Mistaken Identity

With the realm divided among warlords, the beggar Qiu Yuhuan and the girl disguised as a boy struggle to survive between the cracks. Sui An, then still a prince, rescues her from a mass grave. As she becomes his right-hand woman, feelings quietly begin to blossom.

After the realm is unified, Sui An ascends the throne. Qiu Yuhuan's distinguished military service earns her a position in the Inspectorate, where she oversees the officials. Their relationship changes from master and servant to ruler and subject. With work keeping them busy, they gradually grow distant. Then Sui An names Qin Fengmian empress, rejects her feelings, and throws away her flower token. Qiu Yuhuan finally understands: all the care, guidance, and concern had been wishful thinking on her part. She wants to leave, but her feelings hold her captive.

Just then, Forgetfulness suddenly appears on the black market, and an irregular tax case in the northern counties turns out to be tied to the remnants of the warlords...

To help Sui An eliminate hidden threats as soon as possible, Qiu Yuhuan buries her feelings and investigates. To get a lead, she even risks her life to lure the enemy. When Sui An finds out, the two quarrel constantly. It is also then that Qiu Yuhuan realizes Sui An may not be entirely indifferent to her...

But he was the one who spoke coldly and cruelly on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, saying he only thought of her as family. He was the one who chose to keep his distance. He was the one who said that if she liked women, people would condemn her. And now he is the one who acts as if nothing happened, continuing to care for and protect her, even dropping hints at every turn.

She doesn't understand how someone can change so quickly, as if he were a completely different person.

Qiu Yuhuan has always been special to Sui An. He knew that, but never stopped to wonder what it meant. Only when Qiu Yuhuan is poisoned by stonevine and left on the brink of death does Sui An finally understand.

But is it too late?

Before he understood his feelings, he had already planned every move in the game of Yueqiang, laying out the line between Chu and Han and placing each piece where it belonged. When he suddenly realizes his feelings have changed, Sui An feels the urge to take back a move for the first time. But the situation won't allow it, and Qiu Yuhuan is even more determined to oppose him.

"Your subject is only asking Your Majesty to play the pieces according to the plan I've already laid out. What is it that Your Majesty refuses?" Qiu Yuhuan gazes at him calmly.

Indeed. What is it that he refuses?

At last, Sui An has to admit that no one can escape being entangled by their feelings. Perhaps leaving nothing to chance is just another name for ruthlessness.

P.S. It's finished, it's finished! This is my first novel, and it still has plenty of flaws. Thank you for liking it!

Theme: Honest communication is the answer