Story
Zi Wei's single but talented mother, Xia Yu He, had a romance several years ago with the Emperor Qianlong. The two never marry, and business matters soon require Qianlong to leave Jinan. After Qianlong departs Jinan, the city where Xia Yu He resided, Yu He gives birth to Zi Wei out of wedlock. Of half Han Chinese descent and half Manchu descent, Zi Wei is unaware of her special background until her mother is on her deathbed. Then, she reveals to Zi Wei that she is of royal blood, and tells her to find her father. She gives Zi Wei two items, a fan and a painting, both given to Yu He as a present from Qianlong. Like her mother, Zi Wei is multitalented. She can play the zither, sing, paint, write calligraphy, participate in literary discussions, and play chess, an unusual amount of talents for a female. More quiet and gentle than Xiao Yan Zi, Zi Wei is a fragile beauty.
Zi Wei takes on this arduous task with her faithful servant, Jin Suo. However, after arriving in Beijing, she discovers how impossible it is for her to reach her father. She is not allowed to enter the Forbidden City, and cannot find an official who is willing to help her. She attempts to seek the assistance of royal officer Liang Da Ren, but her efforts do not succeed. Finally, she attends the Liang household's wedding, in hopes of getting in touch with Liang Da Ren. There, she meets Xiao Yan Zi, her future sworn sister. She reveals her secrets to Xiao Yan Zi, and sends Xiao Yan Zi as her messenger to Qianlong.
After sending Xiao Yan Zi as her messenger, Zi Wei hears no word of Xiao Yan Zi for weeks. She is extremely worried. When she finds Xiao Yan Zi, now dubbed Huan Zhu Ge Ge, parading around the streets, she is heartbroken to find that Xiao Yan Zi stole her title and father. She runs after Xiao Yan Zi. Guards mistake her for an imposter, and nearly beat her to death. However, she is saved by Fu Er Kang, the son of royal officer Fu Da Ren. Zi Wei is nursed in the Fu household. Immediately, Er Kang is captivated by her beauty, intelligence, and warm personality. His feelings for her causes other problems to arise. Zi Wei later decides to give up her title to protect Xiao Yan Zi, but she and Er Kang cannot marry if she only has the status of a commoner. Thus, she enters the Forbidden City as a court maid so she can meet her father, Qianlong.Then she one day tells the truth and becomes the princess.
Read more about this topic: Xia Ziwei
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“I read a part of the story of my excursion to Ktaadn to quite a large audience of men and boys, the other night, whom it interested. It contains many facts and some poetry.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“No one can write a best seller by trying to. He must write with complete sincerity; the clichés that make you laugh, the hackneyed characters, the well-worn situations, the commonplace story that excites your derision, seem neither hackneyed, well worn nor commonplace to him.... The conclusion is obvious: you cannot write anything that will convince unless you are yourself convinced. The best seller sells because he writes with his heart’s blood.”
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—Sir Walter Raleigh (1552–1618)