Zhu Yu

After losing both parents, Fan Changyu’s life took a downward turn. Her childhood betrothed annulled their engagement, and greedy relatives set their sights on claiming her inheritance. Determined to protect her five-year-old sister, Fan Changyu made a bold decision: she would take in a husband through zhaozhui (recruiting a husband to marry into her family). Her choice landed on a man she had once saved—wounded all over, destitute, and possessing nothing but a handsome face.

They quickly struck a deal: she would take him in and provide him a place to heal, while he would enter a sham marriage and help her keep the estate. Once the family business was stabilized, Fan Changyu was ready to fulfill her promise and draft the separation letter. However, unforeseen circumstances arose. The imperial court began conscripting men for war, and her ‘husband’ was forcibly recruited as a soldier. He vanished without a trace.

When they crossed paths again, the man lay covered in blood in a tent for wounded soldiers. His face, splattered with crimson, was still as handsome as ever, but the standard soldier’s uniform on his body had been slashed to tatters. Seeing him in such a pitiful state, Fan Changyu’s eyes reddened: “Don’t serve in the army anymore. Come back home—I’ll raise pigs to support you.”

The man, barely conscious, coughed up a mouthful of blood: “Weren’t you going to divorce me?”

Tears welled up in Fan Changyu’s eyes: “I’m not divorcing you anymore. Never!”