The Shen clan is the foremost of the great families. Shen Zhuohua, the most valued legitimate daughter of her clan, has close ties to the imperial palace. Her father, the chancellor, chose her as his successor long ago.
She was like the moon in the heavens, a flower atop a lofty peak, an aristocratic beauty envied by everyone in the capital.
But when the emperor suddenly fell gravely ill, Prince Cheng trapped Shen Zhuohua inside the palace and used her late elder sister's orphaned child as leverage, shamelessly declaring that he would arrange a marriage for her.
As it turned out, the supposedly perfect match he had in mind was Ming Ji, her childhood companion who had left without a word! Shen Zhuohua was so furious she spat blood.
She was no one to meekly accept her fate. When the palace coup came, she turned the tables and took control.
Ming Ji chuckled softly. "I thought you were going to break off the engagement."
Shen Zhuohua replied calmly, "Would you agree?"
"No."
His voice was gentle, yet his answer was absolute, leaving no room for argument.
To uncover the truth behind her elder sister's horrific death, Shen Zhuohua gritted her teeth and married Ming Ji.
But after the wedding, her childhood companion seemed rather strange...
The two had always worked together in perfect harmony, securing their family and country and winning every battle.
Yet Ming Ji, who prided himself on being noble and unsullied, eventually climbed into her bed, repeatedly cursing her as a liar.
At last, his silent tears soaked the front of her clothes. He asked, "Am I not good-looking enough? Why don't you like me?"
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Ever since he was young, Ming Ji had been forced to live in the capital as a hostage, because the emperor feared his family's outstanding military record.
The children of the capital's great families shunned him at every turn. Only the Shen family's third young lady once offered him a freshly broken peach blossom branch on a spring day, her eyes curved in a smile like warm sunshine.
Ming Ji was forced to leave without a word. When the new emperor ascended the throne, Ming Ji married Shen Zhuohua to stabilize the political situation.
They had intended to use each other, but he fell for her little by little, unable to restrain the depth of his feelings.
Then Shen Zhuohua asked for a divorce, and he panicked completely...
Theme: Be self-reliant and independent, and keep the fate of your family and country in your heart
