Snowfall at the Heart-of-the-Lake Pavilion

Pei He first met Yu Ling in the bitter winter of the sixteenth year of Zhenyuan, in the Shuo Bei desert, where the wind and snow cut like knives.

A chestnut-colored figure swept through the wind and snow, flying over the shattered fence of a racetrack and landing lightly as a swallow on a crazed horse.

A delicate, melancholy melody swirled like dark clouds, pressing down heavily before brushing a kiss against the icy pool where currents churned beneath the surface.

She had beauty and talent, as well as the resolve to never accept being second to anyone.

From Shuo Bei to Chang'an.

She would see mountains and rivers, and learn the human heart.

Perhaps Pei He had never truly understood her. She was no paper kite, dependent on a single string, but an eagle soaring beyond the heavens, a great fish with wings vast enough to blot out the sky.

Yu Ling never thought of herself as a good person. Her mercy was built on looking down on all things, and her ideals were rooted in selfishness and betrayal.

She was covered in wounds and tears, branded a traitor.

She was determined to forge her own path to success, but her clever schemes only led to her own downfall.

Only after witnessing the dislocation of war, the starving dead strewn across the land, did Yu Ling realize that the goal she thought so clear had, at some point, twisted onto another path. So she cut her losses in time.

At the moment when ten thousand arrows pierced her heart, all that remained was the calm sound of wind and snow.

Yu Ling looked at the person waiting for her before the palace gates. He stood in the snow, as if from another lifetime.

She did not know why she asked, "Are you afraid?"

"I won't lie. I am afraid, and I'm not."

"What hardship is there in life, what sorrow in death? I fear that after ten years of growing closer, with only a short distance between us, we must stop here. I am not afraid, because I will hold your hand until our hair is white with snow," Pei He replied calmly.

Reader's Guide:

(1) Righteous and principled male lead x brave and resourceful female lead

(2) Fictional dynasty, with original worldbuilding

(3) The female lead's rise and fall

Theme: Women are strong by nature.