1
Sheng Xuan is a Junzhu of the Dayong Dynasty. Her mother is a Princess Royal, and her father is the Minister of Revenue. By rights, she should be the most favored daughter under heaven.
But her father dotes on his concubine and neglects his wife. After her mother dies young, Sheng Xuan is oppressed by the concubine and struggles to grow up in the inner courtyard. She has a face like a hibiscus, but a personality that never lets a slight go unanswered.
In the end, she defeats the concubine and her half-siblings, making the inner courtyard her own domain.
But after a defeat on the frontier, an imperial decree selects Sheng Xuan to marry a foreign ruler beyond the frontier. The khan is cruel and ruthless, and has already driven several wives to their deaths. Now Sheng Xuan is about to become the next one.
Unwilling to accept her fate, Sheng Xuan decides to flee her wedding.
But soldiers pursue her, and she accidentally falls into a river. When she wakes, she has arrived in another time and place.
2.
Gu Yuan is young and accomplished, with many military honors to his name.
He became a regiment commander before turning thirty, but his marriage prospects have always been a source of worry.
His family once arranged a childhood betrothal for him. After Gu Yuan's father passed away, the two families lost touch, so Gu Yuan plans to settle the matter when he returns home on leave.
On the way home, he catches a rabbit to pass the time, only for a shameless little thief to take it for free.
Gu Yuan argues with the thief, only to fall for the trick and end up losing both the rabbit and the thief.
Just you wait!
When he finally gets home, his mother tells him she has taken in an orphan girl fleeing famine. Gu Yuan has no objections.
But when the girl walks in, Gu Yuan looks up and smiles.
The little thief has delivered herself right to his door.
3.
Ever since their bad blood began, Gu Yuan and Sheng Xuan have been amiable on the surface, but privately they bicker and constantly trip each other up.
Then Sheng Xuan learns that Gu Yuan was jilted and cheated on. Delighted, she rushes over to mock him to his face.
But the next second, a scorching hand wraps tightly around her waist. He leans close to Sheng Xuan's ear, his warm breath brushing her neck, and says in a low voice:
"Since my engagement is off, you can be my wife!"
4.
Gao Shuya has been reborn.
The Gu and Gao families have a betrothal agreement, but after the Gu family falls on hard times, the Gao family wants to pretend it never happened.
When the two reached marriageable age, the Gu family sent a letter saying they intended to honor the agreement. The Gao family panicked and hurriedly pushed Gao Shuya's cousin into marriage, afraid Gu Yuan would come after her.
But in the end, the Gao family fell into hardship, and her cousin's family was sent to live in a cowshed, while Gu Yuan rose rapidly through the ranks and became someone the Gao family could never hope to reach.
In this new life, Gao Shuya will take her cousin's place and honor the betrothal. They're both daughters of the Gao family, so why shouldn't she be the one to marry Gu Yuan?
After going to great lengths to find out which unit Gu Yuan was stationed with, Gao Shuya eagerly sets out to win him over.
But reality douses her hopes with a cold splash.
Gu Yuan is already married!
Theme: Growth