The Marquis's Beloved Slave

Roujia had a secret. While exiled to Yizhou, she had once served as a slave to Wang Tan, the Marquis of Yongping, in exchange for his protection.

At the time, he held no high office. He was upright and kept his distance from women.

To stay alive, Roujia always went the extra mile in serving him. She wanted Wang Tan to believe that she had approached him only because she admired him and loved him deeply.

Just as she had expected, no matter how far she went, perhaps because he looked down on her as a convict's slave, a lowborn woman, Wang Tan treated her only as a servant. No matter how stirred his heart became, he never crossed the line.

Roujia felt at ease. A man like him would never pester her once she ended things with him. There would be no trouble later.

Later, her family rose again, and Roujia became the most beautiful jewel in the capital. At a flower banquet, she unexpectedly ran into the Marquis of Yongping, Wang Tan. Remembering how she had clung to him in every possible way just to stay alive, Roujia was so embarrassed she wanted the ground to swallow her. She couldn't even recall how she had once "admired" him, and immediately made an excuse to flee.

The Marquis of Yongping, Wang Tan, was born into an eminent family. He was neither obsequious to those above him nor disrespectful to those below. With his extraordinary talent and composed wit, he brought order to the realm, earning renown throughout the capital.

After he was promoted to chief minister, his family arranged a flower banquet to manage his marriage prospects.

Many noble young ladies at the banquet flocked to his side. Only the little slave who had once declared, "I can't live a single day without you," ran from him as if she had seen a ghost, faster than a rabbit.

Beneath a secluded garden wall, Wang Tan wrapped an arm around Roujia's waist and cornered her. He lowered his head toward her lips. "I wonder, A Nu, do you still admire me as deeply as you once did?"

Roujia: !

Theme: If one meets a noble gentleman, how could one not rejoice?