Ruling Over Splendor

The healing-fiction author Wuchu Ketao once again paints a heartbreaking portrait in an ancient setting. When they first met in an apricot grove, she was a sheltered young princess, while he was the late emperor's most beloved son. He swept the lands beyond the frontier clear of enemies and earned such distinction that he threatened the throne, only to be sent far away by the new emperor. At the time, he had no intention of contending for the realm. But driven by the blood feud against her family and country, she used tenderness as a trap and love as a blade, pushing him onto the path of rebellion against his ruler and nation. Three years later, when they meet again, he is a powerful lord ruling his own territory, sword in hand and poised to seize the realm. She is a fallen musician, with nothing left. Imperial power, ambition, and the chaos of Yongjia... Warhorses and clashing weapons, a long and winding road, lives as worthless as weeds, and love and hatred no more than drifting clouds. The pain of parting, love unfulfilled, and death between them: she has failed him in every way, and in the end repays him with the most resolute sacrifice. By the time he rules the world, they are still separated by only a short distance, yet worlds apart. All the love and hatred of this lifetime are condensed into a single letter she left behind: “I cannot repay the depth of your love. May you command a life of splendor.”