Five years ago, Wu Hongying accompanied her father to the autumn hunt hosted by the royal family of Daliang. At the hunting grounds, she witnessed the bloody aftermath of a palace coup. Her clan was arrested on suspicion of sheltering rebels, and her father collapsed from his injuries, his life hanging in the balance. She was the only one lucky enough to receive help and escape hidden inside a trunk...
Five years ago, Zuo Qiuxin accompanied his mother to Shangjin to meet relatives, and joined the royal autumn hunt while they were there. At the hunting grounds, he met another youth. Just as the two were happily playing together, disaster struck, and in the chaos, he stuffed the other person into someone else's trunk...
Five years later, the two met again. One was a female official in Silingyi, the other a wayward disciple of Kongshanju. One sought revenge and wanted to overthrow the imperial power; the other wanted to find his mother and explore the human world. By a twist of fate, both were drawn into the turmoil of their time and had no choice but to become pieces on the board, fighting to bring about a peaceful and prosperous age.
The plot takes its time, spanning a long timeline and the grudges of two generations, with both court politics and the martial world in the mix.
The leads aren't the only ones with a role: the supporting characters get their share of the story too. This is a slow-burn tale that gradually warms up.
Female lead: Wu Hongying, who uses the alias Wu Lan before her identity is revealed. Male lead: Zuo Qiuxin, who pretends to be Wu Youyou but is actually the seventh prince, Xie Anxin. First male supporting character: Xie Anping, the third prince and leader of the Lianfeng Sect. First female supporting character: Wu Zhoushu, a surviving descendant of the previous dynasty. She is not paired with the first male supporting character.
Theme: Be self-reliant, and love others and yourself!
