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Because of his handsome looks, Wen Xu is named the Flower-Searching Scholar by the emperor himself. He rises from a farmer's son to a newly minted jinshi, earns the emperor's favor, and even catches the eye of the emperor's younger sister, the Third Princess, who wants him for her husband.
The widowed Wen Xu has no intention of marrying, but the princess keeps pressing him. Just then, You Xian, the twin brother of his late wife, arrives as a refugee and willingly agrees to impersonate his sister to help him out of his predicament.
And so Wen Xu pretends to be married to his younger brother-in-law, to fob off the imperial family.
To conceal the truth, Wen Xu volunteers to leave the capital and become a low-ranking county magistrate in a remote town.
The once-celebrated Flower-Searching Scholar has fallen to the rank of a petty official, and plenty of people are waiting to laugh at Wen Xu.
The county is remote and desolate, but Wen Xu opens a school, reclaims wasteland, and encourages farming and sericulture. Step by step, he makes his way from the county back to the capital, rises to the highest rank, and leaves a legacy that will last for generations.
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Wen Xu and You Xian agree that once they leave the capital, the wife You Xian is impersonating will be declared dead, freeing You Xian.
Wen Xu is gentle and considerate, treats the people well and his family kindly, and is handsome to boot. From the princesses of the imperial house to the daughters of the poor, everyone falls for him.
But You Xian is always nervous, walking on eggshells. Even while impersonating his sister, he strictly observes propriety and doesn't dare look at the Flower-Searching Scholar for too long.
There's only one reason: he is the very wife who died young, before he could enjoy a long life.
Added June 5, 2025
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Ancient Chinese danmei with a male pregnancy setting, farming and infrastructure development, and a mutually doting romance.
Theme: A battle to protect love
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