The entire Lu family was destroyed, but Lu Jianli was forced to die in exchange for his life by Pei Ji. He managed to survive, but was trapped in a dark dungeon for three years. The emperor gave him a heart-burning poison that corroded his bones and destroyed his soul. Pei Ji exhausted his internal energy, warmed and nourished the antidote day and night, and protected him with his body, which was enough to save his life.
After three years in prison, hatred took root. On a snowy and cold night, with medicine and stone in his throat and an ink robe covering his body, Lu Jianli only thought that Pei Ji was the enemy who had broken his wings and imprisoned him for the rest of his life.
As the turmoil gradually arose, Pei Ji found A Sheng, an orphan from the south of the Yangtze River whose facial features and pulse were similar to Lu Jianli's. He took him by his side and took care of him in every possible way, giving him the illusion of gentleness. In the dark, Lu Jianli witnessed everything, saw others taking his place, and was completely heartbroken. He turned all his three years of forbearance into deep-seated hatred, and was willing to be a lonely figure following the two of them.
Everyone in the world thinks that Asheng is the person who is the most beloved of the regent, but only the chess piece knows that all tenderness is just acting, and all favoritism is to ward off disaster.
During the heaven-sacrifice ceremony, the murderous intentions of the imperial power were revealed, and a siege and killing suddenly broke out. Ah Sheng risked his life to reveal all the truth, and used his life to tell Lu Jianli that he was just a puppet who tried medicine to replace his life. Pei Ji had endured for half his life and was covered in scars, all to protect him.
The dust has settled and the troubled times are finally over. Pei Ji's heart was broken, his martial arts was useless, and he was lingering on the bed. The former Grand Tutor put aside his love and hatred and practiced medical skills to accompany him for the rest of his life. He does not redeem or forgive, he only leaves him to live soberly, year after year, repaying the three years of wind and snow in the dungeon, and repaying the deep love and debt for which he gambled his life.
Concept: Love and hate are never binary oppositions, and the late truth cannot erase the harm. Love cannot offset imprisonment, protection is not the same as redemption, and the debt will take a long time to repay.