In the deep palace, where the long night was laced with the scents of medicine and dragon incense, the ailing Emperor Xiao Heng lowered his eyes to review memorials. His cough made the candle flames tremble. A puppet in court and rotten wood in the eyes of powerful ministers, he had only one person to rely on through the rises and falls of his life: his Grand Tutor, Xie Shiyan.
Xie Shiyan wore a moon-white official robe, his features as cool and clear as snow on a lonely mountain. Personally appointed by the late emperor as the young ruler’s tutor, he was also known throughout the court as a minister standing alone. He wore aloofness as armor and wielded political cunning as a blade, holding up the sky for the young emperor amid the treacherous currents of court. Their nighttime talks in the imperial study, the pulse checks at the sickbed, and the protection they offered each other on snowy nights were all bonds they dared not speak of beneath the formal names of ruler and subject.
When powerful ministers forced their way into the palace and a coup erupted, they worked together, one in the light and one in the shadows, to break the deadlock. Xiao Heng wielded thunderous strategies with his frail body; Xie Shiyan, a lone minister, guarded a vast empire. Once the dust settled, the emperor on the dragon throne was still sickly and frail, but sparks burned in his eyes. The frost in the Grand Tutor’s gaze as he stood below the steps finally softened into tenderness.
From then on, the ailing emperor ruled the realm, and the cool, aloof Grand Tutor remained by his side. Through the years and seasons, they weathered the frost and snow together, ruler and subject bound to one another, watching the warmth of the world shine on forever.
[Cool, aloof Grand Tutor as the pursuer, ailing emperor as the pursued]
[Both leads are devoted to each other, happy ending]
[Two male leads! Two male leads! Two male leads! This is important, so I’m saying it three times! If you wandered in by mistake, please turn back!]
[This is my first time writing, so I hope you’ll point out any mistakes. I’m not thin-skinned, thank you all 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻]
