The emperor woke from a nightmare in the dead of night. In his dream, he had a daughter who had been lost among the common people. So he offered a handsome reward for any news of the princess’s whereabouts.
Everyone said His Majesty was a man of deep feeling.
But I knew there was another reason behind it.
The capital had gone a full year without rain. National Preceptor Xuanxiu advised the emperor that the only way to end the drought was to sink a princess into the river as a sacrifice to the gods.
The emperor had only one daughter, born of the Empress, and he treasured her like the apple of his eye.
And so, at long last, he remembered that sixteen years ago, when he had been living among the common people, he had once had another daughter.
He offered a great reward to find her so that daughter could take Princess Mingzhu’s place.
And die.
