The two countries stand side by side, Yan in the north and Chu in the south, with centuries of grudges. Chu Qingci, the most favored little prince in the Chu Palace, was born with a pot of medicine. The imperial doctor declared that he would not survive a weak crown. He knew that his time was short, but he arranged his posthumous affairs more calmly than anyone else, writing slowly at night when he was coughing up blood, to the young man who he met by chance at the border when he was young and was now the prince of an enemy country.
Yan Yunlie, the most unpopular seventh prince of Beiyan, fought his way to the throne in a bloody storm. Everyone thought he was doing it for the country, but only he knew that he was trying his best to climb up just because he wanted to stand upright in front of that person one day and protect him for the rest of his life.
But when he finally unified the two countries and held the whole world in front of that man, Chu Qingci only smiled softly and asked him on the night when the first snow fell: "Can I still see the peach blossoms in spring next year?"
Yan Yunlie squeezed his hand: "Yes, I will let the whole world plant peach blossoms for you."
But Chu Qingci didn't wait for the peach blossoms to bloom, nor did he wait for the second spring.
Concept: The concept of "Country and Mountains in Ashes" is an elegy and hymn about how the glimmer of humanity shines unyieldingly under the trio of power, destiny, and the torrent of the times. It does not shy away from the coldness of history and the insignificance of individuals, but still firmly believes that one person's true feelings, wisdom and choices can, like embers of fire, warm a space and time weakly but eternally. What it ultimately wants readers to feel is not the sadness of despair, but the magnificence of doing it despite knowing that it cannot be done, and the courage to still love it after recognizing the truth of life.
