Story: Defeating the Ill-Luck Destiny

Opening my eyes, the shabby and dusty wall appeared in front of me. The bitter tear strolls down my cheeks. Their prayers worked. I returned to the time when he just left. I am crying, crying out for happiness and for anger. The last scene I saw before I die was husband holding his new empress and their children laughing at my stupidity.

Me: “Pingqui, why, why did you kill me?”

Xue Pingqui: “Why? How can you ask such stupid question? I am an emperor now. I can’t have you, an old and ugly woman, to be my empress. If you were not the princess of this land, I would even look at you and bring to back as the empress to ease the citizen. Honestly, they were very stubborn in resisting my ruling. You are useful at last. Does it sound great ‘the new emperor came from a humble background, but when he ascended to power, he did not forget his old wife’? Now, your duty is done. You need to ‘move on’ so my beloved Dai Zhan can become the new empress.”

Me: “The citizens will know your evil intention.”

Xue Pingqui: “No worry. I will tell them ‘The empress was sick during her time in poverty, and so, she passed away happily after reunited with her husband, leaving with grief. However, the rule states that the emperor cannot stay single. He married the neighboring princess, who will be kind to his citizen.’ Don’t be afraid, you won’t be lonely. I will send your family to go with you shortly. Haha”

I couldn’t say another word because the fiery poison had choked my throat and battered my body with pain. Bloody tear streamed down my face. Because of him, I angered my parents and left them. Because of him, I waited 18 years in hunger and poverty. Now, this is my reward, the consequences for disobey my parents. Finally, I choked out blood and closed my eyes.

My soul lingered in the palace, seeing how he lived happily with his new empress and their children while my family suffered the imprisonment and humiliation. Yet, my parents were not angered at me for bringing this destruction to the family. They cried for my death and prayed for the ease of my soul, hoping that I will have a better life in the next reincarnation. Regrets ate me slowly when I witness their love to me. I vowed that if heaven gives me chance to relive my life again, I will spend my whole life being filial to my parents and protect my people. At this moment, my soul was swallowed up my parents’ prayers.

Now, I have a chance to start all over again. This time I won’t be naïve girl that abandoned her family for a man who would trade her for wealth and power. I swore with my family name. I, Wang Baochuan, will defeat Xue Pingqui and protect my family and my people.

This is the first year when Xue Pingqui left after our marriage. As he left, he took all the valuable belongings, claiming that he will return with great fortune and gives me a better life. Yes, he did return, and his reward for my 18 years of suffering is the 18 days of being an empress. What stupid deal that I made! This time I will not wait for him.

I quickly gathered all my belongings and headed back to my family’s castle. I kneeled in front of the castle for days to apologize my father for defying him. I know he still loves me. On the fourth day, the castle’s door opened, and I finally returned to my family. Upon my return, I told my parents that I decided to divorce Xue Pingqui after he left. I asked my parents to let me disguise as a man to join the army. My parents quickly denied. I convinced them if I don’t have the ability to control the army, the citizens will not trust a female ruler. After days of persuasion, my parents agreed. I cut off my long hair and bound my breasts to become a man. After joining the army, I trained days and nights, learning how to wield a sword to how to command the army. Every time failures and hardships beat me down. The memories of 18 years of poverty, my death, and the suffering of my family helped me stand up again. Time flied. During my 16th year, the war between my land and the neighboring country broke out. I know the army general was Xue Pingqui, who now became the princess’s husband. Knowing that by winning this war, Xue Pingqui’s father-in-law will make Xue Pingqui as his heir. I am determined to defeat him.

After two years of war, I finally succeeded in defeat Xue Pingqui and injured his leg, causing him to be incapable to attend battle. Return to my homeland in glory of great general that protect his citizens from invaders, I revealed to my people my true identity. My people were surprised, but they were happy that their next ruler is capable to protect them in battlefield. My parents were in tears.

My father: “I am so proud you, my daughter. You have proven to have the ability of a ruler.”

Me: “Thank you Father for giving a chance to start over again and thank you for not giving up on me.”

Since then, I became a new ruler, and under my rule, all the ill-fated children have a chance to live out of the ill-fated destiny. As for Xue Pingqui, losing his ability to go to battle eliminated him from the selection for the heir. He spent the rest of his life overshadowed by his wife.


Author’s Notes:

I retell the story of the Child of Ill Luck in Chinese Fairy Tales, where the ill-luck princess who married a beggar who left her for 18 years to pursuing his fortune. He came back after 18 years as the emperor and made the ill-luck princess, who waited in poverty for him, his empress. However, she’s only live 18 days after becoming an empress. . I suspected why she only live for 18 days after surviving 18 years of poverty. So, the murdering scene is the biggest twist of my version. I want to create a version where the ill-luck princess lives happily without her husband and became a ruler herself.

Wu ZeTian. Link

Bibliography: Wilhem. Chinese Fairy Tales Book. Link