[A cold, calculating crown prince who has lain low for years x a timid, gentle princess of the fallen dynasty]
When the palace fell, the former emperor ordered all his concubines and children to take their own lives before the throne. Only for his beloved youngest daughter, Murong Yao, did his heart soften.
But as Murong Yao fled, she was discovered by the army of Jing, the enemy state.
All her guards were killed before her eyes in an instant. Her eyes red with fear, she watched as a blade was raised against her. Suddenly, a steady voice rang out:
“Everyone, stand down!”
He took her hand and led her out through the palace gates, where rivers of blood flowed. Overnight, she became Zhan Yao, the illegitimate daughter of Jing's chancellor.
After that day, Zhan Yao lost the ability to speak and became afraid of everyone around her, except him.
The first time she saw him at the chancellor's residence, she hurried over, stumbling as she ran, and anxiously asked his name in sign language.
He smiled and wrote it, stroke by stroke, in her palm: Mu Jing.
She didn't recognize the two characters, but she silently practiced them over and over in her heart.
He often came to see her, patiently teaching her to speak and explaining the ways of the world, hoping she would grow brave and confident.
One day, she heard Mu Jing discussing her marriage with the chancellor.
Summoning the greatest courage she had ever known, she went to him and spoke her first words: “Mu Jing, are you going to marry me off to someone else?”
Male lead's point of view:
Mu Jing is the crown prince of Jing. His father hopes nothing will distract him with feelings, so ever since he was little, the people he grew familiar with and depended on were always killed right before his eyes.
The day the former dynasty fell, he was forced to look upon the corpses of everyone in its palace. Even the rabbit he had just set free had its throat cut by his father.
How could the crown prince of a great nation be unable to protect even a rabbit? What could he possibly protect!
Then he saw a little girl with red-rimmed eyes, looking just like the rabbit that had just been killed.
The corners of Mu Jing's mouth lifted slightly. He narrowed his eyes and made his decision:
Why not protect her?
To keep this a secret, he pretended to obey his father while secretly beginning to win over the ministers. Power gradually flowed into his hands.
He had thought Zhan Yao was merely a test subject for his pursuit of power. But when she tried to take her own life, he realized he had already lost his heart.
Bonus scene
Yellow sand filled the sky as the two armies faced off. Zhan Yao, dressed in red, slowly raised her blade to her neck.
Seeing this, Mu Jing across the battlefield panicked. His veins bulged as he shouted, “Yao'er, what are you doing? Put down your blade!”
Zhan Yao said to the soldiers of the former dynasty behind her, “When our nation fell, Father told me its fate was sealed. I took this position only because I was forced into it. To keep the people of the realm from being displaced, I am willing to die and put an end to this war!”
With that, she smiled at him. A tear slid from the corner of her eye, then blood poured from her neck.
“No!” Mu Jing rushed toward her, his eyes wide with anguish.
She lay in his arms and gently touched his face. Her voice faint, she said, “I learned all the lessons you taught me about duty to the nation. But, Mu Jing, if only I had one more day, I could have married you.”
Reader's guide:
A love story that grows over time.
When they first meet, the male lead is twelve and the female lead is five.
Their romance officially begins after the female lead's coming-of-age ceremony.
One-on-one romance + happy ending.
Screenshot taken on September 30, 2023.
Theme: Love can help both people grow.
