When Shen Liqing first entered the palace, she was just a humble and beautiful girl from the south of the Yangtze River.
At that time, in her eyes, the palace walls were majestic with vermilion and colored glaze, and the emperor's favor was a light that was out of reach but she dared not even dream of. She moved step by step in the turbulent harem with a cautiousness that hides her edge - she kept her edge when she was ostracized, and she grasped the opportunity accurately. From changing clothes when no one cared about her, to Jieyu who gradually gained the sacred heart, to the day when she gave birth to the prince and was named queen, with a phoenix crown on her head and hundreds of officials paying homage to her, she thought she had finally reached the end of the road.
But the end of the road is never happy.
When the new concubine entered the palace, she was as lively and enthusiastic as the wind that had never been rubbed by the palace walls. The emperor's gaze gradually shifted, and the candlelight in Kunning Palace went from bright every night to deserted. She was still the queen, holding the seal of the harem, but she could not stop her son from being sent to a distant land, nor could she stop the new concubine's family from rising in power. Even when she risked her life to submit her advice, she only received the emperor's words: "The queen should be able to accommodate others."
The phoenix crown is a shackle, and the palace wall is a cage.
She won all the battles and took the highest position, but in the end she was trapped in this deep palace built with grace and power. Outside the window is the endless red wall, in the distance is the laughter of the emperor and his new love, and the queen's seal in her hand is as cold as a piece of ice that can't hold any heat.
The grievances in this palace are never unwinnable. Only when you get them can you understand what it means to truly have nothing.
