Broken Branches, Shattered Jade

In the final years of a dynasty, the emperor was incompetent, the people suffered, and rebellions erupted everywhere. When the city fell, Xie Zhiyu became a prisoner and was offered as a spoil of war to the military governor Huo Zhongheng.

No one knew that this wretched-looking woman was the one Huo Zhongheng had longed for, the one he could never have and could never forget.

One fleeting glimpse years ago had left Huo Zhongheng dreaming of her radiant figure.

But for the impoverished Huo family to aspire to the Xie family was an absurd fantasy.

Huo Zhongheng endured the jealousy gnawing at him as he watched Xie Zhiyu go on a spring outing with the young master of the Wang family, then take a summer boat trip on the lake with the young master of the Cui family.

When her family arranged a suitable marriage for her, Huo Zhongheng could no longer hold back.

If this world would not let him marry her, then he would overturn this world.

He would have the realm, and he would have Xie Zhiyu.

At first, Xie Zhiyu trembled as she undid her buttons. "I am willing to serve you, my lord, in exchange for a night's peace for myself and those around me."

Later, Huo Zhongheng knelt at Xie Zhiyu's feet, offering her a realm stretching thousands of miles and pleading humbly, "Please love me."

A ruthless upstart from a humble family × a fallen noblewoman from an aristocratic clan. Fictional setting. Both leads are virgins.

Theme: No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, keep striving to live.