In the final years of the Yuanding era, storms raged from every direction and the political situation was in turmoil.
Princess Xiaoyue of Suining was born with breathtaking beauty, yet became a pawn in the palace's power struggles. One divination from the Liangyi Bureau led Emperor Chu Wen to order her confined at Zuoyue Terrace in the outskirts of the city, where she would live out her days alone, never to leave.
·
One night, torrential rain threatened to wash away the entire city.
Xiaoyue sat in the attic and heard the distant clatter of iron-shod hooves. Prince Huai had returned in triumph after pacifying the Yi people, passing by Zuoyue Terrace.
The autumn wind howled. Wearing a light gauze dress of mermaid silk, Xiaoyue knelt before him, her clothes half fallen, her hair loosened. She humbled herself to the dust. "I have nothing, Your Highness. All I can offer you is my sincere heart."
The man sat on the couch, elegant and noble, a fierce, murderous aura between his brows. Looking down at her, he said, "Have you thought this through? If you agree, leaving later won't be so easy."
"I have." To escape, Xiaoyue agreed to everything. She obediently helped him out of his armor and robes, letting him do as he pleased.
·
The following year, a new emperor ascended the throne.
At last, Xiaoyue escaped her identity as a princess and fled the capital. In another month, she was to marry the young master of the lord of Jushui City.
On her wedding night, dressed in her bridal gown, she waited eagerly for her gentle, jade-like husband to lift her veil.
The door to the bridal chamber closed. The wind blew out the swaying red candles, and a man approached at an unhurried pace.
In the darkness, she heard a familiar voice call her former title:
"Suining, you can't escape my grasp."
Theme: Strive for a better life, yearn for freedom, and stand firm without yielding.
