Silken Shadows and Fragrant Robes

[Honest Northland Horse-Raising Girl vs. Noble Imperial Highness] Shang Zhuo was ambushed, lost his memory, and ended up stranded on the frontier. A young girl from beyond the border saved him from his plight. She fed him and dressed him, even tying his hair up and fastening his crown. A Ying was simple-hearted. She had lost her family when she was young and had no siblings, so she gave nearly everything she had to this man heaven had sent her. All the money she had earned performing acrobatics during the first half of her life went toward treating him: the best doctors and the finest medicine. A Ying truly thought that giving someone her whole heart would earn her theirs in return. How could she have known that all the sweet words he whispered to her were an act? He was already engaged to a woman in the capital. Every loving word was only meant to trick her into helping him recover. - At first, Shang Zhuo really was only using and deceiving the barbarian girl of the North. She had saved his life, so he could repay her for that small kindness by taking her back to the capital, where she could live under his protection in comfort and wealth, wanting for nothing. If she knew her place and behaved sensibly, he could even find her a suitable husband one day, give her a dowry, and see her married in style. But before long, he regretted it. Later, he truly saw her with his own younger brother, their bodies entwined as they whispered intimately to each other. Jealousy surged through Shang Zhuo, burning his eyes red and drowning his heart. From that day on, he went mad, completely and utterly. - Only a single candle burned in the dim secret chamber. Its weak light fell across the man’s alluring face, and danger glinted in his dark eyes. His fingers, pale and smooth as white jade, gently brushed the girl’s tear-streaked cheek. “A Ying, since you sought out my younger brother, tell me: between him and me, who pleases you more?” - Content warnings: Both leads are sexually inexperienced; happy ending. Early story: He realizes what he lost and gets humiliated. Mid-story: He pursues her after losing her. Later: He forces her into marriage and takes her by force. The heroine brings the hero home at first because she accidentally injured him and doesn’t want to be held liable for his death. The heroine and the younger brother’s relationship is a misunderstanding from the hero’s point of view. (It involves spoilers, so I won’t say more.) Theme: There is no greater virtue than admitting your mistakes and correcting them.