Old Dreams of Chang'an, a Boat Heading Home at Dusk

In the thirteenth year of the Tianqi era, snow blankets Chang’an. Shen Qingci, the former Duke of Zhenguo’s legitimate daughter, escapes from a field of corpses in Jiangnan with half a jade pendant engraved with the character “Zhou.” Alone, she hurries to the northern frontier to seek an audience with Xiao Jue, the Prince of Jingbei, whose power holds sway over the court.

She is the daughter of a disgraced minister, carrying the blood feud of her family’s destruction and concealing mastery of both medicine and poison. Every step she takes is part of her plan for revenge. He is a prince of a different surname with an army at his command, burdened by a childhood affliction and possessed of a shrewd, calculating mind. He sees marriage as a bargaining chip in the court’s power games. One imperial decree binds them together. Beneath the wedding candles, they trade wariness and suspicion; inside the prince’s manor, schemes and deadly threats lurk.

Amid the flames of war on the frontier, she risks her life to save him when he is on the brink of death, and he makes an exception, lowering his icy defenses for her. In the maelstrom of court politics, her identity as a survivor of a fallen dynasty is exposed. He is torn between protecting his position and protecting the woman he loves, and a misunderstanding drives them apart.

When a palace coup erupts and remnants of the former dynasty turn the tide, the truth gradually emerges: the destruction of the Shen family was a carefully orchestrated plot, and his childhood affliction is closely connected to the secrets of her family.

Reunited amid flashing blades, he offers her the empire as his betrothal gift and promises her, “One heart, one partner, for a lifetime.” She sets aside her blood feud and stands by him, wielding her wisdom as a blade as they bring peace to a war-torn realm. Amid their contests of political wits lies a deep love that saves them both; beneath the shackles of propriety is a devotion that will endure until death. The old dream of Chang’an is finally fulfilled. As evening falls, their boat heads home, and together they rule a flourishing empire.