Born in the dark era of the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, Gao Changning was unlucky.
But at least her family was part of the Northern Qi imperial clan, and her brother was the historically famous Prince of Lanling, Gao Changgong. At least she wasn't likely to end up in a cooking pot.
Then again, the Gao family of Northern Qi was a dynasty of notorious madmen. Every emperor carried the madman's gene, and Gao Changning even thought her current mental instability was the fault of her Northern Qi ancestors.
But even without the madman's gene, Gao Changning figured she would still go crazy. In such a rotten era, in such a rotten family, it would be stranger if she didn't.
Still, she didn't think she was insane. Sure, she'd led troops to force her way into the palace, tortured the emperor to death, and executed the officials, but she was clearly a good girl.
Well, why wouldn't she be? Her sister-in-law thought so too.
Changning. When Gao Changgong named his younger sister, he hoped she would enjoy a long, peaceful life. To make that possible, he fought on the battlefield and won glory, hoping to provide for his wife, children, and sister.
But somehow, his little sister had gone bad. When Gao Changgong returned victorious from war to pay his respects to the emperor, the ruler waiting for him was his own sister?!
Could someone explain what happened? Where had his upbringing gone wrong?
Gao Changning didn't want her brother to lose it, so she tried to comfort him. "Since the Western Jin, emperors have taken turns on the throne. Next year, it'll be my family's turn. We've seen plenty of rulers kill their ministers, and more than a few ministers kill their rulers. Today, the emperor kills his father; tomorrow, a younger brother kills his elder brother. In an age when all moral order is in chaos, what's so wrong with one more woman emperor?"
"This isn't about being a woman emperor!" Gao Changgong protested. "You can't lead an army to storm the palace, then point at the emperor on the throne and call him an impostor. How is that any different from Zhao Gao in the Qin dynasty pointing at a deer and calling it a horse?"
She wasn't even pretending anymore. How was the history book supposed to write this down? Gao Changgong, the most virtuous member of the Northern Qi imperial family, couldn't even bear to imagine it.
Gao Changning, whose virtue had hit rock bottom, didn't care. "I'm a lunatic, so why should I care? They can write whatever they want!"
Theme: Making up for all the heartbreak
