Yun Xi is the only son of the Grand Tutor. With the court in turmoil, his family raises him as a girl from childhood to keep him alive. He struggles through life in the residence until the age of fifteen, then sneaks off to the market with his young maid.
Unfortunately, he catches the eye of Si Yinghuai, heir to the Prince of Hengkang's estate, who has gone out looking for fun.
The heir is notorious for being idle, rowdy, and debauched, and is a regular at the pleasure houses. After catching one brief glimpse of Yun Xi on the street, he takes a reckless gamble and abducts him.
One look at the cruelty hidden in his eyes and the unyielding chill about him, and Yun Xi knows he's dangerous.
Best keep my distance.
To force Yun Xi into marriage, the heir stuffs him into a bridal sedan and has him carried to the prince's residence. When the Yun family hears, they nearly hang themselves in front of the estate. The scandal grows until it reaches the emperor. On one side is the Prince of Hengkang's son, whose family holds power over the court and commands a million troops. On the other is Grand Tutor Yun, head of the civil and military officials. The emperor can't afford to offend either side.
In a fit of desperation, the emperor sends Si Yinghuai to the frontier, calling it "training."
Three years later, a new emperor ascends the throne, and an imperial decree is proclaimed throughout the land: I have long loved Yun Xi. I shall take you as my empress.
The Yun family is tearing its hair out.
Our child is a man, for heaven's sake!
The decree leaves them no choice. Yun Xi takes a desperate risk and flees in the dead of night, but the moment he steps outside, he's bundled into the bridal carriage meant to carry the empress.
Yun Xi QAQ: "I'm doomed!"
Just as he's about to be forced into marriage, Si Yinghuai, now the Prince of Hengkang, returns in a bloody rout.
"I hear Your Majesty intends to marry my wife?" By then, Si Yinghuai has undergone a complete transformation. The pressure of a ruler radiates from him. Behind him stand a million troops, and beneath his feet lies a mountain of corpses. "Did it ever occur to you to ask whether I agree?"
The emperor glares furiously. "Absurd! How could the empress I intend to marry possibly be your wife?"
Si Wuwang rests a hand on his sword. "I went to ask for her hand. She rode in my bridal sedan two years ago. She is the one I chose. If Your Majesty insists, then I have no choice but to break my word."
Two years later, the former crown prince, now emperor, looks at the even more untouchable Prince of Hengkang and reluctantly gives his blessing.
Yun Xi, being stuffed into a bridal sedan for the third time: Does anyone care to ask what I, the person getting married, actually want?
To keep himself alive, he loses his appetite and spends every waking moment figuring out how to escape.
But he runs, the prince pursues, and he can't get away.
The prince is growing more and more irritable, with his beauty right beside him but still out of reach. He glares at Yun Xi every day, looking ready to start forcing his love on him.
Yun Xi trembles: I don't think I can take this!!! QAQ
Theme: Surprises are everywhere
