Fireworks Fade Fast, Frost-Cold Earl

Heavy snow seals the frontier, and a troubled age edges toward the abyss.

For generations, the Zhao family has guarded the northern frontier, commanding a mighty border army. But their outstanding service has made them a threat to the throne, leaving them caught between the imperial court's suspicion and other nations' schemes.

The young Zhao Yan has fought a hundred battles and earned the title Earl of Frost.

He understands the ways of survival in troubled times and follows a strategy of keeping cat and mouse in check. He leaves the border threat alive and keeps his military power secure, using his youthful iron will to hold the vast wilderness at bay.

His second brother, Zhao Hua, conceals his sharpness behind a life of pleasure and a playboy facade, secretly managing affairs to protect the family's position. His eldest brother has seen through the merciless cycle of killing and longs to retreat, but cannot escape the chess game of this troubled age.

The snowstorms of the northern frontier have yet to cease, and undercurrents surge through the court.

Beyond the borders, the Rouran are divided, Southern Chu eyes the frontier, and war rages without end;

Within the realm, princes vie for power, six marquises play their game, and traps to strip the family of its authority close in at every turn.

The young general, cloaked in frost, can protect his homeland across thousands of miles, but not the fleeting pleasures and tender love of mortal life.

Every encounter in troubled times is a calamity; all splendor comes to nothing.

When the smoke of war has cleared and the fireworks have gone cold, only loneliness and a world-worn gaze will remain.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.