Distant Waters

The General loved the Princess. The Princess loved the Chancellor. The Chancellor loved me. But love, in truth, is the most useless thing of all. In the fourteenth year of Daqing, The Emperor and the Chancellor settled on their plan: the General would escort the Princess away for a marriage alliance. The Princess came to find me. She had taken off all the glittering gold ornaments she usually wore. Her hair hung loose, her feet were bare, and her eyes were red. She said, “Wu Zhu, forgive me. Help me.” I said, “I can teach you the Art of Harvesting Yang to Supplement Yin. After you marry, I guarantee your husband will die young, while you keep your youth forever and gain immortality.” The Princess shook her head. “I don’t want that.” I said, “I can also teach you the Method of the Blood Oath. Use it, and I guarantee your subordinates will never betray you. They will be loyal enough to die for you.” The Princess shook her head again. “Then what does Your Highness want?” “I want true love. If they truly loved me, they would never force me into a situation like this.” The Princess looked at me, tears still bright in her eyes. I sighed. “If they truly loved you, they would still force you into a situation like this. They would simply suffer terribly for it in their hearts.” That was the truth. The Princess was silent for a moment. Then she gave me a smile uglier than crying. “Then it would be worth it.”