Lingering Warmth in the Sandalwood Lute

[Coming soon: Dew on the Wild Onion, and The Emperor Has No Defense (Double Rebirth). Please show them your support!]

Scholars have servants in their private households, and nobles have retainers of their own.

At thirteen, Lu Sisui was the daughter of a retainer in the household of Yin Zaidao’s maternal grandfather.

At fourteen, she became the maid-concubine Yin Zaidao’s mother bestowed upon him.

She stayed by his side for over a decade, through his years as the Prince of Hedong in Wei, his time as a hostage in Chen, and his eventual rise to become the emperor of a unified Great Wei. It was a long, arduous journey.

The new dynasty brought a new order. Ministers of humbler birth than hers could rise to become great generals, and those who arrived later could be promoted to grand chancellor.

So why couldn’t she try to reach the highest position by his side, that of empress?

But she fell, and fell hard.

In this world, if the emperor does not wish to give something, neither his ministers nor his subjects may ask for it. She was no exception.

She was nothing special.

As autumn winds began to stir, she walked over the unswept leaves covering the steps and came to the stele carved with the emperor’s achievements.

The sky and sea were merciless, unmoved through the ages. All human feelings, in the end, flowed away like water.

At last, she leapt, entrusting the love and life and death that had brought her half a lifetime of misery to the vast sea and sky.

Yin Hong’s life, like that of every warlord in a time of chaos, was full of rises and falls, with a long and uncertain fate.

At thirteen, he was the most powerful Prince of Hedong in Wei, with the crown prince’s position just one step away.

At fourteen, he was the disgraced empress’s rebellious son, sent as a hostage to Chen by imperial decree.

Ten years later, the North and South were united and the realm pacified. He became the true ruler of all under Heaven.

All matters of the realm rested upon one man, who alone held the reins of power and bore its burdens.

A sage ruler should be free of passion and love.

Then why, when he saw that resolute figure by the sea, did his heart ache beyond measure?

Heroine: Lu Sisui, courtesy name Manye. Hero: Yin Hong, courtesy name Zaidao.

Her slender shoulders, sharp as blades, could barely bear a few strands of tassels.

The heavenly fragrance lingers on the phoenix-tail lute, its sandalwood soundboard retaining a trace of warmth.

Li Yu, “Inscribed on the Back of a Pipa”

Content warnings:

1. The male lead is sexually inexperienced; the female lead is not. The male lead is a legitimate emperor with a harem, though he has not slept with anyone in it. After the heroine jumps off a cliff and runs away, she has normal physical needs and will have casual lovers she isn’t emotionally invested in.

2. There is a hidden reason behind the substitute. The heroine’s ambition to become empress will involve a transitional phase. She is not kind-hearted and has done many things. There will be fierce competition between women, between men, and between men and women. Please don’t read if you can’t accept this setup.

3. There are countless original worldbuilding details. Please don’t read if that bothers you.

4. The leads act according to their own positions. Please don’t judge them simply as good or bad.

5. If you want a strictly monogamous pairing, the IF version will be a substantial one. You can treat the main story as their past life and the IF version as their current life, making it a one-on-one romance.

A groveling pursuit, a love doomed by hatred, a ruthless power grab, melodrama on an epic scale, and a heady blend of political intrigue and romance. We’re here to watch the funeral, not stop it.

Theme: When the road ends at the river’s source, sit and watch the clouds rise.