Though I dwell in the mire, my aspirations reach the clouds above.
-
A Jiang, a child bride, and her young husband had been childhood sweethearts for years. But then, after passing the provincial examination, her young husband ran away with a courtesan.
As he left, he delivered this memorable wisdom:
"Fame and fortune are not what I seek. A Jiang, you are a worldly person. You don't understand the joy of loving one person, rather than aspiring to become an immortal."
With tears in her eyes, A Jiang saw him off. Then, as soon as he was gone, she deftly changed into men's clothes, took his household registration papers, and headed for the capital in high spirits to sit the metropolitan examination.
Fame and fortune are what I seek.
-
"At first, I only wanted to be a supportive wife, a noblewoman ennobled through her husband's status, a woman of the Jiang clan who would leave a few words behind in the local gazetteer."
"Unfortunately, none of you gave me that chance."
"So I had to do it myself. Faced with the choice between dying in poverty and a life full of danger, I chose the latter."
From a lowly child bride to a powerful minister whose reputation is both praised and reviled.
"I came into this world to climb to the very top."
[Written on January 2, 2021]
Theme: Women must rely on themselves!
