The male protagonist of this world is named Mingzhi.
He is the heir apparent of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
The female lead is Princess Ningzhu of the current dynasty. The story is about a couple who fall in love after an arranged marriage and spend their lives together.
They fought against treacherous officials in the imperial court, jointly resisted foreign enemies, and protected the people of Anguo.
It sounds like it has nothing to do with him.
However, this Mingzhi is his younger brother.
Another melodramatic identity swap.
When two families were giving birth, they accidentally came together and the babies were switched at birth.
Of course, this was a genuine case of babies being switched at birth; it wasn't intentional.
The midwife was too tired and accidentally switched the two babies.
Moreover, neither of them was aware of the other's existence.
Honestly, this young master has very sound values and a kind heart. The original owner of this body is very satisfied to have such a younger brother.
However, the person the original owner wanted to protect was not this younger brother, but his nominal younger brother Ning Anuo, who was actually the heir of the Marquis's mansion.
Ning Hong, the original owner of the body, was a villager in a remote village in Anguo. Because there were several mountains behind her hometown, the village was also called Dashan Village (Big Mountain Village).
Their village is not large, with only about a hundred households and more than six hundred people.
The only way to reach the town and city from the entire village is by crossing a small path up the mountain.
The villagers of Dashan Village are well aware of the wealth in the city.
However, this mountain separates the village from the town and the city.
The land in Dashan Village is barren, and the income is meager; the villagers can barely feed themselves.
Therefore, the girls in the village longed for the outside world and considered it an honor to marry into the town.
For example, Qian Xia from the Wei family at the end of the village married the son of the owner of a general store in town. As a result, Qian Xia's parents walked around the village with a sense of pride.
Then there's Qian Feng, the village chief's golden phoenix. She married the county magistrate and left the village. Qian Feng is the envy of all the women in the village.
The village chief's position was so secure that the original owner had privately speculated that it was probably related to Qian Feng.
The Ning family was an anomaly in the village.
The original owner's father was from a mountain village, an ordinary countryman with a handsome face, but his mother was a young lady from a wealthy family outside, and it was said that her family was extremely rich.
By chance, Anno's father saved his mother outside. His mother developed a hero complex towards him and, seeing his handsome appearance, insisted on marrying him despite her family's objections.
Unfortunately, love eventually couldn't withstand the realities of daily life.
In just three years, his mother couldn't bear the poverty and ran away back to her own home. She returned home with a clear conscience and became a young lady again. Under her parents' arrangement, she got married again. Poor father, when he went to chase after her, he accidentally fell off a cliff.
When they found him, he was already gone.
Ning Hong was only three years old at the time, while Ning Anuo had just been born.
Fortunately, they had a grandmother who raised them single-handedly. The Ning family grandmother was very capable, and the original owner of this body and her younger brother were also well-behaved and sensible.
Even though it's just the three of them—grandparents, grandchildren, and grandchildren—they still manage to live a prosperous and happy life.
But when Ning Hong was fourteen, her grandmother fell ill.
He was very ill.
The cost of medicine was a heavy burden for them. The original owner thought of his biological mother and went to her to ask for money, but his mother was unwilling to acknowledge him. To her, these two sons were a disgrace.
She had the original owner of this body thrown out and his legs broken.
When Grandma Ning found out about this, she was so angry that she vomited blood and passed away two days later.
Ning Anuo suppressed her grief and ran around taking care of the funeral arrangements while also looking after the original owner of the body.
Extremely busy.
The original owner had one leg crippled.
The burden of the entire family fell on Ning Anuo's shoulders.
However, Ning Anuo never complained.
The original owner also tried her best to help, doing what she could.
The two brothers depended on each other for survival, and their bond grew stronger with each passing year.
It was only at this time that Ning Hong realized that her younger brother had a little girl in his heart.
On the night Grandma Ning passed away, Anuo ran alone to the foot of the mountain at the entrance of the village and cried.
It was there that he met ten-year-old Qian Duo.
Qian Duo's house was located at the edge of the village. Qian's father was the only carpenter in the village. His carpentry skills were just as good as those in town, and his prices were low, so his business was good.
The Qian family was considered an upper-middle-class family in Dashan Village.
Qian Duo has three children: an older sister, a younger brother, and she is in the middle.
Qian Lai, the eldest sister, was the first child in the Qian family. The first child always carries a special place in their hearts, and both Mr. and Mrs. Qian adored this daughter.
Of course, Qian Zi is sensible, capable, and beautiful from a young age. Even though she has a lot of money, she still likes this older sister very much.
However, Qian Duo dislikes her younger brother, Qian Jin.
Qianjin was spoiled by her parents, which made her become somewhat arrogant.
In Qian Jin's eyes, she and her sister Qian Lai were probably just his servants. Every time Qian Jin beat them up, their parents would comfort them, telling them to give in to Qian Jin, and that if they got married, they would have to rely on their own brothers to have confidence in their husband's family.
But she didn't think that Qianjin would make decisions for them in the future, and might even become a burden to them. Of course, she didn't dare to tell her parents these things.
Anuo will never forget the way Qian Duo timidly handed him a handkerchief that had been washed until it was a little faded.
Qian Duo said: Don't cry, Anuo.
Qian Duo said: Men shouldn't cry easily.
Qian Duo said: If you ever feel lonely in the future, come find me.
Qian Duo wasn't pretty, but at that moment, Anuo truly felt that Qian Duo was like a ray of sunshine illuminating his entire world.
The two began to secretly meet.
Because Ning Hongze's legs were crippled, the villagers enjoyed bullying the Ning family.
Anuo was stubborn and unwilling to admit defeat. He would always argue with the villagers over some things until they were bloodied. Qian Duo would wash his wounds with tears in his eyes, but he would never say anything to persuade him.
Because she knew that her Anuo was never an ordinary person. She wouldn't want him to live such a submissive life. Her Anuo should live freely, unrestrainedly, and flamboyantly.
When Qian Duo was fourteen, Anno took her hand and proposed to her.
Qian Duo agreed, but she was very uneasy. She knew that her parents would definitely not agree to them being together because Anuo had no money and could not help Qian Jin.
So she didn't dare tell her parents, and the two of them always kept their interactions very secret.
In particular, he also needs to take care of the original owner of the body.
Seeing that he always looked worried, the original owner felt distressed and dragged his broken leg to his mother's place once again.
But this time, he lost his life there.
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