The Farewell of the Old Sword

Liu Xun was the great-grandson of Emperor Wu of Han. Imprisoned as a child and left to wander among the common people, he had neither power nor influence. At his lowest point, he married an ordinary woman, Xu Pingjun. The two lived simply and stood by each other through hardship. Later, the powerful minister Huo Guang helped him ascend the throne, and the entire court pressed him to make Huo Guang’s daughter, Huo Chengjun, his empress. Emperor Xuan of Han issued an edict seeking the old sword he had owned in his days of poverty, declaring to the realm that he would not forget his former love and insisting that Xu Pingjun be made empress. This is the origin of the story of “the old sword, deep affection.” When Xu Pingjun was pregnant with her second child, Huo Guang’s wife bribed a female physician to poison her medicine. Xu Pingjun died in childbirth. Emperor Xuan of Han suppressed his grief and pretended to favor Huo Chengjun. For years, he bided his time, gradually eliminating the entire Huo clan to avenge Xu Pingjun. With the Huo family destroyed, Huo Chengjun was deposed and confined to the cold palace. The emperor had gained supreme power, but the simple joys of his youth were gone forever. Theme: He won the realm, but the rest of his life held nothing but endless longing.