[Pure-love sweet bun, not a grand female-lead story]
Born into a chaotic world, Li Zhu, though a princess, still lived a life of hardship and tribulation.
Looking back on her life, the most carefree days were but the brief three years of marriage with her husband, Pei Yinzhi.
From a poor scholar to the highest rank among ministers, Pei Yinzhi spent ten years to finally stand before her—shielding her from the humiliation of her former husband when she had no one to rely on, sparing her from being married off to the borderlands to endure a displaced and wandering life, and in the storm and turmoil of troubled times, holding up a sky for her.
Yet he himself, plagued by an old illness that worsened beyond remedy, passed away early at the age of thirty.
Fortunately, Li Zhu was reborn.
The young princess resolved that in this lifetime, she would see to it that Pei Yinzhi turns misfortune into blessing, and lives a long and prosperous life.
—
But before her plans could begin, before the battle was even joined, Li Zhu had not expected that upon just arriving in Pei Yinzhi’s hometown, she would be seized by mountain bandits.
Fortunately, these bandits, though thieves, had their code—they sought wealth, not lust. The soot-stained and bedraggled young princess gathered her courage to ask the masked bandit chief about the whereabouts of Pei Yinzhi.
Who would have thought that after hearing her words, the other paused, tossed aside the gold and silver in his hand, and asked:
“…Which Pei Yinzhi?”
“Pei, of the Pei clan of Yiling; Yin, as in the succession of eternal blessings. He is graceful and intelligent, brimming with talent, the finest young gentleman beneath the heavens. If you safely deliver me to his side, I guarantee he will bestow upon you halls filled with gold and silver, and wealth and honor unending!”
“Oh? And what relation are you to him?”
“…I am his betrothed, his destined match!”
“That damned matchmaker must’ve had bird droppings for brains.”
The young bandit pulled off his mask, revealing a smiling, handsome face that Li Zhu knew all too well:
“I’m much better-looking than him. Little lady, instead of marrying him… why not marry me?”
Li Zhu had thought her consort-to-be was frail yet resolute, a gentle minister with the integrity of a gentleman.
Only later did she learn that he was raised in the wilds, illiterate, a man who rose by assuming another’s name, a parricide and fratricide, ruthless and cruel.
In their past life, he had worn the guise of a court princess’s husband for a lifetime.
In this life, he no longer pretended—yet still dared to covet her.
—
[The timid princess who accomplishes grand deeds × the foul-mouthed bandit who pretends to be a gentleman]
