The Simple Joys of Life

Qinghuan was the only daughter of a marquis, raised beyond Yumen Pass in the deserts of the northwest. Her parents doted on her, and her happiest childhood memories were of riding horses, getting into fights, and watching the stars. But the wheels of fate crushed the peaceful life she had known. A sudden political upheaval took her parents from her, made her leave the boundless desert, and sent her onto the path of life in the palace. Her imperial uncle’s affection made her, in a single night, a princess revered by all. Though the palace held more storms than sunny days, she also found things more precious: Nanny Wu and Yunzhu, who cared for her. Just when she thought all was calm, a battle for the throne quietly began. Schemes and calculations only uncovered the love and hatred buried deep within the palace walls across two generations. Pushed to the center of the storm time and again, can she escape unscathed and find her own happiness? Find out in Mu Jingyan’s The Taste of Life Is Qinghuan. [Excerpt] The sunset that day seemed especially fierce, setting the sky above the palace walls ablaze. Even the walls looked as though they were on fire. She climbed the red-carpeted white-jade steps, one step at a time. She had walked that path countless times, and when she was little, she had even fallen there. Yet it had never seemed as steep as it did today, as if every step were on the edge of a blade. He sat in the main hall on the Nine-Dragon Throne, high above her. All she could see was his bright yellow dragon robe, his shoulder cape, and his court beads. She thought that from now on, this might be the only way she could see him: from far away, unable even to make out his expression. Suddenly, she remembered the day he had taken her to Qingyun Temple. She had sat on horseback and heard his voice right behind her, gentle beyond words. He had said, “I’ll come get you in a couple of days.” It had only been a couple of days, yet she would wait her whole life and never see him again. He was no more than a hazy golden silhouette in her eyes, yet she insisted on smiling, even though she knew he couldn’t see her. The woman guiding her wedding procession helped her bow. The phoenix crown on her head was extremely heavy, and the dangling ornaments on its phoenix heads swung before her eyes. Her shoulders were draped in a newly made, exquisite bridal cape, from which hung countless strands of pearls and jade. She slowly knelt. The ornaments swayed, the beads and jade clinked together, and their clear chime rang out. At her side, an official’s shrill voice proclaimed, “By imperial decree: Princess Heshuo Yichun is beautiful, wise, gentle, and virtuous, and was deeply loved by the late emperor. I hereby elevate her to Grand Princess Guren Yichun and arrange her marriage to Aisin Gioro Yuning, son of Prince Gong. So decreed.”