The Maid Ballad – Hu Wenxuan, Han Leyao

In the early morning, Xuan Qiancao woke up from a nightmare about her father being sentenced as a traitor. Even after a long time, Xuan Qiancao still remembered the nightmare vividly. On that rainy night, the rain was pouring down heavily as she and her mother knelt in the rain. The only thing in her mind was her father's repeated cries of "I am not a traitor," which sounded weak and pale. Thinking of her father who had died as a falsely accused traitor, Xuan Qiancao felt extremely sad.

Lan Yao, who heard some noise, came to urge Xuan Qiancao to get up and go to class, lest she be late.

The school Xuan Qiancao attended was called Taixue, the highest educational institution of the current dynasty. It has been around for hundreds of years and is divided into four gardens: Songyuan, which cultivates military commanders; Zhuyuan, which cultivates literary talents; Mei Yuan, which is specially designed for noble women; and Caoyuan, where Xuan Qiancao is located, which is said to be the lowest-ranked garden, established for cultivating servants.

In a few days, the selection competition for attendants will be held. Xuan Qiancao stood in front of the mirror, cheering herself on. Only by passing the competition can she possibly clear her father's name.

In the Taicheng Wangfu, Lord Taicheng's son and heir, Prince Chen Tongxue, got up and dressed with the help of numerous servants before going to class. After class, the palace guard, Lu Qinghui, told the prince that the descendant of the Xuan family who was sold to Jiangzhou ten years ago was actually still in Yingzhou, and was now at Taixue.

On the other side, Xuan Qiancao was being bullied by several students and accidentally fell down the stairs. Just as she thought she was about to die, a figure flew over and caught her, and also blocked a flying stick for her. Xuan Qiancao looked up and saw that the person who saved her was actually Prince Chen Tongxue.

When Xuan Qiancao was deeply grateful to Chen Tongxue for saving her, she noticed that his hand was bleeding. Feeling guilty, she quickly took him to the medical clinic.

After treating his injury, Xuan Qiancao asked Chen Tongxue why he saved her. Chen Tongxue lied, saying that he had left something behind in the school and was passing by, just to win her heart and gain the power of Xuan Qian. Chen Tongxue then suggested that Xuan Qiancao show her appreciation by performing well in the upcoming selection for attendants in a few days, and become his attendant. However, when Xuan Qiancao heard from Lan Yao that Chen Tongxue was very fickle, she thought that being his attendant would likely result in being a maid and shouted "pervert" before storming away, leaving Chen Tongxue confused.

When Xuan Qiancao returned home, she found that Di Hua was lying on her bed, lifeless. Because someone died on her bed, Xuan Qiancao was accused of being the murderer. Just as she was about to be taken away, Chen Tongxue arrived and saved her once again.

As the mastermind behind the incident, the Crown Prince of Wei ordered his guards to watch Chen Tongxue since he was also at the grassy yard that night and had examined the body.

Xuan Qiancao saw her mother accused of stealing a silver bracelet at the door of their home. Xuan Qiancao's mother had no choice but to hand over her weapons to the accuser, and Xuan Qiancao cried tears of sorrow. It was the last weapon left by her father, and memories of her father's warnings and all the hardships they had faced flooded back. She decided to seek revenge for her father by aligning herself with the most powerful person, the Crown Prince, as Chen Tongxue was too fickle and might ruin everything. With a determined heart, Xuan Qiancao clenched her fists and vowed to succeed.

Soon, the imperial attendant selection competition began, which consisted of three rounds: balancing on a beam, literacy assessment, and talent show.

Xuan Qiancao passed each round and obtained first place. The Crown Prince also successfully chose himself as an imperial attendant. Just as Xuan Qiancao was happy, Chen Tongxue suddenly picked her up and informed the Crown Prince that Xuan Qiancao was already his chosen candidate. After saying this, Chen Tongxue carried Xuan Qiancao away. The Crown Prince then selected Lan Yao as his attendant.

As Chen Tongxue had chosen himself to be an attendant, Xuan Qiancao had no other choice but to agree to the three rules that they both established, and she made it clear that she would never become a concubine.

After getting drunk, Chen Tongxue remembered that Xuan Qiancao had called him a pervert. He was angry and went to confront her to find out why she called him that. At the same time, the Crown Prince discovered that Chen Tongxue might be a lost prince in the common people and ordered someone to assassinate him.

However, at this moment, Chen Tongxue, who was drunk, was unaware that he was about to face a fatal danger.

Early in the morning, Xuan Qiancao hurriedly pulled Chen Tongxue out of her room. If they were seen together like this, it would be even harder to explain. So she urged Chen Tongxue to hurry up. But when they looked up, they found that everyone was already together. Everyone knew what was going on between them and smiled as they walked by. Xuan Qiancao was caught first, and now it was even harder to explain. He felt like crying but no tears came out.

During class, Lu Qinghui was caught passing a note and the teacher read out loud that it was about him and Chen Tongxue sharing a room last night. Xuan Qiancao couldn't help but want to crawl under the ground and not face these rumors.

Chen Tongxue was scolded by his father, Lord Taicheng, for being too close to Xuan Qiancao, and was reminded not to forget the pain of losing his mother. The imperial archery assessment, which Prince and the emperor will attend, is in two days. Lord Taicheng told Chen Tongxue to prepare well for it.

During class, the bailiffs from the Dali Temple stormed into the school, claiming that another grass slave named Luhua had died and Xuan Qiancao was the culprit. They were about to arrest her when Xuan Qiancao rushed out the door. In a moment of emergency, Chen Tongxue arrived and kissed Xuan Qiancao. He told the bailiffs that if they wanted to arrest his woman, they would have to arrest him too. He also told them that he and Xuan Qiancao were together last night, so she couldn't have committed the crime.

Chen Tongxue saved himself again, and Xuan Qiancao was grateful in his heart. Meanwhile, the hidden hand behind the scenes, Prince Taicheng's plan failed again. He was very angry and warned his subordinates that if they didn't handle it well, they would be punished.

Xuan Qiancao lay on the bed and couldn't sleep, tossing and turning. His mind was filled with the kiss that Chen Tongxue gave him when he saved him. He couldn't help but feel overwhelmed, but immediately reminded himself that his purpose was to seek revenge and he couldn't indulge in love. However, the scene of Chen Tongxue saving him kept replaying in his mind, and he couldn't sleep all night.

The next morning, Xuan Qiancao went to the armory to get the arrows that Chen Tongxue needed, but the steward intentionally gave him damaged arrows. The steward told Xuan Qiancao that if he wanted good arrows, he would have to pay a price. Chen Tongxue happened to pass by the window and heard Xuancao being bullied, and he fantasized about going in and saving her like a hero. Xuan Qiancao was grateful to him, but when he went in, he found that it was completely opposite to what he had imagined. He saw Xuan Qiancao grabbing the steward and interrogating him about whether he had good arrows, which made Chen Tongxue laugh and cry.

On the day of the imperial archery assessment, Chen Tongxue stood out among the crowd and caught the emperor's attention. However, in the archery competition, Chen Tongxue lost to Prince Taicheng because his bow was tampered with. The teacher thought that Xuan Qiancao had not done a good job and wanted to teach him a lesson, but Chen Tongxue stopped him and said that someone had done it intentionally.

The next day, the emperor summoned Chen Tongxue for an audience, and Crown Prince found out about it. It's unknown what he will do to achieve his goals.

After announcing Chen Tongxue's audience to the emperor, the emperor praised the article written by Chen Tongxue and asked about his parents. Chen Tongxue only said that he didn't know his birth father, but his birth mother was from the Xue family. He thought that the emperor would recognize him after knowing his true identity, but unexpectedly, the emperor pondered for a moment and let him leave.

Standing outside the Xuanzheng Palace, Chen Tongxue couldn't help but feel bitter. He finally understood his mother's words. It was true that the most heartless people were those from the royal family.

After leaving a farewell letter for Chen Tongxue, Xuan Qiancao went to work with Lan Yao at the Crown Prince's place. Just as the Crown Prince promised to make Xuan Qiancao his maid, Chen Tongxue arrived and apologized to the Crown Prince for pulling Xuan Qiancao away. He told her that she belonged to him and it was impossible for her to leave. He then tore up the resignation letter Xuan Qiancao left for Chen Tongxue. Xuan Qiancao was angry and stepped on Chen Tongxue's foot before leaving, wondering how she could clear her father's name.

At the academy, everyone was discussing that the culprit who killed Dihua and Luhua was found to be Liao Hua. They all thought it was strange because the three sisters from the Cao Garden were known to bully others together, so how did they end up killing each other? It was truly shocking.

The annual dance festival arrived, and this year, the dancer was the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, He Lingying. Her graceful dance and light figure were truly beautiful to behold. Xuan Qiancao was mesmerized, and then Chen Tongxue took out a beautiful flower lantern from behind and gave it to her. This made Xuan Qiancao feel very happy. Just as she was about to give the lantern to Miss He, Chen Tongxue stopped her.

Chen Tongxue held Xuan Qiancao, saying how could he casually give away the things he gave her, and then he pulled Xuan Qiancao and left. Xuan Qiancao felt bitter and worried that Miss He would misunderstand her.

But when she returned, she thought that maybe Chen Tongxue had some other meaning in giving her the lantern. Looking at the beautiful lantern, she couldn't help but think of Chen Tongxue, the prince. So she spent another sleepless night.

Because of the continuous heavy rain in Jiangzhou, floods broke out, and the people were displaced. If not treated in time, it could jeopardize the foundation of Da Wei. The emperor issued a decree to let Chen Tongxue and the Dali Temple work together to deal with the flood. Just as Chen Tongxue was puzzled and about to take the order, Xuan Qiancao directly apologized to the prince and said it was all her fault. She wrote a letter of recommendation to the emperor recommending Chen Tongxue to deal with the flood.

Chen Tongxue couldn't help but ask if Xuan Qiancao was retaliating against him because he stopped her from serving the Crown Prince before. Xuan Qiancao denied it and just gave Chen Tongxue a kiss and ran away.

It turned out that Xuan Qiancao wanted to get close to the Dali Temple through flood control, and then she would have a chance to get her father's case files. Only by investigating the case could she clear her father's name. So Xuan Qiancao begged Chen Tongxue to take her with him to deal with the flood. Unable to resist Xuan Qiancao's repeated pleas, the prince agreed to take her with him, but he insisted that she could not leave him after agreeing to go with him, otherwise he would not take her. Xuan Qiancao happily accepted.

At Xuan Qiancao's earnest request, Chen Tongxue finally agreed to take her with him to help with flood control. Xuan Qiancao was overjoyed like a child. The water disaster in Jiangzhou was severe, and the people were displaced, flooding to their doors, repeatedly saying, "I want to eat" non-stop.

Inside the house, Lin Yi frowned as he listened to the discussions of everyone wanting to protect themselves. With frequent floods and the people in distress, officials like them should take on the responsibility without hesitation. Just then, the prince and Xuan Qiancao walked into the house. Chen Tongxue exchanged a few words with Lin Yi, and everyone began to discuss how to solve the current problem. Chen Tongxue proposed to use work in place of relief aid, starting with downstream management. This plan was unanimously accepted, and they set out to work, busy with flood control for several days.

When He Lingying learned that Chen Tongxue was helping with flood control in Jiangzhou, she had her maid deliver her family's disaster relief files to him. It turned out that He Lingying had long been pleased with Chen Tongxue. Thinking back to the scene when they first met at the dance ceremony, she had fallen in love at first sight.

Facing the serious disaster, many people's patience had run out, and they gathered together to resist. Fortunately, Xuan Qiancao came forward in time to reason with them and appeal to their emotions, giving the people comfort and promising to pay them their wages.

Lin Yi greatly admired Xuan Qiancao's broad-mindedness. Xuan Qiancao asked Lin Yi if there were any documents in the Dalisi for flood control. Lin Yi thought there should be, so he took Xuan Qiancao with him to find them. When Qiancao saw that they were about to reach their goal, she felt happy. Unexpectedly, they were discovered just as they found her father's documents.

Who was the person who tried to stop themselves at this critical moment? Xuan Qiancao looked up and saw that it was Chen Tongxue. How coincidental and unfortunate that he appeared to ruin her plans. It turned out that Chen Tongxue happened to pass by this place and after explaining to Lin Yi, he took Xuan Qiancao back to the mansion. As soon as they came out, Chen Tongxue sternly questioned Xuan Qiancao about her true intentions. Xuan Qiancao was startled. Could it be that he has already discovered my intentions? Unexpectedly, Chen Tongxue continued by saying, "Is it because Lin Yi is more handsome than me that you came here?" Xuan Qiancao let out a sigh of relief, and her anxious heart calmed down. It turned out that Chen Tongxue was jealous and deliberately said, "Yes, Lord Lin is much more handsome than you..." Before he could finish speaking, Xuan Qiancao's lips were blocked by the lips that came towards her. She forcefully pushed Chen Tongxue away and ran off.

After everyone's efforts, the flood finally subsided. Looking at everyone's reluctant expressions, Xuan Qiancao felt moved. The foundation of the court lies in talented individuals, and the people are also the hope of the country.

Bidding farewell to everyone in Jiangzhou, Chen Tongxue and Xuan Qiancao returned to the capital. Chen Tongxue said he wanted to give Qiancao a surprise and took her hand as they walked. It turned out he wanted to buy rouge for himself. Seeing how attentive the Crown Prince was to her, a warm feeling surged in Qiancao's heart. The two of them laughed and joked all the way to the riverside. Just as Chen Tongxue was about to express his feelings to Qiancao, something happened in the disaster-stricken area, and Chen Tongxue had to hurriedly leave after making sure Qiancao was settled.

On her way back to the mansion, Xuan Qiancao was stopped by He Lingying. He Lingying demanded that Xuan Qiancao leave Chen Tongxue because she herself had feelings for him. Xuan Qiancao made it clear that she only wanted to seek justice for her father and had no interest in romantic relationships. However, He Lingying believed that Xuan Qiancao was using Chen Tongxue as her backing and wanted to trade for frozen rouge. Xuan Qiancao wondered how He Lingying could know about her possession of frozen rouge. Just as she was about to ask for clarification, He Lingying lifted her clothes, revealing the frozen rouge mark on her arm, exactly the same as the one on Xuan Qiancao's neck.

It is said that Xuan Qiancao was stunned when she saw that He Lingying had the same frozen rouge as her. He Lingying told Xuan Qiancao the true reason why Chen Tongxue, the Crown Prince, approached her, and advised her to leave Chen Tongxue and not to struggle in vain.

Upon learning the truth, tears uncontrollably flowed from Xuan Qiancao's eyes. It turned out that all those deep feelings were fake. Remembering the past, Xuan Qiancao's heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife. On her way back to the mansion, she coincidentally met Chen Tongxue, but by now Xuan Qiancao's heart had turned to ashes. Faced with Chen Tongxue's greetings, Xuan Qiancao remained indifferent. Just as she was about to leave, devastating news reached her once again. There was a flood outside the city. Oh no! Her mother was still at home. Without considering anything else, Xuan Qiancao hurriedly rushed home upon hearing the news. Chen Tongxue followed on horseback and rode out of the city with Xuan Qiancao.

Not long after leaving the city, the two encountered assassins. After a fierce fight, Chen Tongxue got injured. Xuan Qiancao had no choice but to find a cave to temporarily rest and bandage Chen Tongxue's wound.

Inside the cave, Xuan Qiancao poured out her heart to Chen Tongxue. If Chen Tongxue could promise to help her seek justice for her father, then regardless of the Xuan Qian power she possessed or any other means, she would do her best to assist Chen Tongxue with everything she had. Chen Tongxue looked at the pitiful figure in front of him and felt a pang of heartache. Without a second thought, he embraced Xuan Qiancao and sealed her lips with a kiss.