Third Young Master Xie is the greatest playboy in the Great Liang dynasty, raised and pampered by his family like a priceless treasure.
Word around town has it that this Kunze won't drink tea unless it's brewed with snowmelt, won't wear anything but silk, and breaks countless agate bowls and aloeswood fans every day.
But the dynasty falls, and the Xie family flees south to escape the turmoil. The young master gets separated from his servants on the way and is taken in by a country hunter. It turns out that a phoenix fallen on hard times can look even worse than a pheasant.
Chi Mo has no parents and can't read. His crude, boorish manners make Young Master Xie frown at every turn.
And yet, by an unlucky twist of fate, this lowly Qianyuan ends up entwined with him in a torrid union during his rut.
After being defiled, Xie Zhiyan wants nothing more than to shoot Chi Mo dead. But he can't even draw the man's bow, and ends up cursing the entire Chi family as he marries him.
On their wedding day, bandits run amok. Chi Mo is struck by a delicate sleeve arrow, and watches as Xie Zhiyan rides off with the betrothal gifts.
Xie Zhiyan makes it to the new capital as he wished, but he is no longer the carefree Third Young Master. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he even finds himself missing the country bumpkin's touch.
Seven years of peace pass, and then the capital changes hands. The Xie family declines, and the aristocratic clans put the Third Young Master forward for a political marriage, hoping to secure the protection of their lord.
Someone lifts Xie Zhiyan's red bridal veil. He sees the warlord who has made his name across the land and shakily calls out another name.
The man has the same face as Chi Mo. In a low voice, he says, "Have you forgotten how to read the name on the marriage contract? My surname is Chi, my given name is Yi. I am Chi Mo's twin brother."
"Third Young Master, do you still remember the promise you made my younger brother?"
Xie Zhiyan's breath catches. He stares as if he's seen a ghost, listening to the lord in his wedding robes repeat, word for word, the vow he once made.
"I vow to be at your side, day and night, and to remain devoted to you forever. If I break this vow, may I die young."
Theme: Excel in both military and civil affairs, and find success in both love and career.
