Cao Zhi and Zhen Mi are both reborn, and their feelings for each other are mutual from the very beginning
Cao Zhi has no idea why he was able to be reborn. He clearly couldn't do anything right.
His eldest brother would die on the battlefield, leaving him to be pushed into a struggle for power against his second brother.
His father would suffer a crushing defeat at Red Cliffs, turning his dream of unifying the realm into a phantom, and eventually die with regrets.
After spending decades as a carefree young noble, Cao Zhi would be repeatedly demoted by his second brother until his circumstances became so dire that he had to farm for himself.
His entire life seemed to be one setback after another. His dreams of earning distinction and building a great legacy gradually crumbled, and no matter how hard he struggled, nothing helped.
The woman he admired most could never be with him, and she couldn't even find happiness.
What could he do to keep this tragedy from happening again?
Zhen Mi woke from a nightmare and took a long, hard look at her life. How had she gone from the most beloved daughter of the Zhen clan, the most prominent aristocratic family north of the Yangtze, and the region's greatest beauty and scholar, to dying with her eyes open?
So, as her wedding to the Yuan clan drew closer, she resolutely leapt into an icy river and pretended to be sick.
PS:
I have never believed that the historical Cao Zhi and Zhen Mi had anything going on. The age gap was just too large. Five years older is charming, but ten years... In ancient times, he could have been her father.
So rather than fanfiction, this is more like an unlikely pairing. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the most talented man and woman of their age could be together, composing poetry, playing the zither and painting, and living carefree, almost immortal lives?
PPS:
Jian is a talented poet, and I'm not, so I have to quote other people's poems in this story. Please cover your eyes and pretend Jian wrote them.
Theme: Slightly change history and become a Sage of Literature
