Plucking a Flower from the Mountain's Peak

[The outline for this story has been rewritten several times. Updates whenever.]

Ning Shu, a powerful minister who holds sway over the court, is the unattainable moon in the eyes of the capital's noblewomen.

Only A Mi, a girl from a foreign tribe, dares to clutch a Kongming puzzle and Yuhua stones as she stumbles in front of his carriage:

“F-for you!”

The young man lowers his eyes to glance at the crude gifts, then casually crushes their glittering fragments underfoot. “Throw them away.”

Amid the crowd's scornful laughter, the little girl crouches with red-rimmed eyes and gathers the pieces into her handkerchief.

The whole capital mocks A Mi for being shameless. Yesterday she was coldly rebuffed, and today she is right back at his side, gazing up at him.

They don't know her clinginess is all because of one night ten years ago.

Ten years ago, that young man stepped forward to shield her, protecting her from abuse.

A vermilion birthmark on his left leg showed for a moment, leaving a tender impression on her heart.

*

Ten years later, reunited, A Mi endures the scornful gaze of someone she once knew and bites her handkerchief as she reassures herself:

There must be at least a little affection from when we were young. Maybe he just doesn't mean what he says?

Clinging to that little hope, she sacrifices her reputation and pursues him relentlessly.

At last, a crack appears in Ning Shu's usual cool facade.

Somehow, her stubborn devotion, like an irresistible force, truly melts the young man's heart.

*

Heaven rewards those who persevere.

One snowy night, she barges into the hot spring, determined to spend one night with him.

The mood is intimate, and everything seems to fall into place.

In the moonlight, clouds of steam curl around them. Her cheeks flushed, she gazes into the young man's deep eyes, pretends to be drunk, and trails her fingertips over the jade belt at his waist...

Then she catches sight of his legs from the corner of her eye, smooth and white as porcelain.

A Mi: “...” So much for the birthmark.

Damn.

Could I have been mistaking him for someone else this whole time?

In an instant, she squeezes her eyes shut in mortification and tremblingly straightens his clothes. “Sorry to bother you.”

As she flees, she kicks over a gilt brazier. Sparks land on the hem of his brocade robe, revealing the first expression of astonishment the powerful minister has ever worn.

Later, the whole city hears that Ning Shu stopped the fleeing girl in the middle of the street.

He rests an elegant folding fan against her hair. The usually composed man has red-rimmed eyes:

“Running away already? A Mi, do you take me for a clay statue of a bodhisattva?”

#He crushes the moonlight with his own hands, then foolishly wants to possess the stars#

#Chasing-his-wife-to-the-crematorium progress: 99%#

#Where's the birthmark? Where's my huge white moonlight?#

Theme: Face life with optimism and enthusiasm.