Decline [Republican Era]

The whole novel is being rewritten, one chapter at a time.

She was born as the Qing dynasty was nearing its end. The rule of the feudal emperor was already in its last throes, and the dawn of a new world was about to break.

A woman of brilliance: a daughter of the age of light.

Her parents hoped she would enter the new world, shine brightly, and dazzle all around her.

She told herself she would be a woman of the new era, never return to the prison of the old one, and decide everything for herself.

After a lifetime adrift, she finally looked back.

In a stuffy, damp cell, the no-longer-young young lady raised her head. Listening to the patter of rain outside the window, she suddenly remembered the rain in Nanjing that year. Two young lovers had broken through the barriers, but they were both too young then. In the end, their love faded like clouds over Gaotang, and dried up like the waters of the Xiang River.

A friend who had grown up with her asked if she regretted it.

Of all the love and hatred, in the end, all she could say was, "I don't remember."

She never regretted the fate she had chosen for herself.

1. No rebirth or transmigration. The characters are all natives of their era and subject to its limitations.

2. Eloping for love, a sea of love and hate, marriage before love, and ruthless pursuit: all the melodramatic elements are here.

3. No career success. Everything goes downhill.

4. Historically inspired, but with no real-life models. No unsolicited writing advice, and no claims of elevating the subject matter.

Theme: Women's resilience in turbulent times