The inn was located at the edge of the desert and was run by a couple with their five daughters. Customers were mostly merchants travelling between the desert and Chinese territory. Wan Yi, their third daughter, was ten years old. She was responsible for delivering meals and buying necessities for the merchants, and occasionally she would show them around the town’s market as a tour guide.
She was a smart and obedient girl and was beloved by the merchants. They would tell her about their customs, the great leadership of the kings of the Tang dynasty, the cultural similarities and differences between the East and West…
‘I’m gonna see the prince!’ Wan told her father.
‘Why is that so?’ Her father looked at his short daughter in shock.
‘I wanna know why his house can hold three thousand wives! Isn’t it crowded?’ Wan was still a child with an innocent mind.
‘His house is really, really big. That’s why it can hold a lot of people.’ Her father let out a fake laugh, just to brush her off.
‘I wanna be his wife too!’ Wan made up her mind. ‘And then I’m gonna bring everyone to live in his house!’
‘Wan, my dear! You’ll have to marry someone your own size! That’s the prince you’re talking about right here! That’s not something that we peasants can do!’ Her father roared in laughter, teasing her for not being self-conscious.
Her pride was scarred. A lump came into her throat and her eyes watered. Wan couldn’t answer back.
Twenty years flew by. All of the couple’s children had long been married and moved out, and they had lots of grandchildren. Wan was the only one who remained unmarried and stayed behind with her parents to take care of their family business. Their neighbours always taunted her for making up nonsense like ‘peasants can marry into blue blood’.
Wan laughed it off, but deep down she was brooding over their comments.
The weather became more unpredictable these few years, and sandstorms came one after another. With fewer merchants travelling across the desert, the number of customers dropped. To feed her family, Wan came up with a plan. She would use her wits to gain new customers. On many harsh nights, she would introduce her and entertain guests by wading and fighting back their harsh words with her silver tongue.
‘What are you even talking about? Peasantry with royalty? You’re not even good as a piece of ragged cloth!’ A customer lashed out on her ruthlessly.
The room erupted into laughter.
‘I don’t know whether I’m a piece of ragged cloth, but I know ragged cloths can be used in many ways, depending on how you all treat them.’ Wan went through a lot, and she had started to have a way with her words long ago.
‘How would you like to be treated?’ Being over the moon, a drunk customer teased her suggestively.
‘I want everyone to give little old me a couple of bucks for me to buy a husband unconditionally!’ Wan used her own suffering as the butt of the joke, while serving more wine for the customers.
Everyone was rolling in laughter…
Night fell and the crowd went their separate ways. The drunk ones either crawled or limped back home. As for those who were too drunk to stand, they were carried upstairs to their rooms by Wan.
‘Killing two birds with one stone.’ An old woman’s voice appeared. Along with her four young maidens, she hoarded a table the entire night. While enjoying their light meal, they watched Wan’s farce. ‘Selling out large amounts of wine and properly asking drunk tenants for rent. What a great idea.’
‘Oh it’s nothing, really’, Wan answered cheekily. She had already paid them special attention from the moment they stepped into the shop. Their manners were prim and proper. Although not well-dressed, their attire was tidy, and there was no hint of dust. Wan thought they must be from a wealthy family that kept a low profile.
“Doesn’t it hurt?’ Despite only using a few words, the old lady made her question clear while remaining calm.
‘It does, but you still have to get on with life!’ Wan let out a bold smile, wiping out all her grudges at once.
Understanding what she meant, the old lady closed her eyes and turned it over in her mind, before taking out a fan.
‘You have been granted three choices. One, take this paper fan and go to Chang’an on your own. You will get an official post there. Two, give up the paper fan and be rewarded with millions. Three, give up both the paper fan and the money, and become an official’s wife.’
Her parents couldn’t believe what she had said and were shocked to know that she was a person of authority. The two of them immediately tried to persuade their daughter to take the money and not step foot into politics.
‘We’re only ordinary folk. We aren’t capable of anything…’
Wan interrupted them. She capriciously took the paper fan before saying, ‘I’m no peasant, nor some chick who would do anything for fame!’
As those words flew out of her mouth, the old lady’s maidens sent her a deathly glare, their eyes flashing with bloodlust.
‘What a tough girl you are!’ Over the moon, the old lady laughed hysterically, stopping them from starting a riot just in time.
‘Just you wait and see! I’ll let you see how I’m capable of becoming a royal myself!’ Wan didn’t notice that something wasn’t right. Her eyes only held her yearning for the future.
Completely ignoring her parent’s advice, Wan went to Chang’an all alone. It was such a long journey that it took her a whole year to get there, which wore her out completely.
[Note: Chang’an was the ancient capital of many Chinese dynasties. It is now known as Xi’an in the ShaanXi province of China.]
According to the instructions given by the old lady’s maidens that day, Wan went to see the town’s grand chancellor and handed over the paper fan to him. The colour drained from his face when he saw what was written on the fan. He ordered his servants to capture Wan instantly and interrogate her with all sorts of cruel punishments in the prison.
Days later, the grand chancellor found out the truth. He came to the prison himself and released her.
‘Do you know who the old lady was?’
‘No. Probably an official’s wife?’
‘You’re blind to the fact!’
It turned out that the old lady was Wu Zetian. That year, she dressed as a commoner and mingled among commoners, along with her four female guards who were highly skilled in martial arts. They were secretly investigating paths they must pass through when trading with the Western, when they came up to Wan’s family by chance… After returning to the palace, she was overthrown by the coup d’etat and was coerced to abdicate her throne in favour of her son Li Xian (Emperor Zhongzong of Tang). She was now put under house arrest and had fallen out of power.
[Wu Zetian was the ruler of the Southern Zhou dynasty (690 - 705 AD). She is renowned for being the sole female monarch in the entirety of Chinese history.]
Wan’s heart sank as she immersed herself in her own pain.
Where did the pain come from? From losing her soulmate, and from losing hope.
That night, every glance traded and every word spoken were heartfelt exchanges between the two lonely souls.
Each was a mirror of the other. Queen Wu could see her own courage and wittiness from Wan. On the other hand, Wan could see her own perseverance and composure from Queen Wu.
Alas, both their identities were of great disparity.
After her release, Wan left Chang’an and was never heard of since.
Half a month later, the imprisoned Wu Zetian suddenly had an old maidservant who came from nowhere. She stayed by her side until her death. This maidservant was so devilishly clever and loyal that Wu herself had written a letter to Shangguan Wan’er to request that she stay beside her. Later, after the death of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Queen Wei took control over the country. With the help of Shangguan, another coup was initiated under Princess Taiping (the daughter of Wu Zetian) and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (the grandson of Wu Zetian). In the end, Queen Wei and her party were killed. At the same time, there wasn’t any news of Wu’s maidservant.
[Shangguan Wan’er was once a secretary of Wu Zetian, and later became an imperial consort of the Emperor Zhongzong of Tang.]
At the end of the same year, Wan who had been missing for five years suddenly came back and reunited with her family.
Seeing her still all alone by herself, the neighbours didn’t forget to tease her again and again. ‘What are you even talking about? Peasantry with royalty? You’re not even good as a piece of ragged cloth!’
‘It is I who decides my future, not fate.’ Wan replied with a smile.
[Author’s Note: The ruler was not Wu Zetian but a male from the Li family at the time Wan was ten years old. Thus, what she said as a child is logical.]364Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxFjGZZOAZ
