A cold, scheming top x a gentle, stoic bottom. They love and fight each other. Part of the Echoes of a Song series. Harem intrigue, childbirth, devoted 1v1 romance, childhood sweethearts, love that grows over time, and a little angst to sweeten the romance.
Gu Qingshang is the youngest Minister of Justice in the Song Kingdom and enjoys the trust and favor of the current emperor. Ordered to travel to the Jin Kingdom to establish an alliance, he finds his mission fraught with danger when the young crown prince secretly tags along. On the return journey, they are attacked by the Ninth Prince of Jin, but Gu Qingshang is rescued by his "mortal enemy," the young Marquis Qi Mo. The "price" of his rescue? He has to offer himself in marriage?
After surviving their ordeal together, the two return to the capital, where they find themselves on opposite sides of a sudden murder case. Gu Qingshang sets off to solve it alongside Yun Xi, a physician's disciple who escaped the Prince of Ning's residence after great hardship, and Ye Suixin, an upright and chivalrous young man from the Diancang Sect. Along the way, the hidden past between Gu Qingshang and Qi Mo, the origins of their fated entanglement, and even the love and hatred between the previous generation gradually come to light.
As the capital's factions vie for power and the realm is thrown into turmoil, everyone is swept into the current of fate. Ambitious usurpers, schemers who plan every detail, outsiders watching from the sidelines, and defenders who spare no effort: who will have the last laugh? There are no true winners. They win the realm, but lose the one they love.
Theme: Childhood sweethearts, love that grows over time, and a little angst to sweeten the romance.
