Dark Smoke Cloud

The process of using 420,000 words is just to support the highlight moment of the first positive description of the protagonist in these 600 words. The eldest prince's nobility, wisdom, majesty and forbearance are all displayed at this moment, but it cannot make people think that this is just the halo of the protagonist. I think, with 420,000 words as a footnote, he should be "real". I specially used these 600 words to generate a picture, which feels pretty good. 600：              ， At this time, the carved wooden door of the main hall of the villa slowly opened. Mei Lan and Fang Ru took off their simple regular clothes and put on auburn robes with narrow sleeves and dark patterns of clouds and thunder. They wore gilt leather belts with green luan patterns around their waists, and the small luan bird buckles on their matching quill rings shone with golden light in the morning light. The two of them, one on the left and one on the right, stood in front of the door with stern expressions. Mei Lan's eyes were filled with cold light as she carefully looked at everyone who approached the main hall. The light slowly opened as the carved door opened, filling the hall like scattered gold, and finally settled on the eldest prince Qi Zhuoheng, who was sitting in the middle: The gold-embroidered robes on the dark bottom were covered with a layer of mist, and the star map woven with dark patterns shimmered. Each golden thread trembled gently with his shallow breathing, as if the stars were falling on the clothes. The four-clawed Kui dragon pattern embroidered with gold thread should have been full of arrogance and domineering, but at this moment, it seemed a bit empty against the background of his thin figure. The red gold crown pressed against his pale forehead, and the red jewel on the top was like a solidified blood drop. The green jade chi pattern cast a small shadow under his eyes, just covering up the lingering green and black. The golden crown reflects the face, and the brilliance hides the sharpness and forbearance of the eldest son of the emperor; the red treasure is dazzling, like the dawn of destiny; the green decoration is gentle, and brings out the subtlety of the undecided throne. The light on the crown quietly tells the identity and situation of the eldest prince. He has a handsome face, a gentle expression, and his eyes are full of wisdom and kindness. When he raised his eyes, a ray of soft light passed through his slightly closed eyelashes, filtering the light in his eyes into a thin layer of frost, and lightly swept over the dancing spots on Yan Fang's scarlet court uniform. He rested his right hand on the armrest and rubbed his fingertips unconsciously. The movement was so light that it almost blended into the flow of the star pattern with dark patterns on his sleeves. The morning breeze carried the lingering sound of the copper bells on the eaves and passed through the hall, blowing a few strands of his hair down. However, it made the golden thread-like patterns on Xuan's clothes shine like sparks in an instant. In a trance, it seemed that there were thousands of troops hiding under this seemingly crumbling body. And the innate royal aura was like an invisible pressure, making everyone present dare not underestimate him in the slightest.

When I first conceived the novel, I wanted to write a story about a legendary woman who disguises herself as a man, enters the court, and eventually becomes a general. So, when a woman disguises herself as a man, "dark" and "fragrant" are used to describe it. "Dark" means that it cannot be understood or said; "Xiang" refers to women; "Smoke and cloud" is firstly taken from the combination of changing winds and clouds and smoke; secondly, it uses the illusion and unreality of smoke and clouds themselves to describe this story of an imaginary dynasty. And Cao Xueqin once wrote: Where true is false, it is also true; when false is true, false is also true. Therefore, the stories, characters, and dynasties in "Dark Smoke and Clouds" are all fake. So when I create characters, I ask myself that no matter whether a character is the protagonist or not, the description of their character, motivation, purpose, behavior, language, expression, etc. Must conform to the psychological laws of real people. The psychological activity and external performance must be consistent in order for readers to believe that this person can live in this world in the novel like this. The heroine's name was finally named: Han Xiangchen. Because I like "The wind abides in the dust, the fragrance and flowers are gone, and I am tired of combing my hair at night. Things are different, people are not the same, everything is over, and tears flow first when I want to speak." Also like "Dongli is drinking wine after dusk, and there is a faint fragrance filling the sleeves." There is no doubt that the west wind is blowing, and people are thinner than yellow flowers. I also like "The plum blossoms are three points whiter than the snow, but the snow is less fragrant than the plum blossoms." "Han" is homophonic to "cold", and the word "" also appears in the title of the book, bringing out the protagonist himself. In the process of choosing a name, at least the image of the heroine, her character, why she is like this, what kind of things she will experience, what she likes, what she hates... These questions gradually became clearer and fuller. This process is not long, but it is interesting and worth recalling. She, Han Xiangchen, is my original intention.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Out out out of nowhere, I personally think that the plot of "Dark Smoke Cloud" has reached a critical point. In order to create what a top-level plotter should look like in my mind, I carefully studied all the designs in the scene of Zhuge Liang's verbal battle with Confucian scholars by Tang Guoqiang, including lighting, movements, micro-expressions, as well as the foil role played by other people, and the rhythm control of the entire scene. I don't think my writing skills can reach that level, but I hope to at least be able to write some stories that are a bit "aftertasteful". Since everyone spends time reading the story, we cannot let people feel that it is a waste of time after reading it. Time is the most precious thing for everyone, so I am grateful to all the friends who have spent time on "Secret Fragrance"! An excerpt from the original text is as follows, I hope you like it! Yan Fang and others stepped into the courtyard. The moment the carved door slowly opened, they saw the eldest prince sitting upright and hurriedly walked to the steps of the main hall. Everyone lifted up their clothes, knelt down on the ground, and bowed with the highest etiquette. The sound was like a bell, full of respect: "See the eldest prince! Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor, and his highness is a thousand years old!" The corners of the eldest prince's lips were slightly raised, and his fingertips were lightly resting on the armrest. He did not speak immediately, but only lowered his eyes. He knelt down at the steps to mend his clothes. When the noise settled down, he raised his hands to help, and his voice was as gentle as a jade chime soaked in morning dew: "My lords, please stand up." Seeing everyone stand up, Qi Zhuoheng continued to speak slowly: "I have come to Anqing this time. I know that Yan Qing and all my beloved ministers are loyal to the king, diligent in the king's administration, and have made many achievements in the local people's livelihood. You are truly the pillars of our dynasty. Seeing that you have maintained the court etiquette and observed the integrity of your ministers, it shows your sincerity in loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. I hope that you will always uphold your original intention, share your worries for the emperor and father, and work for the welfare of the people below, so that you can live up to the entrustment of your father." After saying this, he raised his hand to help, and the four-clawed Kui dragon pattern on the golden embroidered uniform swayed slightly: "Since you are the humerus of the imperial court, you must work together. . When I return to the court, I will tell my father to thank you for your merits." Hearing this, Yan Fang hurriedly lifted his robe and bowed again, with a look of panic on his face: "Your Highness, I can only repay your kindness with my heart and soul!" The officials behind him also leaned over, and the crimson court clothes spread a red cloud on the gold bricks woven with light and shadow. "Everyone, get up." Qi Zhuoheng leaned back in his chair. The dark star pattern on Xuan's clothes was soaked by the sunlight, as if it was about to flow out from the fabric. Having said that, Yan Fang and others still maintained their kneeling posture, with no intention of getting up. He glanced at Yan Fang without trace, knowing in his heart that this move was to challenge the royal dignity in front of everyone, and was intended to test himself, so he was very vigilant at the moment. But his face remained calm, and his tone was as gentle as usual: "The loyalty of your ministers to my father and my king is already evident, but you can go your separate ways and don't delay your official duties because of me." Hearing the eldest prince ordering everyone to retreat, Yan Fang frowned slightly on his downcast face, and in an instant he understood the other party's intention - this was not only an order to expel guests, but also a counterattack against himself and everyone for openly disobeying his intention. He immediately bowed and saluted again, and said sincerely: "Your Highness is considerate of me, and I feel deeply for you. I just have something to do, which is related to important local affairs. After thinking about it repeatedly, I feel that it is most appropriate to report it to Your Highness at this moment. I hope that Your Highness will take the time to listen." There was just the right amount of humility on his face, but there was an undeniable certainty in his tone. After saying this, he raised his head slightly and looked directly at the eldest prince calmly. Although he was asking for instructions, the sharpness in his eyes seemed to penetrate the other party's gentle appearance and penetrate deep into the inside. Qi Zhuoheng still looked warm, as if he was completely unaware of Yan Fang's aggressiveness and did not respond immediately. I saw him slowly holding the tea cup beside the desk, taking a sip, and then said: "Yan Qing puts state affairs first in everything, how can I not put Yan Qing's affairs first?" After speaking, he put the tea cup down gently and nodded slightly, "If you have any important matters, you might as well say so."

"Dark Smoke Cloud" has been updated with more than 300,000 words since I planned to write it. Speaking of which, because the novel has not signed a contract and I cannot guarantee the frequency of daily updates, it is indeed difficult for more people to see it. This does not surprise me. Every platform has its own threshold. But even so, the novel still has nearly a hundred fan readers, and one of the questions I am asked most often is: Where did the inspiration for the novel come from? I think this question is worth sharing with everyone, whether they are fellow writers, readers and fans, or friends who have plans to start creating. The appearance of "Dark Smoke Cloud" is due to an "imagery". The screen is: Half a huge sunset in front of the horizon, on the battlefield in Guangbiao, a female general slowly walked towards the sunset, with only a back that was getting further away... This is the spark of inspiration, but the emergence of this spark is not accidental, but based on a drama I watched some time ago, "The Dream Returns". I wrote a nearly 6,000-word interpretation of this play, which revolves around the archetype of the Pisces symbol, because what moved me most about this play was the theme it expressed: love, sacrifice, and the sublimation of small love to big love. After I finished writing this article, the picture mentioned above appeared in my mind and I can't get around it. For those of us who study Jungian theory, images are as important as dreams, because they pass through the defenses of consciousness and come directly from the depths of the soul. I was tightly grasped by this picture, thinking about it day and night, wanting to express, describe, show, and experience it more deeply in my own life. So "Dark Smoke Cloud" is such a work born from the soul. It is not a cool article, nor is it sadistic. I have always felt that I am just a recorder, not a creator. Thank you for reading this, so I hope you also pay attention to your dreams, your own images, and even your daydreams. Especially daydreaming, don't think it is unscientific and meaningless, just ignore it or laugh at it, because all mental phenomena originate from the expression of the soul!

In fact, I really hope that Qi Zhuozhang will appear more, but he has not been able to enrich his story line 😭 The beautiful pictures are from the Internet, if there is any infringement, please contact us to delete them, thank you

(Image generated by AI)

Happy Valentine's Day❤️

Recently, because the Spring Festival is approaching, I need to buy new year's goods, clean the house and replace it with new ones, so I will stop updating for two days. I hope you guys can understand, thank you!

I suddenly discovered... When there are too many foreshadowings, subplots, characters, and events arranged in the story, it is very difficult to gradually bring them together while ensuring the sense of rhythm. ​Okay... I admit it, I am Kavin 😒

As a psychological counselor, one of the occupational diseases is to pay attention to people's psychological mechanisms, psychological dynamics, psychological processes, etc. So, inevitably, when creating characters, I want to give them as many psychological characteristics as there are characters, so that each character is identifiable (a very ideal idea). However, in my opinion, regardless of the plot of the story, whether the character is the protagonist or a supporting role, if it can show the psychological complexity, coupled with the reflection of the character and the psychological changes it can bring about under the promotion of the plot - this is the success of the novel on the psychological level. Ask yourself, I have not yet reached this "success" standard 😅 The limitation comes from my personal psychological complexity and the number of personality aspects that I can develop. When I was doing personality dismantling through imagery dialogue, the total number of personality aspects I could pick out was only about ten. Therefore, I think there are only so many characters that can be recognized to a certain extent. Thinking about it, it's quite helpless. But there is nothing I can do. I hope that as I grow up, I can meet more sub-personalities... The process of writing a novel itself is very boring and painful, but it is quite interesting to think about how the characters might react in the current situation! Before I start writing a new plot, I will spend at least a day or two pondering the psychological motivations of the characters. I will also repeatedly think about how the psychological changes of the characters will bring about changes to the plot, and in what direction will the story advance? The different psychology of many characters drives the direction of the plot, so when someone asks me: What is your writing plan? What is the outline? It's hard for me to answer, because I can't make a plan, and as a synopsis of the story, there is always only one sentence: A man disguised as a woman, from having to fulfill his responsibilities, grows into a mature person who takes the initiative to take responsibility and can live for himself. In short, this is a story: finding your destiny and complying with it. This is also a periodic summary of the question "what is life" that I, a pure middle-aged person, have made after half a lifetime of exploration. There is no sadomasochism, no reversal, and no so-called pleasure, because the truth of life is always a constant choice, no willfulness, and there is no right or wrong... Moreover, there is a price behind the choice!

The beautiful pictures come from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact us to delete it. Thank you

I am willing to go with you in this world and this court! The eldest prince Qi Zhuoheng The second prince Qi Zhuozhang The third prince Qi Zhuochen The fourth prince Qi Zhuoxuan Han Xiangchen: The fragrant flowers in the wind are gone

Everything is created by fate. A chance encounter, looking back at dusk, are destined to live each other's lives, just for the moment when our eyes meet...

The beautiful pictures come from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact me to delete it🌹

I couldn't find you in this world, so I took up my pen and wrote you into the story❤️