Empress Xuande, Meng Fuzhao, came from a distinguished family. Modest and gentle, she ruled behind the curtain for decades and accomplished immeasurable good. After her death, she was buried alone in Anling with the rites due an emperor. Later, the dynasty fell and her tomb was robbed. All the burial goods remained, but her body was nowhere to be found, becoming an age-old mystery.
On the day Liang Jianshu broke off their engagement, Meng Fuzhao did not cry. For the first time, she felt helpless and lost, even though they had loved each other. When they met again later, he was a successful exam candidate named Li Changzhou, her most trusted minister. He never married or had children. He said, "When high in the halls of government, one worries for the people; when far away in the rivers and lakes, one worries for one's sovereign. A Zhao is my sovereign, the longing and unattainable dream of my whole life."
The palace walls on every side confined Meng Fuzhao for her entire life. She had ten wonderful years, and later she sometimes remembered the young, fiery emperor. He was Zhao Yuanjin, who said, "I will unify the four seas and bring peace to the land, giving the people a golden age." Later, he said, "When I return from the war, A Zhao, have a child for me. A boy or a girl, either is fine." But Zhao Yuanjin never returned. Fuzhao guarded his realm and fulfilled his dream of unification.
"My life held no growing old together, no children and grandchildren all around me. Before our love could bear fruit, I spent half my life seated on the throne, and in my later years, I was desolate, with no trace of the young man I loved."
Theme: Duty to family and country
