Withered Leaves Can Only Fall

Stairs of Qingxuan

It is said that the 113 stairs of Qingxuan is a magical place. A place where one's deepest and most purest wishes can become true, so long as you climb the stairs of Qingxuan with that one wish in your heart.

There have been countless tales about that ethereal place, a place where wishes can come true.

On one winter morning, the snow fell from the sky. The stairs of Qingxuan remained painted red, overlooking the begonia garden that was now wilted and dead. The pavilion of Qingxuan rested in white, footprints slowly being left upon its path.

A figure, both strong yet weak, frail yet powerful, slowly made his way upon the stairs. As he stood in the pavilion, looking down upon the countless palaces, the snow seemed to stop for a moment.

From his mouth, a whisper of his deepest wish left. A wish that he hoped, with all his heart, would become true.

Upon the stairs of Qingxuan, countless wishes were made. Now, may the stairs of Qingxuan fulfill his wish in exchange for all the pain he has gone through.

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Gers held all the power. They could be anything they wanted. They had their free will, could live their lives not worrying about anything. They could marry as many men as they wanted.

But men couldn't. They were trapped. They could not choose their own lives, could not have their free wills. They were stuck inside the house, learning how to embroider, to cook, paint, sing, play instruments. They couldn't wish for more, couldn't be anything else than tools. If they were lucky, they married into a family with a Ger who didn't have any concubines. If not, they lived a life of misery as a concubine competing for favor.

Liang Yu was lucky. Yes, he was a man. Yes, his Ger had countless concubines. It was only normal when his Ger was the emperor, Xiang Ting. Liang Yu had no power behind him. He was a commoner who the emperor brought into the palace. Even so, he was Consort Liang, one of the two consorts in the palace, the current highest position in the harem.

Liang Yu was not young. He had been in the harem for well over a decade, almost two years after Xiang Ting ascended the throne. But he was still favored greatly. Xiang Ting visited his palace twice every week. In a harem with fifty other concubines, Liang Yu thought of himself as lucky.

Liang Yu was now 28. While he still looked extremely handsome for his age, he could not compare to the new and younger males being brought into the harem. But Xiang Ting visited him daily, never breaking the routine.

Perhaps, it was this that made it so Liang Yu patiently waited for Xiang Ting to visit him. He knew that no matter how busy Xiang Ting was, he would still visit him. Even when Xiang Ting spent his nights with other concubines, Liang Yu wouldn't be hurt. Xiang Ting was the emperor, he was a Ger. Liang Yu was a commoner, just a man. Perhaps he was the Consort Liang, who bathed in the emperor's favor, but he would never ask for more.

Liang Yu was never able to give a child to Xiang Ting. Xiang Ting had given birth to 3 Gers and 1 male. In his 12 years of reigning, this was considered a small number of royal heirs. Liang Yu knew that the conditions of his body would not be able to give a child to Xiang Ting, thus, even with the power he had in the harem, he didn't ask for more. Even as he was favored, he didn't boast about it.

Liang Yu woke up to the sound of robes rustling. He knew without opening his eyes that Xiang Ting was getting ready for morning court. And as so, he slowly opened his eyes, staring at Xiang Ting, who was adjusting his sleeves.

Xiang Ting, like any other Gers, had a vermillion mark on his forehead. With a rather tall build for a Ger, he was around 175 centimeters. Xiang Ting had thin lips, befitting his image as the emperor. With narrow eyes and sharp brows, his charm was undeniable. His long black hair was put into the tasseled crown he wore. With wheat colored skin, his jaw was sharp.