I'm too busy in real life. I'll start writing once things calm down.
[Synopsis from the heroine's perspective]
She was the Liang Dynasty's future crown princess.
When disaster struck, she concealed her identity and humbled herself at Emperor Jin Wen's side, all to find the missing crown prince of Liang and help him reclaim the throne.
She was rational and resilient, yet she still found herself gradually falling into Emperor Jin Wen's tender trap...
She had never wronged anyone in her life, but she never expected that the two men she loved most would...
One, the only man she had ever loved, used her as a hostage to save the life of his favorite consort;
The other, whom she had protected with her life, coldly allowed one of his guards to shoot an icy arrow into her chest.
With her last breath, she watched them both run toward her in a frenzy, like madmen... Then she closed her eyes in relief...
[Synopsis from the hero's perspective]
Yuan Hong entered the military at a young age and ascended to the throne at twenty. He ruled a prosperous and wealthy land, rich in beauty and abundance.
The court was full of ministers of remarkable talent and ambition; the harem overflowed with concubines, each more beautiful than the last.
Yuan Hong could be said to have stood at the peak of life from the moment he was born.
He was arrogant, cold, uninhibited, and looked down upon all living things.
He thought he would enjoy such splendor all his life, without a single ripple disturbing the waters...
Then Shu Yao appeared, shattering his calm and pride.
[When He First Met Shu Yao]
Yuan Hong scoffed: "Tsk, you are an ugly woman indeed. Your face is an eyesore. Who gave you permission to enter My tent and touch Me so freely?"
Yuan Hong asked Gu Jun: "Minister Gu, I will grant you this enchantress, ah, no, this physician named Shu Yao. Do you want her? Though she's ugly and ill-tempered, she's still a woman. Once the lights are out, she could at least warm your bed."
[When He Fell for Shu Yao]
Gu Jun: "Your Majesty once said you would grant Physician Shu to me. I did not answer at the time, but now I only ask that Your Majesty honor your promise. If I am given Physician Shu, I will treat her as my principal wife and honor her alone."
Yuan Hong snapped: "Gu Jun, don't think your military accomplishments mean I wouldn't dare kill you."
As a prisoner of war, Shu Yao thought Yuan Hong had shown her the utmost generosity and bestowed the highest favor upon her.
He always believed she would remain by his side for the rest of her life, coming when he called and leaving when he sent her away.
In the thick of battle,
Yuan Hong used Shu Yao as a hostage, hoping to trade her for his beloved Consort Feng;
for Yuan Hong knew that Shu Yao was the former crown princess of Liang, and that her heart and soul belonged to Xiao Ziling.
But he had not expected that, when he saw Xiao Ziling's cold, merciless arrow pierce Shu Yao's chest,
the cold, proud gaze he had always worn would shatter, bit by bit... Regret and pain swallowed him whole...
[Reader's Notes]
1. The hero is an emperor. He has concubines early on, but later devotes himself to one woman. He does not love any of the other women, only the heroine, and once they meet, it's one-on-one.
2. The heroine is the most beautiful woman in the world.
3. There is a little coercive romance, with both sweet and angsty moments. The angst is actually limited, and it has a happy ending.
4. No transmigration or rebirth.
5. This is a fictional setting, and a very, very loosely defined one!
Theme: The moon shines brightly as clouds pursue it.
