A drunken, languid beauty with a face as fair as if dusted with powder: that was the beauty ideal of this era. Frank, uninhibited, carefree, and dashing: that was its style. Powerful clans stood everywhere, while empty talk undermined the state: that was its political landscape. Ahao was born into the Eastern Jin dynasty, an age when “the Wang and Ma families ruled the realm together.” She should have been a pampered princess, adored by all. But the tides of fate turned, and in a single night the Rebellion of Wang Dun and the Rebellion of Su Jun followed one another. Her grandfather, father, and mother died in turn, and her young younger brother ascended the throne. Once the darling of heaven, Ahao vows to strive onward and embarks on a difficult path to maturity. Who will walk beside her along the muddy road: the refined young Wang Tian, like an elegant orchid or a jade tree, yet determined to defy the world; the idle but ambitious avenger Huan Wen; or perhaps a group of girls, each with her own charm and hidden brilliance...? Turn the page of history, and you will find that “the elegance of the Wei and Jin” has always coexisted with “a shattered realm,” just as “unrestrained abandon” has always gone hand in hand with “fierce loyalty.”
This story was written for a contest promoting the revival of ancient texts. Inspired by the story “Even I Find Her Endearing,” it is a short work adapted from A New Account of the Tales of the World.
