★Ancient Romance Novelist Gu YuLou pioneers a new "lyrical prose" novel, set against the backdrop of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, weaving a tale of love and vengeance between Yu Wenfeng and Luo Qingqiu — three encounters, three partings.

★Vivid Characters: A battle of wits between the cold, restrained prince and a brilliant, unconventional woman, alongside a mischievous yet sincere young master, a strategist who schemes yet harbors hidden desires, and a peerless beauty forced into the world of courtesans to gather intelligence — each character, lead or supporting, vividly distinct.

★Political intrigue as gripping as a historical drama, yet never lacking in romantic tenderness — "In all this world, my heart belongs only to you."

After the fall of Wei and Jin dynasties, the realms fractured into three rival states: Zhou, Qi, and Chen. When Yu Wenfeng, Prince of Wuyang from Zhou, is sent as an envoy to the southern state of Chen, fate intertwines his path with Luo Qingqiu, a woman obsessed with painting, in the misty valleys of Wuling. Yet their meeting is shattered by assassins from Qi, and further entangled by the sudden intervention of Gao Changgong, the Prince of Lanling...

Gu Yulou
Originally named Liu Tingting, this post-90s author crafts prose as smooth and delicate as jade, infused with the grace of poetry and painting—earning her the reader-bestowed title of "lyrical prose" novelist.
"I build the grandest city with Qin bricks and Han tiles, only to destroy it, leaving the world to lament in regret. Yet my heart is never ruthless enough — so I always strive to carve out an earthly paradise amidst the ruins."

Volume I: My Heart Adores You, Yet You Know It Not
01. Wuling Vale
02. Peach Blossom Calamity
03. General and Minister’s Duel
04. Flawless Trust
05. Delight in Painting
06. The Xuanji Diagram
07. Laughter in Refined Discourse
08. Radiant Splendor
09. Ingenious Trap
10. Tea-Tasting Delight
11. Night at Zhongshan
12. The Fall of Glorious Years
13. Untangling the Interlocked Rings

Volume II: Fearing Beauty May Enchant You Further
14. Seven Nights of Snow
15. Enchanted Even More
16. Master and Disciple’s Fate
17. Mistaken Favor
18. An Empty Letter’s Omen
19. The Emperor’s Star Returns
20. Ode to the Lǜqi Zither
21. A Wrongful Encounter
22. Love Within Love
23. Thus Have I Seen
24. The Greedy Wolf Star
25. Prince of Lanling
26. Lament of the Pipa
27. The Beauty’s Fall
28. Scheming Step by Step
29. Alone and Unassisted
30. Between Hearts
31. Autumn’s Hymn

Volume III: Toppling the World, Yet With Whom Shall I Stand?
32. Siege of Luoyang
33. Silent Worries
34. Tragedy of Broken Halberds
35. Passions and Moonlight
36. The Sword Knows No Mercy
37. Lifelong Regret
38. Fear Amidst Dread
39. Plot Within Plot
40. Sorrow in Joy
41. Peace in the Mortal World
42. Land of Tender Love
43. A Missed Rendezvous
44. Tomb of Heroes
45. Winds and Clouds Shift
46. A Thousand Errors
47. Drunken Dreams
48. Rise of the Hidden Dragon
49. Betraying the Realm
50. Epilogue

He asked, “If you knew the way out, why did you pretend not to know and deceive me into spending the night in the cave?”

She replied, “Your Highness may consider it as taking a wrong turn.”
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Chapter 01: Wuling Vale

The music had long faded in the courier station of Wuling, leaving the loft empty save for Yu Wenfeng alone. Reclining on a chaise longue, he picked up one of the three wine cups on the table and drained it in a single gulp.
A sudden strain of qin music reached his ears — unexpected, arresting. He pushed aside the beaded curtain, and the melody grew clearer. The tune was hauntingly familiar, yet he couldn’t place it. It was like the first snow on a frigid river: solitary, ethereal.
He rose and stepped out of the station.
Beyond the gates sprawled a peach grove, marked by a stone tablet inscribed: Taoyuan (Peach Blossom Spring). Leafless branches stood stark against the wind, the withered trees planted seemingly at random, chaotic, without discernible pattern.
A delicate fragrance wafted from the grove. By Jiangnan’s seasons, it was already late summer — too late for peach blossoms. And yet, unmistakably, it was their scent: neither cloying nor faint, thread by thread, seeping into his very bones.
The music seemed to come from the grove’s heart.
Several guards, noticing his exit, moved to follow. He did not stop them. This diplomatic mission had taken him from Chang’an, through Xiangyang, past Jiangling, to this courier station in Wuling — now deep within Chen territory. In this unfamiliar land, vigilance was second nature.
Yu Wenfeng took a few steps toward the music when suddenly, a pebble shot toward his face. With a flick of his sleeve, he dodged. The stone struck a peach branch behind him, snapping it with a sharp crack.
"Protect His Highness!" A guard rushed forward but had barely taken two steps before another pebble struck his right arm. Then, stones rained from all directions.
By now, the wine’s haze had lifted. Yu Wenfeng drew his sword, cleaving through a branch. The night grew still again. He sidestepped left — another pebble flew. He deflected it with a palm strike. Silence returned.
No longer reckless, he surveyed his surroundings: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise — four withered trees marked the cardinal directions, with his position at the center, forming a five-point formation. Each tree linked to others, creating layers of nested arrays.
"A Peach Blossom Formation?"
Battle formations were no mystery to him, but this was rare. To encounter such mastery here, of all places… This insignificant Wuling Prefecture truly hides dragons and crouches tigers!
Now fully alert, Yu Wenfeng felt a spark of intrigue. "No one moves without my order."
The guards stood frozen, baffled by their lord’s actions. Two steps left, one back, three right, four steps in retreat, three forward, then left again — soon, he was far ahead, yet they remained rooted. Such was the iron law of command.
Deep in the grove, dried peach petals hung like nests from barren branches. Their scent, now unmistakable, carried that same eerie sweetness.
Having unraveled the formation, he emerged to an open vista: reeds swaying along the riverbank, vast and desolate under the wind’s sigh.