Behind the red curtains, the gauze had slipped from one shoulder, and her maid had closed the door behind them. "There's no point in doing anything now. Why go to all this trouble, Qingqing?"
Years later, in the desert frontier. He watched her sit tenderly beside another man, pouring him wine and smiling as she chatted with him. Once, he had been intoxicated by power and hadn't realized what he had let go. Now he was awake, but could only gaze after her, unable to reach her.
Yang Ningzhang: I no longer have fine clothes or a grand carriage. Will you still treasure me like a jewel?
Xie Lian: I'm no longer a young man in splendid clothes riding a fine horse, either. I've seen the vicissitudes of life pass by like clouds. In this life, I wish for no one but you. May we be companions in music and love, and find joy together in music and bells.
No transmigration, no rebirth, no Mary Sue. Set in an alternate era inspired by the late Tang dynasty.
