Song Shijie stood in the courtyard, staring blankly at the red lantern that had just been extinguished, with mixed feelings in his heart. His gaze wandered around him, and finally landed on the heavy gate. The years that had passed passed passed through her mind like floating clouds, and she couldn't help but think back to that night many years ago.
In 1925, 18-year-old Song Shijie wore a red satin skirt embroidered with flower patterns and walked into this rich family with hairpins. As a newly married fourth concubine, she comes from a poor family and is full of longing and curiosity about the unknown world she is about to enter.
The rich dowry and high worth indicate that she will live a luxurious life as a wife and concubine in the future.
The moment he walked into the door, Song Shijie saw a dazzling scene. The carved beams and painted buildings, the splendid decoration all show the heavy gold paste casting of the owner. Several sisters and ladies dressed in fashionable clothes have been waiting by the octagonal pavilion for a long time, smiling and waiting for a long time.
They are the other wives and concubines of this family, and they will also be Song Shijie's future sisters.
At the top of the list is the sister-in-law of the long house, she was born into a noble family, with a handsome appearance and elegant manners, like an elegant picture. Then there is the second room, which is mediocre in appearance, but capable and shrewd.
The people in the third room were the youngest, and their eyebrows were picturesque, but their expressions revealed some restless maids and grandmothers, who lined up on both sides and saluted respectfully.
Suddenly, Song Shijie had unprecedented pride and satisfaction. She thought that she would always enjoy this land of wealth and tranquility and live a carefree life. However, she was too naïve to realize the undercurrent behind this family, the bloodshed and cruelty of the power conflict.
The red lanterns hung high in the cloister deep in the garden were seen as symbols of the power core of the extended family. When night falls, the blazing red light they emit seems to burn with the desires and emotions of their owners.
Whenever night falls, there is always a red lantern lit, which indicates that the head of the family, Master Song, will spend the night in the corresponding room. The owner who is lit up will be pampered and honored by the supreme and become the center of attention for the whole family.
The other wives and concubines had to watch the lights dim in jealousy and envy, waiting for the next round.
Song Shijie clearly remembers that in the years when she first entered the door, the red lanterns in the big room were always lit, and she belonged to the most favored sister-in-law in the long room. This beautiful woman from a noble family is not only outstanding and graceful, but also knows how to control the core of power with ingenuity.
She is pampered and self-authorized, and even her husband Master Song respects her very much.
However, when the other wives and concubines were secretly competing with each other and the intensity of the struggle was escalating, the location of the red lantern also became extremely varied and difficult to detect, sometimes in the second room, sometimes in the third room, and sometimes even transferred to Song Shijie's small room.
Each wife and concubine were secretly doing their best, just so that the lantern could stay in front of their door longer.
Song Shijie was so obsessed with the light of the lantern that she even began to believe that as long as she was blessed by the lantern, she would be able to gain all the power and favor of the family.
However, it wasn't long before she suddenly realized her innocence, and it turned out that the lantern was just a symbol of power to manipulate desires and emotions, and it was it that led to the tension between the families.
In this feudal family, the favor of the husband is the foundation for the wives and concubines to maintain their dignity and power. Only by gaining the favor of the head of the family can they gain a foothold in this patriarchal environment and gain more resources and power.
And the red lantern, which symbolizes pampering, has become the target of their competition.
The sister-in-law of the long house came from a prominent background and was the first wife of her husband, so she enjoyed a very high status. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also very intelligent and often gives advice. She likes to put on a charming and coquettish appearance, and while pleasing her husband, she also pays close attention to the every move of other concubines.
As long as someone wants to take advantage of the opportunity, she will find ways to strike and show no mercy to her wrists.
In comparison, the image of the sister-in-law in the second room is much inferior. Her mediocre appearance and eccentric temper make people unlikable. However, she is scheming, sparing no effort to be courteous to her husband, and at the same time, she is secretly wooing her henchmen and desperately opposing the big house.
The sister-in-law of the third room is the youngest, straightforward and stubborn. Her love for her husband is unwavering, but there is no strategy or scheme. Therefore, her relationship with the other two rooms is strained, and she fights to the death.
Sometimes they work together in alliances, sometimes they compete fiercely behind their backs, and they hold the supreme power of the family. They took turns fanning the flames, stirring up chaos and tension in the family.
Song Shijie's little concubine also looked like glory when she entered the door, thinking that she could stay away from family disputes. However, it was not as she would have liked, and she could not stay out of it. The sister-in-law tried her best to win her over, taught her by example and demonstrated various means, so that she could understand the art of family infighting.
The sister-in-law of the second room was guarded, and from time to time she rejected and isolated her, which made her full of a sense of oppression, although the sister-in-law of the third room never faced difficulties head-on, but secretly set up many traps and stumbling blocks.
Song Shijie was thus swept up in the undercurrent of invisible jealousy and struggle, his heart was no longer as pure as before, and his once innocent dreams were shattered in the quagmire of hypocrisy and power schemes, and disappeared without a trace.
Time flies, Song Shijie is no longer the young and delicate concubine she was back then, and now her eyes are full of wisdom and strategy. She gently stroked the extinguished red lantern and recalled the night that changed her life.
Late that night, Song Shijie mustered up the courage to light all the lanterns in the entire courtyard. The blazing fire burned in the night, completely burning the cage of power and hypocrisy.
At that moment, Song Shijie finally woke up, and she understood that all the hardships she had experienced in the family over the years was just to find the most precious self and freedom.
After that, she dismissed the idea of joining the power struggle and began to pursue the path of independence in life. Looking back, she realizes that she paid a huge price.
She vividly remembers being blinded in her first few years with the family. She naively thought that as long as she was well-behaved and humble, and served her husband and other sisters well, she could live a peaceful and happy life.
She even disregarded her dignity to please her husband in order to win her husband's favor.
However, she soon realizes that everything in this family is just a façade of hypocrisy, that everyone is secretly fighting for power, and that even the most basic emotional bonds are corrupted by money and desire.
She began to rejoice that she still had an independent consciousness and had not completely degenerated.
Song Shijie began to think carefully about how to survive, and he had to do his best to seize the glimmer of life in this extremely harsh environment. He had to learn to recognize all the intrigues and fight back.
Deep down, however, he was filled with hatred for such a way of life.
At that dawn, the lights went out and darkness enveloped everything. Song Shijie sat alone in the courtyard and couldn't meditate for a long time. She realized that if she continued to dwell on this, she would lose all human dignity.
So she decisively picked up the wick, rekindled the fire, and dispelled the darkness with a blazing light.
From that moment on, she shattered the shackles of lust and no longer obeyed the control of any core of power. She found her path to self-emancipation and lived a free and dignified life ever since.