Jiang Yingying, daughter of the Duke of Rong, was noble and elegant, gentle and gracious. Along with her cousin Jiang Qingzhu, she was hailed as one of the capital's two great beauties.
Zhou Peidong, the second legitimate son of the Marquis of Zhongxin, was as graceful as an orchid and as handsome as a jade tree. He and his elder brother, Zhou Peixia, were as close as brothers, and their bond was much admired in the capital.
Jiang Yingying and Zhou Peidong had grown up together, childhood sweethearts with no secrets between them. When they came of age to marry, they exchanged their birth-date cards and tokens early, and waited only for Zhou Peidong to bring her home in a grand bridal procession.
Zhou Peidong volunteered for the campaign. He wanted to earn merit before their wedding, so he would be worthy of the girl he had loved since childhood. After a great victory, Zhou Peidong fell from a cliff while pursuing the enemy and vanished without a trace. By the time he returned to public view, he had lost his memory and pledged himself to the doctor who had treated him.
Faced with Jiang Yingying's disappointed gaze and his parents' reproaches, Zhou Peidong merely said, "Jiang Yingying is so proud of herself. Though she follows every rule, she's stiff and dull. How could I ever have liked her?"
Jiang Yingying was a noblewoman from a distinguished family, with her own pride and principles. She graciously broke off her engagement to the Zhou family.
After the two families called off the marriage, an age of turmoil began.
Zhou Peixia, skilled in martial arts, claimed a territory of his own and became a great warlord. Out of guilt for what his parents had done to Jiang Yingying, he protected her through the chaos.
As a boy, Zhou Peixia had greatly disliked Jiang Yingying. She was weak and helpless, exactly the sort of delicate, fluttery girl he hated most.
Zhou Peixia watched coldly as a bug made Jiang Yingying go pale with fright, and sighed.
Hah. A noblewoman from a great family, and that's all she is?
Later, all he wanted was to lose himself in her tender embrace. His favorite thing was Jiang Yingying acting sweet and coquettish with him. Every pout and smile of hers was pure charm.
Zhou Peidong regained his memories only after his elder brother and sister-in-law had children of their own. He angrily denounced it all as his brother's lies. Zhou Peixia had told him that he and Jiang Yingying couldn't stand each other, and that even if they married, they would be a miserable couple.
Zhou Peixia knelt on one knee, holding Yingying's dainty feet and kissing them tenderly, his voice nearly choked with emotion. "Zhou Peidong tried to take you from me. Everything he said was a lie."
So who told the enormous lie, all to keep the goddess in his heart by his side?
Theme: Keep going
