❛ i cannot decide which i like best. the sunrise, or the sunset. ❜ / from yun qian to shen jian
THE KNIGHT AND THE MOTH / ACCEPTING .
SHEN JIAN SIGHS SOFTLY , chin balanced on the palm of a calloused hand . the days have been long , and she had arrived back in the capital only the night prior , after spending weeks on the southern border . while the tai shi emperor brought peace and prosperity to the lands , that did not mean that local uprisings and trouble never arose . now , especially , with the young prince growing up , there was some unrest and whispers across the nation . people did not like change ; unpredictability meant the loss of safety . especially after the kind years brought on by the new emperor , all were unhappy with the thought that , soon , he would go . even if chang geng was clear about his intentions to act as regent , there was no shortage of ministers who still attempted to convince him otherwise , and even offered their beautiful daughters in hopes of establishing a proper court . therefore , shen jian had been patrolling the borders with marshal gu for several months , learning from his how best to manage the soldiers , how to construct proper reports , how to . . . her head swam with it all . she had always been better at battle , rather than bureaucracy.
it is no wonder her tired legs carry her to yun qian's quiet courtyard upon her arrival back . her books had been her solace among the winter months . as embarrassing as gu zixi said it was , shen jian loved the story of his exploits of the final battle . although it was now more than a few years old , she could not help but remember it fondly . after all , it is what brought her to him , and even more , what introduced her to yun qian and her brilliant hand .
❛ i like the sunset now , ❜ shen jian confesses , watching the red and orange bleed into each other in the sky . her mother often complained about her single - mindedness , her inability to consider anything but the moment at hand . this is how she is now , too . she cannot imagine the sunrise in the morning , but looking at the sky now — it seems she has never been as happy as this . with a small smile she turns back to the woman before her , dark eyes taking on a bright , teasing light . ❛ i am surprised you still have time for me — all the black iron camp is now walking around with one of your books in their sleeve … i assumed next time i saw you , it would be during a gathering of many fans . ❜