The Vanquished

In a time of chaos, rites have collapsed and music has fallen into disarray.

Princess Chen Wanzhen of Wenkang refused to live beneath anyone else. She wielded power as she pleased and enjoyed more than a decade of glory. Then, one day, she went to the palace for a banquet, only to be cornered in an inner hall by her imperial nephew, the emperor, who tearfully begged her to retire and enjoy her golden years.

Chen Wanzhen glanced at the five hundred axemen and swordsmen outside the hall and knew when to yield. She swiftly handed over power, at least preserving some dignity for herself. From then on, she devoted herself to music and revelry by night, and to a life of wine and luxury.

Zhao Yu was born a nobody. He knew nothing of poetry or the classics, and had only his miserable life to his name. He fought campaigns across the north and south and ingratiated himself with those around him, eventually fighting his way to the position of military governor. With soldiers and territory under his command, he obeyed orders but not summonses, making him a regional warlord in all but name.

Who could have guessed how quickly fortune would turn? Defeated and driven into another region, he fled in such a sorry state that he was like a stray dog with no home.

The former warlord, now a homeless stray, arrived in the capital and happened upon the grand banquet where the princess, living in wine and luxury, was entertaining her guests.

Zhao Yu gritted his teeth and slipped inside.

After losing power, Chen Wanzhen had grown disillusioned. She simply gave herself over to pleasure, drinking heavily and singing wildly.

On a lovely spring day, she hosted a banquet and idly watched a team of strong, handsome young men play polo on horseback, bare-chested.

As she watched, the most burly and fierce of them, full of youthful vigor, seemed strangely familiar.

Years ago, he had furiously cut ties with her, his angry expression still vivid in her memory.

Back then, he had said, "Chen Wanzhen, do you think I'm just like those shirtless grooms and soldiers you keep around?"

The clouds over Gaotang have dispersed, and each has found their own glory.

When they met again, they had both become defeated outcasts.

The former princess regent, still unable to accept her fall, met the former warlord, equally unable to accept his own. Suddenly, she gave a cold laugh.

"Zhao Yu, weren't you supposed to be different?"

- A note before reading -

1. The male and female leads are each other's only partners, in body and heart.

2. Ninety-nine percent self-interest, and a little genuine affection.

Theme: Finding a balance between self-interest and emotion