Pearls Fall at Awakening of Insects

In the capital of Luojing, during the spring imperial examinations, the custom of snatching a husband from the list of successful candidates is in vogue. Jin Zhuzhu, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, originally intended to snatch her childhood sweetheart Han Guan, but mistakenly brought back the top scholar Wen Jingzhe to bow in the wedding ceremony. This marriage is actually her scheme: twenty taels a day to hire him as a nominal husband for a hundred days. She has long seen through Han Guan's fickleness and is even more worried that her childhood friend Song Hanying will become a pawn in her father's power grab, her life hanging by a thread. She and Wen Jingzhe join hands to break the deadlock and help Hanying escape her cage. Wen Jingzhe, who rose from poverty, is moved by her forthright chivalry, and genuine feelings gradually grow between them through their contractual time together. On the day the contract is dissolved, with reddened eyes, he asks: Miss Jin, name your price—may I hire you to be my wife?