The Moment the Fireworks Bloom

She was the wife of the Tang dynasty’s “Heavenly Khan.” She was Empress Zhangsun, whose virtue made her the model for all women in the empire and earned her the admiration of countless people. More than anything, she was a lonely woman, as fleeting as fireworks. When brilliant fireworks burst across the sky, all people saw was her beauty and splendor. Who cared about the loneliness that followed, in the instant after they faded? Her brief life of thirty-six years inspired deep affection, admiration, or jealousy in so many. But who could understand the loneliness hidden in her eyes?

Waking from a midnight dream, I stand before her tomb, shared with her husband, and ask her softly time and again: Were you ever truly happy, a thousand years ago? If I could transmigrate through time and bring you to this colorful world a thousand years later, would you smile at me?

Note: This is my first amateur work, so I hope the experts here will kindly offer advice on any shortcomings in my writing.

I also hope you’ll enjoy it. Though this is my first story, I’ve spent plenty of time on Jinjiang and know how it feels when an author digs a hole and never fills it in. So I promise you all that I’ll see this story through to the end and try to update every day.