Indolent, spoiled, beautiful, unhinged bottom x gentle, irresistible S top with a hundred schemes
[My foster brother is named Wei Xu. He's a very charismatic man. In the words of a popular saying these days, he's a total heartthrob.]
In the twenty-seventh year of Tianzhi, Grand Secretary Min Sixing impeached the regent Crown Prince Zhenyi and his sister's husband, General Xie Xueji, for conspiring in treason. The emperor flew into a rage, deposed the crown prince, and confiscated the Xie family's property.
The incident caused an uproar. Before long, the deposed crown prince died, the general was beheaded, and the young master of the Xie family disappeared without a trace. That same year, Wei Zhenyan, Director of the Imperial College, retired and returned to his hometown.
Thus began thirteen years of rule by the Min faction.
In the fourteenth year of Hechu, two years had passed since Min Sixing's death, but the court's troubles remained: the treasury was empty, factional strife continued, border defenses were weak, and Taixi in the north watched like a tiger ready to pounce.
That was also the year they welcomed the youngest grand secretary in history.
Wei Xu quickly rose to prominence at court. The emperor doted on him, seeing in him the likeness of a departed friend. The crown prince respected him, remembering him as a warm presence in a miserable childhood. The Embroidered Uniform Guard commander admired him as the only pure white in a tainted world.
The other officials both loved and hated him: they admired his clever tactics but resented his iron hand.
Meanwhile, Xie Zhao, his true identity hidden from the world, watched his nominal elder brother move between factions, with a closeness that went too far. Then one day, at the invitation of his dissolute friends, he went on an outing. A painter captured the gathering on paper, and the portrait accidentally found its way into the hands of the reigning emperor.
The emperor's face turned livid when he saw the face that so closely resembled his elder brother. Wei Xu knelt on the jade steps of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, head bowed, his fingertips digging into his palm until they drew blood.
*
When his identity was exposed, Xie Zhao was thrust into the eye of the storm.
After the Chaocen Abbey incident, not long after the new emperor ascended the throne, Taixi invaded and the border was in urgent danger. Despite Wei Xu's objections, Xie Zhao led troops to battle in hopes of atoning for his father's crime.
In the first year of Taixuan, with countless troops before him, Xie Zhao saw snow for the first time at the northern frontier.
The border held, but news that the commander in chief had disappeared made its way back to the capital.
The messenger had barely finished delivering the good and bad news when he looked up and saw that the new emperor's expression was worse than if his own father had died. Even more astonishingly, the trusted commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had openly drawn his sword in court and held it to the messenger's neck.
Trembling, the ministers could only turn to the dependable young grand secretary for help. But Wei Xu's face was pale, his fingers shaking, and he could barely stay on his feet.
In the second month after Xie Zhao vanished, the horrified ministers discovered that...
The entire court had gone mad.
* A pseudo-incestuous sworn-brother relationship, but the top and bottom are not related by blood. Please read with care.
* Both leads are irresistible, and they're utterly devoted to each other. No switching roles or pairings.
* The cast is huge, so pay close attention!!!
Theme: May everyone find the courage to love this world.
