The Mute Little Beauty Is Forced to Become a Substitute Bride

Lu Li is a mute no one loves—not his father, not his mother. A veil is thrown over his head and he is sent in place of his younger brother to marry into the Du household, a substitute bride meant to “bring luck” to their gravely ill eldest son.

Du Siqing, that eldest son, is a man with a disabled leg. After lying in bed too long, rumor says he is gloomy, strange, fierce-tempered, and impossible to live with.

Kind Lu Li does not hold it against him. He works diligently and never complains.

Thirsty—he brings water. Hungry—he feeds him. Sleepy—he stays. Somewhere in all that care, they start kissing.

The man is fierce from head to toe. The poor little mute cannot speak; he can only open those wet, pretty eyes and gesture blindly. Du Siqing pretends not to see any of it, gathers his adorable little husband into his arms, and rocks him gently.

Later, in the courtyard, Lu Li makes a small world of his own: he farms, gathers herbs, raises chickens, ducks, fish, and geese, and even opens a clinic. Life becomes warm and plentiful.

Du Siqing’s legs slowly recover. He sits the imperial examinations, takes first place, and rises to first rank. His future is boundless.

Everyone says a country boy from the backwoods—a mute who cannot even speak properly—is no match for the brilliant Du Siqing. They assume he will be swept out the door before long.

Instead, this high and mighty Grand Tutor squats in front of his little husband and gently puts on his shoes and socks.  

“You’re not allowed to go without them.”

Lu Li glares at him, resentful.  

“Clearly… you’re the one who… bit my foot… until it hurt.”

Du Siqing smiles faintly.  

“Then next time I’ll bite somewhere else.”

Lu Li: “…”

At fifteen, Du Siqing met with an accident and both legs were paralyzed. Physicians said he would not live past twenty. Every day he counted down the days until his own death.

What arrived before death was a beautiful bride with a face like peach blossom. A pair of little dimples full of sweetness; when he smiled, the light of it swayed and dazzled its way into the heart.

Du Siqing’s days gained something to look forward to. His body grew better day by day.

Name, status, rank—he claimed them one by one. He assisted the new emperor onto the throne and educated the young crown prince. For a time his glory was boundless. Colleagues all said he would sooner or later divorce his husband and marry a princess.

Du Siqing sneered at that. Those mediocre men had no idea how good A-Li was.

The next day he went before the emperor and spoke with open feeling:  

“This subject rose from nothing and was trapped by illness. Only Li never abandoned me. Through years and years—I will never fail him.”

He obtained an imperial patent naming Lu Li a titled lady of honor, and at last they settled into the life of husband, children, and a warm kang.