Moon in Embers

Autumn in Luoyang is golden. Osmanthus flowers bloom all over the courtyard of Cai Mansion, and the fragrance of agarwood in the Boshan stove lingers day and night. Yuan Xinyue sits by the window and listens to Cai Yong's "Lu Ming". Her eldest brother Yuan Ji is waiting for her to come home at dusk. At that time, she felt that life would go on like this forever, and the Yuan family of the fourth generation and the three princes would always stand at the top of the Ding clan. In the fourth year of Xiping's reign, Yuan Ji asked her to be a disciple of the great scholar Cai Yong. She entered school at the age of six, read thousands of books at the age of twelve, and rode a horse through the long streets of Luoyang at the age of fifteen. The eldest brother taught her to read, practice calligraphy, and debate world affairs. She always thought that her eldest brother was omnipotent. Until Dong Zhuo's cavalry entered Luoyang, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu launched their armies one after another, and the Yuan family was pushed to the forefront. Yuan Ji held her hand tightly in the firelight and said in a low voice: "Yue'er, follow me." She turned back from the sea of fire and saw the plaque of the Four Worlds and Three Lords collapsed in the flames. The days after that were a long journey through the ashes. She was separated from Yuan Ji in exile, met the bohemian Guo Jia, met the gentle Xun Yu again, and finally stepped into Cao Cao's camp. Everyone thought that the Yuan family had been burned down, but there was still a moon shining in her heart. She emerged from the ashes of Luoyang, carrying the last fire of the Yuan family, and became an inconspicuous but unwilling chess piece in troubled times. She knew that as long as the moon was still in the sky, the story of the Yuan family would not be finished. This is a story about family, troubled times and how a girl becomes herself. It is also a love letter to those who still believe in the light amidst the ashes.