The melodramatic, sickly young lord VS the hot-blooded, loyal "male courtesan"
Zhou Suyun was the daughter of Zhou Huai, governor of a border stronghold. When her father was framed by the Crown Prince's faction and her family fell into ruin, she disguised herself as a man and carried evidence of the Crown Prince's treason all the way from the frontier to the capital, evading assassins along the way. She meant to seek refuge with the Fifth Prince, but accidentally ended up at the Ninth Prince's residence instead.
The Ninth Prince saw the handsome young thief in front of him and immediately took pity on him. "You haven't eaten in days, have you? You must be starving. Why not stay at my residence as a male courtesan? I'll make sure you have food and clothes."
Prince Shentu Busheng, the ninth prince of the Great Liang dynasty, had been sickly and frail since childhood. He couldn't even warm his bed in winter, and spent all day clutching a hand warmer. As an adult, the beautiful, willow-slender Ninth Prince refused to take a princess consort. Instead, he kept many male courtesans and favorites at his residence. It turned out the prince preferred men!
Disguised as a man, Zhou Suyun took on the role of a male courtesan and hid in the Ninth Prince's residence, where the powerful prince could protect her. It was indeed a good place to lie low. The only problem was that the prince, who liked men, kept trying to make her his bedmate.
"I would go through fire and water for Your Highness, but... this sort of thing is out of the question. I'm a man, after all, and I'm only attracted to women. I fear I must disappoint Your Highness's kindness."
The Ninth Prince's mother had died young. Though his father doted on him, many consorts and princes in the unfathomable palace saw him as a thorn in their side. To survive, he'd learned one thing: how to pretend. He pretended to be sick, weak, and attracted to men, and managed to stay alive in the cracks. As an adult, his goal was no longer merely to survive. He intended to rule the world and crush everyone who had ever tried to harm him.
Shentu Busheng swept the teacup off the table and shouted furiously at his subordinates, "Find this woman before the Crown Prince and Prince Jing, the Fifth Prince, do! If you can't find her, bring me your heads!"
He had barely finished shouting when he heard a dog barking outside. "What's going on out there?"
"Your Highness, a thief has broken into the residence."
Theme: We must have ambition, and our ambitions should reach far.
