Zhenguan: the Cornerstone of the Empire That Inherited the Qian Dynasty

Spring, the second year of Zhenguan. The night wind in Chang'an Imperial City still carries the bitingness of late winter, wrapped in the newly drawn catkins outside the palace walls, passing through the vermilion gate of Taiji Palace and swirling among the corridors of the East Palace. The soft ringing of a copper bell under the eaves woke up the sleeping person on the couch - Li Chengqian opened his eyes suddenly, cold sweat dripping from his forehead, and his chest heaved violently, as if he had just escaped from a long drowning. The brocade quilt slid down to his waist, revealing the young man's lean but strong figure. The moonlight filtered through the carved window lattice, casting mottled light and shadow on his face. In the half-darkness, his eyes shone with a sharp light that did not belong to his age.