In the fifteenth year of Chengping, a quiet boy arrived at the Imperial Academy.
Xiao Zeyi thought he was interesting. He chased after him every day, calling him "little liar," bringing him osmanthus rice cakes, tricking him into eating tooth-achingly sour candied hawthorns, and writing "May Xiao Zeyi return safely, and Xie Linyuan live a hundred years" on a sky lantern on the night of the Lantern Festival.
Later, Xiao Zeyi went to war, and Xie Linyuan waited for him for four hundred and sixty-two days.
Later still, they met again at court. One stood among the military officials, the other among the civil officials. Half a great hall separated them, as did the game board the emperor himself had laid out.
From then on, Commandant Xiao and Censor Xie quarreled every day. All the court officials thought they were sworn 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 been written year after year, every word drenched in blood, yet none of them sincere.
"Life's roads run north and south, with many a fork. You go to Xiaoxiang, while I head for Qin."
But, A Yuan, I only ever wanted to walk the same road as you.
Premise: Stubborn people need a lover who won't be driven away
