Moon Over the Vermilion Tower

The border fires of Yong'an and the pleasures of the capital intertwined in their lives, weaving a poem.

She was Chu Zhao, the silver-armored general who defended the nation, her armor stained with blood as she pointed her sword toward the northern frontier. Decisive and ruthless on the battlefield, she hid an unknown tenderness in her eyes. He was Su Lingding, a cool and reserved zither player trapped in the Yihong Pavilion. The notes of "Pure Heart Melody" flowed from his fingertips, while his brows were furrowed with a longing for freedom.

One chance encounter with his music was enough to make the iron-blooded general fall for the purity behind it. As criticism from the court and schemes by a rival followed one after another, Chu Zhao wielded her sword to protect him, shattering worldly prejudice with her promise to cherish him above all else. With the Northern Di still unconquered, she had to return to the battlefield. She gave him a jade pendant and promised she would come back; lonely in the secluded residence, he guarded her letters and sheet music, waiting for her return from the smoke of war.

From saving him at the Yihong Pavilion to standing by his side in the general's residence, from longing for each other across the border to petitioning the court, they crossed the vast gulf between their stations and wrote a love story of mutual devotion amid turbulent times. When Chu Zhao pacified the Northern Di and was honored as Prince of Zhenbei, the empress personally bestowed a wedding ceremony upon them. Red bridal finery and armor shone together, making theirs the capital's most moving legend.

This is a love song between a general and a zither player, filled with longing amid the flames of war and a happy ending in an age of peace.