The original intention behind writing "Xing Han" was actually to clear Emperor Guangwu of Han's name.
This has been a grudge spanning over a decade. Since my youth, I've constantly seen people on forums calling Emperor Guangwu a "scumbag," smearing his character with all sorts of accusations. I'm not an Emperor Guangwu fan, but even criticizing him for allowing powerful landowners to grow, thus planting the seeds for the Eastern Han Dynasty's downfall, would be better than calling him a "scumbag."
Among the wise emperors in our history, Emperor Guangwu was undoubtedly the most upright and clean in matters of relationships—bar none. All ten of his children were born to Yin Lihua and Guo Shengtong (with only the King of Chu as an exception). Yet, fans of Yin and Guo still seize every opportunity to slander his character.
To put it bluntly, several of Yin Lihua's own brothers had multiple wives and concubines. If she had married a nobleman of similar status, wouldn't she have ended up with a house full of concubines and stepchildren, maintaining only a polite and distant relationship with her husband?
After Guo Shengtong's father passed away, she and her siblings, left as orphans, relied on their uncle, King Zhending. If the king ordered her to marry someone, she had no choice—even if the proposed match looked like Li Kui, had a terrible temper, and was morally despicable. Did she have the power to refuse?!
Both Yin and Guo were collateral damage of their era, much like the three daughters Lord Cao sent to Emperor Xian of Han's harem—they had no choice, becoming political pawns. Yet, within his means, Liu Xiu treated both women well.
Truly, the kind are bullied. When it comes to emperors, phoenixes, Sanlangs, wild boars, and even wild boar hides with numerous concubines, fans of imperial consorts are far more forgiving.
I've tried hard to defend Emperor Guangwu, but I'm outnumbered. Every time, I get shouted down, with my most recent defeat just over two years ago. They even called Emperor Guangwu a "kept man" and a "gold digger," which infuriated me.
Even if Emperor Guangwu did rely on others or dig for gold, it was the support and investments of powerful landowners—not the two women. Without them, if the landowners saw Liu Xiu as a promising leader worth backing during turbulent times, they would have found other girls to marry him and forge alliances!
Don't tell me that the Nanyang meritorious faction, including the Yin family, invested their lives and fortunes in Liu Xiu solely because Yin Lihua fancied him! And don't tell me King Zhending handed over his entire army and supplies to his nephew-in-law for nothing!
This was political maneuvering. Fans of imperial consorts really need to get over themselves.
Some enjoy judging whether an emperor was filial, others whether he was a true friend, and some whether he was a devoted son-in-law. To me, these are secondary considerations.
Since he was an emperor, his merits and faults should be judged solely on whether he was a good ruler—whether villages had steady smoke from cooking fires, whether people could marry, age, and live normally, whether the realm was peaceful, whether governance was just, whether officials were appointed fairly, whether taxes were reasonable... No matter how lenient the criteria, "exclusivity toward consorts" shouldn't be one of them.
But I still can't win against them.
So, I decided to write a novel set in Emperor Guangwu's era (since I don't write novels with real historical figures as protagonists), made grand plans, and then... the project stalled.Of course, the real reason for writing this book was that I wanted to create a female protagonist without her own "story."
Previously, when I read many novels and watched TV dramas, most conflicts revolved around the female lead's inherent circumstances—whether it was a mysterious background entangled in grand conspiracies, a deep-seated vendetta, or an unresolved injustice from years past... In short, they all carried heavy burdens of suffering.
So I wondered, is there a female protagonist from a normal family with a normal personality and ordinary circumstances? Is there a protagonist who simply has the misfortune of encountering someone with a dramatic past, leading to an extraordinary life?
Apart from her experience as a "left-behind child" and conflicts with her birth mother, Shao Shang was born into a very normal and harmonious family—with parents, a home, property, siblings, and ambitions—much like many young women today. Most young people nowadays have various conflicts with their parents, big or small.
Shao Shang might be a bit stubborn, solitary, or intense in personality, but at her core, she's an ordinary girl you might see on the street. Perhaps we've even had classmates or roommates like her during our long years of education. The real catalyst of Star River 's story lies in the male lead's background, personality, and his family's unresolved grievances.
Had Shao Shang not met the male lead, her life wouldn’t have been so tumultuous. She might have married peacefully and pursued her career, in which case the title of this story should have been The Daily Life of a Small Landowner’s Wife in the Early Eastern Han Dynasty .
The skies of the Spring and Autumn, Warring States, Qin, and Han eras seem loftier and more expansive than those of other dynasties, with far fewer constraints—
Back then, scholars wore swords. It’s said that Li Bai was a master swordsman who would compose poetry after defeating his opponents.
Back then, women could remarry freely, so courtrooms handling marital property disputes were bustling.
Back then, men’s gazes were turned outward, their hearts as vast as eagles soaring across the heavens—passionate and boundless—unlike later generations, who nitpicked over the shape of a woman’s three-inch golden lotus feet.
Star River might be the most idealistic historical romance I’ll ever write, brimming with trust, love, loyalty, and friendship. I don’t know what kind of stories I’ll write in the future.
Originally, I planned to write a Republican-era story next, but then the pandemic arrived unexpectedly.
We shed many tears of sorrow, lost many precious lives, and our spirits sank unbearably. So I changed my mind—the Republican-era story will have to wait. Instead, I want to write a world of chivalry and vengeance, with a touch of fantasy. I hope you’ll enjoy it in the future.
That’s all.
July 26, 2020
Concern Leads to Chaos
OpenNovel