Synopsis
[The outline is complete, and I will never abandon this story! Rolling around and begging for bookmarks! I'll randomly send out little red envelopes in the comments!]
[Chapters 1-11 have been heavily revised. The romance has been sped up and the plot adjusted.]
Gu Xuanyan was born into a family of painters and calligraphers. Her exquisite brushwork made her famous throughout Yedu, and she had a childhood sweetheart from a distinguished family to whom she was betrothed. She should have had a smooth, happy life befitting a noble young lady.
But then imperial wrath descended, and painting was banned.
The once-celebrated beauty of Shengjing became the daughter of a disgraced official, forced to live under the assumed name Qian Yin.
In the misty rain of Jiangnan, with no firm place to call home, she was threatened by her nominal maternal relatives, who held her household registration hostage and tried to force her to become a wealthy man's concubine. Qian Yin gritted her teeth and fled in the night, disguising herself as a handsome young merchant in Huaizhou.
Xie Xun, a noble son of the royal household, used his status to secure an appointment in Huaizhou, all to investigate the truth behind an old case.
One needed a household registration, the other needed to investigate a case. They hit it off and agreed to work together.
Before long, rumors spread through the city that Magistrate Lu was gay.
They said he had taken a man's handkerchief and carried it with him every day.
Qian Yin: ?
She thought back to the new products from her dye shop that she'd given out for publicity.
Then rumors said he and the other man rode in the same sedan chair and met in secret.
Qian Yin: ??
She began to wonder whether she should turn down his invitations to go out together to avoid suspicion.
Later, everyone knew Magistrate Lu had been secretly involved with a man for ages, and that the two had sworn themselves to each other before running away together.
Qian Yin: ...
Her greedy maternal relatives came sniffing around, and the rumors about Lu's love for men grew wilder by the day.
"At this point, for both our sakes," Xie Xun said with a knowing smile, his phoenix eyes narrowing, "would you, dear 'younger brother,' be willing to pretend to marry me and use the commotion to get us out of this?"
-
Xie Xun had been rejected by his family since childhood and raised alone in a Daoist temple.
He thought he would spend his life alone, bearing the name of an ill omen. But one winter day, as the bitter rain fell and he trudged forward, he suddenly heard the sweet Wu dialect, like a heavenly voice. When she draped a rain cape over him, his heart stirred as well.
After many twists and turns, he could never forget those clear, innocent eyes.
Sadly, by the time he escaped his predicament, he could no longer find any trace of her.
Until the goddess appeared again, and he learned their fates were not yet finished.
Whether patiently waiting or carefully plotting,
this time, he would be the umbrella in her hand, sheltering her from the rain and protecting her blossoms.
Xie Xun x Qian Yin
"First seek the cause, then learn where fate began."
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Reader's Guide:
1. One-on-one, both leads' first time, happy ending. Marriage first and love later from the heroine's perspective; the hero's secret crush comes true.
A political intrigue story with a little business management, but fundamentally a sweet romance.
2. The setting is very loose, with lots of original worldbuilding.
The setting exists only to serve the plot!
P.S. The old and new synopses and the original text have been saved as of 2024.05.24.
Theme: Cherish cultural life