The river surged on, the pleasure boat drifted along.
Amid the endless river waters, lanterns swayed.
Draped in a snow-white sable cloak, Lian Yue held a hand warmer and read.
The book was the Tang Kingdom's latest storybook.
It told of court and Jianghu, of love between men and women.
This was one of her few interests.
Reading and playing chess in the quiet night could while away some of those tedious hours.
And just then...
Crackle!
The red candle sputtered, tears of wax trickling down.
The maid beside her was about to trim the wick.
Just then, a cold gust swept into the room. Lian Yue could not help coughing twice, coughing up a few drops of fresh blood, but she paid it no mind and continued reading at her leisurely pace.
After only a few pages, she tossed the storybook onto the table.
"How utterly dull. Even the stories people write these days are so boring. All they write about are tiresome scholars, delicate young ladies, and secret midnight trysts. And there's not a scrap of substance. They won't write anything below the neck. Who would enjoy reading books like these?"
She let out a long, lingering sigh, and the maid beside her spoke cautiously.
"Hall Master, perhaps it's because the current Female Emperor dislikes how weak the Tang Kingdom has become and fears that public morals will grow debauched. That's why she banned it."
"I'm not blaming the Female Emperor. I'm blaming these storybook writers. Just because it's banned, can't they describe it obliquely? In the end, they're simply incompetent."
As she spoke, she shook her head in profound disappointment.
The world was so vast, and so was the cultivation world...
Even without exquisitely nuanced love between men and women, there could still be stories of