Autumn at the Han Palace: A Love Left Behind in the Southern Garden

In the third year of Benshi, Empress Xu Pingjun gave birth to a princess. The child was born feet-first, and the Empress died. She was posthumously titled Empress Gong'ai. Emperor Xuan was grief-stricken. He ordered the eunuch in charge to take the daughter left behind by Empress Gong'ai out of the Han Palace, and scolded, "Born to kill her mother!" The story takes place in Chang'an, beneath the first snow. That year, I was eight. It was the beginning of winter in the third year of Yuankang. I returned to the Han Palace at eight years old. He wore black imperial robes, their hem trailing across the floor. The ministers knelt solemnly before him and called out, "May Your Majesty enjoy endless happiness!" He was so imposing, so far above everyone else. The old ministers at court, their temples already gray, knelt before my father in the prime of his life, trembling with fear and weighed down by sorrow. In all my life, I never saw him look frightened and anguished, but I saw him leaning against the railing, lost in longing, far too many times. Everyone in Chang'an knew that their ruler had once drafted the most romantic edict in the world: searching for a sword from the days before he ascended the throne. The Emperor cherished the past. Anyone who destroyed that old sword would be treated as his sworn enemy. His daughter Jingwu, for instance. Born to kill her mother. My next contemporary romance, coming soon. Please add it to your collection: [VIP Announcement]: This novel will become a VIP title tomorrow, February 23. I will update 8 to 10 chapters on launch day. Thank you for your support! Writing is hard work, so please support the official release! A companion novel: A novel currently in the drafting stage. Please pre-save it and show it some love: Theme: