The Flame's Eminent Clan Fanfiction: The Clamor Settles

Had he been born in the prosperous reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, when the emperor's authority was absolute and imperial power stood at its zenith, a subject could hold his head high beneath the heavens. But now the great empire is on the brink of collapse, the land seethes with unrest, and the people groan under their grievances. Even if one gives his life for the nation, others will see him only as a willing accomplice to tyranny, a laughable loyalist. Neither the times nor one's birth can be chosen. Chong Liming was born to imperial nobility, while Hua Jiuqing rose from the underworld of the Green Gang. In the end, they walked different paths and could never work together. Premise: