Not a feel-good novel, and not a formulaic one. This is a historical fantasy and martial arts novel set in an alternate past, featuring political intrigue, a male and female lead, and plenty of dialogue. In the twenty-third year of the Kaiyuan era, Tang, spring was warm and the scenery bright.
The banks of Qujiang Pond were already bustling with carriages and crowds of beautiful women. It had been only three days since the new jinshi results were posted, and the excitement of having their names inscribed on the Wild Goose Pagoda had yet to fade. Now the revelry of the Qujiang banquet had taken over. Fresh green willow branches brushed against the carved rails of painted boats. Pleasure boats crisscrossed the pond, while the sounds of strings and flutes drifted on the warm breeze, mingling with the scent of wine and perfume to create a splendor found only in Chang’an.
Shen Zhiwei stood beneath a weeping willow by the bank, unconsciously twisting the jade pendant hanging from his waist. It was a fine piece of white jade, carved into a magnolia bud, smooth and warm to the touch. His mother had left it to him as a keepsake. The splendor of Chang’an still shimmered in his memory, but the hazy figure in rose-colored robes by Qujiang Pond now seemed especially indistinct. He looked up at the waning moon and felt that the road ahead was shrouded in uncertainty. Perhaps an unpredictable storm was waiting for him.
The story follows Shen Zhiwei’s experiences in Xizhou, Pei Jingyao’s true identity and intentions, and the reason Cui Luoyan has been confined. As it gradually reveals the tangled conflicts between the various factions, it also incorporates the silk trade and ethnic relations of the Tang dynasty’s Western Regions, among other things.
