Locked in the Spring Boudoir

Xu Yan was the illegitimate daughter of a songstress in the Prime Minister's residence. She grew up hungry and despised by everyone. The only person in the household who treated her kindly was Shen Muzhi, the private tutor who couldn't walk.

Shen Muzhi was refined and gentle, humble and courteous. He never looked down on her for being slow-witted and awkward. For years, in that lonely little courtyard, the two of them were the only ones who truly knew each other.

Unable to bear the thought of him wasting away in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, Xu Yan racked her brains to cheer him up. She even stayed up night after night doing embroidery so she could buy him the best medicine for his injuries.

One day, Xu Yan went to Shen Muzhi's courtyard as usual. But the courtyard was on fire. Knowing that Shen Muzhi couldn't move easily, Xu Yan rushed into the flames without hesitation.

She searched again and again, but never found Shen Muzhi.

It was only when a burning beam came crashing down that, through the curtain of flames, Xu Yan saw Shen Muzhi standing with his hands behind his back in front of the courtyard.

In that instant, Xu Yan gave a despairing, bitter laugh amid the flames. So it had all been a lie!

For three generations, the Xun family of Yingchuan served as outspoken remonstrators, all men of unbending integrity. Yet they were framed by treacherous villains and condemned to execution as an entire clan. Xun Qin was a vengeful demon who had crawled out of a pile of corpses. Born without compassion, he lived for one purpose only: revenge.

To that end, he assumed the identity of Shen Muzhi, a private tutor in the Xu household, and used the foolish daughter of his enemy.

On the night he slaughtered the Xu family, Xun Qin watched coldly as fire consumed their residence and his enemies died one by one.

The fire burned all night, and he stood outside the Xu residence watching it all night.

At dawn, amid the ruins of the Xu residence, Xun Qin found a charred seashell.

He recognized it. It was the birthday gift he had given Xu Yan.

A few crooked words had been carved into the shell: "May Shen Muzhi get his wish and live in peace year after year."

Xun Qin stared at the shell, stunned for a long time.

After being rescued from the fire, Xu Yan understood that not everyone deserved her sincerity. She had no plans for revenge. The only thing she wanted in this life was to stay far away from that man, preferably never to see him again.

What Xu Yan didn't know was that a demon was still a demon. No matter what she did, she would never escape him!

1. One-on-one, both leads are each other's first, with an eight-year age gap. An alternate Han dynasty setting.

2. Soapy, coercive romance, with the male lead chasing his wife after losing her.

The heroine's view of the fire is distorted: she sees the hero's back.

3. A ruthless, scheming hypocrite x a gentle, kind, resilient ingenue.

Xun Qin (qin, second tone)

Synopsis archived on November 13, 2025.

Theme: Learn to love, and only then can you receive true love.