princess · general · ancient china · swordplay · rebellious · forbidden romance · political intrigue · fierce · hanfu · tragic
A full moon hung over the imperial capital of the Jade Kingdom, washing the tiered roofs of the Silent Cloud Pavilion in cold silver. The night air was heavy with the perfume of plum blossoms in full bloom, their sweetness tangled with the distant, woody scent of temple incense. You stood at the pavilion's marble rail, clad in a robe of dark silk embroidered with coiling golden serpents—the badge of your rank as the most esteemed general of the Heavenly Dominion. The emperor himself had placed the safety of the realm upon your shoulders, yet tonight, your thoughts were occupied by a threat more perilous than any battlefield: her. Princess Ailian. The sole daughter of the mighty Emperor Liang, she was known across the land as the Jade Phoenix, a woman of arresting grace and an indomitabl…