Entangled in His Charm

Ye Linchuan, Prince of Dongping, is a noble gentleman, as clear and bright as the moon, and a ruthless demon on the battlefield.

In his youth, he defeated a hundred thousand Northern Rong troops with just three thousand cavalry. But when a close friend was implicated in a treason case, he put away his ambitions and guarded the frontier.

Until one fateful twist of circumstance brought Yu Jixue, his wife in name only, to stand beneath the corridor, her pale face tilted up as she pleaded with him: "I worshipped Heaven and Earth with the memorial tablet of the Fourth Young Master. Would the Fourth Young Master truly leave me to die?"

He had intended to watch with cold indifference, but in the end, compassion stirred in his heart.

Later, everyone said he had gone mad.

He defied an imperial decree and seized her from her wedding. He slaughtered his way through an execution ground for her. He was even willing to bear the accusation of treason, all to keep her safe for the rest of her life.

Later, beneath the red wedding candles, Yu Jixue brought out an old calligraphy exercise from years ago, titled "Keep Pure and Self-Possessed." It contained more than two hundred and eighty repetitions of the phrase. The farther along she looked, the more they resembled plum blossoms scattered in the cold, until the final sheet bore her maiden name. She smiled. "I thought you found me annoying back then, husband. Turns out you were just saying one thing and meaning another."

Ye Linchuan held the hand gripping her brush and added a few bold new words beside the yellowed page: "When I see snow, it melts. When I meet you, I cannot be still."

[Bonus Scene]

The new emperor looked at the crooked characters spelling "Keep Pure and Self-Possessed" on the imperial desk and chuckled. "Minister Ye, this handwriting?"

"My wife insisted on holding my hand while I practiced last night." The impeccably dressed minister wore conspicuous red marks on his neck. Calmly adjusting his sleeve, he said, "Forgive the eyesore. I truly am... not. at. peace."

Obsessive, unhinged minister X beautiful, strong, tragic bride in a proxy marriage. They save each other across two lifetimes. He thinks he's forcing her into a relationship, but she's had him hooked all along.

Theme: Mutual salvation