In the empire of Liang, everyone knew one thing: The Crown Prince loved another woman. So when General Shen's eldest daughter, Shen Li Hua, was chosen to become Crown Princess, the entire capital pitied her. A loveless marriage. A cold husband. A palace already occupied by the prince's beloved first love. Everyone waited for Shen Li Hua to cry, to compete, to desperately fight for a man who had never wanted her. But Shen Li Hua did none of those things. Elegant, intelligent, and impossibly difficult to read, the new Crown Princess treated the Crown Prince with perfect courtesy- and absolute indifference. While other women fought for affection, Shen Li Hua guarded only one thing: her dignity. And slowly, dangerously... the Crown Prince began noticing the wife he had once ignored. "You may have the title of Crown Princess," Xiao Jun said coldly on their wedding night, "but you will never have my love." The palace fell silent. Beneath the glow of crimson candles, Shen Li Hua calmly removed the heavy phoenix crown from her head and placed it aside. Then she finally looked at him. Her eyes were beautiful. Cold too. "That changes nothing," she said lightly. "I married Your Highness for the crown, not your affection." Xiao Jun's expression darkened. Before he could speak again, she continued calmly, "So you may keep your love for whoever wishes to beg for it." A pause. Then- "Fortunately, I do not." For the first time in years, the Crown Prince was left completely speechless.

After waiting seven years for a marriage that was endlessly delayed, Shen Li is stunned when her fiancé drunkenly trades their imperial wedding decree to his feared uncle, Prince Rui. Betrayed but unwilling to break, she accepts the decree and prepares to marry the cold war prince instead. As the capital mocks the scandal, even her former mother-in-law chooses Shen Li's side - sending wedding gifts for her new marriage and silently admitting her son never deserved her.