Everyone in court and across the land says that Xiao Ce, the cold-blooded commander defending Datong, has always hated the Shen family's legitimate daughter, Shen Mingshu.
But in this second life
He breaks military regulations to bring her medicine through the snow. Before a major battle, he gives her his cloak and stands guard over the camp. When the court demands someone take responsibility, he shoulders the blame alone.
Shen Mingshu accepts his kindness with outward poise, while inside she panics:
【Oh no! This is political scheming! This top general wants to use my Shen family's military power to secure his grip on the northern frontier. He's plotting every move!】
Only when an old keepsake comes to light does she discover the truth:
He was the one who rescued her from the frozen river ten years ago. After the Shen family died defending the country in her previous life, he was also the one who bore centuries of infamy on her behalf.
Their supposed bitter marriage was a grand performance he had kept up for ten years.
His protection was a tenderness he never dared confess, even on the day he died.
Xiao Ce, frost clinging to his robes, looked at the wary young woman before him. After a lifetime of silence, he finally said in a hoarse voice:
“I guarded Yanmen for ten years, and I guarded you for ten years too.”
Amid the snows of the vast northern frontier, he finally finds a way to protect both his country and her.
