What's it like to be a princess of the Western Han at the height of its power?
Liu Yang says: Father is a brilliant ruler, Mother is a virtuous empress, my brother is securely heir to the throne, my uncle is a famous general at court, and my cousin has earned great glory on the battlefield. The country is prosperous, the people live in peace, so I can lie flat with peace of mind~
Indeed, everything should have been wonderful, if not for the witchcraft crisis.
"In the second year of the Zhenghe era under Emperor Wu, the witchcraft affair implicated the prime minister at the top and commoners at the bottom. Tens of thousands were killed in all."
At seven years old, Liu Yang stared at those horrifying words and fell into deep thought.
After a long while, she raised her head in the dim light and declared, each word firm and clear:
"My mother has brought worthy people into the service of the state, my brother governs with virtue, and my uncle and cousin have secured the borders through battle. I may be weak, but if treacherous villains dare plot against the lives of my loved ones, they'll have to answer to the blade in my hand first."
Later, she left the walled palace grounds to improve the lives of the people in the neighborhoods and fields. She went to the borders by the vast sea to serve in the army in Shuofang, and eventually stood in court, leaving her name in the pages of history.
Theme: Be wild grass that withers and flourishes year after year, living on without end.
