Love Letters from the Academy

The strictures of propriety cannot contain a young woman's brilliance. As the gates of Qinglin Academy swing open, a legendary tale of a girl disguised as a boy begins quietly beyond the confines of the inner chambers. Jiang Manyi has bright, resolute eyes and dares to compete in everything from horsemanship and archery to poetry and books. She follows her cousin into the academy, hoping to pursue her dreams and learn, only to be swept into a treacherous whirlpool of intrigue. Xu Jingcai, a noble young man, arrives with a sword at his side. His eyes shine like stars, though he was once arrogant and unruly. He first approaches Jiang Manyi to get close to Ruan Yinghan, but as they spend time together, her spirited charm quietly captivates him. The road of learning stretches long before her. Amid misunderstandings and probing questions, she doesn't know where her unsettled heart should turn. And he changes from pursuing her to protecting her, from a spoiled playboy to a mature man, shedding his sharp edges as he transforms in the web of love. But her heart is filled with the ideal of making a place for women in the world, while the shackles of old propriety rise like layers of fog, leaving their hearts buffeted and uncertain whenever they draw near. When she is moved by how he has changed, and his promise takes root as he stands up for her in the master's hall, their affection finally becomes a red thread, binding arrogance and stubbornness, vulnerability and courage, tightly together. She conquers the academy with her learning and becomes its first female instructor. He casts off his superficial ways and stands beside her as a mature man. Their first dazzling glimpse of each other, with her disguised as a boy, is where love begins. Their journey toward one another across prejudice is where love takes root. And standing side by side in the sunlight is the most perfect answer of all, when love reaches its deepest point.