Unhinged male substitute vs. beautiful eldest princess
On the day Xue Ning was to be married, the ten-mile procession of wedding finery turned into a clash of swords and spears. She watched helplessly as the man she loved was pierced before her eyes, while countless armored soldiers surged in.
In the firelight, the Northern Dynasty fell.
That same year, Xue Ning was brought back to her homeland and made Princess Changle.
Many years passed. The people of the capital still spoke of what had happened only in hushed tones. Then, at a polo match, a young man on horseback sent the ball gliding with effortless grace, his charm all the more striking for it.
The princess, invited to attend, turned deathly pale and gripped the armrests of her chair.
Afterward, driven by obsession, Xue Ning could not help drawing close to this rising star of the court.
At first, it was only tea, conversation, and outings,
until it all spiraled out of control.
*
The man who had appeared in his dreams time and again now stood before him. Xie Yunzhou's soul trembled, but he hid the infatuation in his eyes, turned around, and bowed with solemn propriety.
To get close to her, he donned a gentle facade and played the part of a refined gentleman.
No one knew that Xie Yun had once been no more than the son of a disgraced official. During his exile, he had happened upon Xue Ning's wedding procession.
Amid the snowstorm, he was shackled and beaten.
The new bride, her face flushed with shy delight, scolded the guards and secretly sent someone to bring him a bundle of supplies.
Later, he returned to the capital safe and sound. Time had passed, and she no longer recognized him.
But that was all right. He could do what he did best: pretend, scheme, and reach for a branch of the royal family.
*
When the dynasty fell, Xue Ning became worthless, while the substitute she had once cruelly used and abandoned stood in the place of honor.
There was no escaping him.
The gentle, smiling eyes she had once loved were now cold, weaving a dense net that could not wait to close around her.
"Manman, you have no idea how hard it was to keep up the act."
Theme: Put yourself first
