Thanh An | Nun Princess
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Once, an old emperor went on a trip to the lands of a southern neighbor. As a gesture of goodwill, he promised his daughter to the king of that land, hoping that this union would build a lasting bridge of peace.
Years later, when that daughter came of age, the promise was due. However, the new emperor, the old emperor's son, was reluctant to honor this arrangement. His sister was not a token to be traded. But the southern king was determined, offering two rich and fertile provinces as the bride price - a proposal far too great for any court to refuse.
"Thousands of miles stretched those lands,
What worth is one maiden's hand?"
And so the young princess left her home to become queen of a foreign court, fulfilling a promise she never made. But little did she know that, less than a year later, her soon-to-be husband, the king, died. In his kingdom, it was tradition for a queen to follow her king in death.
Upon hearing this, her brother, the emperor, was filled with dread. He could not allow his sister to climb the funeral pyre. In a secret plot, he sent his men to steal her back from the heart of the mourning palace.
However, the southern kingdom did not view this act of brotherly love as a rescue. Instead, they saw it as a grave theft and a deep insult to their sacred customs. War was declared over the stolen queen.
The young queen, now a princess again, returned to her homeland but found no peace in the palace. She had grown tired of being a pawn in the game of power - first a token of peace, then a cause for war. At the temple's gate, she took off her royal silks and embraced simple monastic robes, hoping to atone for the sins committed in her name.
