You Were Originally a Thief

Born a bandit, Mu Qing grew up among the outlaws. By a fortunate turn of events, she impersonated a young lady of a wealthy family and entered their prestigious home, enjoying a life of luxury and warmth. She decided to live out her days peacefully and honestly.

However, fate had other plans. As her wedding day approached, a censor arrived at her home—an old acquaintance from her past. The man who was once a weak and easily bullied youth had now become a cunning and detestable man.

He would tease her, threaten her, and even take liberties with her; who knew how much worse he would become in the future. Killing such a bad person shouldn't be too awful, right? Mu Qing silently prayed for heaven to turn a blind eye and allow her this one wicked deed.

But to her surprise, one old acquaintance after another began to surface, and the one she could never bring herself to kill actually started protecting her.

When Zhong Linlan was young, his family fell from grace. He struggled in humble alleys, studying diligently. Yet, one moonless, windy night, a little thief broke into his room and forcefully robbed him of his clothes and food. Noticing she was a clumsy fool with hidden injuries, Zhong Linlan silently helped her disguise her identity and find medicine for her wounds.

They spent several months together, and the little thief was quite reformed. She was no longer fierce and overbearing, sometimes even blushing and acting coy, even giving him a red thread on Qixi Festival, promising him a lifetime together.

But not long after, she disappeared. Her portrait appeared on wanted posters, bearing the charge of heinous crimes. Years later, Zhong Linlan became a censor and prepared to re-examine the old case, only to discover that the person he had worried about and missed had been impersonating a prominent young lady, about to marry into a princely estate—truly逍遥法外 (living free beyond the law).