Married First, Love Later
Shen Yuanyuan, the eldest daughter of the Shen family, and Lu Jing, the heir to the marquis's title, were betrothed as children. But when they came of age to marry, one thing after another went wrong. First, the old marquis passed away, delaying the wedding for three years. Then the heir left the capital to put down a rebellion and was injured. Rumors around town claimed that the injury had supposedly... damaged his virility.
While Shen Yuanyuan was praying for the heir at a temple, her horse was startled and bolted beyond the mountain enclosure. A prince happened to be passing by and came down the mountain to rescue her. The two spent the night together at the foot of the mountain.
The next day, the prince proposed to the Shen family.
The Shen family wanted to curry favor with the prince's household, but also didn't want to give up the prestigious match with the marquis's family. So they decided to transfer the engagement meant for their eldest daughter to their second legitimate daughter, Shen Jiaojiao.
Unfortunately, Shen Jiaojiao had not yet come of age. She was plainly still a child, and, having been spoiled by her family, was as delicate and pampered as her name suggested. Meanwhile, the heir to the marquis's title was already twenty-four or twenty-five.
When Lu Jing heard about the proposed marriage, he remembered the little Jiaojiao from their childhood. She had run into his foot and cried without stopping until she made the servants beat his foot, then ordered someone to stomp on the ground before she finally calmed down. His head began to ache, and he frowned.
