Two Ponds in Spring

Whenever people mention Yu Fangqing, the Lady of the Cinnabar Edict, they can't help looking envious, then sighing again and again. Everyone at court and beyond envies her rise from a lowly palace maid to the youngest close adviser to the emperor. Noblewomen envy her dazzling success and the fact that a great general took her as his wife, making her the bride of a hero everyone admired. Sadly, her husband ultimately gave his life for his country, becoming a bright moon she could never erase from her memory. Having crossed the vast sea, no other waters can compare. Everyone believed Fangqing would never find another husband as good as him. Even she never expected that on a spring night steeped in wine, she would wander toward a handsome young man adored by countless women, cross the line, and become entangled with him. Because, "Whenever I see Guard Lian, I can't help thinking of my late husband." * Lian Jue was born into a noble family. A young aristocrat from the capital, he flirted everywhere, yet never let anyone claim him. Until the night he attended a palace banquet and met a graceful woman by the pond. She carried a palace lantern and offered him a handkerchief. But she wore her hair in a married woman's style. She was clearly already bound to someone. For this sudden meeting of golden wind and dew, he was willing to use his status as an imperial relative to draw closer to her, step by step. Even though her heart belonged to a bright moon, and she approached him only because he was the empress's younger brother. The living cannot compete with the dead. But Lian Jue has everything she needs. She needs his status and position, so he stands by her side. She needs him to comfort her in her husband's place, so he draws her into his embrace. "She has her bright moon, and I am the spring water reflecting its light." * * A melodramatic love triangle, with the heroine seven years older than the hero, and a "which of us is better?" dynamic * A battle between a flirtatious green tea schemer and a bright-moon-in-the-heart type: a master manipulator who reels men in versus a tea-art expert who is happy to play second fiddle * Set in an imaginary world with no real-life dynasty as its model. Don't expect historical accuracy, and please don't nitpick * The title comes from "A sudden breeze ripples a pond of spring water" The story contains a range of values, and a character's values do not necessarily reflect the author's own. I had no lofty motive in writing this story, nor any grand ideal I wished to convey. I simply wanted to tell a story. No labels, please. 2022-11-02 Theme: The person you love will eventually become a ray of light in your life