The haughty, overbearing, universally disliked eldest daughter of the Wen family, Wen Ruoyan, fell into the water. When she woke up, she had a strange affliction: she could only speak the truth.
Sun Jiaojiao and Wen Ruoyan had never gotten along. They found fault with each other's clothes, food, interests, poetry, and paintings. Whenever they met, they had to compete to see who came out on top.
For the first lotus-viewing banquet Wen Ruoyan attended after recovering, Sun Jiaojiao spent days preparing her outfit and jewelry, determined to leave Wen Ruoyan speechless!
By the pond, the radiant Sun Jiaojiao saw Wen Ruoyan approaching in the distance and straightened up, ready for battle.
Wen Ruoyan came closer, looked Sun Jiaojiao up and down, then lifted her chin haughtily. "It's been a few days, but Miss Sun's taste is still as impeccable as ever."
Sun Jiaojiao swallowed the retort she was about to make.
Then she watched Wen Ruoyan angrily slap herself across the mouth.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I was complimenting you!"
Miss Wen was even angrier. What was she saying? Wasn't she supposed to use her sharp tongue to make Sun Jiaojiao feel utterly humiliated? How had she ended up saying what she really thought?
Sun Jiaojiao gave her sworn enemy a strange look, grabbed Wen Ruoyan's maid by the hand, and earnestly advised her, "Your young lady really ought to get more treatment!"
Somehow, word got around that Wen Ruoyan could only speak the truth. It reached Lin Yuyao, the treacherous minister reviled by everyone and powerful enough to rule the court.
Lin Yuyao walked up to Wen Ruoyan, smiling casually in a way that sent a chill through her. "I hear everyone curses me in their hearts, but no one dares tell me the truth to my face. What does Miss Wen think of me?"
Wen Ruoyan quietly swallowed, lowered her eyes, and avoided Lin Yuyao's gaze. "I think Your Excellency is quite handsome."
Theme: Good deeds are rewarded
