People all said the "Ci" in the prime minister's eldest granddaughter's childhood name, Wen Nanci, meant "to bid the world farewell." She brought ruin to her father and mother, and in the end, to her entire family.
On the eve of her coronation, as the world before her eyes blurred away, Wen Nanci had just begun to suspect her cousin, the new emperor Xu Yue. Why had her whole family met such a terrible end?
A figure appeared in Wen Nanci's eyes, full of unwillingness. It was Shen Jubai, the former dynasty's second prince, the man she hated most, bursting into the heavily guarded palace covered in blood.
*
Everyone said the "Ci" in her name foretold ill fortune, but they hadn't forgotten that the renowned fortune-teller who served the state had predicted her fate to be one of extremes, with the shadow of a phoenix circling above her: she was born to wealth and nobility.
When she abruptly opened her eyes, the bleak depths of winter had become the early spring of twelve years ago.
Wen Nanci didn't believe the old Daoist's prediction, and she couldn't let his prophecy come true. She didn't want to wear that bloodstained phoenix robe again.
An imperial decree of betrothal suddenly arrived at the prime minister's residence.
Old Prime Minister Wen staggered as he accepted the decree. "That, that reckless brat can't possibly be a suitable husband for my Nanci!"
The reckless brat in question was Shen Yubai, the emperor's second son, a dark sun in the imperial city. His willful behavior often made the emperor see black, yet he was blessed with dazzling beauty.
Now there was another story for people to gossip about over tea. "Hey, how much must the emperor hate the Wen family to make them marry off their precious daughter to that unpredictable, dissolute second prince? That pampered noblewoman is probably doomed."
When the veil was lifted, Wen Ci looked up at Shen Yubai. On that face, which ought to have looked carefree and irreverent, yet also seemed to lament Heaven's favoritism, there was a great deal of restrained ferocity and something else she couldn't understand.
A month after their wedding, Wen Nanci blushed.
A year after their wedding, Wen Nanci tried with all her might to kick him out of bed, but couldn't. "You're a liar!"
*
Shen Yubai always felt as if he had seen this scene before: Wen Nanci smiling gently at her cousin Xu Yue amid the spring flowers. The sun had been far too bright that day.
He had thought about letting her choose for herself, but the more he tried to suppress certain thoughts, the more wildly they grew. He had to fight for a happy ending for the two of them at least once.
Shen Yubai caught her wildly kicking feet and held her slender ankles. This was how it should be.
"When Yuyu walks alone, he longs for Nanci every morning and yearns for her every night. How could he not think of her?"
Theme: The brightest, truest, purest love grows stronger with time.
