Snowbud

Song Juan died in the fifth year of the Xuanwen era.

That year, northern barbarians breached the gates of the Great Liang of Zhongzhou and laid siege to the capital. To save their own lives, the Song clan, led by Emperor Xuanwen, fled the capital with their families, leaving it deserted.

Song Juan did not flee.

The emperor guards the frontier; the ruler dies with his state.

Though he was neither emperor nor ruler, merely a useless, idle prince, he still had a few scraps of backbone. He would not let himself live shamelessly, abandoning all decency just to survive.

Song Juan refused to become a slave to a conquered nation.

His frail, ailing body broken by sickness, he cut his own throat on the high steps of the Huangji Hall. He spilled his hot blood and gave his life for this land.

When he opened his eyes again, he had returned to the twenty-seventh year of the Tianli era, on his way back to the palace after escorting his elder sister to her political marriage. That year, he was seventeen. His father was still alive, his elder brother the Crown Prince had not yet been falsely accused and tortured to death, Emperor Xuanwen, backed by the Empress's faction, had not yet taken the throne, and foreign invaders had yet to threaten the borders.

Song Juan gazed toward the capital of Zhongzhou from his carriage and thought calmly:

It hasn't happened yet.

There's still time.

A calculating, decisive, vengeful top × a cold, sharp-tongued, sickly beauty bottom

Xie Chao (Yuanhui), top × Song Juan (Nianxun), bottom

Reading guide:

1. The top has a tragic, beautiful, strong character. He isn't seeking revenge against the bottom.

2. The top pretends to be mute in the early part of the story.

3. The setting is entirely fictional. One-on-one pairing, happy ending.

4. I'll add other content warnings if I think of them.

5. Screenshots were posted to Weibo on November 23, 2022.

Theme: Be strong in adversity, and always remain passionate about life and brave in love.