“Ospreys cry on the river isle. A graceful maiden is a gentleman's ideal.”
For a long time, Wuyouta spent her nights plagued by nightmares. For a while, she even thought her arrival had changed the course of history.
On the night she entered the palace, her maid asked, “Since you were ill, my lady, shall I tell the Khan and ask him to choose an auspicious day after you've recovered?”
Wuyouta looked at her reflection in the mirror. Without her makeup, her face looked somewhat haggard. She shook her head. “No. They've been bringing me medicine three times a day. I want to marry the Khan in grand style.”
But when the time came, with red candles glowing around them, she was still afraid.
“Lin Dan Khan died by my hand. You have nothing to fear anymore.” In the candlelight, she could not make out his expression.
She heard the words “You have nothing to fear anymore” many times after that, and each time, they eased her heart a little more.
Though Hong Taiji had spent half his life conquering the world and was accomplished in both statecraft and war, he had never met a woman as singular as her.
He had once thought that all he would do in this life was seize the realm, yet he still fell into the old cliché that heroes have a hard time resisting beautiful women.
Her gentle, compliant manner when they first met, her alluring, bewitching dancing when no one else was around, and the bashful way she looked when the two of them were alone, all tugged at his heartstrings.
On the eve of his coronation, he took her up Phoenix Tower. Standing at the top, they gazed out over all of Shengjing. He asked her, “Do you have a wish?”
In the darkness, her foxlike eyes sparkled as she smiled sweetly. “With the Khan's coronation, everything will begin anew. Then let Wuyouta die for good.”
From then on, the world knew only Hailanzhu, Hong Taiji's alone. She was a precious jewel, the star that would forever remain by his side.
Reader's guide:
1. Both leads are unattached. Happy ending, with a touch of redemption and palace intrigue. She won't die young.
2. An alternate-history Qing setting. Don't nitpick historical details. There are many original liberties, and it differs from official history. Try not to view the heroine through a modern lens.
3. The line “Ospreys cry on the river isle” in the synopsis and title is from The Book of Songs.
The preview was created on August 13, 2022. The synopsis was updated on December 29, 2022, as shown in the screenshot.
Theme: The future is beautiful. Live well.
