A Ruthless Wall – The Great Wall
Lok Man Cheng, Group 3: Fiction, St. Mark's School (Secondary)
um, what story are you going to read to me tonight?” Nicole questioned, her eyes shining
eagerly.
“
Well, I thought I would share an ancient legend with you. First of all, have you ever
heard of a very famous structure called, “The Great Wall”?
“
M
“
Of course, I have but please tell me the story, Mum.”
“
Alright. Please listen carefully. The legend is actually a tragic story…”
A long time ago in the Tang Dynasty, when emperors still ruled China, the story begins.
The Tang Dynasty was one of the most imperial dynasties of China. Most of the emperors at that time had
managed the country so successfully, especially
Emperor Taizhong of Tang. Do you know why he was so determined to manage the country well?
“
His sense of responsibility? Oh, I don’t know. Tell me! Tell me! Mum.”
It is believed that at that time when Li Shimin (Emperor Taizhong of Tang) first took up the post of an
emperor, he was an indolent person and unwilling to pick up the political work as an emperor. He idly spent his
time chitchatting with the maids who lived in the imperial palace. The maids were terribly embarrassed by his
behavior but had no choice but to go along with it.
Imagine if you were just a maid, how would you respond if the almighty and powerful emperor flirted
with you? Turn around and evade him? No, of course not! If you upset the emperor, he could sentence you to
death. What would happen, on the other hand, if you continued to chitchat with him? You will be also into a
serious trouble. The father of Emperor Taizhong of Tang, Li Yuan (Emperor of Gaozu of Tang before Taizhong
becoming the emperor) arranged for Taizhong’s maids to meet with him regularly, to check if Taizhong was up
to his old tricks. If Li Yuan found that any maids had been inappropriately engaged in conversation with his son,
the maids would be heavily punished. Li used to check his son behavior in order to convince him to handle the
political work appropriately.
“
Oh, that’s a cruel punishment for Taizhong!”
Yes, indeed. However, there were still some unscrupulous maids at that time. One of which was—Xi Shi.
She was the most beautiful maid you would ever hope to see, Taizhong was mesmerized by her breathtaking
beauty.
“
Oh! What a charming lady! It’s a pity you are a maid in this imperial palace!” Taizhong exclaimed.
“
But I have no choice. My parents are penniless so I am forced to endure such hardship and work as a
maid. Although, of course, there are some perks to working in the palace…..” Xi Shi expressed shamefully.
“
What if you become my queen? Then you do not have to work as a servant and your parents will be
affluent once again!” Taizhong stated with a rising tone.