Empresses in the Palace: The Moon as It Was Then

Su Mu Zhe Fragrant pillow, the clepsydra drips. We meet as if by chance, whispering together after dusk. The season's chill makes one tipsy and ill; pear blossoms swept to the ground, the east wind blows thin all night. Behind the silver screen, green sleeves fall. From where does the flute sound? Quietly, affection stirs. Heartbroken beneath the bright moon, red cardamom blooms. Is the moon as it was then, and are we as we were then? ------Nalan Rongruo I love Nalan's poems: lines like "This feeling has already become a memory," "Only now do I realize how wrong I was then," "The pear blossoms fall, and the moon sets in the west again," "The lamp's flowers wither away, and another night passes," "One life, one generation, one pair of people, why must we be torn apart?" and "Half a lifetime adrift, following the flowing waters; one cold rainy night, and a famous flower is buried." And that's not even mentioning the line "If only life were always as it was at first sight." But the line that moves me most is, "Is the moon as it was then, and are we as we were then?" I've been really into fanfiction for The Legend of Zhen Huan lately. After reading a few stories, I couldn't resist writing one myself. It's called The Moon as It Was Then, and is mainly about Xuan Ling and Yixiu being reborn. I wonder whether, with the moon as it was then, they will be as they were then, or whether, as the Buddha says, everything will simply follow fate. This story differs from the original and follows only my own ideas, so please go easy on me.