Liu in the Imperial Harem

This book is Jiang Yingliu’s memoir, which narrates Liu’er life from Beauty to Empress in the palace. Under the plain sentences lies the difficult life in the palace for more than 50 years. Inside the palace, everyone is pitiful. The author describes the majority of “my” life in the palace after “I” accidentally entered the palace in first-person perspective and shows a different life in the imperial harem. Rather than intrigue and contention, the life here is quite peaceful and happy. Finally, I wish them reincarnate as civilians next life and never enter the palace again as they wished.

Pink hands so fine,

Gold-branded wine,

Spring paints the willows green

palace walls can’t confine.

East wind unfair,

Happy times rare.

In my heart sad thoughts throng;

We severed for years long.

Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Spring is as green,

In vain she’s lean,

Her kerchief soaked with tears and red with stains unclean.

Peach blossoms fall

Near deserted hall.

Our oath is still there. Lo!

No word to her can go.

No, no, no!