The latter half of [The Martial Emperor's Scripture of Observing the Past and Burying Life] recorded the Martial Emperor's life.
Wang Quan did not care whether she had embellished her own story, so he read with great interest.
[In my youth, I was a village herdboy, skilled at tending geese. Being clever from a young age, I once composed a poem-Geese, geese, geese, what a great big flock of geese; not just white geese, but multicolored geese too.]
[The villagers praised me, saying I could study and become a scholar. Sadly, scholarly pursuits could not save the empire. For the empire's sake, I began practicing martial arts.]
Pfft!
Wang Quan laughed. "Studying is what can save an empire. Practicing martial arts... only lets you prey on the villagers."
"This Martial Emperor took the wrong path in her youth. Surely she regretted it in her old age."
With that thought, he took a deep breath and continued reading:
[I was so clever that I casually learned all sorts of martial arts and even created my own [White Goose Fist].]
[My junior martial sister admired me and made soup for me. My senior martial sister adored me and roasted meat for me. My master's wife adored me and sewed clothes for me.]
[But for some reason, my master and my senior and junior martial brothers did not like me.]
Wang Quan thought it over. He felt that if he were around this Martial Emperor, he would not like her either.
[I made a name for myself in my youth-when I entered the county seat, I was its genius; when I entered the prefectural seat, I was its prodigy; when I entered the provincial capital, everyone called me a monster.]
Reading this, Wang Quan exclaimed in admiration, "What an impressive Martial Emperor!"
[Later,