Lu Qingqing was set up by her own husband and sent into the rear court of the War God of Northern Qi. Three years ago, upon hearing that Shen Jin had died in battle and his entire family was annihilated, Lu Qingqing’s father broke off her engagement to Shen Jin, and promptly married her into the Marquis’s residence. In the three years after marrying Xie Zhiyun, Lu Qingqing kept her brilliance hidden. When they met again, Shen Jin’s eyes reddened as he gripped her ankle, demanding, “Did you think I was dead, so you couldn’t wait to marry someone else?” The tear that fell beneath the red candles recalled the affection they once shared. But Lu Qingqing was no longer the same. She was neither arrogant nor domineering; without Shen Jin’s special favor, all she wanted was to quietly protect her child. Yet Shen Jin refused to let her go. After all he had endured, he finally got what he wanted—becoming a man whose power could turn the clouds and summon the rain in Northern Qi. Yet, the satisfaction he expected never came. When he learned the truth, regret filled Shen Jin’s heart. But Lu Qingqing would never look back.
The night was shrouded in mystery; the feast in the courtyard had already dispersed, leaving many empty wine jars scattered across the ground.
Inside the house, the woman trembled all over, as if she had seen a ghost.
The candlelight flickered uncertainly, casting the man's figure into even sharper relief. He wore a mask—green-faced, tusked, terrifying.
He took a step forward, and the woman bound to the bed shrank back in equal measure.
It was only when the icy armor brushed against her skin that Lu Qingqing's fear reached its zenith; she knew Shen Jin hated her, hated her so much he wished to strip her skin and tear her apart.
“Drink! What’s wrong, is my victory wine so hard for you to swallow?”
Shen Jin thrust a cup of burning liquor before Lu Qingqing.
He gazed at her delicate face, unchanged from three years ago, but now she was no longer his betrothed, only the wife of Young Lord Xie.
“Must I feed you myself?”
Shen Jin showed no gentleness as he seized Lu Qingqing’s chin, forcing the strong liquor down her throat.
Watching her cough and choke in utter distress brought him a cruel satisfaction. Young Lord Xie himself had delivered her to Shen Jin’s bed, how considerate indeed.
“Drink!”
Shen Jin forced several more cups upon her. The initial terror vanished from Lu Qingqing's eyes, replaced by boundless humiliation.
Suddenly, the man pulled her roughly into his arms. Pressed against his cold armor, Lu Qingqing met the gaze hidden behind the mask.
The one she