Meng Yunzheng remembered that the spring of Jinghe Year One began with a torrential downpour.
For seven straight days, the remnants of the Southern Chen aristocracy cursed him outside his residence. His friends and family all severed ties with him. His mentor, who had taught him everything, vomited blood without end and lay gravely ill in bed...
Everyone said that Meng Yunzheng had disgraced his ancestors and brought a century of shame upon Southern Chen.
He stood alone beneath the covered walkway for days. When he finally looked up, he saw a woman approaching through the rain in her wedding dress, followed by a lavish procession of wedding gifts stretching down several streets.
"Meng Yunzheng, they cast you aside. I have come to claim you."
Her eyes shone bright as a spring day. From then on, he could no longer look away.
*
He Jia had studied painting for more than ten years and was highly skilled in ink wash, yet she could never paint Meng Yunzheng's Magpies Startled into Flight well. Her chosen mentor rejected her three times because of it.
Each time, the teacher said only, "The brushwork is too heavy. There is no sense of artistic conception."
It was said that Magpies Startled into Flight was painted in Shengyuan Year Three. Meng Yunzheng was thirty-one that year, and had served the Liang dynasty for eight years as the last surviving heir of the Southern Chen imperial family. Only months remained before he was falsely accused and took his own life.
She refused to accept it. She made Meng Yunzheng, a pivotal figure in the history of painting who was nonetheless condemned in the historical records as a coward who clung to life, the peak she was determined to surpass in her own artistic career.
On the night she copied Magpies Startled into Flight for the fourth time, she transmigrated to the spring of Jinghe Year One.
That was the year Meng Yunzheng decided to enter Liang's service, and a crucial year in the history of Chinese painting.
At first, He Jia had no interest in his political career. All she hoped for was to witness the creation of Magpies Startled into Flight.
Later, He Jia hoped he would never finish that painting in his entire life.
She wanted him to enjoy lasting blessings, renewal, and a long life of prosperity.
*
"I am a traitor to this dynasty. History will remember me only for the disgrace I brought upon it. The only thing I can give you is the last shred of sincerity left in a man whose hands are filthy."
Content warnings:
1. The plot moves slowly, with little wish fulfillment or excitement.
2. The male lead is missing a finger and has a limp. He has a disability.
3. Happy ending, so feel free to read.
4. The setting combines several dynasties. Please don't scrutinize the historical details.
Theme: Make your heart a boat, and find the light in the dark.
