#Emperor Dong Hua

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: Eternal Love of Dream / Three Lives, Three Worlds, The Pillow Book (2020)

只有两个高鼻梁才能这么玩~

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tYSM9J6lqx8

[ttoca]

1. Hua Tuo and Zang Ba

The travelling healer and the daring outlaw

Hua Tuo is a practitioner of medical properties and sciences of great patience and care who's experiments with early anaesthesia pioneer a new age of healing in China. Carrying a near-countless range herbs and oils on his person and writing on the go, he's a walking hospital in himself which nearly every warlord in the land wants solely on their side. Having been born in Pei, Hua Tuo begins work at Cao Cao's homestead, working with Bian Yuexiang and Wei Zi to collect his findings and help the less fortunate. As Cao Cao's influence grows, he remains Hua Tuo's patron but Hua Tuo himself becomes conflicted about aiding a man whose ambitions are in danger of growing out of control.

Zang Ba is fast becoming a legend throughout the mainland. Having broken his own father out of prison, Zang Ba assembles a band of renegades to rob from the rich and give to the poor, overthrowing corrupt officials and secretly aiding the interests of men they consider good and true. Settling in Xu Province, he initially makes an enemy of the invading Cao Cao. However, as quickly as they become enemies, Zang Ba agrees to aid Cao Cao's imperilled family when they're held prisoner and the ambitious but gallant warlord will come to owe Zang Ba a great deal.

2. All three of these men come to hold high positions in the court of Emperor Xian of Han. Yang Biao of the distinguished Hongnong Yang clan is one of the few fundamentally loyal and dedicated ministers left in the chaos of the Han court after Dong Zhuo's takeover and the fall of Chang'an. Dong Cheng, in stark contrast, is the last of the Dong clan, the clan of Emperor Ling's mother, and will part with what power that grants him over his dead body...or anyone else's. Violent, foul-tempered, suspicious and greedy, he is truly a picture of how far the Han have fallen after years of weak and unsuspecting Emperors. Zhao Nan, the oddball of the court, is the head of a secret society of esoteric practices, boasting the powers of soothsaying and prognostication, foreseeing a future for the young Emperor if his advice is heeded. Behind all the glamour and tricks, however, he's an avaricious confidence-trickster whose associates create any futures he predicts. What do all these men have in common? They're all in Cao Cao's way.

Hua Tuo I've already illustrated in the Mystics Group Page but for Zang Ba, I wanted to make him stand out from the average noble-hearted bandit so I gave him a full-on Robin Hood/Zorro vibe. He flies in via handy rope whenever he's needed and speaks in third-person. He's a lot of fun.

The three Han Ministers I had fun designing.

Yang Biao's beard I tried to model off the busts of Ancient Greek philosophers, sort of referencing his sagely but highly rigid conduct. Dong Cheng I hope I'm not making too similar to Dou Wu even if they occupy similar roles. Zhao Nan, I just all out with. In the Romance he's called Zhao Yan but there are at least two other Zhao Yan's so I changed the name slightly. In case you're wondering, his nose doesn't grow longer with each lie but it is meant to highlight his untrustworthy nature. The green beads between his fingers are meant to spell out 'Joy - Younger Son - Heaven', signifying a good future for Emperor Xian, the younger son of the previous Emperor.

[xieliansbignaturals]

I don't remember ever seeing the term "cutsleeve" used in TGCF, though it does get used in MDZS. (Granted, I could be misremembering.)

I propose this theory: in TGCF's world, instead of the term "cutsleeve" originating from the story of Emperor Ai and Dong Xian, it comes from ghosts telling stories about Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. That's why it isn't used during canon. It didn't exist yet.

[dangermousie]

Hey dangermousie some time when you're feeling up for an ask: what are your favorite webnovels? Like danmei, bg, general fiction, anything. You've shared so many intetesting sounding novels in other posts so I was curious what some of the top favorites are? I remember Sha Po Lang, Ever Night, and The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir (which I'm reading because of you ToT)

I love this ask! I am gonna limit myself to 35 novels or we will be here all night. The usual caveat is - this is very personal. You will see that out of 35 (well, 36) novels, there is only one modern, there is a lot of angst and things like noncon and unhealthy relationships don't bother me. But I dislike harem infights and protags who are too OP.

35 I Became the Older Brother of the Heroine in an Abusive Novel by Liu Gou Hua (danmei) - a lovely novel where one half of otp is healthy and wholesome and the other abused feral wreck who melts under sanity and care.

34 After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine by Liu Gou Hua (danmei) - our MC is a modern person who transmigrates into a historical bad guy who apparently married a captured and crippled general who eventually healed, escaped and committed a lot of murder to avenge his humiliation. Poor historian MC transmigrates right before the wedding and is desperate to avoid the fate of having his head hang on the city gates for three years in the near future. Good luck! This has such a wholesome (yet not boring) OTP. Proof that healthy doesn't have to be dull.

33 You've Got Mail by He Dan Bai (danmei) - the sex in this one is gonzo and biologically questionable but the love story is wistful and sweet and somehow both hilarious and involving two rather damaged people.

32 The Blue Whisper by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang (het) - the novel is a bona fide angst masterpiece, which really delves into what it feels like to be imprisoned or to love and what makes you you. I sniffled throughout.

31 The Paranoid Emperor’s Black Moonlight Shizun by Chen Sensen (danmei) - a really screwed up disciple and a really decent master have some insane entanglements. To say more would be to spoil but if you want some intensity, angst, groveling and utter codependency and did I mention ANGST? this one is for you!

30 Demon King's Repayment by Gong Xinwen (het) - another delicious Gong Xinwen tale with a powerful ML dedicated to capable FL. This one is a great fantasy plot (I keep imagining it as an animated series) and a sprawling cast of amazing secondaries (and secondary OTPs - there is, I swear, an OTP that is Dong Hua x Feng Jiu done thru GXW lens) to boot.

29 Accompanying the Phoenix by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang (het) - the one that just got adapted into The Legend of Shen Li, this is high adventure and cottage core and funny and tragic and powerful ML being putty in the hands of capable FL and just EVERYTHING.

28 The Counterattack of the Cannon Fodder Chambermaid by Jia Mian De Sheng Yan (het) - I remember starting this and loving the realistic feel and the heroine and wanting to stab the hero. Yet the end I was on board with both the hero (who was abused and is rather autistic-coded) and the OTP. Anyway, heroine is a servant who was a concubine in the last life and got killed as part of a rich family’s harem intrigues. In this life, she just wants to keep her head down but her life gets derailed anyway. She gets sold away and eventually made a servant in the household of an exiled prince who takes a fancy to her and she endures it because what choice does she have? All she wanted was to serve out her term and become a small time merchant. This is quite realistic about lack of options for women, especially lower class women or upper class male attitudes (ML is never vicious or mean to FL but it does not initially occur to him to wonder if she fancies him or enjoys being his concubine or w/e.) It is a DELIGHTFUL slow burn tho as they grow to love each other and grow together and become one of the most wholesome cnovel couples out there.

27 The Black Moonlight Holds the BE Script by Teng Luo Wei Zhi (het) - so fucked up, so good, with monster hero who learns to love and be human and heroine who learns to love and be human (but from the other side, her tower of perfection), with a complex plot and no easy outs.

26 The Grand Princess by Mo Shu Bai (het) - a husband and wife who really drifted apart and ended up killing each other (or did they?) get a second chance as they are reborn as their younger selves. This has a great plot, a competent set of protags, and slow burn with complexity and trauma and somehow yet lightness. Plus awesome secondary OTPs!

25 Copper Coins by Mu Su Li (danmei) - a monk and a dragon? More likely than you may think. This is smart and wistful and made me cry; the romance doesn't kick in for the longest time and it doesn't even matter.

24 The Golden Terrace by Cang Wu Bin Bai (danmei) - two smart and principled (yes, they both have principles different though they may be) men navigate their arranged marriage, their past friendship and their past break up, become a super couple (one of the healthiest danmei couples I’ve ever read and proves healthy doesn’t have to be boring), save the country and bring down the emperor or two and just generally this is my rainy day book.

23 Long Wind Crossing (Destined) by Mo Shu Bai (het) - two functional lovely people fighting the world and growing up together and forming an amazing marriage.

22 Mistakenly Saving the Villain by Feng Yu Nie (danmei) - so underrated. A perfect h/c fantasy with the most functional MC and fucked up ML that never puts even a toe wrong with a premise that could go seriously bad so many different ways, instead telling a funny, moving story of love helping you heal.

21 I'll Be the Male Lead's Sister in Law by September Flowing Fire (het) - one of my all time favorite novels. Heroine is made to marry a disabled nephew of the emperor. He used to be a victorious god of war but went mad and now is basically locked away and kept as a beast. GOD I LOVE THIS NOVEL SO MUCHHHHH! So much hurt/comfort and awesome OTP and after he eventually recovers, all he wants to do is to fight and murder things and dote on wifey. MMM. He’s honestly one of my fave MLs.

20 The Rebirth of a Star General by Qian Sha Cha Ke (het) - not a typical QSCK at all, this one has a heroine who wakes up after being killed by her awful family; in her past life she was a general whose glory went to her cousin but here she chooses to start anew. Revenge is secondary to her - forming a new life and healing are really the focus. Also the OTP (FL and a male general with his own tragedy, and her former schoolmate) is just EVERYTHING!

19 Nan Chan by Tang Jiu Qing (danmei) - it reads like poetry crossed with a nightmare. One of the most unusual novels I've read and with the most alien set of protagonists I've ever read and believably so (a personification of a sword and a cannibalistic fish), I can't even describe this in any way other than a deity-centric paean to atheism.

18 The Rest of My Life by Mo Shu Bai (het) - the sole modern on this list, this is a novella about an aftermath of a regular office worker with a regular life and a regular husband being raped. It's a hard hard read but it's amazing.

17 To Rule In a Turbulent World by Fei Tian Ye Xiang (danmei) - gay Minglan is my elevator pitch. Well that or "what happens if you stick cottagecore and crucifixion in one novel."

It’s a BL novel but honestly, it’s a slice of life period novel with fascinating characters and setting that happens to have a gay OTP, not a romance in a period setting per se. It’s meticulously written and smart and deals with character development and somehow makes daily minutia fascinating (I never thought I’d find daily farming things interesting but here I am.) Farming, politics and the sudden horrors of war all intermingle perfectly.

Our protagonist, You Miao, is the son of a fabulously wealthy merchant, sent to the capital to make connections and study. As the story starts, he buys a sex slave on a whim from his friend (OK, wait wait wait don’t go, why are you bailing :P) Basically You Miao sees his friend’s servants beating someone to death, feels bad, and buys him because, as we discover gradually and organically, You Miao may be wealthy and occasionally immature but he is a genuinely good person. Let's back up - You Miao - our protag. He is the main reason I love the novel. It’s hard to write a character who is wealthy, kinda spoiled, sometimes immature and still make him eminently likeable. You Miao is also smart, pragmatic, funny, surprisingly laid back, a people person, and with a stubborn streak a mile wide. He is not perfect in any way but he is a real living breathing person I came to love.

Anyway, the ostensible sex slave he buys is a barbarian from beyond the wall, named Li Zhifeng. It’s touch and go if the man will survive but eventually he does and You Miao, who by then has to return home, gives him his papers and lets him go (not before they have some pretty explicit sex because hey - You Miao is all ‘why not, might be fun to try’ and LZF is “dude saved my life, why not.’ One of the things I love about the story is that there is no instalove - both sex and love make sense in the way and the order they happen; the two bang on a semi regular basis long before their feelings fully develop into love, which is pretty gradual and realistic.) However, LZF decides to stick with You Miao instead, both out of sense of debt for YM saving his life and because he genuinely likes him. One of the pleasures of the novel is watching LZF slowly transform from a piece of wood automaton into a genuine person who allows himself joy or temper.

So meticulously written, so smart, so vivid, such a cast of secondary characters (that friend who was beating LZF to death ended up being one of my favorite, most tragic characters in the novel because the author gets people are complex.)

16 The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System by MXTX (danmei) - a pastiche parody of web novels that somehow is both witty and makes me genuinely feel desperately for the protags. Go read!

15 Dandere General and His Lord by Gong Xinwen (het) - God, I love this one. Heroine transmigrates from modern world into a brutal slave-holding world at war (think something like Warring States era.) Our heroine transmigrates into the body of a noblewoman who just hung herself. When she comes to, she discovers that woman’s twin brother was the ruler of a city poisoned by a rival claimant and the besieging army of said claimant is about to take the city and original occupant of the body and the rest of the family chose suicide as a way to avoid dishonor. Our heroine refuses, schemes with advisors to pass as the brother and rally the troops. Once the invaders are defeated, she keeps on the masquerade and rides off to one of the never-ending wars “she” is summoned to. Our hero couldn’t be farther from this. A slave and a son of a slave, he’s escaped a horrific, starving childhood during which he narrowly avoided being murdered or raped, and ended up in the army. When the story opens, he distinguished himself in battle and as a reward, he and a few of his fellow slave warriors are invited to a banquet, where they are given some alcohol and to be playthings of any nobles who want them. One of them does not survive this but ML is lucky - heroine feels terrible and so “claims” him for herself. Instead she just tends to his wounds and sends him back. She does not fancy him or anything, she is just a human being with a conscience. And the story goes from there.

14 The Marquis Is Innocent by Peng Lai Ke (het) - this is the set up of very beautiful yet utterly cold-hearted woman marrying a ruthless, powerful man who eventually ends up on top of the murder pyramid. And a relationship that starts as a political arrangement with the husband not caring for her but then the ruthless scheming murder machine falls hard for her while FL actually does not, not yet. It takes a long time. This is such a glorious slow burn (I think by now you realized I love slow burns) and it takes her a very long time to open up or for him to realize that is what he wants (he's a very believable period man who finds it hard to admit he can actually have his happiness based on a woman) and there are steps forward and back and it's glorious, glorious!

13 Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight by 罗青梅 (haven't seen it transliterated) (het) - one of my ultimate favorites, this would make such an epic drama! A smart as hell but cautious and wounded heroine, a hero who is a monk and a warrior but also terribly ill and such a vivid world and amazing secondary characters (heroine’s brother is possibly my favorite supporting character of all time) and so much angst and happy ending. Both the protags are such intense, good people longing for happiness but not daring for it. This has an amazing romance but it’s not romance-centric if it makes sense - ML doesn’t appear for a while. But once he does, it’s worth it!

12 Mountain and River Pillow by Mo Shu Bai (het) - a tender intense and tragic slowburn which shows the limits of knowing what will happen and the fight to reestablish the family with an amazing amazing OTP. Heroine transmigrated into her past self; this time she chooses to go through with her arranged marriage instead of running away for love (it ended badly) but her knowledge fails to prevent her new sweet husband and his whole family murdered in battle and framed for treason. All that is, except for her husband's youngest brother, barely adult and left with an almost impossible task. In the past life he managed but it hollowed him out. In this one he has a sister in law to assist so...Anyway, both the protags are smart, good, intense and amazing people and I love them separately and as an OTP. By far my favorite MSB novel.

11 Those Years In Quest of Honour Mine by Man Man He Qi Duo (danmei) - another really underrated gem, it’s funny and heart-breaking and made me laugh and sniffle within pages of each other. Its two protagonists are both walking wounded but also good people, and watching them find happiness despite all the horrors the world threw at them, watching them take care of each other is so lovely. Also, someone once described the ML as “Lan Wangji gone feral” and that is just A++++

10 The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by MXTX (danmei) - we all know that one is there even any point describing it.

9 Nightfall/Ever Night by Mao Ni (not romance centric but het) - so long but also so smart and unusual and bloody and tho it’s not primarily a romance, you will never see another ML who loves his FL as much as Ning Que does his Sang Sang. And the worldbuilding and the plot and the characters and just so so bleak.

8 Wu Chang Jie by Shui Qian Cheng (danmei) - are you an emotional vampire? I am and this novel is a banquet. In a highly fantastical setting, we meet our protagonists - the sunny Xie Bian and the intense and surly Fan Wushe. Xie Bian is a human who assists his master in conveying souls to the underworld and making sure no mishaps happen. Bian is concentrated sunshine in human form and to meet him is to love him. When the novel opens, his drunk master brings back another human to be his shidi and assist with duties - said human is uncommunicative, intense and surly Wushe. Bian is excited to have a shidi but little does he know that a story dealing with the horrors of past lifetime is about to start.

Anyway, why WCJ? So many reasons. It has such a dark bleak worldview - this world is a horrifying system where powerful cannibalize each other’s cores for an impossible chance to ascend, where gods have sealed off their realm and all that’s left is neverending human misery and hell (the only way you’d see a deity is if they’d been sent down to suffer over and over and over), where even reincarnation doesn’t fix things and bad acts are often unpunished. And the novel then asks - is it worth being a good person in such a world? More, is it worth being a good person in such a world when nothing good has ever happened to you and you have been repeatedly betrayed due to your goodness? And the answer, on Bian’s part, is an uncompromising yes.

Ah yes, the other reason to love this novel - the protagonists and their fucked up fucked up relationship. Bian (who was Prince Ziheng in the past life) is so genuinely good. But he is that rare thing - good but not saintly, noble but not cloying. So much of the novel is his getting taken apart over and over and barely able to put himself back together every time but his soul is still as amazing as ever. And then there is Wushe (who was Prince Zixiao in past life, Ziheng’s not-bio-related brother.) Wushe is not a good person. He is a monster. And he loves Bian/Ziheng more than his life and his soul and the entire world but he’s also the one who hurt him more than anyone else ever could and did it over and over. His love survived a literal century of torture in the worst kind of hell and refused the usual memory loss of new life. But it also humiliated and broke Ziheng down to his constituent parts.

One of the things that is so fascinating to me about this novel is the question of what can be forgiven/what should be forgiven/what kind of expiation is enough/can you ever love someone who you loved so much and then he hurt you so badly and is now repentant? And it never sweeps trauma under the rug or hand waves it away but deals with it head on. If you want healthy relationships, you should stay far away from this novel but if intense insane ones with a feral barely human one capable of destroying the world leashed by love and guilt to the sane deeply good one is your bag, come right in. There is also the world building and the fact that yes, the big fall out between Ziheng x Zixiao is based on not knowing all the facts but it’s not “why can’t you talk?! This is dumb!” But is totally in keeping with both events and their characters. It’s reasonable for Ziheng to do what he does and for Zixiao to misunderstand and decide Ziheng is now his biggest enemy (but still one he’s fixated on) and for Ziheng to never be able to clarify. Anyway, once again this is trigger warning central so please heed those, but if they are no issue, this one is wonderful.

7 Stars of Chaos (Sha Po Lang) by Priest (danmei) - so smart and so much clever world building. There is enough politicking to satisfy a Qiang Jin Jiu fan, it’s steampunk, and our two protagonists - Gu Yun, the empire’s most powerful general, who’s loyal to the empire despite being badly wronged by it, and Chang Geng, a cursed prince with barbarian blood and horrifying childhood - are wonderful separately and together. This is a huge slow burn but it’s totally worth it! They fall in love with each other’s hearts and brains and ability as much as anything. (Yes, this is the one with the yifu thing. Gu Yun is made Chang Geng’s foster father when he rescues him and brings him back to the capital as a way to keep CG safe in imperial strife. They are 12 and 19 at the time so clearly it’s never a parental relationship.)

6 Heaven Official's Blessing by by MXTX (danmei) - I love it’s sprawling narrative and cast, I love its inventive setting and picaresque story. It’s hilarious and can make me cry. But the novel’s place on this list is due to Xie Lian who is part Kenshin part drama WWX part pure goodness wrapped in heartbreak and trauma wrapped in sunshine.

5 (tie) The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl by 一味相思 (haven't seen it transliterated) (het)- Our heroine is the unlucky laundry maid A’Chou. She is a di daughter of an upperclass family but her family got destroyed in one of the political upheavals of the time and A’Chou, only a small child at the time, was the only survivor and was made an enslaved laundry maid. Due to various events, at the start of the novel she is a laundry maid in a minister’s household and the minister’s beloved daughter is having a fit because she’s supposed to marry the former Crown Prince which may have been great a few years back but Crown Prince had since been deposed, tortured, imprisoned and now is living in the middle of nowhere under conditions that are too meager to be called house arrest. And he’s seriously crippled too. Understandably, the young lady doesn’t want to marry him! She’d rather kill herself and so she does. And so, a desperate plan is hatched - why don’t we pretend the laundry maid is the di daughter of the minister’s household and send her off? And so A’Chu is sent as the bride. She arrives to discover a broke, seriously injured man on the verge of death…and we go from there. This is so gorgeous and tender and slow in just the right way and like AAAAAA! Secondary OTPs (one of which is MM) are also epic.

5 Wishing You Eternal Happiness by Peng Lai Ke (het) - this is almost tied with Dreamer as my favorite het web novel ever though it couldn’t be more different from Dreamer, with its hard-edged and hard-souled protagonists ruthlessly cleaving their way to the world and, eventually, each other, its smart cynical air. Except in one thing - the world of Wishing is just as bloody and dark. Its two protagonists are gentle, deeply wounded souls who may find salvation in each other but even something as basic as safety almost seems out of reach. Jliafu, our heroine, is neither a modern-day transmigrator, nor some exotic princess or demoness. She is very much a period woman of her time, from a weathy merchant clan, whose beauty is her curse. You can tell the novel’s tone from that utterly bleak opening chapter where she, a favorite concubine of a capricious dying emperor, is ordered to be buried alive with him and is not even given the “grace” of white silk but slowly suffocates in the coffin, scrabbling at the lid. There is no grand threats of vengeance on her part, not dramatic opera events. Just despair and death. The whole introductory chapter is haunted by emotional ghosts - the empress’ unrequited love for the monster on the imperial bed (turning into desire for Jiafu’s suffering after he dies), the emperor slowly dying in his prime after waging too many wars, and his fear of being haunted by Pei Youan, a brilliant if sickly minister who died of illness long ago on one of imperial campaigns. There is no triumph for anyone, only loss.

When she wakes up as still a young woman, all she wants is to escape the same fate. There are no plans for power or revenge, only a desire for survival. And so she latches on asking for help from Pei Youan, the only man in her past go-around who showed any consideration and desire and ability to protect her, though he barely knew her. Pei Youan is probably my favorite het web novel ML. Despite his brains and ability, he drifts through life. In modern terms, he clearly has depression. One of the biggest, best joys of the novel is watching these two very good, very quiet, very wounded people discover happiness and love with each other. I sort of want to cry just thinking about it, tbh.

4 Ballad of Sword and Wine (Qiang Jin Jiu) by Tang Jiu Qing (danmei) - a dense political tome that takes a while to get going but then it’s a runaway train. In a fictional dynasty, Shen Zechuan, the only remaining son of a disgraced aristocratic family and Xiao Chiye, the younger son of a family of generals guarding the border join forces (and then something else) to get power and pull down the dysfunctional system.

This is so elegant and smart (a rare web novel I’d recommend to anyone who just loves solid period fiction) and you probably need a notebook to keep track of the politics and military strategy. These characters are very very smart not just because the author says so.

As to the characters, there is a large cast and I love many of them, but for me the novel is made by Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye. SZC is gorgeous and delicate and icy and can kill you before you have time to blink. Saddled with the sins of the family he had no pleasant interaction with, he claws his way out of hell (seeing the sinkhole he was trapped in, literally as well) to take down those who wronged him but also to amass power so all the tragedy and corruption won’t happen again and the whole rotten system comes crashing down. XCY is a military genius who is trapped as a hostage in the capital because the court doesn’t trust his family. He longs to return to the plains of home and to take his rightful place. The two men start out as bitter enemies, then reluctant and sniping allies, then as friends and eventually as one of the most gorgeous, tender, swoony OTPs. Anyway this is one is a bona fide masterpiece, equal parts smart and emotionally intense.

3 Dreamer In the Spring Boudoir by Bai Lu Cheng Shuang (het) - my n1 het novel on this list, smart and fierce and don’t really read this for romance because it does not start until really late, but ice cold heroine x ice cold hero both of equal brains and ruthlessness is everything. I went from loathing the ML to finding him fascinating to adoring him (and yet he softened around the edges only for FL, he never became “nice”) and loved FL throughout; secondaries are epic. If you read only one non-danmei web novel, make it this one.

2 Stains of Filth (Yuwu) by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat (danmei) - another novel by the author of 2ha. Clearly she just pushes all my buttons every time. This one is much shorter and has a plot that is twisty but less twisty than 2ha. Still, all that means is that intensity and the pain are more concentrated. Aristocratic Mo Xi and former slave Gu Mang were both legendary generals of the empire and lovers. But Gu Mang betrayed the country and switched to the enemy. Now he is back as a peace offering by that country and Mo Xi has to deal with the fact that his feelings are as strong as ever.

This novel!!! So much pain and intensity!!! So many amazing plot twists and supporting characters. The same bleak world view, the same unjust society, the same protagonists doing right things despite the cost. Mo Xi’s intensity and inability to let go (he’s imprinted on Gu Mang and that’s it) is romantic, bone-shakingly intense, and tragic all at once. And oh Gu Mang! So many times I just wanted to reach into the book physically to protect him. The novel deals with unjust societies, memory versus personality, what it’s like to be good in a bad universe etc. And it both made me sob and giggle, repeatedly, and sold me on literally death-defying (but not honor-defying!) love. Oh, and special shout out to the fact that like 2ha, you may start out hating some characters and end up a rabid fangirl (cough Murong Lian!)

1 The Husky and His White Cat Shizun (2ha) by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat (danmei) -my n1 forever and ever.

Taxian Jun, the horrific cultivation emperor of the world who razed cities and destroyed sects, is surrounded on his mountain. The righteous sects are terrified to confront him but tired of living, Taxian Jun consumes poison and dies by suicide at the age of 32. And opens his eyes as 16 year old Mo Ran, Mo Ran long before he became Taxian Jun, Mo Ran who is excited at a chance to save the one person he loved and lost. Oh, and to deal with his loathed shizun, the unapproachable and strict Chu Wanning, his past life’s biggest enemy.

I have no idea if it’s objectively the best on this list but it hits every trope I love, its bleak worldview (the world will change only incrementally but that’s enough, average person will not appreciate the sacrifice but it’s still worthwhile, and love is worth everything) mirrors mine, and the sheer complexity of the plot and cascade of plot twists each of which is insane and yet completely logical, is amazing (this is a rare novel where it’s even more fun to reread than read for the first time because you keep seeing all the hints and trail crumbs laid out that you did not see the first time.)

And the characters!!! I mean, this novel has multiple universes/timelines, a side trip to the Underworld AND the demon realm, a plot more twisted than a store’s worth of pretzels and yet the thing that hits me the most are the characters. Mo Ran is my favorite web novel character of all time and I love Chu Wanning so. All the secondary characters are wonderfully written (and some of them made me bawl) and they are all complex. My opinion of all of them changed many times over; the novel doesn’t make it easy to love some of them but then you do and it’s so worthwhile! That slow change is one of the delights of the novel - I started out disliking the unpleasant, superior Chu Wanning and cruel, callow Mo Ran and then I loved them so so hard and cried for them so so hard and was in awe of their heroism and sacrifice and selflessness and capacity to love.

Oh, and the fact that this novel does something almost impossible - it has its protagonist start out as so clearly irredeemable and then slowly and painfully and thoroughly redeems him (without ever letting the reader forget what it is he needs redemption for.) Also, for a novel that made me cry so hard I felt ill, this book is just so damn funny with the most sarcastic sense of humor imaginable (the serious angst doesn’t even kick in until 90+ chapters!) Anyway I should stop or I will write a dissertation. But this is the one web novel that I would put in my top 5 not just web novels but any novels in any shape or form. The plentiful trigger warnings are there for a reason so stay away if they are an issue, but if not, if anyone hasn’t read it yet, what are you doing with your life?!

[shu-of-the-wind]

Character Guide and plot summary of SOTB to this point: 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

The Investigators Lan Fan Huo, also known as Enkhtuya. Formerly a member of the Huo, one of the Yao’s sworn subordinate clans, Lan Fan’s true identity has been banished by the Dowager Empress. She is currently posing as a nomadic woman, Feiyan Ma, from the steppes, and acting as an imperial spy.

Side note, I finally have a facecast for Lan Fan! Dilraba Dilmurat.

His Imperial Majesty, Ling Yao, the Dawn Emperor. Extremely Stressed about declaring it open season on himself (romantically? Violently? Both? Who knows) by opening the Lotus Hall. Also extremely stressed about his job overall. He is half-brother to Mei Chang as well as Lien Hua, Xinzhe, and Dong Mao Feng, but defeated them in the race for the throne by bringing a Philosopher’s Stone to Xing.��

Her Highness, Imperial Cousin, Princess Mei Chang. Alphonse’s alkahestry teacher, First Governor of Chang-guo, and the half-sibling of Ling Yao and Dong Mao, Xinzhe, and Lien Hua Feng. Usually accompanied by her bearcat, Xiao Mei. Has feelings for Alphonse Elric. 

Alphonse Elric, a Western traveler and old friend of the Dawn Emperor. Despite Ling’s best attempts to keep him out of the ongoing situation, he’s as deep in it as anyone. Has feelings for Mei Chang, but is not voicing them. It’s possible he is unaware of them.

Suyin Ma. Also named Sarangerel. The wife of Shan Yao, and Feiyan Ma’s cousin. Suyin claims Fuu told her about Lan Fan’s past prior to her joining the Huo family, but has not elaborated on how, when, or why.  

Shan Yao. Suyin’s husband, Commander of the Imperial Guard, Lan Fan’s supervisor for her current mission, and Ling Yao’s older cousin. He has known both Ling and Lan Fan for over a decade and has many embarrassing stories in his arsenal because of it. Lan Fan is currently staying in Shan and Suyin’s rooms at Pubuchuan. 

Niu Lu. An alkahestrist trained by Mei and a former torturer for the Imperial Army, Niu Lu is currently serving as Lan Fan’s maid during her investigation of the Fengs. 

The Suspects The Triplets, Dong Mao, Xinzhe, and Lien Hua Feng. The triplet children of the Feng family, and Imperial Cousins in their own right, and as such half-siblings of Ling Yao and Mei Chang. They have come to the capital to tear the Dowager Empress from her position of power by whatever means necessary. 

The Dowager Empress, Huian Yao. Ling Yao’s mother. Ambitious, venomous, and ruthless. Appears to have played a role in the massacre of the Nohin people alongside the Retired Emperor, Ling’s father. Currently working with Minister of the Left Shen Liu to get one of her chosen subordinates into the role of Ascending Empress. Fond of poisons. 

Residents of the Imperial City Shen Liu. Minister of the Left and primary ally of the Dowager Empress, though they historically have not gotten along very well. Has been pressuring Ling to get married for at least the last eighteen months. He absolutely loathes Feiyan Ma.

Bao Zhang. Minister of the Right and founding member of the Reconciliation committee. He is reclusive and odd, rarely coming out into court even though he is one of the most powerful ministers in the Imperial City. He has a pet crow that delivers messages for him, and an assistant, Yue, who is a mathematical genius.   

Xiao Niao Song, First Governor of Song-guo. Head of the Song family, mother to Xiao Huan, Xiao Liu, and Xiao Xie Song. Another founding member of the Reconciliation committee. She respects Feiyan Ma and is seeking her advice on dealing with the nomadic peoples on Song-guo borders.

Xiao Huan Song, Second Daughter of the Song family. The Song Family’s entrant into the competition for the role of Ascending Empress. She is an alkahestrist. 

Jian Zhang. Imperial Master of the Horse and Bao Zhang’s cousin. Reclusive and resents politics. A former soldier, he served in the border wars with Thamasq. He is helping Feiyan Ma with Changchang.

The Cao Brothers, Aiguo and Heng. Aiguo Cao is Lien Hua’s fiance. He has appalling manners and a worse personality. Heng, his younger brother, is equally as unpleasant.  

Biyi Chang. The Thirteenth Lady of Chang-guo, a distant cousin of Mei’s. She is shy, awkward, and quiet. She was also Suyin’s first friend at court. 

Caterina della Barbarigo. An Aerugan noblewoman and the fiancee of Dong Mao Feng, she struggles with Xingese cultures, languages, and customs. Lan Fan has offered to teach her more Xingese. 

Gen Chang. Lan Fan’s bodyguard, a former imperial guardsman, and a distant cousin of Mei’s. He may or may not have a slight crush on Lan Fan. He was assigned to guard Feiyan Ma after the Firebrand assassination attempt that nearly killed her.

Citizens of Xinjing Xiaoqing. A former firebrand, Xiaoqing is half-Qarashi and half-Xingese. Al is teaching her the basics of alkahestry in return for her assistance in infiltrating the Fires of God in the capital. She is an older-sister figure to Peizhi.

Peizhi. An assistant groom. Formerly a jockey in the Xuanwu ward. He owes Feiyan Ma his life, and is determined to repay the debt any way he can, up to and including getting into massive trouble with Xiaoqing. He and Changchang have a very special bond that seems to be related to his latent alkahestrical abilities.

Changchang. A trained warhorse who has gone half-feral due to abusive treatment. Lan Fan rescued her along with Peizhi, and is trying to convince her that humans are not universally shitheads. It’s not going particularly well.  

The Fires of God Father Shiloh Trener. The shadowy leader of the Fires of God. An Amestrian who learned (or convinced himself) that he is the son of the sun god, Leto after a forty day fever which culminated on the day the Elric brothers exposed Father Cornello as a fraud. In the wake of the  outbreak of Liore’s civil war, he led his religious community to the desert, and then to Feng-guo, where they are currently settled. 

Huli. “Fox.” A Firebrand and an assassin. Possibly Cretan or Amestrian. Has tried to kill the Fengs at least once (that we know of) and seems intent on fighting Lan Fan. Original name unknown.

Lang. “Wolf.” A Firebrand. A Xingese man working as a spy for the Feng in the Imperial City while simultaneously reporting all their doings to the Fires of God. He is mute, and speaks primarily through sign language. Original name unknown.

Sheng. “Weasel.” A Firebrand, an Aeurgan, and a former slave. Seems to be the leader of the quartet of Firebrands who are after the Fengs, or, at least, the only one that Huli will listen to. Original name unknown.

Mao. “Cat.” A young Firebrand, approximately sixteen. She has pursued alkahestrical treatments which have turned her into something similar to a chimera, but unable to shift back and forth between her human and animal forms, which means she has long, permanently extended claws, fangs, and hair that is more like long fur. Original name unknown.

Shu (formerly Shubiao, but I fucked up, that means computer mouse, please feel free to laugh your ass off at me). “Mouse.” A Nohin man and Firebrand that Lan Fan captured snooping through her quarters. His original name is Kazuki Sakari. He is currently in hiding after escaping imperial custody, and cannot reunite with his firebrand cohort for fear they will simply execute him for his failures.

PLOT SUMMARY: It is September 1918, three years after the ascension of the Dawn Emperor, Ling Yao, and troubles are brewing on the northwestern border of the Empire. The Feng, one of the Fifty Families of the Xing nobility, have been eliminating Yao spies sent into their territory, Feng-guo, for the past several months. Knowing that the Gathering, the bi-annual celebration and political meeting of all the Fifty Families at the capital, is approaching, Ling orders Lan Fan to take on the role of a steppes noblewoman and enter the imperial court to spy against the Feng triplets. The triplets—Sixth Prince Dong Mao, Seventh Prince Xinzhe, and Ninth Princess Lien Hua—are attending court formally for the first time since the Dawn Emperor’s ascension, and there are concerns that they are planning to assassinate Ling in an attempt to gain power and push the Yao out of ascendancy in the Court. 

Despite her discomfort—Lan Fan is the Emperor’s Shadow first and foremost, and is extremely discontented with having to leave her position and her charge as Ling’s guard—Lan Fan takes the position. She is posing as Feiyan Ma, the “cousin” of the wife of Shan Yao, the commander of the Imperial guard and one of Ling Yao’s cousins. Shan’s wife, Suyin Ma (also known as Sarangerel) is pregnant, and wants a member of her family to be with her in the capital throughout her pregnancy and the birth of her first child. Mei Chang, in illicit support of Lan Fan’s position, provides Lan Fan with a maid and guard of her own, Niu Lu, a half-Drachman noblewoman who is a talented alkahestrist as well as a professional spy and torturer. Despite a rough start in the capital, Lan Fan manages to befriend at least two of the Feng triplets, along with Mingli Chen, a particular friend of Xinzhe Feng. She accompanies them to horse races in the lower districts of the capital, during which she saves a young jockey and his irascible, traumatized mount, a former war horse named Changchang. Thanks to her actions, Lan Fan meets a young woman, Xiaoqing, who is ana-Qarashi and Xingese. She is attempting to teach herself healing alkahestry to assist people in the Xuanwu districts of the capital, the poorest and most destitute people in the area. 

While attending a party at the Chang estate, Lan Fan saves the Feng triplets from an assassination attempt by a masked intruder, who is later identified as Huli, a warrior and spy from a Letoist religious cult known as the Fires of God. The Fires of God believe that Shiloh Trener, an Amestrian who formerly lived in Liore, is actually the son of the Sun God, Leto, come to earth. The group is gathering recruits and converts in preparation for the end of the world. Their base of operations is in Feng-guo, and the Feng triplets, along with their uncle, Mengyao, have been trying to keep the ongoing political damage a secret from the other Fifty Families as well as the Emperor. Xiaoqing, who used to be a firebrand, lost her mother to the cult, and she and her father left Feng-guo and fled to the capital to get away from the chaos. 

During this time, Lan Fan has been struggling with her work as a spy. She does not feel that she is capable of pretending to be another person, let alone that she has the right to act as a noblewoman, particularly when she was raised from a very young age to be an imperial bodyguard and shadow. Putting herself in the spotlight in any way makes her deeply uncomfortable. She struggles with interacting with Ling on a more equivalent footing (noblewoman to emperor, as opposed to servant to emperor) and with the emperor’s attention. Ling asks her to go riding with him in the mornings, which is of particular note to the gossip grapevine, as the Dawn Emperor has been extremely reluctant to even discuss the potential of marriage, let alone lavish any special attention on any noblewoman at court. 

Ling is struggling as well, in ways that Al (who is in Xing to study Xingese alkahestry) doesn’t particularly understand. When Al attempts to push and states that Ling, as emperor, can do what he wants, Ling lashes out and states that he can’t do what he wants where Lan Fan is concerned, because the last thing he wants to do is make her uncomfortable and force attentions where they may not be wanted. He knows that he has feelings for Lan Fan, and that they’re more than likely returned, but he also knows that Lan Fan’s identity is wrapped in her honor and her service as bodyguard, and that so long as that state of affairs continues, nothing can possibly happen between them. However, due to Lan Fan’s role as spy, and their attempts to get the Feng to remain interested in and trust Feiyan Ma, Ling is caught between his wish to keep Lan Fan alive, safe, and happy, and courting Feiyan Ma to ensure that she remains politically and materially relevant to the people they are investigating. 

Meanwhile, the investigation is escalating. The day before the Gathering opens, Lan Fan catches a firebrand spy—a Nohin man—snooping around her rooms. The man, Kazuki Sakari (referred to as Shu by himself and firebrand cohort) was attempting to find information about Feiyan Ma after her interference in the assassination attempt on the Feng triplets. The discovery of a Nohin man rattles Lan Fan, who is also Nohin, and has been hiding her identity for over a decade with the help of her grandfather. During the Gathering ceremony, Lan Fan discovers that Xinzhe and Mingli are lovers, which could get them executed due to anti-sodomy laws in the imperial court. She promises Mingli she will keep their secret. However, during her attempts to research queer love, she is drawn into a meeting with the Minister of the Left, the Dowager Empress Huian Yao, and the Song Family regarding the complex issues surrounding the northwestern borders and raiding by nomadic steppes peoples, such as the Ma. During the debate, Lan Fan brings up the massacre of the Nohin people, backed by the former Emperor, Ling’s father; the Dowager Empress threatens to have her exiled. Ling settles tempers, with difficulty. The following day, the Firebrands attempt to assassinate Lan Fan, which results in her being poisoned. 

As Lan Fan recovers in the Emperor's chambers, Al, Mei, and Peizhi, the jockey that Lan Fan rescued, learn that the Firebrands have been smuggling in massive amounts of weapons from Thamasq into Feng-guo, in an attempt to raise an insurrection against the Feng family and take over the province. Shu escapes custody and flees to a Nohin safehouse. As a result of the attempt on Feiyan Ma’s life, the Emperor’s Shadow—Lan Fan—is exiled permanently from Xing after complaints registered by the Dowager Empress. While Lan Fan herself is not going anywhere (the position of Emperor’s Shadow has been filled by a soldier with a similar height, build, and qi signature as Lan Fan), she now has no identity to return to after the job is over. Her life and her existence as Lan Fan Huo, particularly as the Emperor’s Shadow, has been terminated by Huian Yao, and Ling was unable to do anything to stop it. She is angry about this but feels horrible for being angry with Ling, specifically; she has not explicitly forgiven him but understands this was not his fault, and is hiding from her own complicated emotions about the entire situation.

Lan Fan throws herself into the investigation of the Fengs and the Firebrands, as well as her role of Feiyan Ma, meeting regularly with Xiao Niao Song, the head of the Song family, as well as other important members of the imperial court, including the Minister of the Right, Bao Zhang, a reclusive administrator who puts her name forward as a member of a new political group, the Committee for the Resolution of Human Rights Abuses, Conflicts, and Injustices, or colloquially the "Reconciliation Committee." Additionally, Lan Fan meets Dong Mao Feng’s betrothed, an Aerugan woman named Caterina della Barbarigo, and one of the Feng retainers, a mysterious woman named Lotus who seems to have a strong bond with Dong Mao. 

Finally, Lien Hua Feng makes the decision to trust Feiyan Ma, and reveals that the goal of the Feng is not to assassinate the Dawn Emperor, but rather his mother, the Dowager Empress, as revenge for Huian Yao poisoning their mother and killing their baby sister in utero twelve years before. The problems with Yao spies being killed in Feng territory was the result of a misunderstanding; the Feng believed the spies were sent by Huian Yao, not the Emperor, and summarily executed them, while the Emperor believed that Feng spies on the border were part of a plot to overthrow him, not investigating the internal goings-on of Feng-guo. Lien Hua also introduces Lan Fan to one of her own spies in the palace, a mute man named Lang, who Lan Fan knows is a double agent for the Firebrands. Lan Fan does not reveal Lang's betrayal to Lien Hua in the moment. Instead, she asks Xiaoqing to infiltrate the Firebrands’ base of operations in the capital, and Xiaoqing, wishing to avenge her mother, agrees. 

The Gathering closes, and many families return to their home provinces. However, due to the Emperor’s announcement that he is going to begin his search for a wife, many families summon daughters and cousins to the court in an attempt to take the role of Empress. The Emperor is retreating to Pubuchuan for the winter, a mountain palace with many hot springs to last them through the long snows. Only ten families have been invited. It is here that the battle for the role of Empress will occur—and Ling has already asked that Lan Fan participate, in her role as Feiyan Ma, to keep up the ruse of their courtship. Lan Fan agrees.

[fandomside]

Nirvana in Fire Rewatch Episode Twenty-Five

Events:

Jingyan is given command of the Capital Patrol (Jinling's police force). His mother immediately offers the Emperor sex (well, she invites him to take a nap. But she's offering sex as a thank you. Jingyan is perfectly aware of what she's doing, which is icky).

Jingyan is also given permission to visit his mother any time, which he's much more pleased about.

13 visits MCS to discuss Banruo's network. They've been making headway and she's having personnel problems. They talk about Princess Xuanji.

There has been no word from Xia Dong. MCS isn't worried, but wants to foment discord between the Xia disciples.

Prince Yu is mad about Jingyan's popularity.

Meng Zhi gets caught in the secret tunnel by Jingyan. Jingyan obtains the travel book.

Banruo drags 4th sister out of retirement to infiltrate Su Manor.

MCS informs Jingyan he will surely be promoted to qin-wang (translated as Noble Prince) soon, putting him on level with Prince Yu.

Lots of slow discussion of strategy in this episode.

Names and titles

Banruo and 4th sister both call Princess Xuanji shifu.

It was very lucky that MCS entered the secret tunnel calling out Meng-da-tongling instead of Meng-dage, which would have exposed too much of their relationship to Jingyan.

Characters

Jingyan is always so nervous around his father, especially when he's being rewarded.

The Empress is glad to see Jing-fei rise at Yue-guifei's expense.

MCS's handwriting is different to Lin Shu's partly for lack of wrist strength.

Banruo pulls a dagger on a shopkeeper.

Banruo's motive is simple vengeance.

Banruo and 4th sister are perfectly aware of Xia Jiang's involvement in the Chiyan case.

Jing-fei has a new headdress.

Time and Place

4th sister is living in a town called Xiniu. It can't be more than a day or so from Jinling.

It's been two months since Xie Yu's fall and a year since the show began.

History

The Hua people initially allied with Da Liang, then defected to Da Yu. The Chiyan army spent a year putting down their rebellion.

[remyamikazuki]

In the dark depths close to the mortal realm, shrouded in mystic darkness, lies the ancient domain of the demons. Here, shadows dance and whispers of malevolent power echo through eerie corridors.

The Demon Realm's landscape is a mesmerizing blend of haunting beauty. Its dark and ominous allure captivates the senses, drawing in observers with a mysterious charm. The twisted and jagged terrains defy the laws of nature, creating a surreal and mesmerizing sight. Fiery pits punctuate the land, casting an eerie glow that illuminates the shadowy recesses of the realm, adding a touch of otherworldly elegance to the demonic domain.

Towering citadels rise like majestic sentinels, their spires reaching towards the darkened skies in a display of haunting beauty. An ethereal atmosphere envelops the air, resonating with whispers of mystery and echoes of sinister laughter. The very ground pulsates with an otherworldly energy, infusing the realm with a sense of eerie elegance and foreboding grace.

This is the Demon Realm—a place where fear and trepidation reign supreme, where the boundaries between nightmares and reality meld into a chilling tapestry of darkness.

"That ignorant Bing Mo!" Ming Wang's thunderous voice reverberated through the chamber as his fist met the arm of the throne chair. The force shattering the cold, black stone into fragments under the force of his fury. The Emperor of the demon realm remained embittered from the war lost fifteen thousand years ago, his recent attempt to provoke the heavens leading to a backlash of magic from his use of magic mortal realm. He now bore the brunt of the magic's rebound, suffering greatly from its effects.

His four horsemen stood in silence, their eyes fixed on their master's wrathful display. None dared to interject or utter a word, cowed by the looming specter of his rebounded anger and the consequences it might unleash upon them.

Dong Hua, Mo Yuan, Bai Qian, and Ye Hua each played a part in the downfall of his trusted Lieutenant Qing Cang and the loss of his cherished Golden Lion beast pet. The celestial rulers and warriors foiled his plans, with the presumed deceased Mo Yuan who had faked his death emerging triumphant, vanquishing a legion of his demon soldiers. Bai Qian, sister to the repugnant Bai Yi, wielded the powerful Five Star Fan. The Demon Emperor underestimated the Bai family. A mistake he would not repeat.

Read more: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55132009/chapters/140024710

[xamm3]

Bai Feng Jiu and Emperor Dong Hua's first meeting in Eternal Love (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms)

[the-archlich]

Besides Zhang Jue, do you think any of the Turbans or their successor bandit groups were significant enough to merit inclusion in DW? Did they have any people who became accomplished? (I would have said Liao Hua but I read somewhere he wasn't really a Turban).

Significance is a relative question. Obviously the farther you get from the rebellion itself, the less important its remnants are. There are a few groups I think are noteworthy though. I think if one wants to extend the story of the Turbans or add more recognizable faces to the faction for the sake of a story, that's the place to look.

There was a group of Turbans who settled down in Hedong, In Bobo/White Wave Valley. They opposed Dong Zhuo but later helped Li Jue reclaim the capital from Wang Yun. They supported the junta for a bit, but later helped Liu Xie escape. Members of this group included Han Xian, Hu Cai, Li Le, Yang Feng, and Guo Da. After turning the emperor over to Cao Cao, Yang Feng and Han Xian briefly served Lu Bu before being killed (Yang Feng by Liu Bei, Han Xian by a local man). Interestingly, Xu Huang (a Hedong native) was also part of this group, although he does not appear to have joined until after they started fighting Dong Zhuo.

The Turbans in Qing province were numerous and weren't really suppressed the way those elsewhere were. They ravaged Qing for years, before moving west. After being defeated by Gongsun Zan, then migrated south into Yan, where they were finally subdued by Cao Cao. The best of their fighters became part of his army. As far as I know, the names of these individuals are not recorded. There is, however, a Qing turban named Guan Hai who is famous for attacking Kong Rong (where he was rescued by Taishi Ci and Liu Bei) and could be a representative of this faction; though there's no evidence he was one of the ones who went to serve Cao Cao.

The Turbans of Runan were actually key supporters of the Yuan family. They joined with Yuan Shu to fight against Dong Zhuo, and against Cao Cao. Many of them were killed in 196, but the group persisted. Liu Bei joined up with them in 200 to harass Cao Cao's rear while he was engaged at Guandu, though to no significant effect. After Cao Cao's victory at Guandu, he returned to Runan and crushed the Turbans for good. Members of this group included Liu Pi, Huang Shao, He Man, and He Yi.

So there's a collection of names. The most important, in my opinion, are Yang Feng, Han Xian, Guan Hai, and Liu Pi. The others (Hu Cai, Li Le, Guo Da, Huang Shao, He Man, He Yi) less so. If you want to flesh out the group, those are the people to use, since they were the ones who did things of note after the larger rebellion was settled.

[mycatwantstoeatpins]

Blood of Youth recap - episode 24

Xiao Se says it was a coincidence but also like it was arranged in advance.

As they wait for the ceremony, Lord Chi makes fun of Lord Bai for being blind. The marquis attends with the State Preceptor. The emperor comes out then collapses with a heart attack.

The emperor is mostly in a coma for three days and wakes three times to issue three edicts: Marquis Lanyue and Grand Preceptor Dong Zhu are in charge; officials below second rank may not enter or leave Tianqi and those above second rank may not leave their residences; and the third is a secret decree delivered to Ye Xiaoying by Jinyan, the Director of Seal.

General Ye says the secret decree should have been issued secretly, then finds out it’s blank. His soldier confirms Xiao Se is back in Xueyue and Ye Ruoyi is with him.

A doctor tells the marquis and Dong Zhu the emperor may not wake for months.

Sikong Changfeng asks if Ji Ruofeng has returned to Baixiao Sect. The disciple says there’s a new head and asks why Baili Dongjun and Mo Yi haven’t returned from Penglai island.

Xiao Se remembers his father being angry because he wanted to travel in the jianghu. Qianluo comes to him and asks if he’s going back to Tianqi and whether she can go with him.

Xiao Lingchen, the younger Lord Langya, joins them and laughs at Xiao Se for not answering. Qianluo leaves and Xiao Se asks where Xiao Lingchen’s been. He says they were stopped by White Tiger but he was allowed to go after his father surrendered and he’s been in hiding. He says Xiao Se should return to Tianqi but it isn’t time for him yet.

Marquis Lanyue visits Hua Jin to command her to treat the emperor.

Xiao Se tells Sikong Changfeng he doesn’t know the answer to Qianluo’s question. Sikong Changfeng says he hates the emperor but he’s tried to be a good ruler and a good father.

Zang Ming reports to Lord Bai that Tang Lian faced punishment but Tang Lianyue defeated Tang Huang, Tang Xuan and Tang Qisha, there was an internal fight and Tang Lianyue is now the leader. He won’t ally with Lord Bai.

Tang Lian asks Tian Lianyue whether Tang clan will ally with Lord Bai or Xueyue. Tang Lianyue says he won’t get involved. Tang Lian says he’s decided to follow his heart and has been studying the book of liquor. Tang Lianyue tells him how Lord Langya entered the Insouciant Phase after drinking Seven Starry Nights.

Hua Jin says she can cure the emperor but it will take a month.

Marquis Lanyue asks the guard captain how an assassin got into the palace.

Wuxin disguises himself as an official/eunuch and gets caught by the chief eunuch, who injures him. He wonders when Xiao Se will come back.

Yin Luoxia tells Sikong Changfeng Xiao Se has left. Sikong Changfeng starts mapping out Xiao Se’s enemies:

General Chen Luoying receives message from Lord Chi.

Wushuang sends Lu Yuzhai on a mission.

Dark River will come from the southwest.

Xikong Changfeng tells Yin Luoxia to issue the emergency Qiancheng token.

Qianluo comes in the Vermilion Bird’s robes to say goodbye.

Sikong Changfeng says he’s going to take on Luo Qingyang.

Tang Lian sees the Qiancheng token and leaves.

Lei Wujie sees it with Li Hanyi and she tells him to leave Sword Heart Tomb to protect Xiao Se.

Li Wei (Ye Battalion commander) hears General Ye can’t leave his residence. Ye Ruoyi passes on General Ye’s order to protect Xiao Se.

The State Preceptor tells Marquis Lanyue Xiao Se has left Xueyue. The marquis calls Li Changqing and says he needs eight hundred tiger soldiers to accompany him out of the city.

The marquis makes a speech to rally the soldiers to protect Lord Yong’an.

[mengyan]

and what does it mean to be fated? is it something only a rock can dictate, as it spits out names side by side that aren’t both of yours? or does it mean to choose, and choose, and choose again? to find each other as mortals, as shadows, as a little fox and a former emperor in the cracks of light and the darkest corners?

you are dong hua-dijun, and you are not supposed to care. you are a symbol of peace, the pillar that holds up the skies. you are why the realms are still standing. worldly affairs do not concern you, but she is not a worldly affair; she is the world itself. you can let go of everything else but her. she is your lover, your partner, your empress, your wife, your equal. death cannot split you into two, not when she is half of your heart already. you would give her all of it if only she would take it, but she wants you to keep it. she teaches you to keep things for yourself, and that there is so much more to living than giving yourself up for other people. you would live for her and die for her. you want to live with her and die with her. you cannot afford to want anything, but for her, you want everything.

you are bai fengjiu, and you care too much. you met him in scriptures, in the brush portraits that you’d painted based on conjecture and histories you never witnessed. and then he saves you and he is so much more beautiful than brushstrokes could ever hope to capture. you are born and raised in qingqiu, after all, so you must return his kindness. you sneak into his palace and he takes your breath away. nine-tailed foxes only love once. you don’t make yourself visible in front of him, afraid of just how loud your heart will beat if you place it in his hands. you become his biggest trial. you’re coughing up blood but his mouth tastes sweet against yours and you cannot help but love him and love him and love him. it’s all you know how to do. you can’t stop. you jump off the cliff. he reaches for you and you look away. and there is so much he doesn’t understand, and so much you don’t either. you can’t stay away from him. it’s his turn to chase you and you make wishes, and you make foolish requests, and you think, wildly, that maybe this isn’t a dream. maybe you can have a happy ending. you want him to be the spine to your storybook, to be your end and your beginning. you will wrangle fate with your fists and your blade and cut it through until your red strings are knotted together. his flesh and blood sits on your finger. your flesh and blood sits on his lap, with silver hair that mirrors his and a sunny smile that mirrors yours.

it’s been a long journey getting here, but your forever will be far longer.

eternal love of dream really said even my shadow would recognize yours and fall in love with it. losing you was never ending winter. take my heart and wear it on your finger. who cares about fate when we are holding hands at the end of all things.

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: Eternal Love of Dream / Three Lives, Three Worlds, The Pillow Book (2020)

Being tricked by the emperor~#三生三世枕上书 #love #eternalloveofdream #迪丽热巴 #高伟光 #shorts

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4p_6RiE1GJA

[whycantihashtagmyurl]

I just finished Eternal Love of Dream and one thing I’m sad about is that we never got to see Dong Hua dote on a pregnant Feng Jiu.

Could you imagine!?!?!?

[sorysblog]

Dong Hua x Feng Jiu

[thegloryofgeekdom]

Eternal Love of Dream

Episode 26 SPOILERS

Ugh I remember this asshole being a BIGGER asshole in TMOPB! A fancy dance at another banquet and he’s willing to forgive Zhi He her previous transgressions, he asks Dong Huas’ opinion on the matter and all he gets is a lacklustre-

Bai Zhen interrupts the exchange to admonish Feng Jui for smiling, ( though I’m pretty sure he knows what a exceptional bitch Zhi He was to Feng Jui when she was posing as a maid in Tai Palace and is just trying to give Feng Jui the opportunity to apply some smack down) Which is exactly what Feng Jui does. She remarks that Zhi He is talented and skilled so of course she’ll be absolved but what happens to an immortal who is neither talented or skilled.

Lian Song is amused.

The couple that trolls together...😂😂😂

[shu-of-the-wind]

okay so the universal response for swallows on the beam playlists being posted has been "yes please," and i'll include these in the next a/n as well, but! see playlist links below.

i will have one english language and one chinese language playlist for every character i have created a playlist for. right now only the english language playlists for the characters below (lan fan/feiyan, ling, xiaoqing, lien hua, and xinzhe) have been formalized in a way that i like. i'll probably fuss them again in future because i can never let anything just exist anyway i'll post the chinese playlists when they're ready and add them to this post in a reblog.

MOST OF THESE PLAYLISTS ARE NSFW BECAUSE I LIKE MUSIC THAT HAS A LOT OF SWEARS PLS DON'T BE MAD

Chapter by Chapter Background Music Playlist. This is the ONLY playlist that is on Youtube at this point because certain tracks are just not available on Spotify. Let me know if y'all want youtube links for all the playlists and I can transfer stuff over pretty easily. (this one is sfw! it's all OSTs aside from a few songs in chinese.)

Lan Fan Huo | Feiyan Ma and Feiyan Ma | Lan Fan Huo. These are different playlists because Feiyan Ma and Lan Fan Huo are slightly different even if they are the same person playing different roles, so it's a fun musical swap for me even if tones are very similar.

The Dawn Emperor | Ling Yao. Self explanatory.

Lien Hua Feng and Xinzhe Feng. Dong Mao playlist in progress.

Xiaoqing Cao.

The Fires of God | hail the sun god's chosen.

All other major characters have a playlist in progress.