From an abandoned prince in the Cold Palace to a great emperor, he remade the land with an iron fist.
At fourteen, Pei Qingyan was dragged out of the Cold Palace and forced onto the dragon throne.
The court saw him as a puppet. The borders were under attack, but no one paid them heed. The treasury was empty, and the powerful ran rampant. The mess left behind by the late emperor was riddled with holes, and the only person at his side was a young general covered in wounds.
"Your Majesty, I will guard the borders for you."
When Gu Ye said this, he was still wearing a cotton coat stuffed with willow fluff. His hands and feet were covered in chilblains, yet he stood ramrod straight, like a blade that would never bend.
From that moment on, Pei Qingyan knew: he would claim this empire.
He brought back three-time dynasty veterans, purged the corrupt court in blood, and uprooted the great clans. He personally drew up plans for thunderclap bombs, muskets, and armored war chariots, then forced the Japanese pirates to cede territory and submit.
In five years, he dragged a dynasty rotten to the core into an age of peace and prosperity.
But no one knew that this young emperor, decisive and ruthless in battle, would secretly tend the scars of the general who bore them when night fell. No one knew that after debating the court officials, he would turn away with red-rimmed eyes, all for one person.
"General, of all the vast lands beneath heaven, I only wish to guard them by your side."
This is the story of an emperor rising from the mire, and of a life-and-death love that transcends the divide between ruler and subject.
There is court intrigue, bloody battles, brotherhood built on mutual trust, and two people devoted to each other until death.
He held up this crumbling empire for him, and the other risked his life to preserve the peace he had won.
Two strong leads doting on each other, one-on-one romance, grand-scale political intrigue +
Why are there so few people 😢😢😢