Wu Jun had once wronged someone, and she had carried the guilt with her ever since.
She remembered that rainy night. A young man had barged into her humble cottage without warning. He wore a bamboo rain hat and was soaked to the skin, with an old ox following behind him. He looked utterly wretched.
Wu Jun took pity on him and, in a moment of kindness, let him shelter from the rain.
“Who are you? What brings you here?” she asked.
The young man lowered his eyes, his lashes trembling as he stammered, “My name is Xian Qing. I live at the foot of Mount Yuelu. I was out tending the oxen today when a sudden downpour caught me, and I lost my way in the mountains. Otherwise, I would never have presumed to trouble you, Miss.”
“I see.” Wu Jun let down her guard.
He looked bashful and lowered his head.
-
As the eldest daughter of the Prince of Changsha, Wu Jun had offended her stepmother and been sent to Mount Yuelu to reflect on her mistakes. She stayed there for three whole years. Bored out of her mind, she amused herself by teasing Xian Qing, never expecting him to be so devoted that he wanted to spend his whole life with her, each as the other's one and only.
Just as she was wondering how to dump him, the new emperor ascended the throne. Empress Dowager Lu took charge of the government from behind the curtain and ordered the heirs of the various vassal kings to come to Chang'an as hostages.
Wu Jun had been unloved by both her father and mother since childhood. Used as a pawn, she disguised herself as a man and was sent to Chang'an.
Once there, she was cautious at every turn, treading on thin ice for fear that someone would discover her identity.
-
The situation in Chang'an was unstable. The kind, frail emperor was overshadowed by the Lu clan, whose influence dominated the court.
It was said that back when the realm was still in turmoil, the wife of the head of the Lu clan had fled the fighting and traveled to the Xiang River region. She was carrying an infant when bandits suddenly attacked her. After that, she vanished without a trace.
The Lu clan never stopped searching. At last, they found the missing eldest son, Lu Heng, in the Kingdom of Changsha, many years after his disappearance.
When Empress Dowager Lu heard the news, she immediately ordered Lu Heng to appear before her at the palace.
When Wu Jun, now a hostage, saw Lu Heng, she froze.
How could it be him?
The Lu clan's eldest son was the ex-boyfriend she'd once treated like trash?
This was bad!
Wu Jun was beside herself with guilt, but Lu Heng broke into her room late at night and accused her, “Miss, you have such a cruel heart.”
“Can I say I didn't mean to?” Wu Jun replied with an awkward laugh.
“If you don't want your identity exposed, you know what to do.” Lu Heng smiled.
“You...” Wu Jun gaped at him.
She had thought Lu Heng was gentle and kind, but he was a wolf in sheep's clothing. She regretted more than anything ever having gotten involved with him.
“No matter how much you regret it, there's no use. You'll be stuck with me for the rest of your life.” Lu Heng's gaze was deep and inscrutable.
[Reader's Guide]
An alternate history inspired by the Han dynasty
Both leads are each other's first and only partner
Theme: Debts must be repaid, as surely as day follows night
