The disgraced Crown Prince, Qi Tinglu, indulged in wine and women, kept close company with entertainers, and lived wildly, disgracing his status as heir. He was imprisoned in Qichuntai, forbidden to leave unless he died.
This was a forbidden place in the palace, long abandoned and said to be haunted by ghostly shadows. One night, a eunuch passed the hall with a lantern. Alone in the deserted grounds, he remembered the tales of ghosts and grew more terrified with every step.
A copper lock hung from the doors of Qichuntai. The night wind rustled the weeds all around. The young eunuch quickened his pace, when suddenly a suggestive pant drifted to him on the chilly breeze.
He was scared out of his wits, but soon managed to calm himself. Questions swirled in his mind.
Who was having such a passionate encounter in there?
Drawn in by the sound, he unwittingly pressed his eye to a tiny crack in the door. A scene that should never have been witnessed unfolded before him.
Moonlight poured down like water, scattering silver across the ground. In the courtyard crouched an enormous white tiger with striking eyes. Its body was as large as a hill, its paws like platters, and the ground trembled when it moved.
In its embrace lay a handsome young man, barely twenty. His clothes hung open, slipping from his shoulders. Beads of sweat glistened on his skin as he gently stroked the tiger's fur. His hand was as white as porcelain, his skin fairer than snow, inviting all manner of speculation.
This was none other than Qi Tinglu, the disgraced Crown Prince rumored to be utterly debauched.
The eunuch was so entranced that the lantern fell from his hand.
The faint noise was instantly noticed by both man and tiger. Qi Tinglu pushed the tiger away, rolled his eyes, and sharply met the eunuch's gaze.
The young eunuch panicked, his heart pounding like a drum. Qi Tinglu merely drew his robe closed and gave him a captivating smile.
Another strange tale spread through the palace: a young eunuch had suddenly vanished, with neither body nor trace left behind.
P.S. 1.25/8/25
1. The political intrigue isn't the focus. The story is about the love and hate between the two.
2. The protagonist can be cheerful or dark, and many people will love him.
3. Older seme, with a ten-year age gap.
4. The white tiger is the seme.
Theme: Hard work eventually pays off.
