Jin Yan grew up in the pleasure quarters. She was charming and beautiful, and loved admiring gold, jade, fine silk, and brocade. She was the most celebrated courtesan in the house, yet had not made her debut.
On the day before her debut, an imperial commissioner mistook her for the young daughter of the Empress, who had been lost among the common people, because of a dragon-patterned jade pendant. He took her back to the palace, and overnight she went from an ordinary girl to the cherished apple of Emperor Yuan's eye.
At a palace banquet, she ran into the familiar face of the heir to the Duke of Zhenguo. A bad memory suddenly came back to her:
One night, she had saved Pei Jingmo, a grievously wounded man being hunted by assassins. Seeing his lavish clothes and expensive jade accessories, she immediately decided to use his debt to her advantage and fleece him for a hefty sum.
After he recovered, the man left his jade pendant as collateral and promised to come redeem it in three months. But before the deadline arrived, she had already used the token to enter the palace, becoming the royal family's most beloved little princess.
Jin Yan was terrified. That very night, she packed her things and prepared to flee under the pretense of going into seclusion.
To her surprise, Pei Jingmo stopped her at the city gate. The man lifted her veil and saw her looking at him with wide, pitiful almond eyes. "Young master, what do you want?"
Pei Jingmo remembered those intoxicating spring nights from several months earlier. His heart stirred as he raised a hand and gripped her chin. "When you were tugging at my belt tassel before, why didn't you look so innocent?"
Jin Yan nervously enjoyed the luxuries she'd stolen, but after thinking it over, she decided that relying on her beauty was no long-term plan. While Pei Jingmo was away fighting on the northern frontier, she resolutely packed a small bundle, took the baby she was carrying, and left the bustling capital behind.
Pei Jingmo secretly planned that once he returned victorious from the war, he would personally ask His Majesty for permission to marry Princess Sui'an.
Who could have guessed that on the very first day of his triumphant return, he'd discover the fake princess had disappeared?
A sweet, calculating fake princess x a cold, aloof heir from a lofty family
Reading guide: One-on-one romance, happy ending, devoted couple, sweet romance, pregnancy and flight
Blurb saved as a screenshot on 2022.5.28
Theme: A daughter should be self-reliant
