The Female Chancellor

Who can escape death since time immemorial? They say women are every bit as good as men... The streets of the capital were packed with people. A wooden prison cart carried two prisoners, a man and a woman. The woman wore a smile, as though she were not on her way to the execution grounds and was not dressed in prison clothes. The man was an old fellow, his hair loose and disheveled. He turned to the woman and said, "You, Yue, spent your whole life doing good and serving with integrity and honesty. What a pity you were a woman. You committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. And now you have to die alongside me, the great treacherous official and corrupt minister you've looked down on all your life. How laughable." "State Preceptor, don't worry about me. From the day I entered the court as an official, I knew this would be my fate. But ridding the world of you will benefit the people, so even if I end up in the halls of the King of Hell, it will have been worth it..." In this life, I sought neither fame nor fortune, neither riches nor glory. I only wished to grow old with one person, never to part. In the end, that was the one thing I could never have. But I have no shame before Heaven or Earth. I have done right by my sovereign above and the people below. Whatever fate befalls me, I have no regrets. Poem for the heroine A single plum blossom stands in this age, untouched by color, yet naturally enchanting. When all the ladies wear their silk skirts, I wear a python robe, its sash cinched at the waist. A true phoenix, a false one, both crimes unforgiven. Who knows the fear that chills the heart at midnight? If the realm should know peace one day, I would cast off my finery and drink in carefree joy. Poem for the hero Bright brows and starry eyes, a graceful young man. His iron face does not mean he lacks compassion; sword in hand, he rids the world of corrupt officials. Someday he'll sing a song, then roam the four corners of the world. One day he finds a kindred spirit, and for his sake enters the court. He seeks no rank, nor a name for himself. After more than a decade together, their hair quietly turns gray.