The Sun Hangs High in the Sky

※ My new novel, The First Sprig of Spring, is now open for reading. It's a sweet historical romance. Please give it a try, and add it to your collection, QvQ~

A preview of this novel's xianxia companion story, The Mountains and Rivers Overturned, is in my author profile~

[Blurb]

In the twenty-second year of the Daye reign, a corruption scandal rocked the court and implicated countless people. The Yin family was among those caught in the fallout.

To save her father's life, Yin Fuchu turned her attention to Wei Lin, heir to the Duke of Qin, a man who held immense power at court. Everyone said the Duke of Qin had the emperor's favor, commanded an army, and occupied a high position. It was only a matter of time before all of Daye fell into the Wei family's hands.

So Fuchu carefully schemed to get close to him and seduce him by every means she could. Everything had gone according to plan, until...

He stood with his robes undone and his hair disheveled. His fellow officials railed against him, laying out one so-called crime after another, trying to tear him to pieces. Still, his heart was set on his country and its people. He would rather be shattered than betray them. With his own hands, he held out his still-beating heart and knelt to offer it before the world...

The woman who had only been acting had fallen for him without realizing it... She lifted her chin and reached out to help him up. "You should be the rising sun that drives away darkness and shines over this land. You should be a mountain, standing tall and supporting the sky. You should be a gentle breeze, sweeping away the dust and bringing comfort to people's hearts. Above all, you should never be trampled underfoot by these sanctimonious hypocrites, reduced to a weed for them to crush, left to languish in misery."

Wei Lin was born into an illustrious family. He was an elegant, gentle, and refined gentleman.

One day, a woman approached him step by step, her eyes coy and her movements graceful. She deliberately knelt before the Buddha, but kept her eyes on the self-disciplined, composed man beside her. "With the gods before me, I confess my sin. I have long coveted the heir, and my thoughts of him never cease. I pray the gods and Buddha will show me the way. What must I do to... get what I want?"

He knew she had planned everything, yet he couldn't help being drawn to her.

When everything around them was overturned and lay in ruins, she took his hand and carefully bandaged it. "Carrying a torch against the wind was always going to burn your hands. Don't be afraid. No matter how rugged and difficult the road ahead, I'll walk it with you."

Later, as she knelt before the Buddha once more, her face devout, she prayed, "First, may our land be at peace. Second, may our people live in security. Third, may my lord live without worry or misfortune, in peace year after year."

[Reader Advisory]

This story takes place in an alternate world. Please don't look for historical accuracy.

A serious drama. Along with the romantic tension between the leads, it also features court intrigue and warfare.

Angst ahead. Read with caution.

Theme: Words that ring true can awaken the deaf; feelings from the depths of the heart can move the soul.