinghuai.
Much later, when the truth came to light, she finally learned what kind of cold, dark heart lay beneath Gu Yinghuai's gentle facade.
He was no different from the other powerful nobles in the imperial city. If anything, he was even more arrogant, callous, and high-handed.
And he looked down on her even more.
From beginning to end, she had been nothing but a joke.
Among the wealthy young men of the capital, some loved poetry, some cricket fighting, and some women.
Only the heir of the Duke's mansion indulged in none of it. A friend laughed and asked, "Life is so dull. Don't you have anything to amuse yourself with?"
Gu Yinghuai's gaze passed over him and settled on the young woman behind him.
Back then, Jin Fuying had only just arrived in the capital. She was beautiful and gentle, with a nature as soft as water, as if she could endure any amount of bullying.
Alone and helpless in a world of fame and fortune, she had a slender neck that spoke of an innocence untouched by the ways of the world. The instant she lifted her head,
he thought that his dull, uneventful life could indeed use a little amusement.
Content warning: Coercive possession and a groveling redemption arc
She loved the bright moon in the sky, but the moon pushed her into the mud.
The Green Plum Order: Jin Mingxi x Gu Cheng'an, secondary couple
Some character roles have been changed
Theme: Stay true to yourself
