Drifting Through the Clouds in a Wine-Soaked Dream

[Willful princess, hapless consort, both devoted only to each other, political intrigue, stunning beauty, tortured love, all characters are highly intelligent] “A Yi!” He abruptly turned and shoved her aside, putting his entire back in the path of the blade. With a dull thud, the point pierced the upper left side of his chest. He staggered, caught her bloodstained hand, and pressed it against his chest. Panting, he managed a smile. “...It’s all right. Here...” He guided her fingertip to an old scar. “I was saved by Your Highness here all those years ago... Now there’s another scar to match it.” His breath was faint, but every word was clear. “Let this wound... be my betrothal gift. Your Highness... would you marry me again?” Plum blossoms gleamed against the snow, their fragrance mingling with the frozen earth. A month had passed since the disaster that nearly cost him his life. Jiang Shubai had just clawed his way back from death’s door, and though his wounds had barely healed, he could no longer restrain himself. That day, he changed into a bright red wedding robe. His steps were still unsteady, but he walked firmly, one step at a time, into the plum grove. He stopped and carefully plucked the finest blossom, as though holding something precious and weighty. His gaze fell on Lu Zhiyi, standing across from him in her wedding dress. The wind swept across his still-pale face. He drew in a deep breath of the frigid air. His voice was still hoarse from his injuries, but every word rang clear against the snow. “A Yi... Let’s get married. Right now.” His eyes burned with a desperate, all-or-nothing light. “The plum blossoms as our pledge, the snow as our witness... I’ll marry you. Will you?” She stared at his face. The feelings she’d once had wrestled with reality, until at last they became fury, kindled by his betrayal. “Jiang Shubai! I can’t believe I ever trusted you!” “Shhk, ” She pulled the bloodstained hairpin free. Her voice trembled, but her words were resolute. “From now on... we owe each other nothing.”