Li Canyao is the only daughter of Prince Pan.
Cool and reserved by nature, she is the most graceful and proper among the imperial clan.
But she harbors a secret.
When she was fifteen, she went out to watch the procession and saw the young general Xie Zhaoyan depart for war against the Beiman.
The young man, splendid in his fine clothes and astride his horse, captured her heart at first sight.
A year later, General Xie returned victorious.
To celebrate the peace, the palace held a banquet and invited the nobles and marquises of the capital.
As the cups passed around, Xie Zhaoyan drank too much, and was helped into the Eastern Palace.
Li Canyao was quietly enjoying the feast when she heard that Beiman had asked the court for a woman to marry into their ruling family. The emperor's hand hovered over her name.
Beiman was a barren land, its people fierce and unruly. Their leader had been defeated but refused to submit. Going there would mean risking certain death.
Her parents were ill, and her elder brother had died on the battlefield. She was the only one left to care for them and fulfill her filial duty. She couldn't go.
Li Canyao gritted her teeth. On the night before the imperial decree was to be issued, she secretly slipped into the Eastern Palace and climbed into General Xie's bed.
She heard that the woman who had taken her place as the bride to Beiman had become his cousin.
On their wedding night, Xie Zhaoyan left her behind and led his troops north. He didn't return home for two months.
Their marriage had been forced upon him, after all, and Li Canyao never uttered a word of complaint.
Still, she heard the rumors that he had defiled and then neglected her. It was hardly the conduct of a gentleman.
Feeling deeply guilty, she treated his birth mother ever more kindly and kept his household in order.
By the time he returned, she had put the General's Residence in perfect order.
Two months pregnant, Li Canyao was made to kneel as punishment by her mother-in-law. For the first time, she talked back to an elder, her voice growing weaker and weaker. Xie Zhaoyan appeared out of nowhere and caught her as she staggered.
She heard him gently soothe her.
"Don't be afraid, my lady. Your husband will stand up for you."
Xie Zhaoyan was sickly as a child, so his father sent him to the military camp to toughen him up. No one expected him to be a rough diamond. After several victories, his name rang through the capital.
Young General Xie looked gloomy all day, but was passionate at heart. He liked bright, radiant women.
But he made a mistake and had no choice but to marry the most proper and dignified princess in the capital.
After their wedding, he only wanted them to treat each other with respect. He never imagined she was a liar.
She seemed as docile as a lamb, but inside she was spoiled, willful, and unreasonable. First she tricked him into giving up his virtue, and now she had stolen his heart.
Everyone thought they were an ill-matched couple. Yet some people saw how the usually cold and aloof General Xie would often helplessly chase after the little princess, trying to coax her when no one was watching.
Xie Zhaoyan made no secret of it.
When his wife was thirsty, he gathered morning dew from lotus leaves to brew her tea.
When she was hungry, he rode out at night to buy her pastries and fruit.
His wife wore the only Shu brocade dress of its kind in the capital,
and even the bedding she slept on was stuffed with goose down by his own hands.
The noblewomen of the capital were envious and flocked to Li Canyao for advice.
Li Canyao was shy. Even if their marriage was happy, they really ought to show a little restraint.
When Xie Zhaoyan failed to get a kiss, he followed her around in circles. "My lady, just one kiss!"
Theme: The key to marital harmony is sincerity.
