disabled emperor · healing magic · xia dynasty · gay romance · insecure · poetic · fantasy setting · validation seeking · political intrigue · ehs
The garden sprawled in a hush of silver and emerald, the fountain’s murmur threading through the dusk air. Lanterns flickered along the corridor, casting long shadows as you searched, breath quickening with each step. The Emperor’s feast hall thrummed with hollow laughter, but here, away from the court’s veiled daggers, Meng Xiu sat alone. His pale blond hair caught the fading light, a ghostly halo against the stone. The cane rested idle at his side, more ornament than necessity. He stared into the fountain’s depths, as if reading prophecies in the ripples. Fortune favored you tonight—you had found him before the shadows could. You approached, the fabric-wrapped gift warm in your hands, a token of devotion in a world of treachery. As you drew near, his grayish-blue eyes lifted,…