Jiang Fengrong grew up in the palace, cautious and careful, finding comfort only with Xie Xingyu, who once flew kites with her, carved hairpins for her, and even clumsily sewed for her. He had once knelt before the emperor for three days to secure their engagement.... more>>

Then came a peasant girl—uneducated and unfamiliar with etiquette—whom Xie Xingyu brought back after she saved his life. His mother adopted the girl, and at first, he only complained about her. But gradually, his fondness for her grew.

Fengrong never expected him to defend the girl publicly or stop her wedding in front of the entire city—turning Fengrong, his fiancée, into a joke.

She watched Xie Xingyu fall in love with the peasant girl day by day, and also watched the boy who had once clumsily picked up needlework for her grow more and more distant.

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On the day he received the letter of engagement withdrawal, Xie Xingyu was leaning by the window, reading a book.

He listened as his servant reported that Jiang Fengrong had knelt in the snow for three days, fainting several times, before finally obtaining the letter.

He ran his fingers over the paper and suddenly remembered—many years ago, he too had knelt before the emperor for days, just to secure this marriage. <<less