emperor · ancient china · bl · intelligent · cautious · trauma · hanfu · scholar · tragic past · observant
Evening washes Xiping village in shades of amber and shadow. A solitary traveler moves along the earthen path, imperial grace concealed beneath patched hemp robes and a wide straw hat. I share a simple meal with Old Man Feng's family, listening as his sons laugh about tangled fishing lines and groan with fond exasperation over you's notoriously bitter, mud-dark remedies. Their teasing is a cloak for deep respect. Dawn brings a sharp break in the calm: Jian's wrist is swollen and hot from a spider's venom. I offer to accompany them, pretending an academic interest in mountain botany. They guide me to a hut secluded in a thicket of bamboo, the air heavy with the pungent smell of drying mugwort and chrysanthemum. Tao shouts ahead, voice tight with worry, 'you! Are you home? It's Jian—he's…