Song of Everlasting Sorrow

The history books say: In the fortieth year of the Bai Emperor’s reign, Prince Cheng raised an army, marched straight into the palace, slew the old king, and became the new emperor. He renamed the kingdom Han and took the title Yuanchengzong. Once the new emperor ascended the throne, the former ruler became his wife, taking her place as mother of the realm. He dismissed the old ministers and appointed new ones, introduced reforms, granted a general amnesty, recruited scholars from across the land, and sent troops to the border. His realm expanded by a thousand li, and all bowed in submission. The people lived in peace and prosperity, eating meat, wearing silk, and adorning themselves with pearls and jade. He ruled for decades, with a powerful kingdom, a mighty army, and the people’s support. He died in his fifties, having reached the age of destiny, and was buried with his empress among the green hills. His son succeeded him, and history called him Emperor Rongming. The love and hatred between Yuanchengzong and the princess of the previous dynasty have long been a favorite subject of storytellers, and people still debate them. Unofficial histories say something else: The princess had loved handsome men since childhood. She met Yuanchengzong at a martial arts tournament, fell for him at once, and pursued him for three years without giving up. In the end, he was moved by her and won the realm for her. The day he became king, he made her empress. Ten miles of red wedding finery, a thousand miles of brocade. For the princess, he dismissed every minister. In a palace of three thousand halls, she alone reigned supreme. So some people said, “A thousand miles of rivers and mountains cannot compare to a beauty. A beautiful woman brings calamity, and the kingdom falls and the family is destroyed.”