the unabridged reader

Duty. Power. Love.

There are thousands of books with similar themes, so it always feels like a Eureka moment when I discover works with refreshing story-telling.

This is not a spoiler-free post as it fully discloses events in the book for discussion and reflection.

Plot:

Wei is a girl from a poor village, experiencing the worst of the famine that has fallen upon Tensha. Their world is governed by seal-bearing royalty, who give out Blessings by creating poems that the Ancestors approve of.

In the story, only the sons of the Emperor are blessed with Sigils that give them power. The first Prince, Maro, was blessed with 路 (Lu), which allows him to pave paths quickly and easily across land and water. The second Prince, Terren, was blessed with 刀 (Dao), which gives him the power to control, create, and bless blades.

To survive, Wei did everything in her power to join the palace as one of the prince’s thirty concubines. And in the palace, she was caught in the middle of the bloody path to the throne, and was exposed to the depth and complexities of duty, power, and love.

Duty and Power

The cat lives in pursuit of the mouse;
The tree grows in pursuit of the sun.
Are we the cat or the tree, pursuers?
Are we the wind, born only to run?

Chapter 30 – The Cat, The Tree, and The Wind

People placed in positions of authority carry a heavy burden. We know of several types of governing bodies including monarchy, democracy, anarchy, among others. This story follows a Monarchical reign, which means that the succession for the throne is usually determined by descent, and/or some other nonsensical criteria like gender or pureness of birth. Those who were born into their role are almost always forced to be in a position that they did not volunteer for. There are expectations set from a very early age, which can be very stressful but hey, they do get to live in luxury, with countless people flattering them and waiting on them. It does make one wonder whether true freedom is felt.

Meanwhile, there are those with great conviction and confidence in themselves, who often step up as a candidate for a democratic government. Regardless of whether a position is inherited or elected into, these are the people we want accountable, because the position they hold is a sacred commitment- a symbol of trust and hope, a vanguard for the betterment of the world and the people. They are not supposed to be self-serving, and absolutely not supposed to be the voice of violence and human annihilation

The two heirs in the story both fell short.

Maro did not want the power he was born with. He expressed how he would have preferred to have a family to sit meals with, rather than to live with brothers to compete with. He truly loved Terren in the past, but his greatest flaw— his fickleness— led him to bad decisions and the worst timings, that inevitably led to tragedy between the two brothers. Because he grew up with adults whispering in his ear, whispers that planted doubt in his heart, he grew insecure and indecisive. Does he want the throne or not? Is his brother competition or not? His sacrifice for the country was misplaced dedication. It was blind devotion that, to be honest, was not born out of love, but was born out of greed and self-service.

Terren was a classic “poor, unfortunate soul” character. His upbringing was infinitely worse than the whispers Maro endured. As a result, he learned that being feared means holding power, and holding power means he is safe. He was the tenacity to Maro’s fickleness. His heart only recognized the handful of innocent living representations that he cannot bear to hurt. The sparrows, the geckos, the snails.

“You are heir to the dynasty! For you, the word blood does not mean family but country. Your veins are Tensha’s flowing rivers, your beating heart its capital, your flesh its mountains and fertile valleys.”

Chapter 30 – The Cat, The Tree, and The Wind

When Maro plotted to eliminate his brother, did he consider familial duty? When Terren hurt innocent people, did he stop to think about his duty to the people?

What does it truly mean to serve the people? Could it be writing a blessing that had no actual use but which the existence in itself gave hope to a young boy, the way Isan did? Could it be enduring humiliation and the warmth of family’s proximity, in hopes of blessing a village under famine? Could it be choosing the hard path of going back into the den of snakes at the palace, knowing she can still make a difference as the empress, the way that Wei did? Could it be eliminating a tyrant at the cost of her life, to save millions in the future generation?

Truly, the people who are not desperate for power, are usually the people who most deserve it, and have the wisdom to wield it.

Love

There are different types of love in the world. Love for family, for friends, for country, for a partner.

The strongest one depicted in the story was Wei’s love for her family. This love drove her to join the concubine selection so that her family, and by extension, her village, may have better lives.

We dreamed that the constant ache of hunger in our bellies would vanish. We dreamed of having enough food on the table so that our mothers did not have to give their share to our fathers, our fathers to our younger siblings.

Chapter 37 – A Village Girl’s Dream

It is not even close to luxury; they were hoping for the bare minimum.

If we pause and think, right now, how many corners in the world, have families huddled together, whispering the same dreams?

Wei’s familial love has been consistent throughout the story, and has guided her in most, if not all, of her decisions. Her goal of providing for her hometown has never wavered, although her approach in achieving it has changed along the way. And given the circumstances, I find her adaptations were very brave and admirable.

Maro and Terren’s complicated brotherly love are also important in this story, for without their hot and cold treatment of each other, Tensha would have flourished well without the death toll reaching alarming numbers. If there are and parents reading this, then it might be good for you to note that it might not be healthy to encourage siblings to compete with each other for your affection or approval.

And then there was the love between Wei and Terren. *big inhale* Please allow me to change my tone a little bit for this paragraph. There are so many things I want to happen in this lifetime, but not everything will come to pass. That includes Wei and Terren’s angsty redemption and second(?) try at love. But it’s okay. When Wei was daydreaming about their future, as those small seeds of hope started blooming in her consciousness, I was hoping alongside her with a hope as huge as a thousand-year-old sycamore tree. I was disappointed that the direction did not go to: Terren’s heart softening, doing the “I-will-change-for-you” spiel, Wei crying prettily, Terren spoiling her to bits with sparkly, colourful, empire dresses, and them finally consumating their marriage in the sweetest, most sickening way. But, alas, this is not a romantasy novel. These thoughts shall be locked and sent to a separate archive of our own (iykyk).

On a more serious note, my disappointment in their lack of romantic love made me reflect on how fictional stories are affecting readers’ judgement and perception on healthy relationships. Are we subconsciously allowing these fictional stories into romanticizing love? If Terren were a real person, would we really want him pardoned after the crimes he committed? Without remorse? On the other side of the coin, are the fictional love stories also affecting our expectations on real life relationships? Are these love tropes being sensationalised? As a reader, I think these are good reflective questions in between reading books. Of course, we read them to be entertained and to be immersed in an alternate universe. And as long as we know how to separate them from real life, then all is well.

Maybe, buried heart-deep, I really did love him. Not the kind of love a wife shared with her husband— but the kind of love one human could not help but feel for another when they ahd to pry away blades to find them. I did not know what else to call it, if not love.

Chapter 58 – Chasing Away Monsters

Even though we did not get romantic love in the story, the love Wei had for Terren was portrayed painfully well. He started as a symbol of hope for her, then he became her worst nightmare. Their relationship was so complicated, and I am so curious about Terren’s thoughts on Wei. He chose her as Empress because she had no powerful political background. He belittled her capacity to create the heart poem. Yet, he trusted her even more than he trusted Hesin.

And finally, Isan and Wei. This was left open-ended and for me, held so much potential. Wei respected Isan, and that is as good as a baseline than anything else. As for Isan, it is hard to say whether he harboured any ill feelings over Wei’s actions towards Terren. Isan agreed to take her as an Empress, and accepted all her terms. Are they all purely strategic decisions, or is it possibly, hopefully, a sign that a peaceful, healthier partnership is achievable, for the sake of the future generation?