Sweet, soft, innocent airhead beauty x cool, self-controlled mad dog of a powerful minister
/untouchable beauty/ groveling arc
Xie Qian comes from a powerful family. He's refined and aloof, and made a name for himself at a young age. After placing first in all three rounds of the imperial examinations, he became Minister of Personnel.
He knows the treachery of officialdom inside and out, sees beauty as nothing but bones, and treats others without a trace of warmth.
On a trip to Jiangnan, he meets a silly little white rabbit. She clumsily shows off her round belly, making him want to reach out and touch her.
But her status is too low for him to make her his principal wife. Even so, he thinks, giving her the position of a concubine should be more than enough.
He thinks she ought to be satisfied.
Before he can tell her, he finds that the charming young woman has already disappeared from the courtyard.
Staring at the empty wardrobe, his eyes darken with a heavy, inky shadow.
He orders his men to search every inch of the place, but the only news they find is that she died at the hands of bandits.
He clutches Yan Zhi's personal jade pendant and searches frantically for her remains.
He cannot refuse the imperial decree and is ordered back to the capital, but on his way home, he catches sight of a familiar figure.
That's when he learns that she isn't dead at all, and has made quite a life for herself in the capital.
He watches coldly as she shows interest in one suitor after another, becoming all lovey-dovey with one cousin and finding another young man deeply devoted to her. He sneers inwardly.
Tsk. A silly rabbit belongs in a cage.
Yan Zhi is a merchant's daughter. She's beautiful, and her family has raised her to be innocent and carefree, with no interest in worldly affairs.
She has no great ambitions. She just wants to find a suitable husband and spend the rest of her life in peace.
Her family goes bankrupt overnight, her relatives disappear, and her former fiancé rushes over to break off their engagement.
This is the kind of situation you rarely even see in a storybook.
She looks at the seal on the door and sits on the bare floor, thinking dejectedly: At least in a storybook, a handsome hero would show up to rescue the damsel in distress.
A breeze stirs the air. She looks up and meets the eyes of a handsome man in a luxurious carriage.
Yan Zhi immediately perks up.
Her chance has come!
But this handsome man is truly cold, like an iceberg.
She follows the storybook script, joining him to release floating lanterns, compose poetry and paint, and share their feelings, but he's still as wooden as ever.
In the third month of spring, the iceberg is about to return to the capital. Yan Zhi accidentally learns that he's already engaged to someone!
She turns away, looks at his callous expression, and angrily bites the handkerchief in her hand.
A man with a principal wife who still acts inappropriately with other women? She doesn't want a man like that!
After a bumpy journey back to the capital, she sees her loving maternal grandmother and the family she thought she'd lost. Tears stream down her face.
At least she never let that heartless man lay a hand on her. She tidies herself up, dresses like a flower, and continues looking for a suitable husband in the capital.
At the Hundred Flowers Banquet, she looks around and sees those familiar, cold and sinister eyes.
Yan Shu sits frozen in place, hides her face behind her round fan, and hurriedly leaves.
After the banquet, a large hand grips her slender waist. The bitter, bamboo-like scent draws close, its force so intense it feels as though it will tear her apart and swallow her whole.
A low laugh reaches her ears as she feels her finery being slowly peeled away, inch by inch.
"You like running away, don't you? Go on, then."
Yan Zhi sees the glistening moisture on his hand, flushed with shame and shaking as she cries,
"I was wrong. I really won't run away again."
The handsome man snorts. One look at her sly, foxlike eyes tells him she isn't being sincere.
But it doesn't matter. If she runs again, he'll break her legs and chain her to the bed with gold.
"I won't run away again."
"You'll do it again next time."
Theme: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Keep a few more
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