[Female Lead's POV: Third-Person Narration]
I am Gu Caijun, the legitimate daughter of Kyoto's Chancellor. Since I was little, my father left me in the care of my maternal grandmother.
Later, my father was demoted again and again for protecting Crown Prince Li Qingliang. Because of that, I hated Li Qingliang with all my heart.
He not only took away the fatherly love that should have been mine, but also drove the Zhong family from place to place, leaving us without a home.
Fortunately, I was exceptionally skilled at painting, and the powerful and influential in the capital were generous with their praise. I never had to beg on the streets.
Still, whenever I thought about what had happened, I would tell myself that if I ever met Li Qingliang, I would give him a piece of my mind.
Later, I did meet Li Qingliang, though only three times in my life.
The first time was when Li Qingliang had fallen on hard times. He had angered the emperor by protecting refugees, and was ultimately stripped of his title, driven out of Kyoto, and reduced to a commoner.
On the day Li Qingliang was driven out of the imperial city, my father asked me to deliver him a message. But as if I would really pass it along. I was much more interested in watching the spectacle.
Standing on the main road, I smiled and handed him a letter. "Crown Prince Li... oh, I mean, Mr. Li, this is a letter from my father."
Li Qingliang opened the envelope and saw a lifelike drawing of a giant turtle. His stern, upright features gradually softened, and his youthful spirit shone through. "Thank you, Miss Gu. Please send my regards to your teacher."
If he was happy, then I wasn't.
The second time we met, a wealthy visitor to the capital happened to offer a thousand gold pieces for one of my paintings. The only condition was that I deliver it in person.
So, on the streets of the capital, I saw Li Qingliang, whom the Empress Dowager had brought back to the palace to inherit the throne.
He was no longer full of youthful vigor. Amid the adoring crowd, he seemed enveloped in frost, his gaze cold and indifferent.
I waved my painting above the crowd, tears in my eyes, absolutely delighted.
My father really had chosen the right person.
Li Qingliang seemed to spot me too. He stared at me, an unusual light flaring in his eyes, only for it to vanish without a trace a moment later.
The third time we met was when the Jin army invaded southward, the fighting was fierce, and the Zhong family regained its former glory.
Li Qingliang was traveling incognito. He gave me a painting by a master.
In return, I asked him, "What do you most want to remember? I'll paint it for you."
Li Qingliang gazed deeply at me, a trace of reluctance passing through his eyes. After a long while, he said, "There's no need. She has been etched into my mind for a long time."
That was the last time I saw Li Qingliang.
A month later, he led his troops into battle and defended the borders, but sadly died on the battlefield.
Without Li Qingliang, Kyoto fell into chaos, and flames of war swept across the land.
When the Jin soldiers broke through the gates of the Gu residence, they demanded that we surrender.
But how could I surrender?
This was the land Li Qingliang had sworn to defend with his life.
I took up my bow and fired wildly. In the end, before I died, I still hadn't managed to take down a single Jin soldier.
What a shame.
But I had no regrets.
Li Qingliang and my father had spent their lives defending this land. So had I.
But when I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I first met Li Qingliang.
It was a lovely spring day. He stood on the main road, staring at me. After a long while, he broke into a smile. "Gu Jiuniang."
Gu Jiuniang?
I thought it over and remembered that my father was Li Qingliang's teacher. He wasn't trying to take liberties with me, so I grinned. "Brother Li, the road is rough. Take care on your journey."
With that, I walked away without looking back.
But when I saw Li Qingliang following behind me, Gu Caijun was completely bewildered.
Reading Guide: This story is entirely fictional. No historical research is necessary.
Theme: Love is hard to extinguish.
