During the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shande, a minor official in Chang'an City, received an almost impossible task - to transport fresh lychees from Lingnan Mountain before the birthday of the imperial concubine. At that time, lychees "changed color in one day, fragrant in two days, and taste changed in three days." Lingnan was more than five thousand miles away from Chang'an, and the mountains and rivers were vast. A legend that has not been recorded in history books unfolds in the novel.
Li Shande knew that this trip was dangerous, but he still gritted his teeth and embarked on the journey. He crossed the miasma-filled hills and climbed steep mountains and rivers just to deliver the fresh fruit from the thousand-year-old tree in Lingshan to the imperial concubine. The lychees from Lingshan have a red-like color and thick and sweet flesh, carrying the thousands of years of Lingnan's customs and the hard work of the craftsmen. However, the method of preservation is not yet clear, and horses rush at the inn, and a race against time is quietly staged.
The novel uses history as its backbone and imagination as its wings. Against the grand background of the times, it outlines the struggle and passion of a small character. Li Shande's fate is not only related to the smile of the imperial concubine, but also reflects the prosperity and hidden worries of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. When the fresh lychees finally arrived in Chang'an, behind the sweet fragrance was the sweat and wisdom of countless people.
The book not only contains exciting transportation stories and shows the deliciousness and preciousness of lychees, but also profoundly depicts the fate of little people, depicting their struggles and growth in the torrent of the times, allowing readers to feel the weight of history and the warmth of humanity in the sweetness of lychees.
