Su Ying is an ordinary huntress.
One day, she finds an injured man in the mountains. His clothes are luxurious, his skin is fair, and he's beautiful. Anyone can tell he has a distinguished background.
Afraid that keeping him around might damage his reputation, she hides him in her home.
He can't get used to the food or the lodgings, and he won't speak to her. He just stares blankly out the window.
Su Ying goes to the market to buy him the finest silk, and wipes him down as carefully as if he were a jade bodhisattva on an altar.
One night, he tugs at her sleeve.
Su Ying stumbles onto the bed.
A night of passion.
"I like you." She kisses him with the devotion of someone praying.
She wants to marry him and treat him well for the rest of her life.
If he is willing.
The next day, the man disappears. One year passes, then another. As game grows scarce in the mountains, Su Ying goes down to find work.
On the street, she comes upon a noble's recruitment for a husband.
The beloved youngest son of the current emperor, Ji Lanting, sits on a high platform in fine silks, idly waving a round fan as he gazes lazily at the crowd.
A faint black mole marks the corner of his eye, and his dewy eyes gleam with a fluid, alluring light.
He is the very man she once took in.
The noble lord whom others call "unfit to be a husband and wanton in his ways". Su Ying gazes up at him.
Suddenly, she remembers him sitting with his knees drawn up beside a dilapidated window, watching the night rain pour outside, his eyes full of sorrow.
"Little girl, being my consort isn't easy. Have you thought it through?"
"I have. I like you."
On the glazed bed, Su Ying lowers her head and touches his flushed jade-like face, making her solemn vow.
"No matter what happens, I'll always protect you."
1. Female-dominant setting, BG romance. The male lead is a widower with a bad reputation, but he's a virgin.
2. The female lead rises from huntress to great general. The male lead will destroy a kingdom.
3. Sweetness all the way through.
Theme: Helping each other and growing together.
