The posthumous titles say:
One whose bearing is reverent and beautiful is called Zhao; one whose labor and virtue bring merit is called Zhao; one whose sagacity is renowned far and wide is called Zhao.
One who fulfills their ambitions in death is called Ling; one who suffers chaos without being broken is called Ling; one who understands the spirits to the utmost is called Ling.
One who orders the world and brings it harmony is called Wen; one whose virtue is profound and learning broad is called Wen; one who is kind and generous and loves the people is called Wen.
“At first, when the emperor's daughter descended, the Yellow Emperor gave her in marriage to Chiyou.
Fish and dragons could not hide beneath the water, and the stars and moon blazed together. Chiyou's people died beneath the sun. The Yellow Emperor sent men to sever Chiyou's head from his body and bury them apart.
Those who perished beside the lesser kings of Jiuli were beyond counting. Thus it is said: ‘White sand placed in black mud turns black as well.’”
“What is this? It doesn't even make sense. Why bother reading it?”
A slender hand snatched away the book. “The Annals? It is indeed an official history, but so much is missing. If you really want to know, let me tell you.”
The beautiful young woman with her celestial bearing then took a seat across from him. Amid the faint fragrance of Longjing tea and the smoke from a Boshan incense burner, she began to tell her story.
White clouds turn to gray dogs; the seas change into mulberry fields.
From legends to the mundane, and then to the unfathomable human heart.
From the mortal world to myth, from China to the world, beginning in the distant past, perhaps reaching far into the future as well.
This is a very, very long story.
Heaven and earth are dark and yellow; the universe vast and primordial.
Cold gives way to warmth, and the sky clears as the earth brightens.
“When I was in favor, they said, ‘Your heart is like the moon.’ But when I truly set out to serve them, they pushed me into the River of the Dead.”
“...”
“Even now, I still hope that they can nurture an age of prosperity from my bones.”
The wind and rain have blown out the candles; my name still chills the teeth.
I should climb the jade tree beyond the world, then don rainbow robes and ascend the crimson altar.
Important content warnings
The heroine's values are hard to stomach in the early chapters, but gradually become more conventional later on. The entire novel is the story of her growth.
So it's perfectly understandable if you dislike her values and the way she acts.
This novel follows a historical path and is written according to the historical record. It cannot undo the regrets of history.
For surnames in the ancient era, this novel uses the following approach: Zhuanxu was of the Ji surname and the Gaoyang clan; the Yellow Emperor was a grandson of Xuanyuan, of the Ji surname. To avoid the misunderstanding that “he belongs to the Xuanyuan clan and he belongs to the Gaoyang clan, so they aren't family,” everyone is referred to as belonging to the Ji surname and Xuanyuan clan. (Also, Daji's surname is not Su, but Ji.)
The heroine is not chaste. She is over a thousand years old and has been married several times in the mortal world.
If you spot any historical inaccuracies, please tell the author and they will be corrected.
The heroine's name is Xuan (xuān).
Theme: People must take responsibility for their choices
