Carry On the Light

In the dead of night, I dreamed of the Ming Dynasty again. The blood spilled in the Jingnan Campaign stained Nanjing an eerie crimson. The raging flames in the Hall of Supreme Harmony seemed ready to consume every shadow, and yet they also seemed to foretell that the Great Ming would rise from the ashes.

The Yongle era, when all nations came to pay tribute, passed in a flash like a dream. The stirring cry to drive out the invaders and restore China still echoed over Yingtian Prefecture when the Qing cavalry broke through Shanhai Pass. From then on, the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers were no more, and the Great Ming was no more.

In the dead of night, my heart was filled with regret, but I had no idea who I could share it with.

If only I could wield a three-foot sword, cross the centuries, turn back the sun and moon, and overturn the world!

A knot of anguish tightened in my chest. When I finally woke, I could no longer fall asleep. So be it. I would rise, brew a cup of tea, take up an old brush, and continue writing the glory of the Great Ming's golden age in my heart.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.