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Wen Ying is an unloved princess. Her mother died young, and she was banished to a remote, frigid palace where she survived on stale buns. Her clothes were cast-offs even the palace maids rejected, which she clumsily patched and stitched herself. For fifteen years, she endured hunger, cold, and neglect.
Then came the hostage prince , a symbol of her nation’s surrender to its enemy. Curious, Wen Ying climbed the palace wall and peeked over, only to see a breathtaking beauty. Stunned by her appearance, Wen Ying pointed pitifully at the pastries in her hands and asked, “Big sister, may I have a bite?”
That day, the beauty collapsed in Wen Ying’s courtyard, tears streaming from pain. Terrified, Wen Ying offered her treasured dried persimmon, gently poking her cheek: “Big sister, I’ll share half with you. Please don’t cry.”
The beauty wiped the blood from her lips and fled in panic but returned the next day, bearing fresh wounds and a tray of pastries to share. Wen Ying was overjoyed until one night, the beauty’s lips brushed her fingertips. “I… I’ll pay you back for the pastries when I have money!” Wen Ying sobbed, thinking she was being sold off.
But the beauty only held her tighter, voice husky as she licked away Wen Ying’s tears: “Your tears, Princess, are my payment.”
Flashback: Before the Fall
On the eve of her kingdom’s collapse, Fu Qingyin was sent to the enemy nation by her mother. Ashamed and furious, she nearly took her own life until a small head popped up over the wall. She thought Wen Ying was the enemy’s daughter and kept her distance.
But when Wen Ying cried and offered her persimmon, saying, “You’re the only one who’s ever been kind to Wen Wen. Please get better soon…” Fu Qingyin realized the girl had suffered years of abuse and had no bond with her tyrant father.
So she waited, endured, and rose from discarded hostage to Empress. Her heart, darkened by the world, held only one light: Wen Ying.
On the night of her coronation, Fu Qingyin embraced Wen Ying and confessed her love. She expected fear but instead, Wen Ying kissed her back.
One-line Summary: Mutual redemption, she was her only clarity.
Theme: Through hardship and adversity, they find success and healing.
