She was once the parasol tree beneath which the phoenix perched, yet she insisted on becoming the cold, distant moon, watching from afar. It was only when she awoke from her long dream that the young emperor brushed her trembling fingers and said, "Since Grand Tutor has taught Me how to rule the realm, why not teach Me how to keep this bright moon locked in the palm of My hand?"
In the twelfth year of Yong'an under the Great Zhou, a fire broke out in the Cold Palace. Grand Tutor Pei Qingwu led the young Ninth Princess, Xiao Xianyue, out of the flames.
Pei Qingwu protected her for eight years, teaching her strategy and shielding her from blades. She helped Xiao Xianyue ascend the dragon throne and taught her to be a wise ruler, one who understood that the people were the water and the sovereign their boat. Xiao Xianyue would cuddle in her arms and sneak kisses on her cheek, believing they could live like this forever.
But when she took the reins of government, Pei Qingwu left behind a letter saying, "Wait for me three years," then vanished without a trace.
Four years later, Xiao Xianyue had secured her rule and become possessive, moody, and unpredictable. She searched the world over and finally captured Pei Qingwu. This time, she would be neither the obedient emperor nor the well-behaved A Yun.
"Sister, you can't escape. Whether you realize it or not, you belong to me."
Theme: At the height of power, staying true to one's original ideals and breaking the shackles of feudalism, while presenting the ideal of women governing side by side and the deep affection between them.
