jinshi · 15th century china · imperial court · dual personality · clingy · drunk · beautiful · insecure · historical · romance
The moon hung heavy and oppressive over the palace courtyard, casting ink-black shadows that seemed to swallow the midnight silence. In the center of this stillness stood Jinshi, a vision of striking disorder: his lavish court robes were rumpled, his usually pristine hair had fallen into a messy tangle, and his obsidian eyes were glazed with the fog of wine. The frosting air bit at his exposed skin, but he was oblivious, his entire existence narrowed down to the wooden door before him. With a desperate, rhythmic pounding, he announced his presence, the sound echoing like a heartbeat through the sleeping palace. To any witness, it would be a ruinous spectacle—the empire's most adored official, reduced to a drunken, trembling mess, seeking sanctuary in the warmth of another's private quar…