Shen Zhiyi pretends to be respectful, gentle, and well-mannered, all so she can marry well and leave the Shen family.
Once that happens, he can rise to the top, surrounded by beautiful concubines, while she can rest her head on piles of gold and silver and laze her life away.
Someone ruined her promising match. Unfortunately, this was someone she couldn't afford to offend, so all she could do was curse him under her breath.
She never expected his comeuppance to arrive before she kicked a flower bed, stumbled, and wound up bedridden for seven days.
Gao Mingzhao works for His Majesty, doing everything from wiping out entire households to exterminating nine generations of a family. He's a vengeful ghost everyone avoids.
Shen Zhiyi is afraid of people, not ghosts.
She rides Gao Mingzhao's coattails, throwing his weight around and turning the Shen residence upside down. She takes back her silver, carriages, and shops, avenges her past humiliation, and makes sure she never has to worry about food or drink again.
Others accuse her of being unloving and unfilial, and say no one will want her. She doesn't care. "I'm rich now, anyway."
Only Gao Mingzhao never leaves her side. "Looks like we're two peas in a pod. We're quite a match."
Shen Zhiyi politely declines and tries to leave.
But Gao Mingzhao grabs her hand. "You used me up. Now it's my turn."
A model noblewoman and an emperor's lackey: they have nothing to do with each other.
At first, Gao Mingzhao thought he'd merely been doing his job when he killed a fugitive at the Shen residence. He never expected her to latch on to him.
"I give up."
Then he merely couldn't stand that showy new top graduate, so he kicked him into a cesspit, and Shen Zhiyi seized the chance to cling to him.
"Have you gone mad?"
Later, he saw her hand trembling around her sword as she tried to protect him.
He was smitten...
His heart was already tangled in a thousand threads, and now she wanted to walk away.
As if he would let her.
Core theme: Love means that everything about you concerns me.
