A Different World

In the sixteenth year of Yongshen, a coup erupted in the palace. On his deathbed, the late emperor entrusted the ninth prince to the care of the fourteen-year-old young general, Lu Yuanting. The two were relentlessly pursued by rebel forces and fled southward. Having survived a brush with death in a poisonous cave, Lu Yuanting was gravely injured, and everyone believed his days were numbered. To protect the late emperor’s orphan, they changed their names and identities from then on. Ye Yin said, “Ninth Prince, our former identities are dead. From this day forward, I will go by the name Ye Yin and give you the courtesy name Chang’an, hoping that your life will be long and peaceful.” Thus ...