[A collection of everyday notes from the final year of a hapless man who lost his wife, though she wasn't actually his wife while she was alive]
Yuan Qingjia, once a lowly servant in the Yuan household, was lucky enough to survive when a rebellion engulfed the household and wiped out his family. In a moment of weakness, he fled to the Liang Kingdom with his young master. At the brink of despair, he was saved by Tao An, the Liang Kingdom's foremost female general. He fell for her at first sight, but their stations were worlds apart, so he could only bury his feelings deep in his heart and gaze up at her from afar.
In the years that followed, he watched the woman he loved go from a favored child of heaven to a disillusioned outcast, abandoned by everyone and despised by the masses. Everyone called her cruel as a snake or scorpion, and Yuan Qingjia's heart felt as if it were being torn apart.
Time passed, and a powerful nobleman's trick of switching the crown prince made Yuan Qingjia the new emperor of the Zhou Kingdom. Though he was a miserable puppet ruler, he did everything he could to secure a chance of survival for Tao An, whose life hung by a thread. Fate turned, and the roles of savior and saved were reversed.
But he still never spoke his love aloud. He simply stood behind her, giving her his unwavering support, even knowing she would never look back, even knowing she was going to her death.
"If this is what you are set on, then go ahead. The road will be cold and treacherous after the snow. Please wear something warm, my lady, and travel safely."
The years stretched on, and she was gone. In the time he had left, Yuan Qingjia wrote letter after letter that would never receive a reply. I never believed in gods, demons, or ghosts, but because of you, I hope there is reincarnation in this world.
Reader's Guide:
1. The female lead has been dead for many years. The story is told from the male lead's perspective and includes flashbacks.
2. The female lead loved someone else while she was alive, and never loved the male lead, even at the end.
Theme: Because of you, I hope there is reincarnation in this world.
