In the year when Lin held jade and hairpins, his father said: "This is the best jade in the Lin family, and it should be held in the hands of noble people."
Yes, she was originally a talented girl carefully cultivated in Jiangnan. Every poem and every painting was to increase her marriage bargaining chips and serve as a stepping stone for the family to climb higher.
If she had never seen another life, she would be willing to do so.
But when she entered that prosperous city, she saw the eldest princess standing in the court, earning a place for women; she saw her cousins, each of whom had her own ambitions: the eldest cousin read books, held a women's poetry club, and compiled anthologies of women from all over the world; the second cousin did not like calligraphy and painting, preferring Lu Ban's techniques; the younger cousin studied medicine with a teacher and traveled around for many years, taking it as her own duty to help poor people with their illnesses...
Her mother, whom she had not seen for many years, gave her three notebooks: one about the wantonness of youthful travels, one about the suffocation of a troubled marriage, and one completely blank.
"Your father taught you poetry and calligraphy, so that you can become an exquisite round fan to decorate others. Holding jade, you should be yourself. You should be the person holding jade, not the jade."
A few years later,
In the Jinluan Hall, new female Jinshi scholars filed in.
Lin Chiyu held a jade wat in his hand and watched the morning light pass through the palace gate.
She thought of her mother's blank notebook, which was now filled with her political commentaries, regulations and ideals.
On the last page were the words she added last night:
"I hope those who come after me won't have to go through the thorny path like me.
May this road become wider and wider and eventually become a thoroughfare. "
