The light of Zhaozhao shines in every direction. This is Zhaoyan, meaning light spreading far and wide.
Li Zhaoyan read history books, loved archery and horsemanship, delighted in the changing beauty of the seasons, and longed for mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas. She had no interest in the position of empress, which all the women of the realm pursued.
Once, she said, “This era is unfair to women. A man with an illustrious family and great learning can enter government and serve the state, but even a talented woman can only support her husband and raise children, living out her life by the rules.”
Later, she said, “It was the very position of empress that I found so tiresome that gave me the power to protect the women of the inner palace, and even all the women of the realm. I hope that in our next lives, we can all be born in a better era, where women too can choose how to live.”
Before meeting her, he thought all women were gentle and obedient.
That day, spring was in full bloom. Dressed in a white scholar's robe, she was slender and fair-skinned. With a cool expression, she asked him, “Your Highness, do you know how hard it is to get the chance to study at Yuntai Academy?”
Half a lifetime passed. He held the realm in his hands, and peace reigned throughout the land. The dream of his youth had long since come true.
He loved her peach-blossom eyes, her bright smile, her carefree and proud bearing. He loved everything about her.
Theme: Being human means having the right to choose.
