The Emperor’s Long Song

Throughout history, there has been a legendary emperor whose life unfolded like a sweeping, tumultuous painting in three stages, composing a stirring epic of imperial glory.

In his youth, he was like Liu Bang, born into humble circumstances and serving as a carefree village headman on the streets of Pei County. But as the tides of a turbulent age shifted, he joined forces with his virtuous wife and raised the banner of rebellion. He fought across the land amid bloodshed, rising from obscurity to become the founder of a dynasty he built with extraordinary courage and cunning.

In middle age, he was a brilliant leader like Li Shimin. After being invested as Prince of Qin, he turned the tide in the bloody dawn at Xuanwu Gate. Once on the throne, he welcomed talented people from all quarters and introduced new policies. Together with the empress who had been his childhood sweetheart, he ushered in a golden age, bringing prosperity to the country and envoys from every land to his court, carrying his imperial achievements to their peak.

In his declining years, he found himself trapped in a predicament like Zhao Kuangyi’s. Suspicious and mistrustful in old age, he lost himself in the whirlpool of power, as brothers turned against each other and father and son grew estranged. Behind the mystery of the “Candlelight and Axe Shadows” lay his endless regrets about his life. At last, he left the stage of history, remembering the past and mourning what might have been, leaving behind a legendary life that fills the heart with sorrow.