Political intrigue · BE ending · restrained, heartbreaking angst · mutual salvation
In the depths of winter in Yong'an, snow falls in the imperial prison, and the cold seeps into one's bones.
Everyone laughs at Gu Ci, the capital's most notorious playboy, who relies on his family background to do as he pleases. They think he's a heartless libertine.
Only he knows that this carefree facade is a shackle he willingly put on at the age of fourteen.
That year, he stayed by the impoverished young Xiao Heng's side through his darkest days.
He willingly bore the blame, becoming a blade in the shadows to shield Xiao Heng from every open attack and hidden dagger, and clear his path to the throne.
That devotion was the only all-in gamble of his life.
But once Xiao Heng secured the throne and claimed imperial power, their former bond became a cloud of the past.
At court, the emperor was cold and merciless, weighing every move and calculating every gain.
An imperial decree stripped Gu Ci of his rank and title, cast him into the imperial prison, and left him to endure contempt and torment.
The final edict banished him to the wilderness, leaving him to live or die as he might.
Gu Ci never defended himself or begged for mercy. With a careless smile, he swallowed all his hurt and bitterness.
Everyone said the emperor was heartless, discarding Gu Ci once he was no longer useful. They never knew how much helpless restraint lay behind that deliberate coldness.
Years later, the emperor set aside his imperial authority and traveled a thousand miles to humble himself before him.
Consumed by obsession and madness, he was filled with regret, willing to give up everything just for Gu Ci to turn back.
But the heart he'd wounded with his own hands had long since frozen solid, and could never be warmed again.
