A Long Song by the Sui River

Prologue

The Yong and Ju rivers wind through the land, while the Huai and Ji stretch across it. In the heart of the Central Plains, the surging Sui and Huan rivers flow east, nurturing a literary tradition that has endured for millennia and a history rooted in ages past.

This land is Xiangyi, the ancient homeland where Shang first took root, the source of China's millennia-old silk-weaving culture, and the famed brocade country of the Han dynasty. Ancient embankments along the Sui River cross the plains, while endless mulberry groves stretch as far as the eye can see, flourishing and fading through the seasons. The mulberry trees of Chengkuang, the old land of Shang, are especially spirited: their branches and leaves hold a quiet grace, and their grain conceals patterns. Amid the timeless scenery of these groves lies the oldest humanist way in China: observing things to discern their forms, and educating people through culture.

After founding the Han dynasty, Emperor Gaozu established the empire, Emperor Hui preserved it, and Empress Lu kept the court stable. Then Emperors Wen and Jing governed through noninterference, lowered taxes and levies, and let the people recover. For more than sixty years, the fires of war died down and weapons were returned to the armories. The land, once scarred by the wars at the end of the Qin and the strife between Chu and Han, entered an age of peace and prosperity, with full treasuries, bustling markets, and people living in comfort. Yet an age of prosperity is never entirely free of turmoil. Beneath the surface of stability and splendor, the dangers of separatist fiefdoms, the struggle over the succession at court, and the balance of power between the throne and the regional lords churned like hidden currents, never at rest.