.
In the early winter of the ninth year of Chongning, rebel forces marched south from the north and surrounded the entire capital. The campaign went almost too smoothly.
In a single night, the emperor died, the empress was imprisoned, and the palace staff scattered. The few who weren't afraid to die were captured by the rebels and forced into military service. The funeral bells tolled through the night.
The people of Chang'an were gripped by fear, each household shutting its gates. Yet Siyu stood outside her own residence as if she had no fear of death, looking up at the pristine first snow and the ancient plaque above the gate.
Aloof as snow, lofty in spirit.
She had once witnessed the fall of this prosperous age in a dream that had felt all too real.
This seemingly deep-rooted family of prime ministers had long been nothing but an empty shell. Amid all their arrogance, the rebel leader had stripped them of everything. The Yuan family, left with nothing but a glory they could no longer hold on to, was driven into exile in the bitterly cold borderlands, where even a single picul of silver charcoal was impossible to obtain. Their fate was heartbreaking.
In that dream, just before she left, she caught sight of an anxious figure in the distance. The person felt very familiar, but no matter how hard she strained to see, all she could make out was a blurry shape.
When she woke, Siyu thought the rebels had brought the Yuan family to heel to force her to help the Fan family seize the throne.
But it seemed she had guessed wrong.
Even after the new emperor ascended the throne, the Yuan family remained the family of prime ministers. The first imperial decree issued after his accession, however, betrothed her to the rebel leader, her childhood sweetheart.
His face was unmistakably familiar, yet now it seemed utterly strange to her.
At first, then, she felt nothing for him but a fearful respect, with not a trace of their childhood closeness. After all, those days had long since been shattered by these blind blades and swords.
He was not particularly kind to her.
Until the day she stood helpless in a pool of blood in Chang'an, instinctively calling his name. Before long, she looked up and saw a man on a fine horse in the distance.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
At last, she recognized the blurry figure from her dream.
*An alternate Tang dynasty, very, very loosely based on the Tang.
Reading Guide:
1. One-on-one romance, both leads' first love, happy ending.
2. Entirely fictional Tang dynasty, with countless original details. None of the characters are based on historical figures. No nitpicking, please.
*Other content warnings: none.
[Blurb written on 2023.04.17. Reposting prohibited.]
Weibo: Gu Yunyuner
Theme: Know when to cut your losses.
