Ashes on Snow, Snow Beneath Ashes

When blazing fire meets frozen snow, will one consume the other, or will they blend together? The sandalwood incense in the Hall of State Affairs had yet to fade when the smoke of war wrapped around a dark, scaled robe and shattered the court's calm. The moment Xiao Jin gripped Xie Lin by the throat, everyone thought it was a crushing victory by the all-powerful regent over a frail scholar. Little did they know that beneath the clash of blades, an unspoken bond had long been waiting. One is a scarred Prince of War, who steadies the realm with military victories and stirs up storms with his ferocity. The other is a scholarly prince who turns prayer beads in his hands and wields brush and ink as blades, advancing step by step through the chess game of political intrigue. They clash over the imperial examination scandal, investigate mysterious secret documents on a rainy night, leave words unspoken beside poisoned wine, and face the arrow that pierces a shoulder in Taihe Hall... They are sworn enemies who cannot coexist, yet in their fiercest confrontations, they always let slip a hint of concern they themselves don't recognize. The secret behind the late emperor's death lies hidden in a worm-eaten chess manual. The Northern Di's iron hooves trample the snowy borderlands, while the prophecy “Embers atop the snow, embers beneath the snow” has long foretold their entanglement: will blazing fire consume the frozen snow, or will frozen snow extinguish the flames? When scars meet long lashes, and ferocity crashes into a deep pool, they will finish this game of chess, wagering their lives on the fate of the Great Jing realm.