Disclaimer: This is a translation of the Chinese novel 长门怨 by Qiao Xi/乔夕 and not my own work.
Translated by: Catharcity
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The Buddha said that butterflies did not have souls.
So, when I transformed into a butterfly with a pair of black wings and limpid eyes, I thought that I would never experience love nor sadness ever again.
A long time later, I finally withered away by your shoulders. I had flown over the great mountains and the vast seas only for you - to see you for the last time.
But the Buddha had never warned me that butterflies were forbidden from longing for their past lives -
The price we paid was to be eviscerated, never to be reborn.
But even as I faded away, I heard your voice, softly whispering:
In our next lives, let us begin afresh.
- End -
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Catharcity thoughts:
As mentioned, this was based on the true story of the deposed Empress, Chen Jiao.
Although this story was a tragedy from beginning till the end, I felt that the author was very kind. She chose to spin the story in a way which hinted that, at the bottom of his heart, Liu Che did truly love Ah Jiao, but in history, this was likely not the case.
Chen Jiao died alone and was buried far away. There was no salvation for her, even in death. Liu Che never turned back. The fact that this was a true story and actually happened to a real person makes it so much heavier.
In history, Wei Zifu did not have a happy ending either - she later committed suicide when her son, the then Crown Prince, Liu Ju, was forced to suicide after being falsely accused of treason. After Wei Zifu, Liu Che also favoured other women, including Lady Zhao, mother of Liu Fuling, the future Emperor Zhao of Han. Sidetrack: Tong Hua's Song in the Clouds (云中歌) does a wonderful job in portraying the political landscape in Liu Fuling's reign, interspersed with his romance with Yun Ge.
Knowing all these, you may think that Liu Che was a descipable man, but what if I told you that the later generations held him in high regard due to his achievements as Emperor Han Wudi? Han Wudi was thought to be one of the best Emperors, leading many reforms.
In ancient China, an Emperor was expected to have many wives. New pleasures replace old affections - to them, the fate of these deserted women were not a big deal.
But many of these women withered their entire lives away within the imperial palace, their stories untold.
Chen Jiao was just one of them.
It isn't fair, I know.
But history is rarely pretty.