A Record of the General's Funeral Pyre

The Huo family was falsely accused. Before they were exiled, Yun Mei was forced to break off her engagement to Huo Xi. She sent a maid to bring him money and a letter vowing she would never change her heart. But after she waited faithfully for three years, Huo Xi returned to court in triumph. What awaited Yun Mei was his cold-hearted rejection, and his request to marry her maid.

For Yun Mei, it could hardly get worse. But her trials were far from over.

Her family was destroyed, and she was reduced to working in the government entertainment bureau.

That night, he was exceptionally cruel. He vented his hatred of her betrayal, humiliating her without restraint. He even covered her mouth and mocked her coldly. "What do you want to say? Beg me to save the Yun family? Or tell me the money Yue Wei brought was yours, and that you were the one who ordered her to write to me every month?"

He did not believe her at all.

Yun Mei was trapped in a living hell, until she discovered the secret he had kept hidden.

*

"General, do you remember? There was a mist just like this on the day we became engaged."

On an early spring morning, she tried to bring back his memories of the past.

A flash of cold light. Huo Xi caught the dagger she thrust at him, his face twisted with fury. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I gave you my whole heart, General, and in the end my family was destroyed. I deserve to die!"

Her eyes red, she tried to stab him again with her other hand.

"Stop!"

Huo Xi frantically shouted for help, but the crossbow bolt still came flying through the air.

The dagger pierced flesh. The bolt struck through him.

*

The second year after Yun Mei's death, on a misty early spring morning, Huo Xi saw a woman outside the city. Her gentle, tender features looked just like Yun Mei on the day of their engagement.

He chased after her like a madman, his heart in turmoil, afraid she would say she had mistaken him for someone else. Her eyes were cold as she turned and smiled at him.

"General, long time no see..."

She had not come to rekindle their love. She had come to finish the revenge she had left unfinished. He knew what she wanted, yet willingly let himself be poisoned by her, desperate for a little comfort.

1. Both leads are each other's only partners. Neither character is perfect, especially the male lead, who is more than a little unhinged.

2. They are both caught up in a web of deception, with one shocking, melodramatic twist after another. The male lead has a vicious tongue and a deep hatred for her, but he was not responsible for what happened to the Yun family. There is more to the story.

3. There are sweet moments amid the heartbreak, but the male lead gets most of the torment.

Theme: Transform and grow through adversity.