windiaaa041293:
Liddi,Do you know more details about the story of Mrs Wu Xuanshuang and Liyi.
blabla100:
Is that a novel or a drama? Curious to know more too.
They are characters from the novel 女帝奇英传 Legend of the Empress and the Heroes by 梁羽生 Liang Yusheng. I never read the novel, but this is what I gathered from this Sohu article:
This story takes place during the Zhou dynasty under the rule of the Empress Wu Zetian, who was the empress consort and empress dowager of the previous Tang dynasty, before seizing the throne and crowning herself as empress.
Li Yi was the royal grandson of the previous dynasty who aimed to become the leader of the alliance in the pugilistic world that would bond together to overthrow the Empress Wu and reclaim the throne for the Li family. Three women loved him deeply, including Wu Xuanshuang, Empress Wu's niece. At first Li Yi had no special feelings for her because she was the niece of his enemy, but she repeatedly saved his life, comforted him, sacrificed herself time and time again for him, hoping he would stay which he never did because he could not let go of his hatred for her aunt. Ultimately he parted from her. Eight years later, she sacrificed herself again to save him and his wife from danger. Despite him already having a son, she continued to wait and yearn for him, and the knowledge that he was married with a son broke her heart because of her love, yet she bore no jealousy or resentment.
Of the three women who loved him, Shangguan Wan'er, loved him her whole life but ended up marrying the next emperor whom she did not love. Changsun Bi, became Li Yi's wife and ultimately died in his arms, fulfilling her wish without regret. Wu Xuanshuang fell in love with Li Yi at first sight, was deeply devoted to him, enduring her own heartache to save Changsun Bi, and enduring her own bitterness to help Wan'er and Li Yi be together. She alone did not put herself first. She loved him, protected him time and again, and sacrificed for him repeatedly. In the end, after he died from being poisoned by Empress Wu's daughter, Princesss Taiping, Wu Xuanshuang chose not to marry, but left with Li Yi's orphan son.