Qingwu was blessed with a lovely face and a slender waist, a bewitching beauty.
In the spring of the seventh year of Chongning, she was assigned to serve a wealthy young master who lived in a separate residence. The young master was frail, rarely saw anyone, and hardly ever left the house.
The person who sent Qingwu there told her that if she bore the young master a child, she could leave her lowly status behind and enjoy a life of wealth and luxury.
For the sake of freedom and riches, Qingwu used every trick she knew to seduce him.
Qingwu failed to tempt him, but it was not quite a failure, either.
Knowing that she feared losing his love as her beauty faded, the wealthy young master brushed her sleep-tousled hair aside and covered her with delicate kisses. “My heart belongs to you, not your beauty.”
The young master was handsome and refined, with the elegant bearing of a crane and pine, and a serene, otherworldly air. Yet whenever he spoke words of love, his voice was always gentle and soft, alluring and captivating.
For a time, Qingwu could hardly tell which of them was seducing the other.
The easy intimacy between Qingwu and the young master came to a halt when she accidentally saw a high-ranking third-rank official, so proud he looked down on everyone, standing before the young master with lowered hands and utmost deference.
The all-powerful governor addressed the young master as:
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
*
On the day of her coronation as empress, Qingwu asked the young master, now emperor, “Will you favor someone else to balance the court and neglect me?”
He said he would not.
“But in so many storybooks, emperors neglect the people they love.”
The emperor lowered his eyes.
His majestic imperial bearing softened into a warm spring breeze the moment he looked at Qingwu. With what seemed a mix of helplessness and a sigh, he said, “Read fewer trashy books.”
The young master truly never neglected her.
For the rest of his life, Qingwu was the only woman in the emperor's palace.
**
Li Shao was neither a good crown prince nor a good emperor.
He was not even a good person.
Reclusive, arrogant, suspicious, and harsh, he guarded against and lashed out at everyone who came near him.
So Li Shao wandered alone for a long time through a narrow, dark alley. There was no moonlight or starlight, and he could see nothing.
In the stillness, someone appeared from nowhere, took his hand, and said softly, “Don't be afraid, young master. I'll hold on to you.”
Theme: Love means standing side by side
