Save the Beauty

A pure and elegant woman and an extraordinary emperor, their love story unfolds in a dazzling display.

One is hesitation and resistance, desperately trying to guard one's own heart.

One is assertive and deeply affectionate, striving to preserve this delicate orchid.

Finally, beautiful encounters always have beautiful endings.

Wei Yu lost her way. All around her were tall trees. Although the stone slabs under her feet were still flat, Wei Yu could no longer tell which way was east, west, south, or north. The sky was getting dark, and smoke was spreading in the mountainside. Wei Yu regretted it. Knowing that she had a bad sense of direction, she shouldn't have come out alone. She should have stayed in her room and thought about things in peace.

It was a summer evening, the wind wasn't too cold. Wei Yu walked back silently. The pine forest rustled, and leaves fell silently. Wei Yu thought that if she disappeared like this, it wouldn't be such a bad thing. Wei Yu laughed to herself. Who would have thought that she, who seemed so easygoing, would have such a pessimistic thought? Her uncle would be very sad if he knew.

Wei Yu was born posthumously. Her mother died after giving birth to her, and her uncle took the infant Wei Yu into his home to raise her. Fortunately, her parents had left behind a considerable fortune, and her uncle also ran a photography studio, so the family was quite well-off. As for her aunt, she was only there because of the money, and she often spoke of how kind her family had been to Wei Yu. Her uncle was very upright and felt that since the money was left to Wei Yu by her brother and sister-in-law, it should be at Wei Yu's disposal. Since Wei Yu was a minor, the money should not be touched. Her aunt harbored resentment and, although she did not mistreat Wei Yu, she always treated her coldly and rudely. Growing up in such an environment, Wei Yu was introverted, but unlike her mother, she wasn't weak-willed. She had a strong sense of self and loved Tang and Song dynasty poetry, and was captivated by the beautiful scenes described in those poems. This year, she turned twenty and received her university acceptance letter, deciding to visit Mount Lu as a gift to herself. Her aunt complained, saying she didn't understand the hardships of daily life and was trying to enjoy life before even earning money. Thinking of this, Wei Yu smiled bitterly. Her aunt's concern was that Wei Yu should use that large sum of money to repay their kindness in raising her. As she was leaving, her doting uncle thought she had been wronged and was worried about her traveling alone. Wei Yu repeatedly assured him that she would let him know she was safe every day, but her uncle was still not very happy. Wei Yu thought of her earlier thoughts and couldn't help but sigh. Before leaving, Wei Yu went to the bank and only kept one-third of the money for herself. She entrusted the rest of the money and the jewelry her mother had left her to her uncle through a lawyer. Her uncle's photo studio should have been expanded long ago. Her aunt had cried and made a scene in front of her uncle more than once. She hoped that this time she could satisfy her aunt and that her uncle would not be troubled anymore.

As dusk deepened, Wei Yu grew increasingly anxious. She had walked for some time, feeling as if she had entered a maze, surrounded by dense trees, and now faced another fork in the road. The self-deprecating laughter she had just shared was now gone. After dinner, she declined her travel companions' invitations and went for a walk alone. Engrossed in admiring the verdant shadows and crimson sunset of Mount Lu, and the breathtaking view of the sun sinking into the lake, she unknowingly wandered onto a narrow path. If she waited until the next morning to realize she was missing from her hotel, she tried to contact her guide, but the signal in the mountains was poor. She was truly at a loss. Which path should she take? She clutched the jade Pixiu pendant at her chest, the only keepsake from her mother that she had ever worn since childhood. She silently wished for "good luck" and then walked along the right-hand path.

Perhaps her mother was truly protecting her, for soon the view opened up before her, the moonlight shining brightly, the shadows of the trees swaying. Wei Yu felt slightly relieved, but suddenly, two figures swept past her at lightning speed without stopping. Wei Yu was startled, her heart filled with suspicion, but then she thought they were probably locals and could ask for directions. Ignoring the tour guide's earlier warning not to talk to strangers, she called out, "Could you please stop for a moment? I need directions, how do I get to the Cloud Steps?" The two seemed to pause for a moment, but continued walking. Wei Yu followed behind, jogging a few steps. "Please tell me, I'm lost." Wei Yu braced herself, seeing that the two were not thugs, her palms sweating as she clutched the Pixiu. She walked and talked, unaware that the surrounding smoke was growing thicker.

The two people finally stopped and turned around at the same time. They were a simply dressed man and woman, around sixty years old, looking energetic and kind-faced. They smiled at Wei Yu, their eyes shining, and said in unison, "Young lady, it's you!"

Wei Yu felt a sudden jolt in her heart, realizing that her words were a bit strange. She belatedly came to her senses, took a few steps back, and heard the babbling of a brook in her ears. She looked around and was startled. With a gasp, Wei Yu turned pale.

She then realized that the three of them were standing on a vast plain, the sun high in the sky, a soft breeze caressing her cheeks, carrying a refreshing fragrance. She remained silent, somewhat dazed, her heart pounding. Even with her usually composed nature, she was now flustered. "This...this..."

She closed her eyes, hoping it was a dream. She pinched her arm hard, letting out a soft cry of pain. She opened her eyes, but nothing had changed.

"Hehe," the two men chuckled at Wei Yu's childish actions. Wei Yu blushed, and the two men stopped laughing. "Miss must have many questions in her heart. Why don't you sit down and let us tell you in detail?" Their tone was very respectful, yet also tinged with joy.

Wei Yu's heart pounded wildly, as if it would leap out of her chest. Dazed, she did as she was told and sat down on the ground. What she touched was soft, damp grass. This was no dream. Just moments ago, she had been walking on the mountain path of Mount Lu. Yet here she was, with people and a clear sky before her. Strange and fantastical forces were truly living, breathing beings in the world. This was something that only happened in books. Wei Yu was truly speechless. One really can't be too stubborn; anything can happen.

Their eyes met, and the two men revealed their admiration, becoming even more convinced that the beautiful woman before them was someone generations had longed to find but could never attain.

They were incredibly fortunate to have met their destined one. Their expressions became even more respectful. "Miss, our surname is Ji. We are brother and sister, and we are elders of the Qin Empire."

"The Qin Empire? Elder?" Wei Yu murmured repeatedly.

"Yes, it's a long story. Young lady, you are very knowledgeable. You must have studied Tao Yuanming's 'Peach Blossom Spring' from the Jin Dynasty. We are the descendants of the pre-Qin era mentioned in this article. We have the opportunity to find the intersection connecting the two time periods, thanks to this article, which also led to the creation of the great Qin Empire." The two spoke eloquently, very proudly.

The history of the Qin Empire can be traced back to the Taiyuan period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. At that time, a fisherman accidentally entered the Peach Blossom Spring, which was later known as the Peach Blossom Spring, through a peach blossom forest. After the fisherman left, the Peach Blossom Spring was no longer peaceful. People's hearts were restless. Curiosity about life in another world led some to find an opportunity to leave. Some never returned, while others came back, bringing with them the power struggles, greed, and justice of the outside world into this pure land. People began to fight and struggle endlessly. After several decades, people were surprised to find that the land they lived in was not so small. So the territory slowly expanded, and counties were established. Wise and learned people realized that this was another space mentioned in the documents brought in by their ancestors. Their ancestors had been searching for it and accidentally entered this strange world, but they did not know it and only used it as a place of refuge. After years of warfare, numerous states, large and small, were established in this space. Among them was the Ying family, descendants of the Qin royal family. They led people to escape the chaos of war and discovered this land. In 645 AD, they established the Qin Empire, assisted by the Ji family. Due to war, the junction between the two timelines was destroyed and gradually disappeared, becoming legends and historical records. In 1024 AD, the Qin Empire, through conquest and war, became the largest country, vast in territory and immensely wealthy. The Ji family served as ministers to the empire for generations. Among them, those with the strongest spiritual power were called elders, who remained unmarried throughout their lives and wielded significant influence over the empire. However, members of the Ji family could not hold real positions. This was to prevent the Ji family from using the elders to gain power and harboring rebellious intentions, thus preventing the empire from weakening. Such a thing had happened before, causing the empire to decline temporarily. Each generation of elders inherited a peerless secret: a passage connecting to another timeline exists on the Chenjiang Plain within the empire's territory. The emperors of the Qin Empire needed the approval of the elders of their generation to learn this secret, and they had to swear an oath to keep it secret for life, never to pass it on to anyone else. As a result, several wise rulers of the Qin Empire incorporated many insightful decisions from outside, such as the policies of the Tang Dynasty. The Qin Empire became the most powerful empire in this era, and although there were several generations of internal strife, none were enough to shake its foundations.

Not all elders possess sufficient ability to enter and exit the passage. Even those with the ability may only do so two or three times in their lifetime. Moreover, exiting the passage requires an imperial decree. If the emperor is unworthy, even those with the ability are forbidden from venturing out on their own, otherwise they will be punished by heaven, the Ji clan's spiritual power will be withdrawn, and the passage will be permanently closed. Originally, after the establishment of the empire in 645 AD, the emperor and elders at that time feared the disappearance of this only passage and also worried about outsiders intruding. Since the "Peach Blossom Spring" story had been widely circulated, and people from the outside world had been constantly coming to visit, the clan members with spiritual power set up a barrier at the passage—a pine forest—and made a vow to restrain each other. Elders with insufficient power could only vaguely see this pine forest but could not pass through it. It was also feared that if elders with insufficient power went out, they would not be able to adapt to life outside and would be harmed, thus weakening the Ji clan's status. Therefore, for more than two hundred years before the siblings Ji Heng and Ji Qing succeeded as elders in this generation, no elder was able to leave the passage. So during these two hundred years, emperors occasionally knew this secret, but they did not really believe it and just listened to it for the time being.

The siblings Ji Heng and Ji Qing possessed extraordinary abilities, both becoming Imperial Elders at the age of thirty-five—an unprecedented event in the empire's history. Emperor Rende, who ascended the throne at a young age, was eager to end the domestic decadence and complacency, while neighboring states like Zhu Zi, Xu, and Chen grew increasingly powerful. He sought to appoint virtuous ministers and generals, reduce taxes and corvée labor, abolish hereditary privileges of the powerful, and usher in a new era of prosperity. The Ji siblings were fortunate to encounter an enlightened ruler and were sent on a journey. At a time when China was actively reforming and the West was rapidly developing its science and technology, the Ji siblings returned. Emperor Rende, with his keen insight, adopted many of the valuable lessons they brought back and implemented sweeping reforms to the domestic laws, governance, military, and economy. However, these reforms faced resistance from outdated forces and threatened the interests of the powerful elites. Emperor Rende was kind and gentle, but his governance was fraught with difficulties and interference. He exhausted himself and died young. His successor, Emperor Xuande, was young, and his maternal relatives controlled the court. Powerful officials resurfaced, corruption and the sale of official positions became rampant, and the Ji siblings were ostracized and secluded themselves until the twelfth year of Xuande's reign. He then assumed personal rule, dismissed powerful officials, purged the court of internal strife, and cleansed the government. The Ji siblings emerged from seclusion and were highly valued by the emperor. The emperor, however, was ruthless and cold-blooded, implementing the reforms of his predecessor without mercy. In the eighteenth year of Xuande's reign, his maternal uncle was found selling examination questions for profit. Empress Dowager Zhou pleaded with him, but the emperor, avoiding his mother at the Daming Palace, ordered his uncle's execution in the marketplace. The court and the public were horrified and dared not look him in the eye. The Ji siblings, as was customary, revealed the secret to Emperor Xuande. A year earlier, they had again been ordered by the emperor to travel through the Tongdao Pass to observe commerce and military affairs in another time and space. Unexpectedly, on their return journey, they entered a pine forest without a word and were followed inside.

Wei Yu was speechless, unable to utter a word for a moment, her mind in turmoil. After a long while, she finally asked, "Elders, when wi

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