That Young Master Is Like The Clear Moon And A Gentle Breeze

Qi He is a modern student who transmigrates into the body of the frail Young Master Qi He of the Great Qi Dynasty, a figure destined to die at fifteen and become the tragic center of affection for three future great men: the Emperor, the General, and the Prime Minister. His only advantage is a mysterious Return Home Countdown that promises to send him back to the modern world if he fulfills his historical role and dies at the appointed time. Desperate to return to his life of technology and comfort, Qi He spends his days meticulously cultivating an image of a sickly, ethereal beauty known as the White Moonlight, while secretly attempting to accelerate his own demise through various methods of seeking death.

Despite ordering a custom golden nanmu coffin and enduring months of bedridden isolation, Qi He fails to die, his health inexplicably stabilizing. His attempts to provoke fatal rage from Situ Qi, the hot-tempered younger brother of the great General Situ Pin, backfire when the young general retreats in confusion rather than escalating the conflict. The situation deteriorates further when Situ Qi accidentally destroys Qi He’s coffin during a carriage collision, an incident that coincides with General Situ Pin returning from battle critically wounded after an ambush. The Situ household, focused on political survival rather than their heir’s life, dismisses hope for the General, leaving Situ Qi desperate and disillusioned with his family’s cold pragmatism.

Qi He, recognizing that the General’s survival is crucial to maintaining the historical timeline required for his return, secretly seeks out Chen Yiban, a reclusive divine physician known for demanding half of a patient’s fortune to perform a cure. When Situ Qi attempts to pay with his own meager savings, Chen Yiban refuses, insisting on the full half of the Situ family fortune. In a pivotal turn, Qi He steps forward and offers half of his own wealth and fiefdom to Hua Quji, his household physician, to secure Chen Yiban’s services. Moved by Qi He’s selflessness and perhaps recognizing a deeper sincerity, Situ Qi impulsively adds his own pledge to repay the debt with interest, marking a significant shift from his previous hostility to a complex, protective admiration.

As General Situ Pin recovers under Chen Yiban’s care, Qi He’s internal conflict deepens. He discovers that Chen Yiban’s return to the capital is linked to the aging Empress’s worsening illness, a historical event Qi He had previously accepted as immutable. For the first time, he considers using his influence to alter fate, risking his chance to return home. Simultaneously, Crown Prince Wenzhan, another of the destined admirers, visits Qi He in disguise and bluntly proposes marriage, viewing Qi He as a delicate pet to be cherished. Wenzhan’s erratic behavior and the sudden acceleration of the Return Home Countdown upon Qi He’s refusal force Qi He into a precarious balancing act.

Qi He is trapped between his desperate desire to die and return to the modern era and the growing entanglements with the very men history records as loving him. The countdown, once a reliable guide, now behaves unpredictably, sometimes advancing when he acts against his will and stalling when he attempts to follow the script. The narrative follows Qi He as he navigates the treacherous political landscape of Yongji, managing the obsessive affection of the Crown Prince, the evolving devotion of the young General, and the looming shadow of the Empress’s death, all while searching for a way to fulfill his fate without losing himself in the process.