In the fifteenth year of Chengping, a boy who rarely spoke arrived at the Imperial College.
Xiao Zeyi found him interesting and chased after him every day, calling him "little liar." He brought him osmanthus cakes and tricked him into eating sour hawthorn candies. On the night of the Lantern Festival, he wrote on a sky lantern, "May Xiao Zeyi return safely, and may Xie Linyuan live a long life."
Later, Xiao Zeyi went off to war, and Xie Linyuan waited for him for 462 days.
Later still, they met again at court. One stood among the military officials, the other among the civil officials. Half a great hall lay between them, as did the game of chess the emperor himself had set in motion.
From then on, Commandant Xiao and Censor Xie argued every day. All the court officials thought they were mortal enemies.
But no one knew how many times Xiao Zeyi had secretly looked at Xie Linyuan.
And no one knew that Xie Linyuan's memorials impeaching him had gone on year after year, every word written in blood, yet none of them sincere.
"Life's roads run north and south, with many a fork. You head for Xiaoxiang, while I go to Qin."
But, A Yuan, I only ever wanted to walk the same road as you.
Core theme: A person who can't get out of their own way needs a lover who refuses to be driven off.
