One Dusk, One Dawn; One Shallow Cloud, One Clouded Morning

(A disciplinary story, with two female protagonists)

I know our stations in life are worlds apart, so my love for you is only gratitude...

Shut away behind palace walls, the royal third princess Li Yunmu has spent seventeen years beneath red eaves and vermilion tiles. But one day, when she sneaks out of the palace, she finds an orphan girl, Li Yunchao, beneath a broken wall. Moved by a moment of compassion, she defies a grave palace rule and secretly brings the girl home. Calling them “Dusk and Dawn,” she vows to protect her.

Their secret act of bringing an outsider into the palace is eventually discovered by the Empress. In her fury, Li Yunmu shields the girl with her back, while the frail young Li Yunchao kneels and begs for mercy. The Empress finally relents, but lays down a strict rule: “If you can’t follow the rules, you’ll be beaten to death. No exceptions.”

“You’re my big sister, and I’ll always think of you as my big sister!”