The moon in Chang'an always swayed above the wine flags on Zhuque Street, passed over Shen Zhiyan's fingertips dyed with the fragrance of ink, and passed over the wet blood on Xiao Jinghan's silver armor.
Three years ago, during the Battle of Yanmen Pass, Zhenbei General Xiao Jinghan was sentenced to exile for "murder". His best friend Shen Zhiyan served as a witness and signed on the Golden Palace, severing their ten-year friendship with his own hands.
Now Xiao Jinghan has returned with a secret letter, hiding in the market and becoming a storyteller. When he plucks the three strings with his fingertips, he talks about the war at the border and hides unpaid grievances. And Shen Zhiyan had already been promoted to the imperial censor Zhongcheng. Every night in the study, he looked at the unsent letter and looked at the moonlight, soaking the word "return date" with moisture.
On the night of the Lantern Festival, the two met again in Chang'an West Market. The wine cup that Shen Zhiyan passed reflected the lights of the city, as well as the unquenched sparks in each other's eyes; Xiao Jinghan's three-stringed string at his fingertips suddenly stopped, and the question he asked was not "I'm fine", but "Did you believe me when I was sentenced to exile?"
A chess game related to the conspiracy of imperial power quietly unfolded. Secret reports from the old border department and undercurrents deep in the palace tied the two people to the rope of fate again. They want to clear their grievances in the light of swords, and under the moonlight of Chang'an, they want to find the return date that was stolen by war and misunderstanding - a return date where their family and country are peaceful, and a return date where two hearts can get closer again.
Concept: Shen Zhiyan can see the barrage, which is essentially the "external resonance" of his inner difficulties - the barrage from the "readers" is not only the pain he endures, but also the understanding he dares not express. This "seeing across dimensions" allowed him to gradually gain courage from the loneliness of being burdened with misunderstandings, and finally dared to face Xiao Jinghan to reveal the truth, which coincided with "the pain of being seen will eventually be understood and healed."