★ The emperor's long-lost bloodline vs. the current crown prince's younger sister
The emperor had never had children, so he adopted the Prince of Huai's son, Sang Ruo's older brother, as his heir.
Sang Ruo, the Prince of Huai's adopted daughter, rose in status along with him.
She already had flawless skin and a beguiling beauty that she herself didn't realize.
Countless young ladies and noblemen pursued Sang Ruo, but she only had eyes for a sickly scholar.
The first time she saw him, the scholar took a book and half a string of copper coins from his book case and gently offered them to a frightened little beggar.
The scholar lived in a village, studying and farming. Sang Ruo went to the village every day to see him, washing her hands to prepare meals for him and braving heavy rain to bring him food. Eventually, all the villagers knew her.
People couldn't understand why a young lady raised in the luxury of a prince's household would put herself through such hardship.
Blushing, Sang Ruo replied, "What if I marry into his family someday? I should get used to it."
She had never considered asking him to marry into her family, because she knew Xie Wuhui was proud and would never agree to live under someone else's roof.
At first, Xie Wuhui was cold to her, disliked her, and ignored her. But she thought he simply hadn't seen her good side yet.
Eventually, he was indeed moved by her, and Sang Ruo got her wish and became his bride. Even after marriage, he remained cold toward her, and still disliked her coming close to him in public, but Sang Ruo refused to lose heart. Until she discovered that his identity was not so simple.
Until... the day Sang Ruo was kidnapped, and Xie Wuhui did not come to save her.
One day, two days, five days. Sang Ruo consoled herself that as long as Xie Wuhui showed up, it didn't matter how late he was.
But in the end, all she got was his attendant.
She forced the man to take her to see Xie Wuhui. Only then did she learn that he had been unable to come because he was accompanying a gravely ill woman, someone Sang Ruo knew as well.
The attendant even told her not to hold it against his master.
She didn't hate him, because she had brought this on herself.
It was just that giving someone your whole heart didn't mean they would give theirs in return. If he already loved someone, he should have told her sooner.
*
Later, word spread that the emperor's lost bloodline had been found and the heir apparent had been established.
At a banquet, the dignified and elegant Crown Prince lost his composure and clung desperately to a woman's sleeve.
No one knew how many times, in his long night dreams, she had stood beneath the apricot blossoms just as she did today, smiling gently:
"Xie Wuhui, I hold no resentment, so don't be angry with me either. I only hope that in this life, we never meet again."
Reading Guide:
1. He has to win her back after neglecting her. The male lead is genuinely at fault. There are reasons behind his actions, but actions matter more than intentions, so he will have to pay the price.
2. The heroine comes to her senses early.
Theme: If you don't cherish what you have, what hope is there for the future?
