The Minister Beneath Her Skirts

*A stunning, ruthless, aloof beauty with a Daoist air × a dignified, restrained, taciturn, obsessive man who endures in silence*

On New Year's Eve in the second year of the Jinyuan reign, bandits massacred the entire Xie clan, the foremost family among the aristocracy, shocking the court and the public. The case remained unsolved, becoming the most brutal cold case in Jinyuan history.

Yet one orphan of the Xie family survived the night of slaughter. The Crown Prince adopted her as his daughter and brought her into the Northern Pacification Bureau under his command. She became its greatest expert, Xie Hongfu.

To uncover the truth behind the massacre, she concealed her identity, devoted herself to the task, and stained herself with blood. She became the sharpest blade in the Crown Prince's hand.

*

Xie Hongfu came in disguise, lowering her head with a demure air. But the elegant, powerful Left Chancellor lowered his eyes, took her wrist, and leaned down to call her, “Yaoyao.”

The road stretches on, the waters flow far, and all fame and fortune lie along the road to Chang'an. Yaoyao was the childhood nickname of Xie Tiaotiao, the youngest daughter of the Xie family.

Only one person had ever called her that.

He had also saved her life. In the warm spring breeze, amid summer cicadas, beneath the faint glow of autumn, and through soft winter snow, he had always bent down to take her hand, serving as her stepping stone and guiding light as he led her forward.

Yet before disaster befell the Xie family, she had falsely accused him of stealing gold and silver. He was branded a criminal, imprisoned, and exiled a thousand li away, where he died young.

Now, deep hatred stood between them.

*

Xiao Hengzhi, the foremost of the upright officials and a favored minister of the emperor, had a secret no one knew, and an enemy no one knew about.

He was not the legitimate son of the upright Xiao clan. He was merely a horse slave who had been granted a favor and rescued from a beast-taming arena by the young Xie family's young mistress.

He was also the lowly criminal whom his young mistress had driven out of the estate on the charge of stealing gold and silver, branding him behind the ear.

After countless trials and narrow escapes, Xiao Hengzhi finally made his way back to Chang'an under a new name. There, he found the enemy who had occupied his thoughts for so many years bowing before him.

“Yaoyao.”

I've finally found you.

*

Everyone knew that Xie Hongfu, the Northern Pacification Bureau's foremost female devil, had been captured by Xiao Hengzhi while stealing secrets from the Xiao clan.

Everyone speculated about the brutal torture this female devil would suffer at the hands of Xiao Hengzhi, who was renowned for his impartiality.

Then someone accidentally pushed open the door to the imperial prison and saw the refined, noble Left Chancellor kneeling at the female devil's feet.

His feet were in her shoes, and his deep-purple official robes were wet. He bowed with utmost reverence and kissed the scarred arch of her foot, as if asking:

“Yaoyao, you've suffered.”

Content warnings:

* Both leads have their own pain and are hopelessly in love. They love each other so desperately that they go mad, and their mental states are concerning.

* The female lead has a complicated past and tangled emotions. She is not a perfect character.

* In a sense, the male lead is the female lead's utterly loyal dog, faithful for more than a decade.

* The author knows nothing about dynasties or official titles. The setting is a complete hodgepodge of historical periods, all in service of the romance, so please don't nitpick the historical details.

Theme: I love you just as I did at the beginning.