After the Alluring Bed Warmer Ran Away, the Young Lord Went Mad

A'Yuan is a former courtesan from the Spring Mist Pavilion in Yangzhou, trained since childhood in the arts of seduction and embroidery. After the massacre of her family by bandits, she was sold into the brothel and eventually gifted to Wei Xun, the heir to the Peaceful Marquis Estate and Deputy Magistrate of the Capital Prefecture. For three years, she has served as his lowly concubine, living in the Jade Clarity Courtyard with no official status. Wei Xun is a cold, rational man who values propriety and official duty above all else. He initially accepted A'Yuan only because his mother assigned her to him, treating her with indifference and visiting her merely twice a month for physical relief. A'Yuan, aware of her precarious position, endures mistreatment from the household’s Second Mistress, Zhao Wan, in silence, fearing that causing trouble would bring disaster upon her master.

The story begins with Wei Xun returning to the capital and discovering that A'Yuan’s courtyard has been deliberately deprived of charcoal during the cold spring nights. Enraged by this neglect, he punishes the responsible servant and sends warmth to her quarters. This act marks a shift in their relationship, as Wei Xun begins to notice A'Yuan’s quiet endurance and gentle nature. However, tensions rise when Zhao Wan, jealous of A'Yuan’s beauty and Wei Xun’s growing attention, manipulates Old Madam Wei into punishing A'Yuan by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for two days. Wei Xun intervenes, rescuing A'Yuan and personally applying medicine to her injured knees, revealing a protective instinct he had previously suppressed.

As Wei Xun’s affection deepens, he announces his intention to marry, selecting a wife from a prominent family to manage the household. The news devastates A'Yuan, who realizes her position is temporary and conditional. Despite her heartbreak, she continues to serve him diligently, even crafting a robe for him. When Wei Xun learns of her distress, he comforts her, asking her to call him by his courtesy name, Hengzhi, signaling a desire for emotional closeness. He promises that once his wife enters the household, A'Yuan will no longer need to take contraceptive medicine and asks her to bear him a daughter. Meanwhile, Zhao Wan schemes to secure her own power by introducing her cousin, Su Yingxue, as Wei Xun’s prospective bride, hoping to control the household authority.

Parallel to the domestic intrigue, Wei Xun faces a professional crisis as a serial kidnapper targets vulnerable women in the capital. His investigation reveals a pattern of victims who are socially isolated and easily forgotten. As he delves deeper into the case, his focus on justice and order contrasts with his growing emotional entanglement with A'Yuan. The narrative explores the power dynamics within the marquis estate, where A'Yuan’s lack of family backing leaves her vulnerable to the schemes of Zhao Wan and the cold expectations of Wei Xun’s mother. Wei Xun’s internal conflict between his duty to maintain a proper household and his genuine care for A'Yuan drives the central tension, as he struggles to protect her without compromising his social standing or marital obligations.

The story progresses with A'Yuan’s quiet resilience tested by the impending arrival of Wei Xun’s wife. She continues to embroider and save money, harboring a secret hope to find her surviving brother and establish a memorial for her parents. Wei Xun, increasingly aware of his feelings, attempts to bridge the gap between them, but societal norms and his own reserved nature keep him from fully committing. The narrative sets the stage for further conflict as the marriage arrangements advance, Zhao Wan’s plots intensify, and the external threat of the kidnapper looms closer to home, threatening to disrupt the fragile peace within the Peaceful Marquis Estate.