As I Go, a Thousand Miles of Misty Waves

What does it mean to struggle? The dictionary defines it as: to exert oneself to keep going or break free.

What is fate? The dictionary defines it as: the predetermined course of events, referring to life and death, wealth and poverty, and every kind of fortune.

What are shackles? The dictionary defines them as: two kinds of instruments of punishment used in ancient times. Figuratively, they mean oppression and restraint.

In that era, some people, some vibrant lives, lived shackled by the struggle against fate, striving to break free from the constraints of a predetermined course. Others lived in shackles and “died” in self-imposed confinement.

Why must women obey the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, while men can pursue fame and glory? Why must women remain faithful to one husband for life, while men can take three wives and four concubines? How can a husband and wife marry and be sent straight to the bridal chamber without ever having met? You Jingzhi neither understood nor accepted it. She studied martial arts and read the sages, yet never found an answer. She was curious about this world, and about everything she longed to explore but was told women were forbidden to touch.