Seeking Immortality in Vain

From the time she was young, Jiang Changbai wanted to rebel; her father’s older brother, who sat on the throne, paid no attention to governing, so therefore it would be better to swap and have her sit on the Dragon Throne.

But in the end, without waiting for her to be able to act, Emperor Tai’s most trusted state preceptor unexpectedly revolted before she could. This was the most rapidly gathered rebel army that Jiang Changbai could remember; in four months, they captured half of the Great Li’s territory.

The day the city was broken into, Jiang Changbai unexpectedly saw the study companion whom she had lost five years ago, Song Juguang—wearing plain cotton, escorted out from the crowd, with a word as light as a feather placing her into the emperor’s position.

Jiang Changbai: I had thought you had died; in the end, you went to revolt.

In the end, regarding herself as a puppet emperor, Jiang Changbai, in self-defence, pretended to be uninterested in governing; the first thing she did on ascending was to place the regent’s hat on Song Juguang, and then push all of the government affairs to her. Yet she couldn’t have imagined that Song Juguang would push her against the desk, and say, “Bixia, please teach me.”

Many years later, while Song Juguang and Jiang Changbai stood side by side on the city walls, looking at the soldiers sharpening weapons and feeding horses, she had a bit of frustration; she’d originally only wanted to take an entry-level mission; how had people and emotions gotten thrown in?