The Yellow Sands of Yore

[A resilient, scholarly heroine skilled in both letters and arms x an emotionally steady, loyal, ambitious hero]

[An optimistic ray of sunshine in troubled times x a tragic, beautiful emperor]

As an archaeology student devoted to scholarship, Li Wanyan admitted that no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't figure out why one intact relief had survived in the grotto destroyed during Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou's persecution of Buddhism, or what the relief depicted. She desperately wanted to travel back 1,400 years, grab the artisan by the collar, and demand that he write down the meaning of the image

Then she transmigrated.

But she felt that something about her transmigration wasn't quite right...

According to the usual routine, after transmigrating, you might grab a random person and ask the classic three questions: Who am I? Where is this? What era is it?

Her: Oh my god... The grotto sculptures are in the Northern Qi style!

After accidentally getting caught up in a deadly upheaval while conducting academic research:

Emperor Wu: Woman, you've caught my attention (is this what a fluttering heart feels like?)

Wanyan: Man, you've caught my attention (hurry up and tell me why you left that relief behind)

Emperor Wu: ?

What's it like to dig in the dirt among the Turks 1,400 years ago?

Wanyan: Thanks for asking. It was a good experience. I don't want to do it again.

After finally reaching Chang'an, she finds herself surrounded by wolves at the New Year's banquet:

Powerful minister: I'll get you drunk and make you embarrass yourself at the banquet!

Wanyan: Glug glug glug (Don't underestimate a fieldworker's drinking capacity.jpg)

Powerful minister: ?

But

The more familiar she becomes with history, the more she treads on eggshells;

the closer she gets to the truth, the harder it becomes to escape.

She has forged deep ties with this era.

The reserved, patient puppet emperor, who dreams of unifying the realm, reaches out to her. "I was the one who kept you in my world, so I will walk this road with you."

The spirited Turkic khagan gallops with her across the vast grasslands. "As long as I am the Great Khan of the Turks, their gates will always be open to you, and they will always have your back."

The smiling princess sent away in a political marriage lowers the bow in her hand and looks up from her embrace. "Sister Yan, take me home."

The proud, aloof young man who spends every day with her suddenly averts his eyes. "Those rumors about us... they're not entirely untrue."

The irreverent general stops concealing his burning ambition and draws his sword. "If the ruler is wise, I will follow. If the ruler is incompetent, I will take his place. It is only right."

By then, she too has become part of history.

Even as war rages and yellow sand sweeps across the earth, she remains determined to live by her own will in that turbulent age and listen to every vivid voice.

A few tips:

1. This story is based on the real history of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Major events generally follow history, while minor details are flexible. It has a TE ending.

2. The male and female leads are in a one-on-one relationship.

3. There are many references. I've listed them together in the author's note for the prologue and will mention them again in the notes at the ends of chapters.

4. I'm on Weibo under the same name. Come say hi!

Theme: As long as you have hope, fight for a future!