After the wrong flirtation, the abstinent prince took possession of her

Luo Sheng is the illegitimate daughter of the Luo family, raised with deep affection by her father, mother, and elder siblings despite her humble origins. Her past is shadowed by a traumatic childhood spent in a brothel, where she was trained as a courtesan before being rescued and adopted by the Luos five years prior. She currently lives in the capital, maintaining a close bond with her elder sister, Luo Xi, who is the beloved Crown Princess. The story opens during a spring prayer banquet at the Eastern Palace, where Luo Sheng accidentally overhears a conspiracy involving the Fifth Prince, Xiao Chuhuai, and Minister Deng Lou. Deng Lou attempts to bribe Xiao Chuhuai to support a rebellion against the Crown Prince, but Xiao Chuhuai coldly rejects the offer, revealing his current loyalty to the Crown Prince while hinting at his own political ambitions.

Later that day, Luo Sheng’s mother, Tao Shi, falls into a lake and suffers a concussion. Upon waking, Tao Shi reveals that she has been reborn from a previous life. In that past timeline, the Fifth Prince eventually usurped the throne, destroyed the Luo family, and forcibly took Luo Sheng as his own after framing her father for corruption and causing her brother to fail the imperial examinations. Tao Shi warns Luo Sheng to stay away from Xiao Chuhuai, but Luo Sheng realizes that her unique background and proximity to the Fifth Prince make her the only family member capable of gathering intelligence from within his circle. Determined to protect her family from the fate that befell them in her mother’s previous life, Luo Sheng decides to take matters into her own hands rather than waiting for disaster to strike.

Luo Sheng prepares for the upcoming Shangsi Festival, a traditional spring outing at Qujiang Pool, by crafting a sachet infused with a fragrance designed to captivate men, a skill she learned during her time in the brothel. She intends to use this tactic to get closer to Xiao Chuhuai and uncover the details of the conspiracy. At the festival, she encounters Xiao Chuhuai and attempts to give him the sachet as an apology for her earlier eavesdropping. However, Xiao Chuhuai remains aloof and suspicious, interpreting her actions as the result of manipulation by others rather than genuine affection. He leaves without accepting the gift, deepening Luo Sheng’s anxiety about her plan.

Complications arise when Luo Sheng’s cousin, Deng Yu, finds the sachet she dropped and begins to stalk her, believing she is pursuing him. Deng Yu, who harbors ill intentions toward the Luo family as part of the political maneuvering against the Crown Prince, attempts to harass Luo Sheng in a secluded bamboo grove. Luo Sheng is rescued by Xiao Chuhuai, who intervenes and asserts dominance over Deng Yu. Despite this encounter, Xiao Chuhuai remains wary of Luo Sheng, suspecting she is being used as a pawn by rival factions. The narrative establishes a tense dynamic where Luo Sheng must navigate the dangerous political landscape while trying to prevent the catastrophic events of her mother’s past life from recurring, all while dealing with the growing suspicion and interest of the formidable Fifth Prince.