Jade Towers and Pearl Pavilions

[Gentle, resilient noblewoman x scheming, devoted ghost prince]

A stoic heroine falls in love after marriage; the scheming prince's long-held secret affection finally comes true.

One day, Fu Yunxin is gossiping in the Eastern Palace when she hears some surprising news about herself: the Fourth Prince, who usually keeps to himself, has been kneeling in the imperial gardens for ages, begging for her hand in marriage.

They have never even met. Why would he do that?

Xiao Yu's mother died in childbirth on the day he was born, and the emperor never favored him.

Before his coming-of-age ceremony, a series of events conspired to give him the chance to marry Yunxin. She thinks they are meeting for the first time, but to him, it is the moment he is finally seen.

On their wedding night, she reads from their marriage document: "May we cherish one another and remain united forever."

Xiao Yu gazes at her beautiful face and murmurs distractedly, "May the sun rise and the moon wax, unchanged through darkness and light."

Yunxin takes his words as a joke. They both know this marriage is nothing more than a transaction.

But she never expected that when her father is imprisoned and the Fu family falls into decline, his heart would remain unchanged, even on the battlefield and amid a sea of blood.

Whatever she wishes for, he does everything in his power to make it happen.

The title comes from "Parting of the Pair of Swallows": "In jade towers and pearl pavilions, they never nest alone; by golden windows and embroidered doors, they are always together."

1. Both leads are each other's only partner. The story interweaves mystery-solving and war. He pursues her after marriage, but it is not quite a full-on groveling redemption arc.

2. Marriage first, love later. P.S. The male lead has been secretly in love with her for a long time.

3. The heroine seems laid-back on the surface, but is actually highly intelligent and resilient.

4. They simply have different loyalties. There are no absolute villains.

There's also a bonus scene I call "He's Getting Jealous."

In the enemy camp, a young general passionately confesses his love to her, and she tells him outright, "I'm married."

After he leaves, a hand pulls her behind a screen.

Xiao Yu bites her earlobe, his breath warm and ragged. "Sister, our husband won't find out about this, will he?"

Their clothes entwine as they tumble into a sea of red.

Theme: Love is such a complicated word, one worth exploring for a lifetime