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Zhou Yun's consort had conspired in a rebellion and died in a fire. She was a little sad, because he had been so elegant and handsome, the most beautiful man in all of Daxing.
Her elder brother worried that grief would consume her, and told her to get out more.
At a literary banquet, she met Li Xun, the top graduate in the palace examination. Unlike others who offered her empty flattery, he saw through people and was rather bold.
“Your Highness, this is something I made recently.”
When she saw her consort's face recreated in the book, then looked at the man before her, whose features were seven-tenths like her consort's but even more refined, Zhou Yun's cheeks flushed red.
“What do you mean by this?”
“I only wish to ease Your Highness's sorrow.”
Zhou Yun heard him admit that he was the consort's elder brother. She knew he had an ulterior motive, but she could not resist him, and quietly accepted the gift.
*
Li Xun was steady, prudent, and strategic. With the princess as his connection, it took only a few years for him to become the emperor's right-hand man and a major minister at court. He also soon cleared the consort's name.
Meanwhile, the princess by his side knew his identity, yet clung to him more and more. She was flirtatious and spoiled, and even began to find portraits insufficient.
Watching the princess make advances, Li Xun remained indifferent, even reminding her, “Your Highness, I am not your consort.”
*
When the court was in turmoil, Zhou Yun did everything she could to win Li Xun over for her elder brother. But he was too stubborn, and she gave up.
After learning that her father greatly valued the head of the Shen family, she tried to approach him at a banquet, but accidentally drank too much. Looking at the person caring for her, she proposed a marriage alliance again.
Li Xun waited outside the room for a while and was about to knock when he suddenly heard a man's voice from inside: “Your Highness, lift your leg.”
Inside the red candlelit bedchamber, Li Xun looked at the red marks he had pressed into her skin, and a hint of possessiveness appeared in his eyes.
“Your Highness, have you forgotten? You and I were betrothed all along.”
# “I'm my brother”
Theme: Loving someone quietly and giving them everything
