Ye Zhao, the silver-armored, bloodstained general who protects the kingdom, and Liu Xiyin, the gentle yet shrewd princess who guards it, each keep watch over a different world: one holds the frontier against the flames of war, while the other conceals her schemes in the splendor of the capital. Yet through countless restless nights, each etches the other’s name into her heart.
She is the War God whose name makes the court tremble, able to face thousands of Northern Di troops with her spear, yet she blushes when the other is near, hiding “I’ll protect you” in every quiet rescue. The other is the renowned beauty of the capital, whose delicate hands can embroider a map of the realm, yet she grips a dagger behind her, weaving “I trust you” into every charm for peace and safety.
Chancellor Liu’s treason, the Eastern Palace’s frame-up, and the Northern Di invasion: turmoil in the capital and smoke from the frontier drive them into desperate straits. When the ledgers are laid bare and daggers drawn, she storms the palace alone to save the other, still clutching the handkerchief she embroidered as poison takes hold. The other risks her life to obtain an antidote, and as tears fall, she can think only of her name.
“Are you afraid of the rumors?”
“I’m afraid of losing you.”
From secret, unspoken protection to boldly rushing to each other’s side, from avoiding one another beneath pear blossoms to standing together on the battlefield, these two women who have hidden their feelings for half a lifetime will finally shatter the chains of convention amid political intrigue and the fires of war. You protect the realm, and I’ll be your strongest shield. You keep me safe, and I’ll cross a thousand mountains with you. The tenderness hidden amid flashing blades is the fiercest wine this chaotic age has to offer.
