Broken in Battle

Tang Jiayu once thought she was everyone's darling, surrounded by people who loved her. Only after she died mysteriously in a military coup did she learn that she was the late emperor's princess. Her parents, maids, and even her beloved in the Tang household were all loyalists of a powerful minister in disguise. The sweet, doting everyday life she'd imagined was really just their mission.

Tang Jiayu was reborn at fifteen. That year, the Tang family threw a lavish coming-of-age ceremony for her, with a hall full of distinguished guests. Her father declared that he would spend the family's entire fortune to find her a suitable husband, and that whoever she had her eye on, he would make sure she got her wish.

With a cold laugh and a glance, Tang Jiayu passed over her childhood-friend cousin and the bright, moonlike man she had once adored, pointing instead at a young man on the edge of the crowd, a poor nobody who seemed to have nothing going for him but his looks.

Her family exchanged uneasy glances and urged her to think it over, but Tang Jiayu was adamant. She'd rather sever ties with them than give up on marrying him. They assumed she didn't know who he was and was only attracted to his looks, but Tang Jiayu knew all too well. When she died amid the rebel soldiers, she'd seen him ride in on a black horse, dressed in black, and quell the rebels with a single arrow.

Li Zhaoji, the future hero who would make his name in a single battle and be hailed as a young leader by the entire army, was the only son of the current military governor of Hedong.

If they wanted to use her to win the realm, then let's see if they're willing to pay the price and let their young master play along with her.

·

Li Zhaoji had always looked down on his father's plan. The realm should be conquered from the back of his horse. Why rely on a mere pawn? Then one day, he was forced to take on a special assignment.

Pretend to be a poor man and marry into the household of that troublesome, fussy, high-maintenance former princess, acting as if he loved her.

It was all supposed to be a lie. But in the end, he was the one who willingly laid down his arms and surrendered.

Theme: Love means being seen