Su Xuefu, a merchant’s daughter, marries into a marquis’s household. Her husband treats her with devotion and tenderness, never looking down on her humble origins.
To repay his kindness, she uses her dowry to cover the household’s debts and spends a fortune helping him climb the ladder of success.
She believes she and her husband will go on supporting each other and stay happily in love until old age.
But when her cousin arrives in the capital, Su Xuefu finally learns what true tenderness looks like.
Her cousin feels the cold, so he has heated floors installed throughout the residence.
Her cousin loves fresh fish, so he has it rushed all the way from Jiangnan.
When her cousin and Su Xuefu fall into the water at the same time, he carries her cousin away without so much as a glance at his wife.
So this is how a man acts when he truly loves someone.
Heartbroken, Su Xuefu lets go and hands him divorce papers.
But she never expected Xiao Linyuan to come seeking her hand with a golden brush bestowed by the emperor.
Back then, Xiao Linyuan was a destitute scholar of exceptional talent. With her support, he topped the imperial examinations.
Now, he is a rising star in court, favored by the emperor and as distant as the moon in the sky.
Before the whole capital, he says, “The first time I saw Xuefu, I knew I’d love her for a thousand lifetimes.”
On the day of their wedding, her former husband, now divorced from her, kneels before Su Xuefu with red eyes and says, “I regret it. Can you come back to me?”
