Looking at the four corners of the sky surrounded by palace walls, Concubine Qiao Hanya always remembered the grand occasion of that year.
His father, Qiao Junhou, had suppressed a rebellion in the southern border and returned victorious. Emperor Wu of Han and all the civil and military officials welcomed him at the city gate, with the imperial guards clearing the way and the streets empty. What an honor that was.
She sat on her eldest brother's shoulders and saw for the first time the solemn army and the sharp swords and guns. She should have been afraid, but she pushed her brother's hand away without hesitation and stared closely at her father who was walking at the front of the team.
At that time, Qiao Hanya often thought that she wanted to be a person like her father: the first female general of the Qisheng Dynasty.
As spring passed and autumn came, rumors spread in Kyoto that of the three sons of the Qiao family, only the youngest son could inherit the legacy of Qiao Junhou. The youngest son was referring to Qiao Hanya, who was dressed as a man.
There was no way. Although her two brothers were born in the Qiao family, they did not like swords, guns, sticks and clubs. One was buried in the sea of books and worked tirelessly, while the other loved business and was thrifty.
Despite her mother's objections, Qiao Hanya often sneaked out of the house under her brother's name, and this was how the third son of the Qiao family gained fame.
"I will never marry in the future. I hate the constraints of Kyoto. I don't want to be a bird in a cage. I want to be an eagle, an eagle soaring into the sky." Qiao Junhou couldn't persuade his daughter, so he sent Qiao Hanya to the Saibei Army for training.
"It would be good if we could just temper her character." With her father's nagging, Qiao Hanya bravely set foot on the land of Saibei. Here, she spent three years of unfettered time, which was also her happiest time.
Thousands of tents singing and drinking together, how carefree. Qiao Hanya is very happy, but she also encounters the misfortune of her life - Gu Yebei, the man she has been seeking all her life but cannot get. She loves him, but he does not love her.
Qiao Hanya stayed in Saibei, hoping to be closer to her beloved. But the reality did not allow her to stay, because the Qiao family in Kyoto was already in turmoil.
Qiao Junhou had fought in the sea of blood countless times throughout his life, rising from a soldier to a general, and all his achievements were earned at the cost of his life. But the waters of Kyoto were too deep for him to understand.
A great achievement frightens the master, and a tall tree attracts the wind. In the peaceful years, the existence of Qiao Junhou became an obstacle to the aristocratic families. It was impossible to defend against the open and hidden attacks. Qiao Junhou, who lost his military power, was like a tiger with its teeth pulled out, unable to resist, and could only struggle to survive in the cracks.
Although Emperor Wu did not believe the rumors, he had to compromise because of the complicated interests of the aristocratic families and the fact that one move would affect the entire body. He gradually distanced himself from the Qiao family.
It was at this time that Qiao Hanya returned to Kyoto. She knew in her heart that she shouldn't have come back, but she couldn't let go.
That day, Qiao Hanya took the initiative to put on women's clothes for the first time. Not long after she entered the palace to ask to see the empress dowager, an imperial edict was sent back to the Qiao family: Qiao Hanya was named Concubine Ya, and Qiao Junhou, who was thrown into the Tianlao, was released without charge.
The soaring eagle was voluntarily tied to a cage, the vast world was replaced by the oppressive palace walls, and no one knew what Qiao Hanya was thinking.
The eldest and second brothers of the Qiao family only heard that their sister was very favored in the palace and soon gave birth to a prince.
No one knew that she had countless unsent letters, letters to the northern frontier. She didn't dare to send them, and she was not qualified to send them.
Later, the Qiao family was gone.
Later, Concubine Qiao, who had spent half her life in the palace, also left. She used a magnificent fireworks display to see herself off, and put on men's clothes. She seemed to be the unbridled third son of the Qiao family in Kyoto.
Because the cause of death was so strange, only a few words were left in the record: "In the 24th year of Emperor Mingde's reign, Concubine Qiao died."
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