The Legend of Yu Xuanji

The novel is complete.

14-year-old Xiao Xuanji was still slacking off in the Jiaofang Division (music and entertainment bureau) when she was caught by the great scholar Wen Tingyun for a poem, "Looking up, I idly envy the names on the榜."

The sharp-tongued Teacher Wen immediately assigned an essay on "Willow by the River." The result? Oh, the young girl's literary talent exploded, silencing the entire audience with her retort!

Thus, the style abruptly changed: Teacher Wen and his wife directly initiated a "nurturing program," including buying her freedom, acknowledging her as an adopted daughter, and sending her to their own academy for a full-service education.

She transformed from a courtesan into his only female disciple, yet, amidst the scent of ink, she harbored unspoken feelings.

He taught her to distinguish rubbings and discuss poetry history. She embroidered a sachet for him, hiding the character "Yun" within silver bamboo leaves. But when he chose Xu Sanlang for her, all her hopes were burned away.

On Wangjiang Tower, he wrote "My heart breaks at White Duckweed Isle," each character reflecting her solitary figure leaning on the railing. With resolute courage, she declared that if she didn't wish to marry, she only desired to remain in his mansion, becoming his poetry maid. He replied, "A woman must eventually have a home," but he didn't ask about the home she yearned for – which was always the ever-burning lamp in his study.

With a life of talent and a half-lifetime of wandering, all she sought was the freedom of a "heart like the vast sea," yet she was trapped by love and propriety, becoming the most painful poem in Chang'an City.

This story, set against the backdrop of Tang Dynasty poetic elegance, depicts a woman's unwavering courage and brilliance, unwilling to be defined by her fate.