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This is a story lost to history during the Song Dynasty; the emperor's beloved daughter chose the former.

In the eyes of remonstrating officials like Sima Guang, the female protagonist of the story "was not stern enough to obey her wet nurse, nor did she know the difference between gain and loss. She indulged her desires without fear, repeatedly disobeying the orders of her sovereign and father, and disrespecting her husband's family," while the male protagonist "was not self-disciplined, and his transgressions were extremely grave. His sins were piled up like mountains, and he deserved to be severely punished." Their shocking love was hidden in the criticisms of these moralistic articles.

This is the story of Princess Yan, the eldest daughter of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Princess Yan was Emperor Renzong's most beloved daughter for three reasons: First, Renzong had few children; all his sons died young, and only four of his thirteen daughters reached adulthood. Princess Yan was his eldest daughter, and due to the successive deaths of her younger siblings over several years, she was essentially the emperor's only child, naturally receiving immense favor. Second, the princess herself was extremely charming. The *History of Song* states that she was very "intelligent" from a young age. In the edict bestowing upon her the title of Princess Yan, the officials praised her, saying, "Her tranquility and virtue are radiant, her beauty radiant. Her intelligence is not due to external praise; her gentle nature is natural." Such a clever and beautiful girl naturally pleased her parents. Third, she was extremely filial to her father. When Renzong was critically ill in her childhood, she prayed barefoot to heaven in her grief, expressing her willingness to bear all the pain in her father's place. After Renzong recovered, he was deeply moved upon learning of this and showered his daughter with even greater affection.

Since he cherished the princess, Emperor Renzong was exceptionally careful in choosing a husband for her. At that time, the Khitan were eyeing the Song Dynasty covetously, and the Liao emperor repeatedly invaded the borders, demanding that the Song cede territory. Considering the Song emperor's deep affection for the eldest princess, he thought that marrying her would bring him a substantial dowry. Therefore, he proposed a marriage alliance, sending the princess to marry the Khitan prince, Liang Wang. Emperor Renzong naturally refused and sent his minister, Fu Bi, as an envoy to the Liao Dynasty. Fu Bi tricked the Liao emperor, saying, "In our Southern Dynasty, marrying off a princess doesn't cost much; the dowry is only 100,000 strings of cash each time. You will definitely lose money if you marry her." Upon hearing this, the Liao emperor realized he couldn't accept a losing proposition and abandoned the marriage alliance, agreeing to Emperor Renzong's terms of increasing the annual tribute by 100,000 taels of silver and 100,000 bolts of silk. Emperor Renzong spared no expense to keep his daughter. One wonders what would have happened if the two countries had actually arranged a marriage alliance. It should be noted that the Liang King who was originally to marry the princess of Yan was no ordinary man. His full name was Yelü Hongji. Perhaps this makes it clearer: he was the Khitan emperor who became sworn brothers with Xiao Feng in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils".

Having avoided the disaster of a political marriage, who should his daughter marry? Emperor Renzong carefully considered various options, ultimately setting his sights on his cousin, Li Wei. There was a reason for this: Emperor Renzong's birth mother was not Consort Liu, who raised him, but rather Consort Liu's maid, Li. Emperor Zhenzong once visited Consort Liu and, seeing Li's beauty and fair complexion, summoned her to his bedchamber. Li became pregnant and gave birth to Renzong. Consort Liu, having no children of her own, adopted Li's son and raised him, publicly claiming him as her own. Li did not contest the claim, silently keeping the secret until her death, never acknowledging Renzong's identity. This is the origin of the folk tale "The Prince Replaced by a Civet Cat."

After Emperor Renzong ascended the throne, Consort Liu naturally became Empress Dowager. Only after her death was someone told Renzong the truth about his birth mother. Renzong was deeply saddened and immediately posthumously honored Consort Li as Empress Dowager. He also sent people to find Consort Li's younger brother, Li Yonghe. Even bestowing official titles and generous rewards upon him was not enough. To express his remembrance and compensation for his mother, he decided to bestow his most beloved daughter upon his mother's family and arrange for Princess Yan to marry Li Yonghe's son, Li Wei.

Princess Yan was forced by her father's orders to marry her cousin, who was only a few years older than her. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a tragedy for her. This cousin, who was also the Imperial Son-in-Law, Li Wei, was of average appearance. Born into a humble family, he had only risen to prominence because of Emperor Renzong's mother. Lacking the air of a nobleman, he was disoriented upon marrying the princess, indulging in extravagant construction projects to build his mansion and associating with dissolute young men. He was often ridiculed by palace servants as a nouveau riche. Furthermore, he was taciturn and somewhat dull-witted, unable to express himself well. Although he devoted himself to calligraphy and painting, he always locked himself in his study to do so, never interacting with others. Princess Yan was extremely frustrated and looked down on Li Wei, regarding him as a servant, treating him coldly. There was no love between them whatsoever.

Subsequently, the unhappy marriage of Princess Yan and her dowry eunuch Liang Huaiji unfolded a shocking and tragic love story. The young Liang Huaiji initially served as a eunuch in the "Front Province," primarily working in the Hanlin Academy, the Hanlin Academy of Scholars, and the Secretariat-Chancellery. Later, he was transferred to the "Rear Province" (the Inner Palace Eunuch Province), serving the princess. While serving in the Front Province, he had ample opportunities to interact with scholars, literati, and renowned officials. He may have learned certain talents and, under the influence of these figures, even cultivated the elegant literary temperament that the princess admired. In any case, after spending considerable time with the princess and sharing drinks and confidants, a subtle affection gradually developed between them.

Prince Consort Li Wei probably turned a blind eye to their ambiguous relationship, but his mother, Lady Yang, couldn't stand it. This mother-in-law, Lady Yang, was worried about her son's marital relationship and had a petty, bourgeois nature, loving to gossip and pry into the privacy of her daughter-in-law, the princess, and Liang Huaiji. Once, when the princess and Liang Huaiji were drinking alone at night, Lady Yang peeked through the crack in the door. The princess discovered her and was furious. She immediately dragged Lady Yang out and beat her. Afterwards, she had a big fight with the prince consort. Presumably, the prince consort also hit her in his anger. The princess's pent-up resentment exploded at once. She immediately ran out of the princess's residence crying and knocked on the gates of the imperial city in the middle of the night to go inside and cry to her parents.

This caused a major scandal. Opening the palace gates at night had extremely serious consequences; anyone who opened them without imperial decree and approval through multiple procedures would be severely punished. The next day, the court and the public were abuzz with discussion, and officials repeatedly submitted memorials demanding punishment for the imperial guards. Meanwhile, the affair between Princess Yan and Liang Huaiji became a major scandal circulating both inside and outside the palace. Censors like Sima Guang were outraged, vehemently criticizing Princess Yan for "failing to heed the strictness of her wet nurse, lacking discernment in right and wrong, indulging her desires without fear, repeatedly disobeying the emperor and her father, and disrespecting her husband's family." They demanded that Emperor Renzong execute Liang Huaiji, saying he was "lacking self-discipline, his transgressions are heinous, his crimes are numerous, and he deserves severe punishment." Emperor Renzong, both loving his daughter and fearing the censors, reluctantly made a compromise: Li Wei and the princess were separated, Princess Yan was demoted to Princess Yi and sent back to the inner palace, while Liang Huaiji was punished by being sent to Luoyang, the western capital, to serve in the imperial palace. When selecting court officials to serve the princess, Emperor Renzong specifically emphasized that they must be over forty years old...

Princess Yanguo was unable to accept the fact that Liang Huaiji had left. In a fit of rage, she attempted suicide several times. After being stopped, she set fire to the palace, completely driven to a state of madness and collapse. Her mother, Consort Miao, was terrified and, instigated by eunuchs, even considered secretly poisoning Li Wei. She pleaded with Emperor Renzong on many occasions, but the plan was abandoned only because Empress Cao objected. Emperor Renzong, deeply concerned for his daughter, eventually secretly recalled Liang Huaiji, but ordered him to return to his former post in the front province and forbade him from approaching the princess again.

Perhaps Liang Huaiji's return to the capital brought some comfort to the Princess of Yan, and she did not commit suicide or set fires again. However, separated by a palace wall, like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl separated by the Milky Way, she and Liang Huaiji, though physically close, were destined never to meet again.

In the third year of Emperor Shenzong's reign (1071), Princess Yanguo died in despair at the young age of thirty-two. Her nominal husband, Li Wei, also lived a life of melancholy for over a decade, holding the empty title of Imperial Son-in-Law. After Princess Yanguo's death, Emperor Shenzong demoted him to Chenzhou on the grounds of "disobeying the princess." Liang Huaiji disappeared without a trace after that.

I've decided to write this story into a novel called "The Lonely City," which will be serialized on this blog.

I recently watched some Song Dynasty opera, and one of the pieces really fits this story:

We've mistaken each other for the Peach Blossom Spring, a vast expanse of misty waters at dusk. I cannot keep you; you must leave, to idly pass the autumn moon and spring breeze. Peach blossoms fall in disarray like red rain, but where is your face now?

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with the Eunuch) Autumn River and Harmony, Two Geese Flying (Prologue)

Chapter word count: 1401 Update time: 09-07-15 14:41

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I personally drove her carriage, speeding through the Tokyo night rain.

"Have we arrived?" she would ask intermittently in the car. Her wailing echoed throughout the entire journey; this was the only indistinct sound I could make out amidst the noise.

"Almost there, almost there..." I replied, cracking my whip at the lone ox pulling the cart. The beast, which had always walked with a leisurely gait, abandoned its habit of pausing for each step and galloped forward in terror. The cart, with its two red wheels running along its axle, rumbled through the deserted alleyway.

The bustling streets of the day suddenly faded into dark, blue ruins, drifting away in the wind before my eyes. We must have traveled quite a distance. The endless rain, mingling with her sorrow, pelted me, soaking my clothes. The dampness seeped in, chilling my heart as well.

As she cried, I grew increasingly anxious. I dared not look back, but instead spurred the engine on, hoping that speed would allow us to instantly escape our current predicament.

When did this journey, which I used to travel so many times, become so long? It seems to stretch for half of my life's journey.

She kept crying.

"Aren't we there yet?" she asked again, sobbing.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. In that instant, I felt weaker and more powerless than ever before, and sadly realized that I had no chance of leading her to the other side of this dark night.

After navigating several more streets, we finally reached the main road outside Xihua Gate. Pushing through layers of mist and rain, the majestic imperial city gradually came into view. Rows of palace lanterns hung under the eaves covered with glazed tiles, and dragons, phoenixes, and flying clouds were carved into the high walls between the bricks and stones—this was our destination.

The Xihua Gate was already closed. When the guards saw me approaching by carriage, they immediately shouted at me from a distance, "Who dares to drive so close to the Imperial City Gate!"

I hesitated for a moment, then stopped the car. I turned around to ask her to wait while I went to inform her, but she had already lifted the curtain and stepped out of the car, running quickly toward the imperial city gate.

Extreme grief had left her with no mood to tidy her appearance. Just like when we left the house, her long hair was loose, her clothes were slightly disheveled, and she was not wearing a wedding robe or shawl. Even the inappropriate outer garment was something I had hastily put on her back then.

She ran towards Xihua Gate in a fit of madness, crying. Before she even got close, she was stopped by two imperial guards. One of them grabbed her arm and shouted at her to leave. She became even more frantic and somehow gained such strength that she managed to break free from their grasp and quicken her pace to reach Xihua Gate.

She stretched out her slender hands and desperately pounded on the tightly closed palace gates, her cries mingling with her own as she cried out, "Father, Mother, open the gate! Let me go back..."

The guards on both sides erupted in commotion and rushed to drive her away. She was dragged away by two other tall guards, but she still stretched her hand forward, trying to touch the cold palace gate with its gold nails and vermilion lacquer. She kept calling for her father and mother, and amidst the rumbling thunder and the murky sound of wind and rain, her cries pierced through the air, incredibly mournful.

The guards dragged her for dozens of steps before stopping and throwing her to the ground. When they saw that she was trying to get up and run back, one of them became furious and shouted, "What kind of madwoman dares to cause trouble here!" He then reversed the halberd he was holding, raised the shaft high, and was about to strike her.

He didn't swing, because I grabbed his wrist from behind.

The guards turned around and immediately demanded angrily, "Who are you?"

I did not answer, my gaze passing over the guards' shoulders and landing on her on the ground.

She lay half-reclined, sobbing helplessly. Her face was pale, and her thin body was hidden beneath a large, light-colored outer robe, like a pool of moonlight that might disappear at any moment.

The even more enraged guard pulled his hand away to strike me, but this time he was stopped by his companion.

“Wait! I recognize him,” another guard said. He looked me up and down several more times before whispering to the man with the halberd, “He is Liang Huaiji, a nobleman. He has passed through here to enter and leave the palace several times before.”

The man with the halberd paused, then turned to look at the woman they had pushed down, and stammered, "And who is this young lady...?"

I went over and helped her up. After confirming that she was not injured, I turned to the guard and answered his question.

“The princess of Yan Kingdom,” I said.

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with the Eunuch) Autumn River, Rongbin, Two Geese Flying 1. Forbidden Gate