Jade Steps

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I've been building up the backlog until it's nice and hefty. I'll start posting once it hits 400,000 words!

Once it officially begins, I'll update daily. Wait for me, wait for me!

An alternate-history Tang dynasty, an emperor and his consort, a possessive romance.

Both leads are each other's first and only, happy ending. The hero has a harem after ascending the throne, but she remains firmly in the number-one spot.

Not a palace-intrigue story. The heroine has her own personal growth and career arcs.

He seized the throne, and he seized her. After putting her through endless suffering, he finally understood one thing: to truly love someone is to give her back her power and set her free.

Qin He has a habit of jotting things down. From the day he ascended the throne, no, from the day he usurped power and seized the imperial throne, he began writing a book, all about Tang He. He titled it Records of the Fenghe Era, also known as The Things Between Me and Yinyin.

"In a certain year of Fenghe, on a certain day of a certain month, I hurt her deeply. I fear the gulf between us may never be crossed."

"In a certain year of Fenghe, on a certain day of a certain month, I appointed Yinyin as a ninth-rank court secretary and ordered us to treat each other as sovereign and subject. We spend our days together, sleeping on opposite sides of a window."

"In a certain year of Fenghe, on a certain day of a certain month, I promised Yinyin that I would never make her a consort or confine her within the palace walls."

"In a certain year of Fenghe, on a certain day of a certain month, fearing she was delicate and easily harmed, I ordered the imperial physicians to keep a careful record of her medicines. Yinyin has taken only a little medicine. May she recover and live a hundred years."

"In a certain year of Fenghe, on a certain day of a certain month, fearing she would be lonely by her window, I issued an edict loosening the palace restrictions and granting her freedom to come and go, as well as permission to start a business in the city. She leaves at dawn and returns at dusk, without fail. Fearing she might not return, I wait by the window day and night to see her off and welcome her home."

"In a certain year of Fenghe, during the deep winter snow, with nothing to do for once, my heart suddenly felt like an ice cellar again. I worry and worry, then all I can do is rub my temples and fret."

"In a certain year of Fenghe, on a certain day of a certain month, Lingnan has seen its population and revenue grow year after year. I specially ordered Tang Xian to return to the capital and promoted him. The family was reunited at the gates of their home. Her face lit up with joy, and she looked at me as if we had just met."

"In a certain year of Fenghe, on a certain day of a certain month, the Turks raised their troops in rebellion again. I wanted to lead the expedition myself. She furrowed her brow and fell silent, worried about the state of the country, or perhaps worried about me?"

"In a certain year of Fenghe, on a certain day of a certain year, I crossed Yumen with her, basked in the spring breeze, and received the blessing of the Dharma. I could not grasp its meaning at first, but then everything suddenly became clear. I made a wish for this life: that we share one heart, and one stillness."

This imperial chronicle ends abruptly in the fifth year of Fenghe.

Six years later, it was continued:

Year Ten of Fenghe, second day of the second month.

Yinyin and I have finally met again.

The spring river of her heart, too, has its bright moon.

Note:

Given the setting established by the protagonists in the Moonlight universe, where women are allowed to take the civil service exams and hold official positions, some of the court officials in this story are women, despite its sharing the same alternate-history setting.

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Theme: To blend together and stay by each other's side, sharing one heart and one stillness.