ย ย Xingyin has.. a complicated relationship with romance.ย
ย ย when it comes to her mother, Changโe, Xingyin has heard all of the various iterations of the tragic story between her mother and father.ย sheโs heard the tales where Changโe was the greedy and vain villainess, where Hou Yi had an affair and planned to make himself and his lover ageless, and iterations where both parties were victims of terrible timing and at the mercy of the universe.ย
ย ย as for Xingyin herself, sheโs only ever had two people in her life that she had ever seen romantic interest in ; however, both of these people, like her, had their own important secrets to keep.ย ย
ย ย Liwei, the only crowned prince of the Jade/Celestial Emperor, was not only a close friend, despite being the only son of the Celestial/Jade Emperor, but also her classmate as they tutored privately together for a handful of years.ย theyโve exchanged gifts, been each otherโs confidants, and developed feelings for each other through their constant closeness ; but, ultimately, it is suddenly revealed to Xingyin the day of an agreement for an arranged marriage between Liwei and another that comes from a powerful family to keep strong alliances.ย the relationship between him and Xingyin was more a relationship filled with yearning and temptations, but after the fallout of their friendship, the girl throws herself into the military to put distance between her and the pain that came with the fallout.ย by the end of the novel, the two become amicable enough to be friends.
ย ย Wenzhi on the other hand, the young and accomplished Captain of the Guard, is a seemingly tight-laced man, but has nuggets of relativity that draws her in.ย heโs darkly handsome, sympathetic in his own quirky ways, but treats Xingyin like he does anyone else in his unit as he departs bits of wisdom to her.ย In the following years, though she is more weary of her feelings, the two grow close not just as comrades, but as friends thatย ; itโs his respect and view of her as an equal that makes his later betrayal that much more heart-wrenching, especially when, at the same time, he is using the one thing that could free Xingyinโs mother from her bindings to strengthen his own personal matters.ย as the novel comes to its end, he and Xingyin are on rocky terms, at best.ย