Nine Miles of Splendid Songs

She had once been a carefree country girl, with only her master by her side. He doted on her, yet raised her as if she were a boy. When she was eleven, he led people in an attack on her home. Her master was captured and vanished without a trace, while she was secretly spirited away. To find him, she set out alone for the imperial capital, and the shocking truth of her birth soon came to light...

He was an ordinary prince who yielded in all things. Yet when it came to the secret hunt for the surviving heirs of the previous dynasty, he was eager to take part. He did it for no other reason than to repay a kindness once shown to him by the former empress. Though he was clearly afraid she would die or be hurt, he always played the villain...

She grew stronger through hardship and adversity. When she became powerful enough to affect the fate of the world...

He rose through schemes and struggles for power. As he carefully advanced, step by step, toward the summit of authority...

Though their love endured long enough to pierce the heart, they could hardly enjoy a peaceful life together. He was no fish in a pond, and she no bird in a cage. They each set out across the world, gazing at one another from their respective peaks!

Historical romance, a heroine who isn't love-brained, and the growth of the male and female leads

A slow-burn story