At the age of six, Xun Zixiu, the young lord of the Xun State in Nanjiang, was sent to the imperial capital of Tangyan to serve as a hostage, lodging in the imperial palace. From then on, he studied, practiced calligraphy, painted a few landscapes, savored tea, and played the zither in Xihong Residence... His days seemed peaceful, yet every step was fraught with danger. For nine years, his heart and mind remained true to Princess Lin'an, never wavering for even a moment. Yet this devotion was buried forever in the sacred place of his heart, without so much as a gravestone.
In those sorrowful, stifling days, he often dreamed that his spirit-beast companion, now grown a pair of enormous wings, would return, soar over the imperial city, and take him home.
