The Princess's Tragedy

&&&&&& A young man’s ambitions ride with sword and steed, Power over all beneath the sky, a grand design to heed. A hero’s sword, with tenderness engraved, A splendid realm, and tears from beauties brave. &&&&&& Carefree Years She came from another world and transmigrated into the body of a Song princess, an imperial princess. The emperor’s daughter? And the daughter of an emperor with countless children, at that. The emperor? A man capable of anything, except ruling the realm. A rakish Son of Heaven? An emperor of the pleasure quarters? Those were merely names for his amusements! He had another title, too: ruler of a fallen dynasty! So many imperial brothers? Prince Yun, Zhao Kai: the highest-ranking top scholar in history. Prince Su, Zhao Shu: gentle in temperament and blessed with a remarkable memory. Prince Shen, Zhao Zhi: quick-witted and eloquent. Prince Kang, Zhao Gou: easygoing and fond of martial arts. Crown Prince Zhao Huan: weak-willed and gloomy, but kindhearted. So many famous scholars? Ouyang Che, Chen Dong, Chen Chaolao, Yue Fei... So many great ministers? Zhong Shidao, Zhong Shizhong, Zhang Shunmin, Li Gang... And of course, the beauties? Prince Kang’s wife, Lady Xing; the three Zhu sisters; Princess Maode; Princess Roufu; Noble Consort Wang; Lady Wei... And how could anyone forget Li Shishi? What was so remarkable about all that? She was going to enjoy the life of royalty for once and become an extraordinary princess of the inner palace! Three exceptionally talented imperial brothers doted on her, looking after every detail of her life, from food and clothing to travel and shelter, with more care than she could ever ask for. They let her do as she pleased, whether she wanted to reach the heavens or dive into the earth! She befriended famous scholars and became sworn sisters with beautiful women! She excelled at music, chess, calligraphy, painting, governance, and martial arts. Zhang Shunmin and Yang Shi taught her literature. Zhong Shidao and Zhong Shizhong taught her martial arts. Zhang Zeduan taught her painting, and Zhao Zhi taught her the zither. What she found hardest to understand was how she had managed to rile up two great heroes of the era. Hmph! She ran, she hid! Oh! Where was that wily fox? Storms and Showers She couldn’t face those cruel, barbaric people, yet she was trapped among them with no way to escape. She could only watch as those who had once doted on her slowly followed the course of history and suffered through it all. No, she had tried. She had fought back. She had wept. All that remained was her weakness, her helplessness, her powerlessness. Her country and family destroyed, she was faced with an overbearing man who would take her by force. She could only accept it, even though the man in her heart was the one who smiled like a fox. She came close to death again and again, only to be pulled back each time. Only then did she understand that in that era, even life and death were beyond her control! Splendid Years She is Wulinda Ni'er, and she has a heroic husband. Wait, a husband? He is rich, powerful, handsome, and talented. He can give her anything she wants, and most importantly, he dotes on her. So why does something always feel off? Sometimes he seems distracted, and sometimes he is so stern that she feels uneasy! What bothers her most is his many concubines. There are several thousand years between them! Excerpt One “Mother, wait for You'er! Don’t go!” Zhao Yuanzhu didn’t lift the carriage curtain or turn back to look at her child. She clenched her hands tightly, afraid that if she took one look, she wouldn’t be able to leave. “Wait for Mother, You'er. I’ll come back for you!” Excerpt Two “You'er, I’m your mother!” “No, you’re not. I don’t have a mother as cruel and vicious as you. My name isn’t You'er. I’m Wanyan Heng, and my mother is the Lady Tushan!” Excerpt Three “Wanyan Zongbi, either you die today or I do. You hate that I left you, but why did you make my You'er hate me so much?” “Yes. You inflicted pain on me, so I repaid you many times over in the same way!”