The Emperor’s Devoted Shadow Guard Was Swept Away by a Stranded Zither Player

Beautiful, strong, and tragic | Mind games and political intrigue | A powerful couple | Stand-in romance | Repressed yearning | Mutual salvation | Happy ending

Jin Changsheng is a gentle, nearly indifferent musician fallen on hard times, with his family's blood feud buried deep in his eyes. He spends his life restraining his emotions, never letting his pain show. Luo Miming is a cold, taciturn bodyguard who initially gets close to him for duty, but hides all his devotion in silent protection. Dongfang Li commands the army and is torn between love and hate for him, yet insists on snuffing out the last light in his life with his own hands, in the cruelest way possible.

Dongfang Li drags Jin Changsheng, his hands bound, onto the execution ground and forces him to witness “Luo Miming” being beheaded, his head rolling away in a grisly scene. The sight leaves Jin Changsheng retching uncontrollably. He hunches over, clenching all his grief and the cramps in his stomach into his palms, but Dongfang Li grips his jaw and forces him to look at the cold corpse.

Blood-red memories of his family's massacre surge back. He weeps blood as he cries out against the injustice, tears streaming down his face. In the depths of his anguish, the corners of his mouth lift, and a faint, broken murmur escapes him: “The mandarin ducks entwined: he's the male, and I'm the female...” Before he can finish, his mind snaps completely. His vision goes black and he collapses, rigid. His hairpin shatters across the ground, and he lies like a beautiful jade stone smashed to pieces. As the poison in his body takes effect, his sight rapidly fades, plunging him into endless darkness.

“Is this battered body... still enough to ease... the general's... anger?”

“A breakdown held tightly in check, waiting for his lover to return from the dead.”

“Slow-burn, straightforward bottom vs. loyal, jealous top”

(Just a heads-up: Chapter 1 lays out the full political intrigue. If you'd like to get straight to the bottom's story, start with Chapter 2~)