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Resilient, clear-headed noblewoman × gentle young emperor
-- "When spring returns to the waterside inn, will you give me another plum blossom from the south?"
*
Jiang Jinshu first meets Qi Mingzhi at the Daxiangguo Temple in Bianzhou.
At the time, green grass grows beside the steps, and emerald bamboo surrounds them.
"Lofty as Mount Tai, vast as rivers and streams."
The melody of "High Mountains and Flowing Water" makes her, behind the painted screen, feel that she has found a kindred spirit.
They meet again at her mother's home,
where she accidentally drops a flower hairpin.
Green plums by the wall, a beauty turning her head.
*
Jiang Jinshu is born into a family of wealth and status and raised in a clan of scholars and noble officials. Her mother is the powerful Grand Princess Zhen Guo, a woman of noble character. The Empress Dowager praises her exemplary conduct and bestows on her the title of Lady Wanquan.
Unfortunately, the Jiyang Jiang clan has few heirs and is in decline. The Grand Princess is therefore determined to raise her only daughter to the position of empress and preserve the Jiang family's glory.
*
On the day Lady Wanquan comes of age, the old princess personally gifts her a painting of the Goddess of the Luo River. From that day on, whenever people in Chang'an speak of Lady Wanquan, they say:
"As glorious as autumn chrysanthemums, as flourishing as spring pines, bright as the morning glow, radiant as a lotus." With those sixteen words, she is all but certain to become empress.
*
In the sixth month of the fourth year of the Jingming reign, the emperor formally takes a daughter of the Jiyang Jiang clan as his empress.
The wedding gifts and appointment edict are prepared, and the new empress lowers her fan.
But why does the current emperor look so much like the young gentleman she met at Daxiangguo Temple...?
*
When they married, she said she would treat him well too.
After they married, she used his birth mother to frame him in the case of the demon book.
When they married, she said she would trust him.
After they married, when he asked whether she had plotted against him, she said nothing.
When they married, she said she was afraid he would leave her.
After they married, he was never once asked by her to stay.
He gave her three chances in all. Three times, she failed to tell the truth. At last, he swept away in anger.
*
Late at night in Heliang Palace, he grips her fragile throat and demands a reason to let her stay.
She answers, "I don't want to die."
She had thought she was a rootless duckweed, at the mercy of wind and rain.
Then someone held an umbrella over her.
*
She is the empress of a great clan, and the first empress to betray her own clan.
"Establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, establish a destiny for the people, carry on the lost teachings of the sages, and bring peace to all generations." -- Zhang Zai
[Coming Soon]: 1. "Spring Overture [Modern Sequel to As Dawn Breaks]"
The gentle, scheming Dr. Qi × the kind, guileless Teacher Jiang
2. "Canglang Pavilion"
"The waters of Canglang can wash all things."
In the fourth year of the Qingli reign, the ruler appointed Xie Yan as deputy chief councilor and introduced new policies.
After a hundred days as chancellor, Xie Yan was dismissed.
Xie Yan was exiled from the capital. On the eve of his departure, he was assassinated, and his daughter was the only member of the Xie family left alive.
That night, the wind and rain blotted out the sky.
In Dongjing, every household shut its doors. The tiled roofs shimmered in the rainy night as Xie Fanjing, fleeing her pursuers, had no choice but to stop a passing carriage.
Still shaken, she watched as her attendant reached for a blade. Then a man stepped out of the carriage and held an umbrella before the curtain, shielding her from the rain.
Xie Fanjing looked up at him. It was Su Shunqin.
He took her home.
*
Su Shunqin passed the imperial examinations as a young man. He was the grandson of the deputy chief councilor and a student of Grand Councilor Xie Yan, but the new policies drove a wedge between him and his teacher.
Everyone said Su Shunqin had taken in Xie Yan's daughter to get revenge, but only Su Zimei knew the truth: he was repaying a debt.
*
"On the nineteenth day of the third month, I met Fanjing. The rain fell without end that day, and I took her home."
"On the fifth day of the fourth month, I taught Fanjing how to write in flying white. Her calligraphy has her father's spirit, even more so than mine."
"On the seventh day of the seventh month, I gave Fanjing a palace lantern. She was delighted."
"On the eighteenth day of the ninth month, Fanjing gave me a gold-inlaid blade. I find it more beautiful than embroidered robes."
"In the fifth year of the Qingli reign, I sent Fanjing into the palace. I tossed and turned all night."
*
In the ninth year of the Qingli reign, Su Shunqin falls into disgrace before the emperor and heads south to Suzhou.
The Empress Dowager sends Xie Fanjing to Suzhou to visit him.
It is drizzling that day.
Su Shunqin smiles faintly. "Chiying, what should we name this pavilion?"
He calls her by her courtesy name.
Xie Fanjing raises her head, seeing only the misty waters. She gazes at the distant green hills from the railing and says slowly, "When the waters of Canglang are clear, I can wash my tassels; when the waters of Canglang are muddy, I can wash my feet. Why not call it Canglang Pavilion?"
Core theme: If you understand the Way in the morning, you can die content in the evening.
In a situation where aristocratic families wield power, centralization is the only way to go. They have been on the opposite side of politics from the beginning. The personal relationship between children should not be bigger than the common people in the world. I was still confused at first. If the queen's parents became treason and the parents were immoral, the empress was immoral. After declining, this empress could not continue to be the queen. But they are still very happy that they can pick lotuses again after throwing away their shackles and identities. I look forward to the author's next masterpiece. It is rare to see such a vividly written work that combines historical facts.
To be honest, I could have read a single book in my previous life 🤷🤷🤷
Many times I feel that BE is the more memorable one, but in the story, everyone's hard work for so long really deserves the ending of HE. I finished reading it very smoothly. I really like all the characters in the story. I also hope that the author can not be limited by the stereotypes of demining and leading heroines, and continue to create more beautiful stories. I look forward to the new article 😚
After reading it, I was so moved. Thank you to the author for giving Wanwan and Mingzhi so many parallel world endings. It's been a long time since I've seen such interesting writing in Jinjiang. Even a very clichéd story has a completely different charm. [Touch head][Touch head] I like it! But there are also some selfish opinions! Take Dongchang for example, I still feel that what she has experienced is not to the point where she has gone all the way and is unwilling to look back. I hope the author can revise it slightly when publishing it and describe more about the feelings between the supporting characters hehe
Baby, you are so good at writing. I really like your writing style???? It's super to my liking. Author, baby, I was so touched when I saw your reply. I really want to tell you, I think what you wrote is what I feel very strongly about, including the reference to that kind of history, because I really like reading that kind of history and some poetry and so on. I really like what you write. Can you open some more ancient novels?
The if line is simply a stroke of genius!!!!!!!
Finished Spreading Flowers, looking forward to the modern chapter. I'll read it after I've gained some weight. There's also another pre-booked story of ancient novels that I think is very interesting.
I really like Dada's articles. When will Dada publish a new article [Let me be healthy], I want to read 🤩 😍
Like, like, super pretty?
I stayed up late to read it, the author's writing is so good! 😍 I like it so much