“A Shao, when can we return to Longxi?” He sat on the palace wall with a willow leaf between his lips, leaning against the boy’s shoulder. “I miss my little tabby. The palace cats are so well-behaved in front of everyone, but when they meet a master of lower rank, they’re unbelievably spoiled and snobbish. Nothing like my little tabby, who’ll scratch anyone.” The boy pulled the willow leaf from his mouth. “Your tabby grew up struggling through the wind and sand beyond the frontier. How could the pampered palace cats compare to that wild streak?” With the leaf between his teeth, the boy slowly played the melody of “Song of the Frontier.” The music scattered into the night wind and passed through one palace gate after another, barely stirring the beacon fire above the gate, but it could never reach Yumen Pass. After a long silence, he finally smiled and said, “Aren’t you afraid the night patrol will come running?” He suddenly turned to look at the boy, a mischievous smile in his eyes. “But if they catch you, I’ll come play songs outside your cell every night.” The boy raised an eyebrow and asked nonchalantly, “What will you play?”
“‘Phoenix Seeks Its Mate.’”
Seeing the boy press his lips together as the tips of his ears turned red, he finally burst out laughing and leaped down from the palace wall. “A Shao, you’re even easier to tease than my little tabby!” The stars shimmered overhead, their scattered light falling into the boy’s eyes. Through all those unbearable days and nights trapped within the palace walls, as long as that starlight did not fade, Yumen Pass seemed not so far away.
CP: A seemingly innocent but actually cunning, devoted puppy-like gong X a seemingly aloof but actually obsessive beauty shou (Min Su X Ji Shao)
Note: This is an alternate-history setting with no real-life prototypes. The court system and other details are entirely fictional. Corrections to any factual errors are welcome.
Theme: Love and peace belong together
