Riding the Wind Again

The first stirrings of love in youth could never withstand the passage of time. Once other things became entangled in their feelings, an unchanging vigil could no longer be called a love that lasted until death. In the imperial prison, a young man stood in bloodstained clothes, holding the cup of poisoned wine just bestowed upon him. He remembered how, a few years earlier, someone had cared for and rescued him on the road to exile. He had sworn on his heart to repay that kindness with his life, serving him faithfully and helping him stand against the powerful Crown Prince, time and time again helping him evade open attacks and hidden schemes. Despite his frail health, he had donned armor many times and traveled far to the borderlands, overcoming every obstacle to help him ascend the throne. Sadly, once the empire was secured, he returned victorious, covered in wounds, hoping only to see his beloved young man as soon as possible. He never imagined he would be seized and thrown into prison the moment he entered the city, all because the soldiers who entered with him had disrupted the imperial wedding. In the imperial prison, one letter after another, once filled with sweet words, became a dagger, carving him up again and again. Just as he was about to swallow the poisoned wine, Xiao Tian’s voice rang in his mind once more: “Master, if you’re hurting, then leave. It’s not like you have nowhere else to go. You can start over. Please don’t do anything rash...”