Marrying A Powerful Minister

Su Qingluo, an orphaned daughter of the wealthiest family in Jinling, has lived for six years in the Lu residence in Chang'an under the care of her maternal grandmother, Old Madam Lu. Though treated well by the old lady, Su Qingluo remains a dependent relative with no true home. She is engaged to Lu Yan, the second-branch son of the Lu family, who has consistently treated her with kindness and generosity. However, following a vivid nightmare in which Lu Yan betrays her with his cousin Liu Yanran, leading to her death and miscarriage, Su Qingluo’s unease compels her to investigate. She visits a jewelry shop and observes Lu Yan and Liu Yanran meeting intimately in a teahouse, confirming her fears. Distraught, she returns to the Lu residence in the rain, where she encounters Lu Hengzhi, the Chief Minister and a collateral relative she has not closely interacted with since childhood. Despite his cold and ruthless reputation in court, Lu Hengzhi shows her unexpected kindness, offering her his cloak and umbrella.

Upon returning to her quarters, Su Qingluo receives food delivered by Lu Hengzhi’s servant, Song Wen, including her favorite Jinling specialty, which surprises her as she believed he knew nothing of her preferences. Determined to end her engagement, she confronts Madam Liu, her aunt and Lu Yan’s mother. Madam Liu initially feigns support but reveals her true intentions when Su Qingluo overhears her plotting to keep the engagement intact to secure Su Qingluo’s substantial dowry, which includes fifty shops and three hundred thousand taels of silver. Madam Liu plans to allow Lu Yan to take Liu Yanran as a concubine after marriage, treating Su Qingluo merely as a source of wealth. Heartbroken and realizing Lu Yan’s affection was calculated, Su Qingluo seeks refuge in the garden, where she is again found crying by Lu Hengzhi. He asks who wronged her and offers to intervene, prompting her to accept his help.

The situation escalates when Old Madam Lu collapses during Lu Hengzhi’s birthday banquet. Madam Liu, seizing the opportunity to prevent Su Qingluo from escaping the marriage, proposes a hasty wedding to "bring joy" and save the old lady’s life. Su Qingluo refuses and publicly kneels before the male relatives, begging Lu Hengzhi to annul the engagement. Lu Hengzhi, rather than being offended, commands silence and demands Lu Yan’s presence. He reveals that Lu Yan and Liu Yanran spent the night together, exposing their affair and Lu Yan’s unfilial behavior. Lu Hengzhi also exposes Madam Liu’s greed by demanding the return of the fifty shops she has been managing under the guise of protecting Su Qingluo’s dowry. Faced with irrefutable evidence and the Chief Minister’s authority, the Lu family is forced to annul the engagement and return the assets.

With the engagement broken, Su Qingluo’s grandmother recovers from her illness. Lu Hengzhi continues to watch over her, sending imperial physicians and providing care, though he maintains a reserved demeanor. Su Qingluo begins to understand that his protection stems from more than familial duty, recalling how he escorted her from Jinling to the capital years prior. As she recovers from the emotional turmoil, she finds herself increasingly dependent on Lu Hengzhi’s support. The story concludes with Su Qingluo free from her abusive engagement, standing at the threshold of a new life under the shadow of the powerful Chief Minister who has become her unexpected protector.