On a misty spring night in the rain, Yu Lu, a girl from the southern frontier, found a scholar stranded in the wilderness inside a mountain cave.
The scholar was so handsome he looked like an immortal, and though covered in grime, his refined features and graceful bearing still shone through. Yu Lu blushed at the sight. Ignoring his struggles and protests, she boldly planted a Love-and-Union Gu in him.
After a night of passion, she was even more pleased with him and decided that this was the man she would choose as her husband.
But before they could even exchange wedding bows, a carriage hurriedly took her back to the capital. It turned out she was the long-lost second daughter of the prestigious Su family.
When she first entered the manor to meet the head of the household, Yu Lu nervously lifted her eyes in secret, only to be caught completely off guard by a familiar, handsome face.
Her "fiance" sat in the seat of honor, dressed in white with a jade belt. His gaze, deep as an abyss, fell on her and paused for a moment.
Only then did Yu Lu learn that he was no down-and-out scholar at all, but Su Yuncong, the renowned young master of a noble family and the head of the Su household.
They were siblings by blood. She ought to call him "Elder Brother."
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Siblings could never become husband and wife.
But Yu Lu was disheartened for only a little while before quickly pulling herself together again.
There were countless handsome young men in the capital. She soon put that night in the cave behind her and found herself a new candidate for a husband.
He was a young general of noble birth, dashing on horseback in fine clothes, full of ambition, with eyes and heart devoted entirely to her.
However, on the night they had agreed to elope, Yu Lu lifted the bamboo curtain of the passenger boat. Her beloved was nowhere to be seen. Only her elder brother sat inside.
The upright, proper gentleman slowly raised his head, the corners of his eyes reddened by the heat.
He closed his eyes briefly. His voice was calm yet hoarse, as though he had finally made up his mind:
"Until today, every time the Love-and-Union Gu acted up, I forced myself to endure it. You are my younger sister. I would rather die than let you bear the disgrace of being accused of having an improper relationship with your brother."
"But I can't endure it anymore."
Theme: Face your true feelings
