Early on: a sunny, cheerful young man × a smiling tiger with a calculating mind
Later: the shattered version
Content warnings: tragic romance, slow burn. Fictional ancient setting, not intended as historical research. Entirely made up, so please don't treat it as a reference. I hope that as I learn more, I can write more rigorous works in the future.
Legend has it that the Northern Kingdom holds a secret treasure called “Kuwu.” Buried beneath the imperial mausoleum are tens of thousands of desert warriors, who have been nourished by the royal family's flesh and blood for generations, becoming the battle-hardened “Kuwu.” When summoned, they can level an entire city. Nothing in the world can stand against them.
Li Qinghe, son of Princess Dadanawushi of the Northern Kingdom, inherited his mother's whistle and her secret. When he was eight, a great fire engulfed the land. He fled the imperial city, and after numerous brushes with death, met the most important person in his life in the darkest of times: Zhao Ying.
Not long after he left Xiajiang, Emperor Huan died. The Crown Prince and the Prince of Chenliu fought for power, throwing the realm into turmoil. He schemed at every turn, until one day he finally returned to the political arena and eliminated every person who had wronged him. After taking the throne he had long dreamed of, Li Qinghe repeatedly dreamed of his homeland calling to him. But whenever he opened his eyes, he saw his own ambition reflected in the eyes of the officials assembled before him.
But their parting without a word had nearly severed the bond between the two, who had understood each other since childhood and been inseparable. Years passed. One became a general, the other an emperor, but neither could find in the other's eyes the same look they had once shared.
