The Langya Xu family had two sons. Xu Jing, the legitimate son of the eldest branch, was bright as the moon and brilliant as the stars.
Xu Zhuo, meanwhile, was a concubine-born son of the second branch.
Xu Jing's fiancee was named Shen Yangyue.
Born to a distinguished family, she was noble and elegant, with a graceful bearing and a luminous spirit.
When her eldest brother-in-law returned in triumph, she would become the Xu family's eldest daughter-in-law.
And Xu Zhuo's proper sister-in-law.
Later, her eldest brother-in-law died in battle on an ill-fated campaign.
Xu Zhuo traveled far to the northwest and wrested his brother's body from the Tatars.
But when he returned to the capital, he learned that Shen Yangyue had lost all hope and was so frail she had barely a thread of life left. She might pass away at any moment.
With no other choice,
he could only spin one lie after another to keep her alive.
The wooden hairpin carved with the character "Yue," the love poems written in an imitation of his brother's hand, the lifelike shadow puppetry behind the soft curtain.
All were expressions of love that he could reveal only under his brother's name.
Until that day.
Shen Yangyue followed a flaw in one of the poems and uncovered all the lies.
Her clear, bright eyes settled on Xu Zhuo, as if she had glimpsed the most vile and secret truth in his heart.
She asked, "Why?"
Xu Zhuo replied, "The one who reaches for the moon only hopes for its pure light. He would never dare claim it for himself by force."
Because of those words,
Shen Yangyue agreed to marry Xu Zhuo.
She began trying to let go of the past and the love she had once known.
On the day of their wedding,
Xu Zhuo and Shen Yangyue bowed to Heaven and Earth with the wedding matron beside them.
They were just about to be led to the bridal chamber when
Xu Jing, who should have been nothing but a handful of yellow earth by then, stormed into the wedding hall in his armor, sword in hand, and confronted Xu Zhuo like a malevolent demon.
"You killed your brother and took his bride."
"Second Brother, you truly are ruthless."
Theme: Never give up hope in the face of adversity.
