Shen Ruotang, the legitimate daughter of the Shen family, was famous all over the world for her beautiful work, but was forced to marry the third prince Xiao Yan. She used brocade as a blade to help him seize the heir, but in exchange, the family was destroyed, her younger brother died tragically, and she became blind. On the day Xiao Yan ascended the throne, she was sitting on the high platform with her phoenix crown and Xia Pei, and there was only boundless darkness in front of her eyes. Later he said that she was his eyes, but she could no longer see that these beautiful mountains and rivers were originally woven inch by inch with her bones and blood.
Concept: Concept of "Splendid Turns Ashes"
Core idea:
"Underneath the beauty, everything is ashes."
The work explores three progressive propositions through Shen Ruotang's complete arc from "living for his family" to "giving everything for love" to "finding himself through loss":
1. Superficial intention: female awakening
——She once thought she was a tapestry weaver, but later she discovered that she was just the most gorgeous thread in someone else's chess game. When she was blind and had nothing, she finally saw clearly: the greatest tragedy for a woman is not to marry the wrong person or take the wrong path, but to live for the expectations of others her whole life.
2. Middle-level intentions: costs and choices
——Everything in this world has a price tag. Xiao Yan gained the kingdom at the cost of losing the girl who would smile at him under the locust tree; Ruotang gained love at the cost of his younger brother's life, his sister's betrayal, and his own eyes. The work does not judge right or wrong, but only presents a cruel reality: whatever you choose, you must be prepared to lose.
3. Deeper intention: Redefining "accomplishment"
——The title of the book "Splendid Turns to Ashes" has a double meaning: first, it is the sense of tragedy of the beautiful scenery turning to ashes; second, "turning to ashes" is also "accomplishment" - those people, things, and feelings that are burned to ashes will eventually make a person successful in another way.
Ruotang finally understood: she didn't need to weave tapestry for anyone, she only needed to live once for herself. Even if there is darkness in front of her, her hands can still knit, her heart can still beat, and she is still alive.
One sentence summary:
"The most expensive brocade in the world is not woven with gold or silver threads, but is purchased inch by inch with a person's blood, tears and loss."
What the work ultimately wants to tell readers is: You can give everything for love, but don't forget that you are the master of your own life. The beauty will turn to ashes, but above the ashes, all things can still be reborn.