Defying Those Above

Ning Bucheng was the mad dog who stayed by Crown Prince Ming Ci’s side to keep an eye on her, even after the late emperor died.

He had a face like fine jade and a complexion as fresh as spring dawn. In the name of being her imperial uncle, he controlled the court and upheld the imperial house.

Yet true to his name, he was shameless and deceitful. He saw through her secret of disguising herself as a man to seize power, and harbored ambitions of usurpation.

Ming Ci plotted against him by every means, but nothing could shake his resolve.

In the end, however, he bared his neck to the executioner, spilling three feet of blood in the grand hall to protect her.

The seasons flourished, and the dynasty prospered.

Only the palace gates remained locked behind layers of walls. In the world, there was no longer anyone who would defy the throne.

When Ming Ci opened her eyes again, she was back beneath the Lingxiao tree, twenty years in the past. Her young imperial uncle was surrounded by assassins, yet still held her tightly in his arms, promising to escort her south across the river and bring her home.

Even though she would forget all of this when she grew up.

*

“Why did Your Highness Prince Ning name yourself Bucheng?”

He smiled but did not answer.

At first, Bucheng meant he was disloyal, seeking to steal her throne. He carefully laid out his schemes, luring her in so he could drag her into the deepest filth.

Later, Bucheng meant a subject before his sovereign: reaching for the moon in the mirror and flowers in the water. Across two lifetimes, he had always harbored disloyal thoughts toward her.

Theme: Love is an eternal, clear stream.