#( jiang chen ) — general .

[casualavocados]

I'm not finished yet. ...[🎶!]

KISEKI: DEAR TO ME Ep. 13

[askthatoneanacondraikaiguy]

Building off that idea of Kai taking on the Mark of Anacondrai to trick Chen, but he and Skylor are left stuck as Anacondrai after Chen is defeated.

Permanent Anacondrai Kai... Permanaconkai. That’s fun to say.

[morganstuart]

Jiang Wen and "Twinkling Eyes"

It's been a hot minute since I made one of my "Books on Baze" posts about my research and reading on the works of Jiang Wen. Fortunately, I've found a fascinating book that's new to me, and I wanted to share some Jiang Wen goodness.

The following quote about the film Lotus Lantern (1999) is from the book The New Generation in Chinese Animation by Shaopeng Chen (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021):

"This is the first time that Chinese cinema animation has had a domestic all-star voice cast, including Xu Fan as San Sheng Mu, Jiang Wen as Erlang Shen, Ning Jing as Gamei and Chen Peisi as Sun Wukong...

"At the top of the film stars, I want to mention the role of Jiang Wen in the whole production process. Jiang Wen, as 'China's most famous movie star', is also distinguished by his low husky voice. As mentioned earlier, in this film he plays Erlang Shen, who is characterized by a cold and autocratic voice and dry laugh. According to Chang Guangxi, Jiang Wen was reading Erlang Shen's character design sketches when he was in the recording studio. Suddenly Jiang made a bold suggestion: '[I]s it possible to recreate Erlang Shen's appearance based on my face? Look, small but twinkling eyes and sparse but domineering eyebrows (Jiang Wen's facial features)....' Chang adopted Jiang's idea, in other words, the final image of Erlang Shen is the animated Jiang Wen. Internationally, it is very common for the design of cartoon figures (both animation and comics) to be inspired by real people."

Here is the accompanying illustration:

[killerandhealerqueen]

When you get a comment on your elven war au saying that a character would not attack their own people to protect the people they are currently with like...do you not know how war works?  Sacrifices have to be made and sometimes a peaceful, non-violent method will not work.  Yes, I know that a prince would not want to attack his own people but he also knows that he cannot keep his hands clean if he wants to try and protect these people he’s grown to care about.  War is ugly and sometimes it makes people do things they don’t want to do

[gam3bo1-movedagain]

closed starter for @pushpulls!

     ᘛ⁐ᕐᐷ 🧀   𓈒ㅤ⋅    "you ruined my night completely so you could have the money but i hope now you can spend it on getting some lessons in grace and decorum, because you have all the grace of a reversing dump truck without any tyres on."

[random-chaotic-bitch]

this is gonna be amazing lmao

Hello, tumblr user. Before you is a tumblr post asking you to name a female fictional character. You have unlimited time to tag a female character, NOT a male one.

Begin.

[guzhufuren]

New posters, message, part of a soundtrack and information about upcoming chinese BL The General's Son, show from the director of Word of Honor

"Green mountains are hidden in the distance, the waters are far away, the bright moon is always shining, the world is full of happiness."

Genres: wuxia; revenge Number of episodes: 24 Episode runtime: 18 minutes

Lead actors: Li Kaiwen as Li Jianwei; Dong Zifan as Chen Xiaoxi

Director and executive producer: Ma Huagan (Word of Honor, The Legend of Anle, Sword Dynasty) Art director: Liu Jingping (Love and Redemption, A Dream of Splendor, Wonderland of Love) Screenwriter and chief producer: Zhou Shucheng Executive producers: Zhuo Zuoqing, Yang Qi Co-producers: Jiang Yuxin, Li Shike, Dong Xinyu Co-director: Wang Xue Producers: Jiang Zhengpeng, Liu Wei, Xu Heni Planning by: Luo Yuting, Luo Gaoqiang

Filming finished this June. Will not be broadcast in mainland China. Original script.

Synopsis: General Li's family were killed on New Year's Eve. Li Jianwei, the youngest son of the Li family, escaped death, but disguised himself as a courtesan and went to Wei Mountain to seek revenge. Chen Xiaoxi, the young master of Guigu, has a lively and eccentric personality, becomes increasingly close to Li Jianwei, who has tried his best to win him over. Chen Xiaoxi's sister, Xiao Hetao, is simple and kind. She discovers that Li Jianwei came for revenge, and dies to resolve the hatred between the two.

Characters:

Li Jianwei. Twenty years old, the youngest son of General Li Fei, he is loved by the whole family, standing like an orchid and a jade tree, smiling like the bright moon. He should have had a bright future, but his fate changed overnight. In order to get revenge, he went undercover to Weishan, enduring humiliation and patiently executing his plan step by step.

Chen Xiaoxi. At the age of twenty, we meet the young master of Weishan Guigu. He was born pure but had evil eyes. Under his lively and sunny appearance, his face looked like that of a devil's. In fact, he was rough but kind, and treated people with sincerity. Unfortunately, fate played a cruel joke on him and his mother died.

Xiao Hetao. At the age of seventeen, Chen Xiaoxi rescued a human child from a wolf pack. Innocent and romantic, she was very simple and naive. Gui Rong and others gave Xiao Hetao the purest and most innocent living environment, but she hoped to resolve the hatred of everyone with her own power.

Princess Qingyuan. Thirty-four years old, a graceful and elegant lady, smart and tenacious. She was in love with Chen Dawang when she was young. After Chen Dawang's death, she firmly refused marriage arranged by the magistrate's office and spent many years in Zhejiang. While helping Li Jianwei to take revenge, Qingyuan, the deputy envoy of the Chang'an Supervisor Zi Ke, has been trying to find out the truth about Jian Jishan from 20 years ago.

Chen Dawang. At the age of 38, we meet the leader of Guigu in Huishan. Twenty years ago, he was a major general in the Loyal and Brave Army led by Chen Weishan. Entrusted by the general, Chen Dawang and his party lived in seclusion in Guigu for twenty years, just to avenge the Loyal and Brave Army and reveal the truth to the world one day.

Sizhou. 24 years old, a descendant of the Loyal and Brave Army, he was a martial arts expert but became blind in two days. Because he was indebted to the Lord of Qingyuan, he stayed by his side and waited for investigation. While helping Li Jianwei to get his revenge, he also hoped to find out the truth of the old case of the Loyal and Brave Army from 20 years ago.

Wan Qianhong. Thirty-eight years old, owner of Baihua Villa, with mysterious martial arts and deceitful tricks. When she was young, she fell in love with Li Pu, who concealed his identity. Later, Li Xifei and Huang Jueda broke off all ties with Wan Qianhong. Since then, Wan Qianhong deeply hated Li Pu and all men in the world. Behind the hatred, Wan Qianhong missed her daughter so much that she mistakenly recognized Xiao Hetao as Zaotian's daughter. In the end, they ended up loving each other but not being able to be together.

Shi Tou. Eighteen years old, a good martial brother of Chen Xiaoxi, grew up in Jianweishan. He is the beloved son of Uncle Hua and Aunt Hua, with a simple and straightforward personality. He was happy and naive until Xiaohe died. The joy he did not even have time to express became the biggest regret in Shi Tou's life.

*text from informational brochures was converted with image to text online programs, translated through google translator and edited by me with some help of online dictionaries. i do not speak chinese, so there are most certainly mistakes in the text. purpose of this translation is to give you the general idea

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hi! This request was easier to search for, so I see you’ve recommended Hearts of Wulin and Ten Thousand Days for the Sword. Do you have any other wuxia or xianxia game recs?

Have a good day!

THEME: Wuxia Games.

Hello friend, I'm certainly not an expert, but after reaching out to some more knowledgeable folks, I think I have a few!

Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall, by Wet Ink Games.

This is a collaborative, storytelling RPG about a Chinese family making their living by running a restaurant in one of America’s Chinatowns, circa 1920. Despite societal backlash and anti-Chinese laws, they have turned a profit and their quality of life has recently improved.

Night, however, brings a new terror.

Players take on the roles of members of the Chinese family (mostly from Guangdong province), spanning three generations, who face threats of jiangshi (hopping vampires) at night and racism by day. It has players balancing the responsibility of maintaining their family business with protecting themselves and their community from the dreaded Jiangshi. This is primarily a game about storytelling. Combat is limited, but horror, drama and sometimes comedy are the primary vehicles for driving the game forward.

This game draws quite a bit from boardgaming elements, so I think this one is best played around a physical table, especially since it requires a custom deck of cards. You’ll use these cards to represent the demands of running a restaurant in the day, as well as fighting of a vampire at night. This game is probably on the borders of what I think is considered wuxia, but if you have a horror lover in your group, this might be worth checking out.

Exalted, by Onyx Path Games.

This is the tale of a forgotten age before the seas were bent, when the world was flat and floated atop a sea of chaos. This is the tale of a decadent empire raised up on the bones of the fallen Golden Age, whose splendor it faintly echoed but could not match. This is a tale of primal frontiers, of the restless dead, of jeweled cities ruled openly by spirits in defiance of Heaven’s law. This is a tale of glorious heroes blessed by the gods, and of their passions and the wars they waged in the final era of legends.

Exalted has a number of different sources, only one of which feels close to wuxia, but the stories are certainly expected to give you long, sweeping epics and larger-than-life characters. There are many different kinds of Exalted, including Solars, Lunars, and Dragon-Blooded. Since I’m not a wuxia connoisseur myself, I’m not entirely sure how close Exalted comes to hitting the mark - I’m mostly recommending it because it came up connected to some other wuxia fantasy games when I was doing some searching.

Jiang Hu, by wum1ng.

Jiang Hu is a role-playing game for the wuxia genre. Drawing inspiration from wuxia novels written by luminaries such as Jin Yong and Gu Long, the Feng Yun comics from Ma Rong Chen and the multitude of wuxia movies and television series, this game brings the world of dashing swordsmen, warrior monks, brawling beggars and high-flying stunts to your tabletop. 

Players take on the role of Martial Artists fighting against various threats to the lands of Jiang Hu, ranging from evil sect leaders who have mastered forbidden secret martial arts techniques to megalomaniacs seeking to take over the Imperial Throne by force and the blood of countless innocents.

The Worlds Without Number series by Kevin Crawford has its praises sung by many people, especially folks in the OSR scene, and that is the bones that this game is built on. Your character is built from quite a list of skills, which are differentiated between Combat and Non-Combat. You also have a number of secondary attributes, for things such as Armour Class, Evasion, and Luck, as well as a dedicated space on your character sheet for weapons and martial arts. Expect combat to to take up a bulk of your time!

When you roll for your character background, you also get a significant life event that is expected to shape your character’s past, such as having a loved one murdered, or falling into serious debt. Out of all of the games listed here, I think this game is the closest to D&D, what with the “packages” of skills, items and abilities attached to each background.

The Oath, by brushmen.

"We seek not to be born on the same day, but hope to die on the same day." And with such an oath, Yong, Li, and Ming swore loyalty to each other.

When earthly desires tempt them, and devotions threaten to tear them apart, with or without a hand from uncaring fate…

will their oath endure?

The Oath is a collaborative storytelling game for one Game Moderator and three players.

This is meant to be a one-shot, which borrows the Entanglements system from Hearts of Wulin and the character Keys and Tags from Lady Blackbird. Since this game comes with characters already pre-written, it would probably be very good for groups who have very little time, or who want an easy on-ramp to games or the wuxia genre. I like the fact that the Keys give you prompts and directions for your character’s behaviour; it’s strong statement on how the author interprets the genre, but it still gives you, the player, a choice on what elements of your character will be emphasized, and what elements will take up the background.

brushmen also has another wuxia Lady Blackbird hack called The Escort, about recovering from a violent robbery, this one for four players and one GM.

Four Swords, by ehronlime.

This is a tabletop roleplaying game about being young heroes in a wuxia story, made for the #AsianMartialArtsJam.

You start with your First Sword, which you use to challenge other heroes and villains and strive for mastery.

You will then gain three more Swords: the Second a sword of great pride and regret, the Third a sword of mastery and expression, and the Fourth a sword which is no sword.

You will also struggle between the obligations put upon your by others and what you truly desire from the life of a wandering hero.

Four Swords really zeroes in on the combat mastery part of wuxia fantasy. Your characters will grow into mastery, and battle with rigid codes and rules that structure the world you live in. The game is very descriptive, leaving you with only 4 abilities that are meant to broadly encompass what you are able to do. The game encourages characters to interfere with each-other using a mechanic called Vows, and levelling up gives you access to different techniques, which reinforce the competence of your characters as well as the rigid guidelines by which they might improve.

This game was made for the Asian Martial Arts by Asian Creators Game Jam, so you might find some more wuxi-themed games there!

Blades of the Immortals, by Jagganoth.

Blades of the Immortals is a tabletop roleplaying game inspired by xiānxiá. It uses the Forged in the Dark rules engine developed by John Harper, as seen in games like Blades in the Dark and Beam Saber.

In Blades of the Immortals, you will take on the roles of cultivators, striving for your own ambitions, for the glory of your sect, and for the ultimate prize —  immortality. You'll viciously struggle for scarce resources, compete for the patronage of powerful and influential teachers, gather allies to your banner, and scheme against your enemies. Your cultivators will wield mystical treasures and supernatural spell-arts, mastering the very laws of the cosmos as their weapons, as they become entangled in centuries-long vendettas between deathless wizard-kings.

This game is solidly focused on supernatural abilities and grand increases in strength. You choose from one of 9 different playbooks, and collaboratively create a faction that binds you all together. The sources listed as inspirations for this game include (but are not limited to) Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Forge of Destiny, Aspiring to the Immortal Path, and Journey to the West.

Compared to other Blades hacks, this game reduces the standard number of action ratings, ties character growth to a change in your character’s beliefs, and separates your gear from your playbook. Characters can also level up through Realms, which increases your effectiveness and upgrades your inventory.

Mist-Robed Gate, by Shreyas & Elizabeth Sampat.

There are some things that we value more than life.

There are things we're willing to scheme and cry and fight and die for.

That's what wuxia cinema is about— fighting and dying for the things we care about. That's what Mist-Robed Gate is about.

Mist-Robed Gate comes with a full list of movie recommendations, but includes Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers as key influences. I really like the fact that a key mechanic of this game includes stabbing your character sheet with a knife.

Players create factions first, and then take turns creating characters that represent those factions, with elements that represent the hero’s distinctive personality and style. Players also create the different locations that will serve as the stage for your scenes. Play happens over a series of scenes, as their characters push and pull against each-other, sometimes even making terrible demands (which is where the Knife comes in). If you want a game that has a lot of politics in the terms of actions having large ramifications over big groups of people, and if you want a game that is extremely dramatic, you might want to check out Mist-Robed Gate.

[bastardtrait]

Legacy superlatives tag game

hello babes I found this really old tag game that was being passed around simblr like almost 10 years ago and I thought it was funky and fun. I brought it back for the legacy girls. I'm tagging some folks who've got a few generations under their belt, so: @beebeesiims @simsandgiggles @natolesims @bearphase @akitasimblr but if you see this n u wanna participate please feel free to!! <3 I will be answering for Nova and Lucky bc they're both done as of October 2024.

Favourite heirs

Nova: HONESTLY I think my 9th generation heiress has officially dethroned Musica from gen. 2, like I genuinely feel like I went out with a bang.

Lucky: I love Iain from gen. 5 okay he's been through a lot. I put old boy through a victorian death trap of a story and he still made it out flaws and all.

more below...

Favourite spouses

Nova: this is really hard but I think it's Neveah from gen. 6 by @lizillasimming. I had genuinely so much fun with her and she even got her own solo adventure like hello? mother

Lucky: OOHHH this is really hard but I love Chen Ruiyang from gen. 4 mainly because he had the most fleshed out story between Magnolia and his generation and also bc he's hot like. yes daddy.

Favourite spares

Nova: hmm I guess I'll hand it to Crow from gen. 3 bc he appeared as a side character in the Luckys too! but then again Soma from gen. 8 is about to be in another save, so it's up in the air.

Lucky: Sara from gen. 3 thank u bye! actually, I loved Ibrahim too; gen 3 kids were just built different

Favorite side characters, if you do story-oriented saves (skip if not)

Nova: ok this save was really inconsistent with story lmfao but I'll hand it to ... idk Lim Shiyeon from gen. 3? she was not a good person but she gave us Delilah at least so.

Lucky: of COURSE it's miss Khadijah Daniel from gen. 3! she ran Finn's office like a naval commander. but I also have to give an honourable mention to Jiang Yuqi from gen. 4 because she's mother.

Mishaps during your legacy

Nova: let's discuss Salem from gen. 7 dying in a glitched out fire that the firefighters refused to save him from!!! damn!!! that shit pissed me off so bad bro

Lucky: umm it's obviously Shaw from gen. 7 fucking DYING BEFORE HIS GENERATION COULD EVEN START OMFGG.....like are u kidding me dawg!!! i had PLANS FOR U!!!!!

fuck man, 7th generations of my legacies are bad omens...

Largest number of children

Nova: oh let's talk about how Jericho and Day-Day from gen. 1 had four kids: TWO sets of twins in a row?!! i actually quit this save for the first time because of that AJDSIOFDSKF

Lucky: Franklin and Bayram from gen. 2 had three, and that's not even counting all their dependent animals. six chickens, two cows, and a llama! and one Sister Elisabeth.

Any surprises

Nova: that I even FINISHED THIS SAVE AT ALL. lmfao. I abandoned it like 3 times dude! but I'm nothing if not stubborn. and also that I ended up really loving my final 9th generation. I can't wait to post that one.

Lucky: that I pulled out all the stops for the story portion of gen. 6? tbh that was the most story for TS4 i'd ever worked on, and it was hard, I won't lie. but rewarding. and I'm terribly satisfied with the results.

Favorite family pet why this is question so low smh.

Nova: aw now come on, it has to be my baby Tango from gen. 4. a little stray that went up to Delilah to ask for a home...and she took him in...I love u Tango...

Lucky: now can this go to anybody but Cake Boss from gen. 4? the immortal dog so iconic she also appeared in TWO Nova generations? like hello?

[soursgrap3s]

"that's the stupidest fucking question you've ever asked me." jiang deadpans, expression unchanged even as hyejin appeared visibly frazzled and distressed. it was, frankly, a concerning sight, considering their history of unpleasant interactions where hyejin had always consistently responded with snarls, hisses, and glares. "i don't trust you. what the fuck do you want, seriously?"

🥛⠀. . .⠀ ♡⠀ ੭ ˚ you know , it really is a perfect opportunity to get in jiang's good graces : not that hyejin is dying to , but she always gets a nagging sensation when people don't like her . also , why the fuck does that thing have so many legs ? she's grateful not to be in his spot right now . “ fuck you . how much do you trust me by the way ? ”

[danmeigirl]

Listing Upcoming C-Drama's to watch in 2024 & beyond :-

Fox Spirit Matchmaker : Love in Pavilion (Lead- Liu Shishi & Leon Zhang)

Fox Spirit Matchmaker : Red-Moon Pact (Lead- Yang Mi & Gong Jun) Released

Fox Spirit Matchmaker : Sword and Beloved (Lead- Li Yi Tong & Cheng Yi)

Legend of the Female General (Lead- Zhou Ye & Ryan Cheng)

The Princess Royal (Lead- Zhao Jin Mai & Zhang Ling He) Released

Love of the Divine Tree ( Lead- Deng Wei & Julia Xiang)

Guardians of the Dafeng (Lead- Dylan Wang & Tian Xi Wei)

Fangs of Fortune (Lead- Neo Hou & Chen Duling) Released

Love in the Desert (Lead- Fang Yulin & Hanikezi) Released

Snowy Night : Timeless Love (Lead- Joseph Zeng & Li Qin) Released

Reborn for Love (Lead- Jing Tian & Zhang Lingh He) Released

Shui Long Yin (Lead- Fang Yilun/Xiao Shunyao/Luo Yunxi)

Lady Revenger Returns from the Fire (Lead- Xu Lu & Wei Zheming)

A Dream Within A Dream (Lead- Li Yi Tong & Liu Yu Ning)

Thousand Fragrances (Lead- Song Wei Long & Ju Jing Yi)

Love Game in Eastern Fantasy (Lead- Esther Yu & Ding Yuxi) Released

Legend of Dark River (Lead- Gong Jun & Chang Hua Sen)

Dashing Youth (Lead- Neo Hou & Hu Lian Xin) Released

The Story of Pearl Girl (Lead- Liu Yuning & Zhao Lusi) Released

Lin Jiang Xian (Lead- Joseph Zeng & Bai Lu)

Fall in Love with a Fox (Lead- Wanyan Luo Rong & Xu Hao)

Echo of her Voice (Lead- Wei Zheming & Xu Jia Qi) Released

Snowfall (Lead- Gao Wei Guang & Nana Ouyang) Released

Go East (Lead- Tan Jian Ci & Zhou Yiran) Released

[yibocheeks]

Historical Background for 《无名》 (Hidden Blade)

A very brief summary of historical details of note for understanding the context of the film:

The film is set during the Second Sino-Japanese War and WWII. There are several powers in play at this time: the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese Nationalist Party or Kuomintang, and Imperial Japan. Imperial Japan invaded Manchuria (located in northeastern China) in the early 1930s and established the puppet state of Manchukuo. It was here where they hoped to establish a base from where they would continue their expansion into Asia.

In 1937, after many years of conflict, Japan occupied Shanghai, Nanjing, and Beijing. The Nanjing Massacre occurred at this time. After the fall of Nanjing, which had been the capital of the Republic of China at that time, the Kuomintang moved the capital west to Chongqing, under Jiang Jieshi's leadership. During this time, the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang formed a temporary alliance, suspending the years of civil conflict between them, although their vie for power continued. The Chinese Communist Party set up their base in Yan'an.

In 1940, Wang Jingwei, who was once a member of the Kuomintang but had always been in opposition against Jiang Jieshi, collaborated with Japan to establish the Wang Jingwei regime. They claimed to be the leadership of the Republic of China, when in fact they were a puppet government of Japan, overseeing the Japanese-occupied territory in eastern China, under Japan's control. They established their capital in Nanjing and used the Kuomintang flag. The Axis powers recognized the Wang Jingwei regime, while the Allied powers still recognized Jiang Jieshi as the leader of the Republic of China.

From 1937-1941, Japan had left a few neighbourhoods in Shanghai unoccupied, because that was where the American-British joint settlement and French Concession were located. Many people fled to this area to live at that time. After Pearl Harbor in 1941, the entirety of Shanghai became occupied by Japan. Many cities were bombed during these years, including Guangzhou, which experienced bombings for 14 months in 1937-1938.

During this era of war, which is also called the War of Resistance in China, espionage networks were established to try to undermine the enemy. Hidden Blade tells a story about these individuals.

Characters in the film (spoiler-free):

Director He (Tony Leung): Director of the Political Security Department for the Wang Jingwei regime

Mr. Ye (Wang Yibo): A subordinate under Director He, works for the Political Security Department of the Wang Jingwei regime

Captain Wang (Wang Chuanjun): A captain working for the Political Security Department of the Wang Jingwei regime, under Director He

Minister Tang (Da Peng): Minister of the Political Security Department of the Wang Jingwei regime, Director He's cousin

Officer Watanabe (Mori Hiroyuki): Head of secret service in Shanghai, claiming to be a follower of Ishiwara's faction (Japanese general who believed in the Pan-Asianism ideology)

Mr. Zhang (Huang Lei): A secretary of the Chinese Communist Party's underground network

Ms. Chen (Zhou Xun): A messenger of the Chinese Communist Party's underground network

Ms. Jiang (Jiang Shuying): Kuomintang agent assigned to assassinate Minister Tang

Ms. Fang (Zhang Jingyi): Disguised as a dancer, she worked together with other progressive youth to try to assassinate Japanese officers

[dtriad]

I came across this bilibili video with commentary on a lot of the actors in Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1994). Adding my own scatter-brained thoughts on some of the featured characters, with timestamps:

Bi Yanjun as Yang Xiu / Li Ru (6:31) - omg TIL they were played by the same actor? I see it now... the power of facial hair & acting lmao. I like Yang Xiu a lot :3 though here he's not overtly obnoxious (affectionate) like Zhai Tianlin's Yang Xiu in TAA

Li Jianyi / Xiu Zongdi as Chen Gong (7:00) - XZD's Chen Gong is /chef's kiss/ I love the final Cao Cao/Chen Gong breakup scene at 白门楼, Cao Cao gazing at his white moonlight who refuses any possibility of surrender/reconciliation (Cao Cao: you'd rather be with Lü Bu than be with me??? HIM??? and now you'd rather die than be with me???)

Cao Li as Lu Su (9:17) - babyface mengmeng!!!!!! way too cute & honest compared to historical Lu Su haha

Gao Lancun as Sima Zhao (10:17) - confession, I still haven't watched the whole thing in order b/c I keep jumping around & picking out scenes/arcs instead, sooooo I have mostly skipped Sima Zhao content... but I love OP's description of Sima Zhao "who seems like he's looking at [others as] trash" lmaooo

An Yaping as Ma Chao (10:53) - 锦马超! Luo Guanzhong: /sweating I gotta spruce up this guy dammit! well good job LGZ I love watching him go after Cao Cao

Chen Hong as Diaochan (11:35) - MY DARLING!!!!!!! I really enjoy all the moments when she darts a glance at Dong Zhuo or Lü Bu to gauge her next move. & LOVE her character song—

Yang Fan / Zhang Shan / Hou Yongsheng as Zhao Yun (12:28) - ZILONG! ZILONG! too many A+ character songs... Zhang Shan's horsemanship was crazy good

Wu Xiaodong as Sun Quan (13:20) - he successfully captures that bearing/air as a ruling lord, but I'm sorry Sun Quan every time I look at you I think 孙十万... pls, let your generals do the fighting 😂 also I am weirded out by the fact he's got a luxurious beard while Zhou Yu goes around w/o one because then he would blow his identity as young Yuan Shao (speaking of facial hair, they dropped the ball with Sun Ce, why didn't he get a beard as nice as Sun Quan's!!)

Zhang Tianshu / Fan Zhiqi as Jiang Wei (14:14) - my young bb 甜姜! my old bb 苦姜! ;_______; ok tbh the thing that bugs me most about the 2010 drama is that they end the final ep with Sima Yi's death and toss in a voiceover "yadda yadda a decade+ later, Shu surrendered, yadda yadda" and THAT'S IT???? BUT WHERE IS THE CULMINATION OF THE TRAGEDY OF JI HAN???? JIANG WEI???? if you don't wanna adapt that part then ok just own it and wrap up the show with a thematically appropriate ending, why even bother to shove the idea of 分久必合 into the voiceover during the last half-minute as;dlkfja;sdlk. anyway wahhhh @ OP's commentary: "姜维是承载着蜀汉的所有美好与激情的存在，但是最后终会化为壮烈与凄凉 [...] 我们会在樊志起的身上看到诸葛亮，看到关羽，看到赵云，看到刘备的影子" ;______;

Zhang Guangbei as Lü Bu (17:15) - hahaha omg he originally intended to audition for Zhou Yu???? ok, especially after reading 《早安！三国打工人》I can't help but admit he's become my poor little muddle-headed meow meow... and ZGB is A+ in this role

Hong Yuzhou as Zhou Yu (18:35) - 美周郎 absolutely deserves that BGM cut at 19:28 /swishes cloak

Wei Zongwan as Sima Yi (20:37) - SO. MUCH. happening beneath the stillness of Sima Yi. he also deserves that BGM cut at 21:24. the ultimate 猫头鹰!!

Sun Yanjun as Liu Bei (23:27) - I like the historical Liu Bei more than ROTK Liu Bei, but major major major props to SYJ for, frankly, elevating ROTK Liu Bei with his portrayal, so 央三 Liu Bei > novel ROTK Liu Bei \o/

Tang Guoqiang as Zhuge Liang (24:31) - YES

Bao Guo'an as Cao Cao (26:46) - HELL YES

this got so much longer than I expected /facepalm

[the-monkey-ruler]

The Monkey King (2022) 齐天大圣

Director: Jiang Xiaotong Screenwriter: Wei Xiuliang / Wu Yiwen Starring: Xie Miao / Xu Dongdong / Chen Yitong / An Junqi / Zhao Yuntian / Zhao Donghao / Guo Bidong Genre: Fantasy / Costume Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 2022-05-07 (Mainland China) Duration: 81 minutes Also known as: 普通话 IMDb: tt33014444 Type: Retelling

Summary:

The film tells the story of Sun Wukong escaping from the Five Fingers Mountain and bringing his oppressed demon brothers to make trouble in the Heavenly Palace again. 400 years ago, the Monkey King (played by Xie Miao) led the demon world to attack the Heavenly Palace, and played tricks on the immortals. Later, he was subdued by Tathagata and suppressed under the Five Fingers Mountain, and a generation of demon kings fell. In the following four hundred years, the demon world was suppressed by the immortal world and never recovered. 400 years later, although Sun Wukong escaped from the Five Fingers Mountain with the help of a passing little girl Ayi (played by Chen Yitong), he was no longer glorious. He was despised by his former brothers and gradually lost himself in suffering everywhere.

"The Monkey King" revolves around Sun Wukong's self-sacrifice and self-redemption. It is full of ignition points and deals with profound life issues in a comedic way, making the audience laugh with tears. This time, the film is based on Nantianmen and Xiniu Hezhou. Many classic characters from Journey to the West will appear in full. The passionate confrontation and tear-jerking scenes will bring the audience the most unique visual enjoyment.

Source: https://mov-20.chinesemov.com/2022/The-Monkey-King

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA5mwPDZMyY

[killerandhealerqueen]

Lmao I said I had prompts! 😝 I literally got out my random idea note book for this.

Elven AU - now I don’t know if this is a thing yet, but I think it should be. Hear me out. two different elf races say woods and a moon elves have been in war against eachother for a millennia, and when a kind wood elf healer (Chen Yuzhi) is captured, a dedicated Moon elf general (Jiang Yuelou) begins to really question if the war is even worth it. (And like Chen Yuzhi can heal moon elves, because they are all in this together, and break the social norm of hating eachother)

ofc it doesn’t have to be those specific kind of elves! I just know wood elves are kind and good at healing. Moon elf’s, I guess they are darker but not by a lot, 😂 lmao sorry nerd moment

2. this prompt looks so good

“A thief, brought to their knees before a royal, expecting a gruesome death-

-Little did they know, death at the hands of the tyrant was a mercy granted to very few.”

3. Ok I’ve literally have had this prompt FOR MONTHS 😅.

Character A has spent the past year of their life thinking that Character B, their best friend/sibling/lover/etc., had died in a horrible accident, and that Character A will never see them again. 

One day, when A and their daughter come home to their empty house, Character A finds a note on their kitchen table written in Character B’s handwriting. This continues with Character A finding notes in random locations – their favorite coffee shop, on a bus bench, outside of the grocery store – until Character A realizes that Character B is trying to send them a message: they’re alive, safe, and they miss Character A dearly. 

As it would happen, Character B had been keeping a lot of secrets from Character A, and Character B had to fake their own death to keep their life safe, as well as to ensure Character A’s safety

Ofc character A could be Yuzhi and then his sister, and character B would be perfect for mafia jiang Yuelou. 😊

i Hope u enjoy the prompts!!!! 🥰💜😁

I love all of these prompts...but the elven one is calling my name. So I'm gonna go with that one first and then start outlining the others...I've already started outlining #3 and I really think you're going to love that one

Once upon a time, there were two races of elves, the Moon elves and the Wood elves, that hated each other so much that they decided to wage a war on each other; this war lasting so long that most people forgot why the war even started in the first place.  On both sides, so many lives were lost, but neither side wanted to concede and declare the war over, so they continued to fight, the land surrounding the two kingdoms becoming stained and saturated with blood from how many elves were slain. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Then one day, as Jiang Yuelou, general of the Moon Kingdom’s army, was working on his reports, one of his many soldiers came bursting into the tent, their eyes wide.         “General!” they exclaimed, causing Jiang Yuelou to look up at them in surprise.         “What is it?” he replied.  The soldier grinned.         “We brought back a prisoner…and he’s a pretty important one” they declared.  Jiang Yuelou frowned, it was unusual for his men to bring someone back alive and not just…kill them, but he was curious to know why his men thought this prisoner was important, so he put down his ink brush and pushed himself to feet before he walked over to the soldier, looking at them.         “Show me” he ordered.  The soldier nodded and held open the tent flap, allowing Jiang Yuelou to step out first before they quickly stepped out after him, motioning for him to follow them as they led him to a cage that was kept at the edge of the camp for whenever they brought back prisoners (and so far, they hadn’t, because like Jiang Yuelou said, they usually didn’t leave survivors or take prisoners).  When they reached the cage, Jiang Yuelou stepped forward and looked inside to see a cloaked figure sitting in the middle of the cage, the hood of their cloak covering their face.         “Remove your hood” he ordered.  At the order, the figure lifted their head slightly before they lifted their hands and removed the hood, revealing probably the most beautiful elf Jiang Yuelou had ever seen.  His skin was sun-kissed, slightly tanner than the pale complexion of the moon elves, and his hair was long and dark, a simple gold circlet adorning his head, but the thing that stood out to Jiang Yuelou the most was the elf’s eyes.  They were just so large and brown and…innocent looking.  And Jiang Yuelou hadn’t seen such innocence in well…ever.  He then slowly stepped forward, looking the elf up and down, before he cleared his throat.         “What’s your name?” he demanded.  The elf dipped his head.         “Prince Chen Yuzhi of the Woodland Realms” he replied.  Jiang Yuelou looked at him in surprise; his soldier was right.  This was an important prisoner.  He then quickly shook his head as he looked Chen Yuzhi in the eyes again.         “You are now a prisoner of the Moon Kingdom…and you will not be treated like a prince here.  Here, you and your status mean nothing.  You are a slave.  Do you understand?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi looked at him before he nodded.         “I understand” he replied.  Jiang Yuelou hummed before he looked over at the soldier and waved his hand.         “Dismissed” he declared.  The soldier nodded and quickly turned, heading off as Jiang Yuelou turned back to look at Chen Yuzhi, crossing his arms.         “Can you actually do anything and be useful as a slave or are you just one of those spoiled, rich brats who sucked on a silver spoon and lived in an ivory tower?” he sneered.  Chen Yuzhi blinked before he chuckled softly.         “In my kingdom, I’m not only a prince, but a healer” he answered.  Jiang Yuelou looked at him in surprise.         “A healer?  You?  I don’t believe it” he declared.  Chen Yuzhi nodded.         “It’s the truth.  I’m a healer” he assured.  Jiang Yuelou huffed.         “I never thought a prince would willingly get his hands dirty” he admitted, causing Chen Yuzhi to smile slightly.         “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me” he stated, making Jiang Yuelou bristle.         “And I don’t want to” he spat before he turned, about to walk away when Chen Yuzhi threw out a hand.         “Wait!” he exclaimed, Jiang Yuelou pausing and turning to look at him as he tilted his head.         “What’s your name?  I told you mine…don’t you think it’s only fair that you tell me yours?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou’s eyes widened before he huffed.         “Jiang Yuelou.  General Jiang Yuelou” he replied before he turned away again, leaving Chen Yuzhi alone in the cage, the young elf prince staring after the general with curiosity.  

~*~*~*~*~*~ The next day, when Jiang Yuelou went to go check on Chen Yuzhi in the cage, he found the prince looking around, almost as if he was studying the place.         “You know, if you try to escape, my men will cut you down before you can even take a step” he called out, making Chen Yuzhi jump and turn to look at him before he smiled slightly, causing Jiang Yuelou to pause; why the hell was the prince smiling at him?  They were enemies.  He literally had him in a cage.  And yet he was smiling at him?         “Good morning, General.  And I wasn’t thinking about escaping, I was just studying my surroundings.  It’s…much different to the woodlands.  Colder and much more barren” Chen Yuzhi explained.  Jiang Yuelou huffed.         “We’re moon elves.  What were you expecting?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi chuckled.         “I don’t know, if I’m being completely honest” he answered.  Jiang Yuelou hummed before he tilted his head.         “How did you sleep?” he inquired.  Chen Yuzhi blinked before he smiled.         “Fine.  It was a little cold, but not unbearable” he replied.  Jiang Yuelou nodded.         “Well…if it does get too cold, tell me” he instructed, making Chen Yuzhi look at him in surprise.         “That’s…surprisingly kind of you, General” he stated.  Jiang Yuelou huffed.         “You may be a prisoner, but that doesn’t mean I want you to suffer” he grumbled.  Chen Yuzhi smiled.         “Well…thank you” he thanked, Jiang Yuelou humming in reply just as two soldiers supporting a badly injured soldier rushed over to them.         “General!” they shouted, making Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi look over at them before Jiang Yuelou looked at the soldiers supporting the injured soldier.         “Take him to the medical tent.  Now” he barked.  The soldiers nodded and quickly guided their injured comrade away as Jiang Yuelou glanced over at Chen Yuzhi, narrowing his eyes.         “You said you were a healer, right?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi looked at him in surprise before he nodded.         “Yes.  Why?” he replied.  Jiang Yuelou, however, said nothing and just walked over to the cage, unlocking the door before he threw it open and looked at him.         “Prove it” he ordered.  Chen Yuzhi’s eyes widened and he quickly nodded before he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the entrance of the cage, carefully stepping out only to nearly collapse (due to his legs being a bit numb from the cold and from sitting so long) had Jiang Yuelou not shot out a hand and caught him.         “Careful” he murmured, looking him in the eyes.  Chen Yuzhi stared back at him, his eyes wide, before he straightened himself and cleared his throat.         “Thank you” he thanked.  Jiang Yuelou hummed and released his arm before he motioned for him to follow him to the medical tent, both of them soon stepping inside to see the two soldiers standing beside their injured friend’s bedside, their eyes full of concern and fear that soon turned to disgust as they looked over at them.         “General, what is he doing here?” one demanded, pointing to Chen Yuzhi.         “He’s going to heal him” Jiang Yuelou answered calmly.  The soldiers looked at him in shock.         “What?!” they exclaimed.  Jiang Yuelou, however, didn’t answer and instead just looked over at Chen Yuzhi, motioning with his head to the injured soldier.         “Go on” he ordered.  Chen Yuzhi glanced at him and nodded before he walked over to the injured soldier and smiled.         “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine in a moment” he promised as he held out his hand over the wound, his eyes glowing gold as he used his magic to heal the wound.  Once the wound was healed, he pulled his hand away and looked at the soldier, smiling again.         “There” he declared.  The injured soldier, as well as his two friends, looking at him in shock before they all looked down at the wound, their eyes widening even further to find that there wasn’t really a wound anymore just…healed skin.  They then looked over at him again before they all hesitantly dipped their heads.         “T-Thank you” they thanked.  Chen Yuzhi smiled.         “You’re welcome” he replied.  The three soldiers then quickly rushed out of the medical tent, not wanting to be around him for longer than they had to, as Jiang Yuelou looked over at him.         “You really weren’t lying about being a healer” he mused, making Chen Yuzhi look back at him in surprise before he laughed.         “Of course I wasn’t.  Why would I lie about that?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou shrugged.         “I don’t know, you’re a prisoner?  Prisoners will usually say anything to potentially get out of punishment or enslavement” he explained.  Chen Yuzhi hummed softly.         “I see” he murmured as Jiang Yuelou looked at him again before he crossed his arms.         “How about…” he started, making Chen Yuzhi look over at him and raise an eyebrow as he cleared his throat.         “How about instead of you being a slave, you become our army’s healer?  I think your powers could be of great use to us” he declared.  Chen Yuzhi blinked at the proposition before he smiled and nodded.         “If you think I can be of some use, I’ll do my best to help” he replied, making Jiang Yuelou look at him in surprise.         “You…you’re not going to say no?  We’re the enemy.  You would literally be helping the enemy” he reminded.  Chen Yuzhi huffed.         “The only enemy here is hatred.  There’s no reason for us to hate each other…we’re both races of elves and we’re no better than the other…the war is the enemy and we are its victims.  I can’t even remember the reason for this war in the first place.  Can you?” he asked, looking him in the eyes.  Jiang Yuelou was quiet as he looked back at him before he shook his head.         “No…I can’t” he answered.  Silence then fell over them before Jiang Yuelou cleared his throat.         “Um…well.  Since we don’t really have any space for you to stay—” he started when Chen Yuzhi looked at him.         “I don’t mind staying in the cage” he offered, but that only seemed to make Jiang Yuelou’s eyes widen before he quickly shook his head.         “No, no, I was going to offer you to stay with me.  In my tent” he explained.  Chen Yuzhi blinked.         “In…in your tent?” he repeated.  Jiang Yuelou nodded.         “Yes.  But if you want to go back to the cage—” he started.         “No!” Chen Yuzhi exclaimed, Jiang Yuelou looking at him in surprise as he blushed.         “No…I’d…I’d like to stay with you.  If that’s alright” he murmured.  Jiang Yuelou stared at him for a moment before he smirked and walked over to the entrance of the medical tent, pausing to look back at him.         “Come on then” he called, Chen Yuzhi looking at him before he quickly followed after him, both men heading to Jiang Yuelou’s tent, which was the largest tent in the camp.         “See?  Plenty of room” Jiang Yuelou declared as he stepped through the entrance, Chen Yuzhi humming softly as he stepped in after him and looked around.         “Yes, it’s very nice” he murmured before he looked over at Jiang Yuelou.         “Thank you for letting me stay” he thanked.  Jiang Yuelou huffed.         “Don’t thank me yet” he replied before he walked over to a chest that was in the corner of the tent and opened it, pulling out a new gray robe before he walked over to Chen Yuzhi and held it out to him.         “If you’re going to be working for the Moon Kingdom, you might as well dress as if you’re from the Moon Kingdom” he declared.  Chen Yuzhi looked at the robes and nodded, taking them before he headed to the changing screen, quickly changing behind it before he stepped out from behind it and looked at Jiang Yuelou.         “How do I look?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou, who was busy setting up a bed for Chen Yuzhi to sleep on, turned and when he saw him in the gray robes, his eyes widened and his heart thumped strangely in his chest before he cleared his throat.         “You look fine” he replied.  He then looked at the circlet Chen Yuzhi was wearing and hummed before he walked over to him and reached out, removing the circlet from his head.         “Don’t wear this.  It makes you stand out” he declared.  Chen Yuzhi frowned.         “But I’m a prisoner…shouldn’t I be wearing something that shows that I’m not one of you?” he asked.         “You’ll be placed in cuffs and chained in place so that you can’t escape.  There’s no need for you to wear your crown if you wear those” Jiang Yuelou answered.  Chen Yuzhi huffed.         “Wearing cuffs seems a bit excessive…I’m not planning to escape” he grumbled.  Jiang Yuelou smiled slightly.         “Just being cautious, that’s all.  Can’t quite trust you yet” he explained.  Chen Yuzhi gave him a look.         “And yet you trust me enough to let me share a tent with you?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou paused before he looked away.         “That’s different” he mumbled.  Chen Yuzhi hummed.         “If you say so” he replied before he looked at the circlet in Jiang Yuelou’s hands.         “Just…please be careful with that?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou looked at the circlet then at him before he nodded.         “I will” he promised before he walked over to his chest and opened it, carefully placing the circlet inside before he looked over at Chen Yuzhi.         “Come on, let’s head back to the medical tent” he declared.  Chen Yuzhi nodded and followed him back to the medical tent, Jiang Yuelou pointing to a spot beside one of the beds as soon as they stepped inside.         “You are to stay here for the rest of the day.  Tomorrow I’ll have someone create cuffs and chains for you, but for today, you must stay in this spot and heal people” he ordered.  Chen Yuzhi nodded slowly before he looked over at him.         “But wouldn’t it be better if I could move around?  Staying in one place is a bit counterproductive as a healer…” he explained, causing Jiang Yuelou to hum.         “Fine.  I’ll allow you to move around, so I won’t chain you…but you still must be in cuffs” he declared.  Chen Yuzhi huffed.         “General, I’m a healer, not a mage or a witch.  I can only use my magic to heal people; I can’t use it to hurt them” he argued, only for Jiang Yuelou to shake his head.         “Doesn’t matter.  Either you’re in cuffs or you’re back in the cage.  Which will it be?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.  Chen Yuzhi looked at him before he sighed softly.         “I suppose I’ll take the cuffs then” he murmured, causing Jiang Yuelou to smile.         “I knew you’d see reason” he declared before he turned and headed out of the tent, Chen Yuzhi watching him before he sighed heavily; now he just had to wait.  However, he didn’t have to wait very long for soon a multitude of injured soldiers came into the tent with various injuries, causing Chen Yuzhi to look at them with wide eyes before he steeled his gaze and stepped forward.  Time to get to work. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Later that evening, Jiang Yuelou came to check on Chen Yuzhi, just to see how he was doing, and found the young prince leaning against one of the beds, looking exhausted.  At the sight of his exhaustion, Jiang Yuelou raised an eyebrow before he walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump and look at him with wide eyes before he let out a breath.         “Oh…General” he breathed.  Jiang Yuelou frowned.         “Are you alright?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi nodded.         “I’m just a little tired…using my magic consistently like this is a little draining, that’s all” he replied.  Jiang Yuelou frowned again.         “But you said you were a healer back in your kingdom…” he started when Chen Yuzhi nodded again.         “Yes, but not during war time...before the war started, I treated people in a small clinic...and I only had a handful of people come in at a time…I’ve never seen so many patients one after the other” he explained.  Jiang Yuelou frowned a third time.         “Is it…dangerous for you to use your magic consistently?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi hummed.         “If I don’t get enough rest, it can be.  Because using my magic uses my energy and if I use too much energy, I might collapse” he answered.  Jiang Yuelou shook his head.         “But don’t healers have an unlimited supply of magic?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi nodded.         “We do, but even the best and most powerful magic users know when to conserve their magic” he answered.  Jiang Yuelou was quiet, taking everything he said in, before he looked at him.         “Well…if it gets to be too much, let me know” he instructed, making Chen Yuzhi look up at him in surprise.         “Wha—” he started when Jiang Yuelou huffed.         “I don’t want you to collapse while you’re healing my men…I’m cruel, not that cruel” he grumbled.  Chen Yuzhi blinked before he chuckled softly and nodded.         “Alright” he agreed before he pushed himself off the bed and looked at him.         “There won’t be any more men coming in tonight, right?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou shook his head.         “We rest at night, which means you should rest too” he declared, causing Chen Yuzhi to smile weakly.         “I’d like that” he murmured before he and Jiang Yuelou headed out of the medical tent and back to Jiang Yuelou’s tent, Jiang Yuelou heading to the changing screen to change out of his armor while Chen Yuzhi walked over to his bed and laid down, immediately falling asleep as soon as his head hit the bed.  Meanwhile, after Jiang Yuelou had finished changing, he stepped out from behind the screen and looked down at Chen Yuzhi, staring at the sleeping prince for a moment before he walked over to him and carefully draped a blanket over him, watching him again for a moment before he turned and walked over to his own bed, lying down on it before he threw his blanket over himself and shut his eyes, allowing the exhaustion from the day to pull him into a deep sleep. ~*~*~*~*~*~ The next morning, when Jiang Yuelou woke up, he was surprised to find Chen Yuzhi already up, the young healer looking nothing like he had the previous evening.         “You’re up” he called out, making Chen Yuzhi look over at him and smile.         “Good morning” he replied before he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the table beside Jiang Yuelou’s bed, picking up a small cup of tea before he held it out to him.         “Drink.  The weather is cool this morning, so you should drink something warm to warm your insides” he stated.  Jiang Yuelou looked at him in surprise before he slowly sat up and reached out, taking the cup from him before he took a sip and hummed.         “It’s good.  How did you make this?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi smiled.         “I just used things from inside your tent…you have quite the tea collection” he teased, causing Jiang Yuelou’s eyes to widen before he blushed and looked away.           “I like tea” he murmured.  Chen Yuzhi laughed.         “I do too.  Don’t worry, General, I won’t tell anyone” he promised.  Jiang Yuelou hummed and took one last sip of tea before he placed the cup down and pushed himself to his feet.         “See that you don’t” he grumbled before he walked over to the changing screen and stepped behind it, slipping into his armor before he stepped out from behind it and looked at Chen Yuzhi.         “Shouldn’t you get going?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi looked back at him before he held out his wrists.         “I’m waiting for my cuffs” he answered.  Jiang Yuelou blinked before he shook his head.         “No cuffs” he declared, making Chen Yuzhi look at him in surprise.         “What?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou huffed.         “I thought about it and cuffs would hinder your abilities, so I decided against the cuffs.  However, you’re still not allowed to leave the medical tent.  Understand?” he instructed.  Chen Yuzhi looked at him before he smiled and nodded.         “Understood” he answered.  Jiang Yuelou nodded.         “Good.  Now go” he ordered.  Chen Yuzhi nodded before he turned and headed out of the tent, Jiang Yuelou watching him leave before he walked over and picked up his sword, strapping it to his waist before he stepped out of the tent.  He had an army to run. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Over the course of the day, while Jiang Yuelou was working on strategies and talking with his captains and lieutenants about how they should go about attacking the Woodland Realms, Chen Yuzhi, along with another doctor, worked on healing any and every injured person that came through the medical tent.  When lunchtime came, the other doctor left while Chen Yuzhi remained in the tent because 1) Jiang Yuelou told him he wasn’t allowed to leave and 2) someone should stay behind just in case an injured person came by.  Meanwhile, in the area of the camp where everyone took their lunch, Jiang Yuelou noticed that Chen Yuzhi wasn’t among them (why he was searching for the prince he had no idea, don’t ask him), causing him to frown.         ‘Where is he?’ he wondered to himself before he pushed himself to his feet and walked away from the others, walking through the camp until he came upon the medical tent, stepping inside to see Chen Yuzhi holding his hand out over a young soldier’s leg, his eyes glowing gold before he pulled his hand away and smiled at the soldier.         “There now.  All fixed” he declared, the young soldier grinning in reply as he dipped his head to him before he pushed himself off the hospital bed and made his way to the entrance of the tent, dipping his head to Jiang Yuelou as he passed.         “Sir” he greeted, Jiang Yuelou dipping his head in reply.  He then waited for him to leave before he stepped further into the tent and looked at Chen Yuzhi.         “Why didn’t you come and get something to eat?” he demanded, causing Chen Yuzhi to jump and turn at his voice before he smiled.         “I’m fine.  And besides, someone should stay here, just in case someone needs to be treated” he replied.  Jiang Yuelou made a face.         “You still need to eat, you know” he stated, only for Chen Yuzhi to shake his head.         “I’m fine.  Don’t worry about me” he assured.  Jiang Yuelou, however, didn’t seem to like that answer as he let out a growl before he turned and stormed out of the tent, causing Chen Yuzhi to stare after him in confusion; he didn’t quite understand the general at times.  Just then, Jiang Yuelou returned with a steaming bowl of porridge in his hands which he then promptly handed to Chen Yuzhi, much to his surprise.         “Eat.  You need to eat or else you’ll lose strength” he declared, causing Chen Yuzhi to blink and look down at the bowl of porridge before he looked up at him.         “Thank you but…why are you…being so nice to me?  I’m just a prisoner, aren’t I?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou huffed.         “You may be a prisoner, but that doesn’t mean I want you to starve.  So eat” he ordered.  Chen Yuzhi stared at him, then down at the bowl of porridge, before he sighed softly and picked up his spoon, taking a bite.  He then let out a soft hum of content before he glanced over to see that Jiang Yuelou was still standing in the tent, causing him to raise an eyebrow.         “What, are you going to just stand there and watch me eat?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou nodded.         “Yes.  I want to make sure you eat the entire bowl, so I’m not leaving until you’re done” he replied, causing Chen Yuzhi’s eyes to widen in surprise before he chuckled and shook his head.         “You’re a strange general” he murmured.  Jiang Yuelou huffed and crossed his arms.         “No, it’s called I care for my men…including you” he replied.  Chen Yuzhi looked at him in surprise, he really wasn’t expecting that answer, before he went back to eating, soon finishing the entire bowl without realizing it.         “See?  You were hungry” Jiang Yuelou declared once he had finished the bowl.  Chen Yuzhi hummed softly.         “So I was” he agreed as Jiang Yuelou walked over, taking the bowl and spoon from him before he turned and headed towards the entrance of the medical tent, only to pause and look back at him.         “Make sure you eat dinner as well” he ordered before he left the tent, leaving Chen Yuzhi to stare after him in a mixture of shock and confusion.  He really didn’t understand this general.   ~*~*~*~*~*~ Over the next few weeks, as the war continued, Chen Yuzhi continued to heal any injured soldier that passed through the medical tent alongside the other doctor that worked with him, whom he learned was named Dr. Qiu Lingfeng.  And they got along great, at least in Chen Yuzhi’s opinion.  However, as more soldiers came through the medical tent, they began wanting only Chen Yuzhi to look at them and heal them instead of Dr. Qiu, causing a seed of hatred and jealousy to be planted in his once kind heart.  Chen Yuzhi, of course, didn’t even realize that anything was wrong until one day, after they (more like he) had finished treating patients, Dr. Qiu took a deep breath.         “I’ve spent years in this regiment…treating wound after wound…and working tirelessly to earn the respect of men…” he started before he spun around and glared at Chen Yuzhi.         “…and then you come waltzing in here with your “magic” and start healing them and now none of them want me to treat them!  Only you!” he shouted, causing Chen Yuzhi to blink before he dipped his head.         “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that I was causing a problem for you…I was only trying to help—” he started when Dr. Qiu picked up a scalpel.         “I never asked for your help!” he shouted, throwing the scalpel at him.  Chen Yuzhi, thankfully, had quick reflexes and avoided the flying sharp object before he took a step away from the hospital bed he was standing besides, Dr. Qiu taking a step towards him.         “Dr. Qiu, please—” he started, but Dr. Qiu didn’t seem to hear him and just threw another medical instrument at him, causing him to dodge it as he took another fearful step away from the enraged doctor; maybe it was a good idea that Jiang Yuelou had removed his circlet…who knows how Dr. Qiu would have reacted had he realized that he was not a moon elf.  Then, to his horror, Dr. Qiu pulled a dagger from his robe and pointed it at him.         “You…I’m going to kill you so that there can only be one healer in this army” he growled before he rushed at him, causing Chen Yuzhi’s eyes to widen before he turned and ran out of the medical tent, not even watching where he was going as he was running through the camp until he suddenly slammed into somebody.         “Sorry, excuse me” he apologized, making to run again when the person he had slammed into grasped him by the arms.         "Chen Yuzhi?” a familiar voice asked, making Chen Yuzhi lift his head to see Jiang Yuelou looking at him in confusion.         “What’s wrong?” he continued.  Chen Yuzhi shook his head.         “Dr. Qiu—” he started when Dr. Qiu came running over to them, his eyes crazed.         “General!  Thank you for catching him!  Now, please hold him still so I can end him” he requested, pointing the dagger at Chen Yuzhi.  At the sight of the dagger, Jiang Yuelou’s eyes widened and he quickly pulled Chen Yuzhi behind him before he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Dr. Qiu.         “Qiu Lingfeng!  Have you lost your mind?  Attacking one of our own?!” he exclaimed, causing Chen Yuzhi to look at him in surprise.  One of their own?  Jiang Yuelou considered him one of them?  Dr. Qiu then shook his head as he pointed at Chen Yuzhi.         “He’s not one of us!  And you’re the one who’s lost their minds if you think he is!  Now stand aside, General, and let me take care of this imposter” he declared before he stepped forward, only for Jiang Yuelou to press the tip of his sword into his throat.         “Take one more step and it will be your last” he warned, just as more soldiers surrounded them, all of them looking at the scene in confusion.         "General?  What’s going on here?” one soldier asked.  Jiang Yuelou motioned with his chin to Dr. Qiu.         “Qiu Lingfeng here is trying to kill Chen Yuzhi” he answered, making all of the soldiers look at Dr. Qiu in shock.         “Dr. Qiu, why?  Chen Yuzhi is so nice! And he’s doing all of the hard work for you!  Should you be thanking him?” another soldier asked, causing Dr. Qiu to growl as he pointed to himself.         “I’m this army’s doctor!  Not him!  You all should be coming to me for your injuries, not him!” he shouted before he looked at Chen Yuzhi and narrowed his eyes.         “And I will make sure they only come to me from now on” he growled before he threw his dagger, watching with sick delight as it pierced Chen Yuzhi’s abdomen, causing him to cry out in pain as he crashed to the ground.         “CHEN YUZHI!” Jiang Yuelou shouted, looking down at the injured prince with wide eyes before he turned and glared at Dr. Qiu, baring his teeth before he quickly slit his throat, watching as he fell to the ground, his eyes wide as blood poured from his neck and pooled around him.  While he laid dying, Jiang Yuelou huffed and sheathed his sword before he turned and knelt beside Chen Yuzhi, looking at him with concern as he continued to gasp and wince in pain.         “Hang on, Chen Yuzhi.  Just hang on” he whispered before he reached out and carefully scooped him into his arms, careful not to jostle him as he looked up at his soldiers, all of whom were looking back at him with concern in their eyes.         “I’ll take care of this.  You take care of him” he ordered, motioning with his head to Dr. Qiu’s body.  The soldiers nodded and moved to take care of Dr. Qiu’s body while Jiang Yuelou pushed himself to his feet and made his way to his tent, stepping inside before he walked over to Chen Yuzhi’s bed and knelt down, carefully placing him onto the bed before he looked at him.         “Chen Yuzhi…what do you need?  What can I do?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi looked back at him before he motioned to the dagger in his abdomen.         “You have to remove this so I can heal myself” he answered, causing Jiang Yuelou to look at him in shock before he reached out and grasped the hilt of the dagger, taking a deep breath before he looked at Chen Yuzhi again.         “Are you sure?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi nodded weakly.         “Yes” he breathed.  Jiang Yuelou nodded slowly before he took another deep breath and yanked, the dagger coming out with a sickening squelch as Chen Yuzhi gasped, hot white pain singing through his body.  He then squeezed his eyes and took a deep breath, waiting for majority of the pain to pass before he placed his hands over his wound and began to heal himself, Jiang Yuelou watching him with a small frown.  However, not even a moment later, Chen Yuzhi’s hands fell away from his wound and he looked over at Jiang Yuelou, shaking his head weakly.         “I can’t.  I’m too weak” he whispered.  Jiang Yuelou’s eyes widened, that was not what he wanted to hear, before he reached out and took one of Chen Yuzhi’s hands in his.         “You can.  I know you can.  So take whatever you need from me, take whatever I can give you, and use it to heal yourself” he ordered.  Chen Yuzhi looked at him in shock.         “General—” he started.         “That’s an order” Jiang Yuelou growled.  Chen Yuzhi blinked before he nodded slowly and shut his eyes, placing one hand over his wound while Jiang Yuelou clutched his other hand tightly; he had never done an energy transfer before but since Jiang Yuelou was willing to give some of it to him…he had to at least give it a try.  He then took a deep breath before he opened his eyes, his eyes glowing gold as he transferred energy from Jiang Yuelou into himself, using that energy to heal his stab wound.  Once he had finished healing himself, Chen Yuzhi let out a soft breath before he looked over at Jiang Yuelou and smiled.         “Thank you” he whispered, just as his eyes fluttered and he fainted, his hand going limp in Jiang Yuelou’s.  Jiang Yuelou, meanwhile, just stared back at him for a moment before he carefully placed his hand down and pushed himself to his feet, walking over to the entrance of the tent before he stepped out and looked around, soon grabbing a passing soldier by the arm.         “Yes General?” the soldier asked, looking at him with wide eyes.         “Get me a bowl of water and a rag” he ordered.  The soldier nodded and quickly rushed off to do his bidding, soon returning with the bowl of water and rag that he had requested.  Jiang Yuelou then took the bowl and rag, dipping his head to the soldier in thanks before he turned and headed back inside the tent, walking over to Chen Yuzhi’s bed before he sat down beside it and dunked the rag into the bowl of water, squeezing out the excess before he began to gently wipe the sweat off of Chen Yuzhi’s brow and neck.  He didn’t know why he was treating the prince like this because, like Chen Yuzhi had said earlier, he was just a prisoner but…had he ever really been a prisoner?  Had Jiang Yuelou ever really treated him like a prisoner?  No, he hadn’t.  And why hadn’t he ever treated the prince like a prisoner, even though they were supposedly enemies?  Because Chen Yuzhi didn’t seem like a bad person.  Hell, in Jiang Yuelou’s opinion he wasn’t a bad person, considering the fact that he was willing to heal a race of elves that was fighting against his own race.  And maybe he was doing it because it was better than staying in the cage the entire time, but Jiang Yuelou liked to think that…deep down, Chen Yuzhi cared.  He just seemed like that type of person.   ~*~*~*~*~*~ A little while later, when Chen Yuzhi finally woke up, he blinked a few times before he slowly sat up just as Jiang Yuelou stepped into the tent they shared, holding a bowl of soup in his hands.         “You’re awake” he greeted, making Chen Yuzhi look over at him and nod as he walked over and knelt before him, holding out the bowl of soup.         “Here” he offered.  Chen Yuzhi looked at the bowl of soup in surprise before he reached out and took it, taking a careful sip before he looked at him.         “Thank you.  For this and for earlier” he thanked.  Jiang Yuelou hummed before he looked at him.         “You’re not going back to the medical tent.  From now on, you’re staying by my side” he declared, causing Chen Yuzhi to look at him in surprise.         “What?  Why?” he demanded.  Jiang Yuelou huffed.         “Because I’m not letting you get hurt again” he replied.  Chen Yuzhi shook his head.         “That’s not necessary…if you took care of Dr. Qiu, it won’t happen again.  Besides, I’m still needed in the medical tent; you can’t pull me away” he argued.  Jiang Yuelou frowned and opened his mouth to counter when Chen Yuzhi just looked at him, his gaze unwavering.  They then stared at each for a moment before Jiang Yuelou sighed heavily.         “Fine.  Fine, you can stay in the medical tent…but if something happens, come find me.  Or go and find a soldier and have them tell me” he ordered, causing Chen Yuzhi to look at him before he tilted his head.         “I know I asked you this before but…why are you being so nice to me?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou raised an eyebrow.         “Would you rather I be cruel to you?” he replied.  Chen Yuzhi was quiet before he shook his head.         “No but…are you like this with all the other prisoners?” he inquired.  Jiang Yuelou stared at him for a moment with wide eyes before he barked out a laugh.         “My dear prince…we don’t take prisoners.  We don’t leave survivors.  You are the first prisoner we have ever taken so be grateful that you are alive because my soldiers could have very well left you dead in a ditch somewhere” he declared before he pushed himself to his feet and turned, heading out of the tent as Chen Yuzhi stared after him, his eyes wide in shock.  Well.  That answered his question. ~*~*~*~*~*~ The next morning, after he had rested for the rest of the evening the night before, Chen Yuzhi headed to medical tent to once again begin healing people, but only after Jiang Yuelou had given him another strict reminder to let him know if anyone was harassing him or bothering him or whatever.  Chen Yuzhi, of course, had just smiled and nodded before he headed out, shaking his head slightly as he walked away from Jiang Yuelou.  He couldn’t quite figure the man out…he seemed to care about him but also put-up fronts about being a cruel person…so what was the truth?  Was he actually a cold and cruel general of the Moon Kingdom or was it all just an act?  He then quickly shook his head; he didn’t have time to think about this.  He had to get ready and prepare for any injured parties that might come through his tent.   ~*~*~*~*~*~ Over the next couple of months, the war never seemed to cease…every day soldiers came through the medical tent, some barely injured and some injured beyond even Chen Yuzhi’s healing powers.  Those days were particularly hard, especially for Chen Yuzhi, but he pushed through the tears and the pain because he had a job to do which was to make sure that the soldiers could go home to their families.  Even if he wasn’t able to go home (or if he would even have a home by the time the war ended), he still wanted to make sure that these men could.   ~*~*~*~*~*~ Then one quiet evening, as everyone was enjoying their dinner, the quiet was soon disturbed by the sound of a horn blaring, causing everyone to look up in horror while Chen Yuzhi frowned in confusion.         “What’s happening?” he asked, glancing up at Jiang Yuelou as the general pushed himself to his feet.         “We’re under attack” he answered before he reached down and grabbed Chen Yuzhi by the arm, yanking him to his feet.         “Get to the tent and stay there” he ordered, causing Chen Yuzhi to look at him with wide eyes before he wrenched his arm out of his grasp.         “I can fight” he declared, making Jiang Yuelou glare at him.         “Chen Yuzhi—” he started.         “I can fight, Jiang Yuelou.  I’m not just a healer, I was a prince back in my kingdom which means I know how to fight.  Let me fight with you” Chen Yuzhi begged.  Jiang Yuelou looked at him for a moment before he sighed exasperatedly.         “Fine.  What sort of weapon do you want?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi smiled.         “Do you have a bow and a quiver of arrows?” he replied.  Jiang Yuelou raised an eyebrow before he looked over at a nearby soldier and snapped his fingers at them.         “Get me a bow and a quiver of arrows” he ordered.  The soldier nodded and quickly rushed to the armory to grab what he requested as he looked over at Chen Yuzhi and frowned.         “Do you know what you’re doing?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi smiled.         “Of course I do” he replied.  Jiang Yuelou hummed, just as the soldier returned, holding the bow and the quiver of arrows.         “Here sir” he declared, causing Jiang Yuelou to look over at him and dip his head before he reached out and took the weapons from him, handing them over to Chen Yuzhi who then took the quiver and slipped it onto his back, tightening the strap across his chest so that it wouldn’t fall off before he reached out and took the bow, looking at him.         “Be careful” he instructed.  Jiang Yuelou huffed.         “I should say the same to you” he replied, causing Chen Yuzhi to smile before he slipped off, disappearing into the darkness as Jiang Yuelou turned and looked at his men.         “Let’s go” he ordered, his men nodding in reply as they brandished their swords before they all took off through the camp towards the oncoming enemy, who just so happened to be the elves from the Woodland Realms.         ‘So they finally found us’ Jiang Yuelou thought to himself as he continued to run towards the oncoming enemy, only to watch as the elves from the Woodland Realms suddenly began going down with cries, causing Jiang Yuelou, his soldiers and the elves from the Woodland Realms to look around in confusion.         ‘What the hell?!  Another attack?’ Jiang Yuelou thought to himself, looking around for another attacker before he looked up and noticed Chen Yuzhi standing atop the watch tower, the prince looking hauntingly beautiful in the torchlight as he notched another arrow, pulled it back, and fired, the arrow piercing through another Woodland elf’s armor.  Jiang Yuelou stared at the prince for a moment, his eyes wide with awe as he watched him fire another arrow, before he quickly pulled his gaze away and shook his head.         ‘Now is not the time to be distracted’ he thought to himself before he rushed at the oncoming elves, hacking and slashing at them with his sword while Chen Yuzhi took them down from above with his arrows.  For a while, it seemed that the Moon elves had the upper hand until one Woodland elf got very lucky and pierced through Jiang Yuelou’s armor, causing Jiang Yuelou to cry out in agony and collapse to his knees.  At the sound of his cry, Chen Yuzhi, who was up in the watch tower, turned and when he saw Jiang Yuelou on the ground, clutching at his abdomen while a Woodland elf stood before him, their sword raised to strike, his eyes widened in horror.         “JIANG YUELOU!” he screamed before he quickly drew an arrow, notched it, and fired, watching as the arrow pierced through the elf’s neck before he quickly climbed down from the tower and made his way towards Jiang Yuelou, smacking any elf that got in his way with his bow.  Once he reached the general, he quickly knelt beside him before he reached out and removed his hand from the stab wound, placing his own hand over it.         “Hang on, Jiang Yuelou” he pleaded, making Jiang Yuelou look over at him before he weakly shook his head.         “No…you need to leave…” he croaked, only for Chen Yuzhi to shake his head in return.         “I’m not leaving you; you’re hurt!” he exclaimed, his shout so loud that it stopped all fighting in its tracks and caused all of the elves to turn and look at him before one of the Woodland elves stepped forward, confusion on their face.         “Your Majesty?” they called out, making Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou look up to see all of the elves, particularly the Woodland elves, staring at them before the elf who had just spoken shook his head.         “Your Majesty, what are you doing?!  Kill him!” they exclaimed.           “I will not” Chen Yuzhi growled, sending him a scathing glare.  All of the Woodland elves looked at him in shock before another elf huffed.         “Then you’re a traitor” they declared.  Chen Yuzhi lifted his chin defiantly.         “So maybe I am.  But I won’t kill him.  I won’t kill any of them” he replied, causing the Woodland elves to shake their heads in disbelief.         “So you’ll side with the enemy over your own people?!” another soldier exclaimed.  Chen Yuzhi shook his head.         “They are NOT the enemy!  They’re just like us!  They’re fighting in this senseless war and for what?!  What do we gain from destroying each other?  Nothing!  All we gain is destroyed homes, lost friends, and torn families!  There is nothing good about this war!  And I refuse to let you hurt another person in the name of our kingdom!” he shouted, causing all of the elves, both Moon and Woodland, to look at him in shock before one of the Woodland elves stepped forward and looked at him.         “I’m sure your uncle will love to hear you preach that little speech of yours to him, Your Majesty” they sneered, making Chen Yuzhi look up at him with wide eyes.         “General Zhao…” he breathed.  The elf, General Zhao, then stepped forward and reached out, grabbing him by the arm before he yanked him to his feet and away from Jiang Yuelou.         “Come…you’re coming back to the Woodland Realms to be punished for your crime of treason” he declared, causing Chen Yuzhi’s eyes to widen as he looked back at Jiang Yuelou, who was growing paler by the second, before he looked at General Zhao.         “Wait, wait!” he exclaimed.  General Zhao paused and looked over at him.         “What?” he demanded.  Chen Yuzhi motioned to Jiang Yuelou.         “Let me heal him and I’ll go with you” he promised.  General Zhao shook his head.         “Absolutely not” he argued, causing Chen Yuzhi to narrow his eyes before he reached out and yanked his sword from his sheath, pressing the blade to his throat.         “Either you let me heal him or I slit my throat right here and now” he threated.  General Zhao scoffed.         “You wouldn’t do such a thing” he sneered.  Chen Yuzhi raised an eyebrow.         “No?” he replied before he pressed the blade into his throat and began to cut, wincing as warm blood began to stream down his neck, when General Zhao quickly grabbed the sword and yanked it out of his hand.         “Fine!  Fine, you can heal him but then you must come back with us” he instructed.  Chen Yuzhi looked at him and nodded before he turned and ran back to Jiang Yuelou, kneeling beside him as he looked at him with wide eyes before he reached up, covering the wound on his neck with his hand to try and stop the bleeding.         “Chen Yuzhi, are you crazy?!” he exclaimed.  Chen Yuzhi smiled.         “Maybe just a little” he replied before he reached out and covered Jiang Yuelou’s wound with his hand, his eyes glowing gold for a moment before he pulled his hand away and looked at him, smiling slightly.         “There” he whispered.  Jiang Yuelou shook his head.         “What about you?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi smiled again before he reached up and covered Jiang Yuelou’s hand with his, his eyes glowing gold once more before he pulled his and Jiang Yuelou’s hand away to reveal a perfectly healed neck.         “I’ll be fine” he assured before he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Jiang Yuelou’s temple, Jiang Yuelou looking at him with wide eyes as he pushed himself to his feet and made his way back over to the Woodland elves, General Zhao immediately grabbing his arm as soon as he got close.  They then began to walk away, making it about halfway through the camp before Chen Yuzhi paused and threw one last glance over his shoulder at Jiang Yuelou and the other Moon elves, flashing them all a soft smile before General Zhao yanked on his arm, forcing him to keep moving as he and the Woodland elves turned and continued out of the camp.  As they walked away, Jiang Yuelou continued to stare after them before he slowly pushed himself to his feet and turned, heading back to his tent before stepping inside.  Once he was inside, he took a deep breath, trying to calm the growing rage inside of him before he walked over to the chest in the corner of his tent and opened it, removing Chen Yuzhi’s circlet.  He then stared at the circlet for a moment, Chen Yuzhi’s soft smile flashing before his eyes, and he couldn’t help but let out a growl as he clutched the circlet tightly, just as two of his lieutenant generals, Song Rong and Sun Yongren, entered the tent.         “General?  What do you want to do?  Do we go after them?” Song Rong asked.  Jiang Yuelou tsked.         “Obviously” he snapped, slipping Chen Yuzhi’s circlet inside his armor as Sun Yongren frowned.         But…will the men want to go after them?  All for…a prisoner?” he asked.         “Chen Yuzhi is NOT a prisoner!” Jiang Yuelou shouted, spinning around to glare at his men as they looked back at him in shock.  He then shook his head.         “He never has been.  He’s one of us.  He’s saved countless lives…even when he didn’t have to.  So if the men don’t want to go and save him, fine.  They don’t have to.  But I’m going to” he declared before he walked past them, about to leave the tent when they turned to look at him.         “We’re coming too.  We’re not letting you go alone” Song Rong declared, making Jiang Yuelou look back at them and smirk.         “Thanks boys” he thanked before he stepped out of the tent, Song Rong and Sun Yongren following after him as he walked over to the rest of the soldiers, all of whom looked sort of…lost.         “I’m going after those Woodland elves.  Anyone who wants to come along, follow me.  If not, stay behind and protect the camp” he ordered before he turned and made his way to the stables, he, Song Rong, and Sun Yongren leading their horses outside before they jumped into their saddles, all of them surprised to see the rest of the soldiers standing before them.         “Ready to go, sir!” they declared.  Jiang Yuelou blinked before he smirked and nodded.         “Let’s go then” he replied before he turned and took off, Sun Yongren, Song Rong, and the rest of the army following behind. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Meanwhile, down in the dungeons of the Woodland Realms, Chen Yuzhi was chained to a wall, trembling and wincing in pain as bloody lashings covered his chest while his uncle, the current rule of the Woodland Realms, stood before him, shaking his head in disappointment.           “You always were such a pacifist, Yuzhi, just like your father…but I can’t believe you’d side with the enemy and help them take out your own kind…what a traitorous being you are” he tsked, causing Chen Yuzhi to weakly glare at him.         “They…aren’t the enemy.  They haven’t…done anything to us.  The only enemy here…is you…for wanting to…continue this war” he panted, only for his uncle to slap him and send his head snapping to the side.         “Silence, you insolent, traitorous brat” he snarled before he reached out and grabbed his face in his hand, forcing him to look at him.         “I will continue this war until there is only kingdom left standing: mine” he growled.  He then tossed Chen Yuzhi’s head to the side before he turned and walked towards the entrance of the cell, pausing to look over at the guard that had been whipping Chen Yuzhi earlier.         “Break him” he ordered.  The guard nodded and waited for him to leave before he looked over at Chen Yuzhi, who was glaring back at him all while trembling and doing his best to remain conscious.   ~*~*~*~*~*~ Meanwhile, Jiang Yuelou and his men soon arrived in the Woodland Realms, all of them making their way to the palace while the citizens of the Woodland Realms looked at them in fear.  As they neared the palace, they barely even made it to the steps before the Woodland soldiers came running at them, causing Jiang Yuelou to dismount from his horse and look over at his men.         “Take care of these soldiers but be careful not to hurt civilians!” he barked.  The soldiers nodded and rushed to attack the oncoming soldiers while Jiang Yuelou carefully slipped past them, cutting down any soldier who tried to stop him before he ran up the stairs and entered the palace, looking around.  Surprisingly, it was empty, save for a servant or two walking around, which he was rather grateful for as he sheathed his sword and walked over to one of the young servants.         “Excuse me” he called out, making the servant turn but the minute they saw him, their eyes widened and they turned to run, causing him to hold up a hand.         “Wait, wait, wait, I’m not here to hurt you.  I’m looking for someone” he explained.  That seemed to put the servant’s mind at ease as they paused and turned to look at him, tilting their head.         “Who?” they asked.  Jiang Yuelou smiled slightly.         “Prince Chen Yuzhi?  Do you know where he is?��� he asked.  At Chen Yuzhi’s name, the servant’s eyes widened and they quickly ran over to him, reaching out to grasp his hand.         “You’re going to save him, right?” they whimpered.  Jiang Yuelou’s eyes widened before he nodded slowly.         “I…yes.  Yes, I am” he assured, causing the servant to nod before they took his hand and dragged him through the palace, guiding him down to the dungeon that was below the palace and over to one of the cells, pointing to it.         “He’s inside” they declared.  Jiang Yuelou frowned before he slipped his hand out of the servant’s grasp and stepped forward, letting out a gasp when he looked inside and saw Chen Yuzhi chained to the dungeon wall, the poor prince looking as if he was barely clinging to life.           “Yuzhi” he whispered before he reached out and grabbed the cell, giving it a tug.  When it didn’t budge, he growled and quickly unsheathed his sword, cutting through the lock before he grabbed the cell door and threw it open, sheathing his sword as he ran inside and over to Chen Yuzhi, reaching out to gently cup his face in his hands.         “Yuzhi.  Chen Yuzhi” he whispered, Chen Yuzhi slowly lifting his head at his voice before he frowned.         “Jiang Yuelou?” he croaked.  Jiang Yuelou nodded.         “Don’t worry I’ll get you out of here” he promised before he released his face and stepped back, unsheathing his sword again before he raised it and sliced at the chains holding Chen Yuzhi against the wall, Chen Yuzhi immediately slumping to the ground as soon as he was released.  The minute he hit the ground, Jiang Yuelou quickly sheathed his sword and rushed forward, kneeling beside him before he reached out and gently cradled him in his arms.         “Yuzhi.  Who did this to you?  Tell me” he ordered.  Chen Yuzhi weakly shook his head.         “It’s alright—” he started when Jiang Yuelou growled.         “Tell me” he commanded.  Chen Yuzhi looked up at him before he sighed heavily and rested his head against him.         “My uncle” he whispered.  At his answer, Jiang Yuelou’s eyes widened and he let out a low growl before he carefully pulled him into his arms and stood to his feet, turning to look at the servant who was standing outside of the cell and looking at him with wide eyes.         “Show me where his room is” he ordered.  The servant nodded and waited for him to exit the cell before they quickly motioned for him to follow them to Chen Yuzhi’s room, Jiang Yuelou walking over to Chen Yuzhi’s bed as soon as he stepped inside.  He then carefully placed the prince down and looked at him for a moment before he turned to look at the servant.         “Get any healer you can find and heal him” he ordered.  The servant nodded.         “Yes sir” they replied as Jiang Yuelou turned and headed out of the room, the servant staring after him in confusion.         “Where are you going?” they called out.         “To talk to the king” Jiang Yuelou growled. ~*~*~*~*~*~ When Chen Yuzhi woke a little while later, he found himself in his bedroom, the blanket drawn up to his chin, just like it had been back when he was in the Moon Kingdom’s army camp.  He then blinked a few times before he slowly sat up and looked around, soon noticing Jiang Yuelou at his bedside, a soft smile on the general’s face.         “Jiang Yuelou?  What are you doing here?” he asked, confused.  Jiang Yuelou chuckled.         “I came to save your life” he answered.  Chen Yuzhi stared at him for a moment before he remembered Jiang Yuelou cutting him down from the dungeon wall and cradling him close.         “Oh…thank you” he murmured.  Jiang Yuelou smiled.         “You’re welcome” he replied as Chen Yuzhi tilted his head.         “What about the soldiers?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou hummed.         “My men are taking care of them” he answered.  Chen Yuzhi’s eyes widened.         “They came?” he breathed.  Jiang Yuelou nodded.         “You saved their lives countless times…we figured it was time to repay the favor” he explained.  Chen Yuzhi blushed slightly before his eyes widened again.         “My uncle?  What did you—” he started.         “Threw him in the dungeon.  Figured I’d let you do whatever you wanted with him since he is your uncle” Jiang Yuelou stated before he reached into his armor and pulled out the circlet, showing it to Chen Yuzhi.         “I believe this belongs to you” he declared.  Chen Yuzhi’s eyes widened and he reached out, taking the circlet from him before he looked at him.         “You…brought it with you?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou nodded as he took the circlet back.         “Of course I did.  I had to return it to its rightful owner” he explained before he carefully placed the circlet onto Chen Yuzhi’s head, making sure it was on securely before he smiled.         “There.  Now you look like a prince again” he declared, causing Chen Yuzhi’s eyes to widen before he laughed softly.         “Do I?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou nodded.         “Mm” he replied.  Chen Yuzhi smiled slightly before the smile fell and he sighed, hanging his head.         “I want this war to end, Jiang Yuelou.  I’m tired of fighting…and I’m sure you are too” he murmured.  Jiang Yuelou hummed.         “Can’t say that I’m not…” he replied before he looked at him.         “What if we combined the kingdoms?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi lifted his head and looked at him in surprise.         “Combine the kingdoms?” he repeated.  Jiang Yuelou nodded.         “Yeah” he replied.  Chen Yuzhi tilted his head.         “How do you propose we do that?” he inquired.         “Marriage” Jiang Yuelou answered, looking him in the eyes.  Chen Yuzhi’s eyes widened.         “Marriage?!  But…who would I even marry?” he demanded, since he was of marrying age and also technically now the ruler of the Woodland Realms.  Jiang Yuelou smirked.         “Me” he answered.  Chen Yuzhi blinked, stunned.         “You?” he repeated.  Jiang Yuelou chuckled.         “Did I forget to mention that besides being the general of the Moon Kingdom’s army, I’m also the crown prince of the Moon Kingdom?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi stared at him in shock before he laughed, nodding.         “Yes, I think you forgot to mention that” he replied before he let out a soft sigh and looked at him.         “I…I’m not opposed to the idea but…I’d like some time.  Just to…rebuild the kingdom?  And start fresh?  I don’t think either of our kingdoms know what it’s like to…not be at war.  And by just…joining our kingdoms without taking time to heal ourselves individually…it might cause infighting between our subjects” he stated.  Jiang Yuelou smiled and nodded.         “I agree” he replied before he reached out and took Chen Yuzhi’s hand in his.         “Take as much time as you need” he murmured.  Chen Yuzhi smiled.         “Thank you” he thanked.  Jiang Yuelou nodded and gave his hand a gentle squeeze before he let go of it and placed his hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him back down.         “Now rest” he ordered.  Chen Yuzhi laughed softly before he nodded and shut his eyes, allowing sleep to take him while Jiang Yuelou sat beside him, a soft smile on his face. ~*~*~*~*~*~ A year later, after Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi had taken control of their kingdoms, gotten rid of the previous rulers and anyone who supported the war efforts, and had rebuilt their kingdoms to know peace and not war, a simple wedding was held, with subjects from both kingdoms in attendance.  Now, both Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi were a little nervous about the wedding and how their subjects would react to their marriage, but to their surprise, their subjects were more than fine with it, mainly because both kingdoms had experienced the kindness of their ruler’s soon-to-be partner.  For the Moon Kingdom, everyone, both soldier and citizen alike, witnessed and remembered Chen Yuzhi’s kindness and gentleness when he came to visit the kingdom and for the Woodland Realms, they witnessed Jiang Yuelou’s willingness to get in there and help with the rebuild while also witnessing his attentiveness to Chen Yuzhi, making sure that the prince wasn’t overworking or overexerting himself.  So yes, after witnessing their kindness and the love they had for each other, the subjects of the Moon Kingdom and the Woodland Realms were more than okay with having their rulers wed each other.  And while they knew it would take some time for everyone in the kingdom to get along with each other, they also knew that Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi as their rules, they would never go to war again.  Not if they could help it. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Later that evening, after the ceremony and all the festivities, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi laid in bed, Chen Yuzhi tucked into Jiang Yuelou’s arms.         “Today…went much better than I thought” he murmured, Jiang Yuelou chuckling softly in agreement.         “You and me both” he agreed before he sighed softly and pressed a soft kiss to Chen Yuzhi’s hair.         “If you had told me two years ago when we first met that we would end up here…I wouldn’t have believed you” he murmured.  Chen Yuzhi laughed softly.         “I wouldn’t have believed it either…but I don’t regret it.  Do you?” he asked, glancing up at him.  Jiang Yuelou looked back at him before he smiled and gently pressed another kiss to his hair.         “No, my prince.  Not at all” he promised.  Chen Yuzhi smiled.         “Good” he whispered.

[gam3bo1-movedagain]

@womansound (2/4) hello :)

"books mean more to me than people anyway."