Transmigrating Narcissus

2.00 - Sacred Lily

Excerpt from the Classic of Mountains and Seas:

The Chinese sacred lily is a flower that is associated with the two sister goddesses of the Xiang River, Ehuang and Nuying. They are the two beloved daughters of the Highest Deity, Shangdi (上帝), who rules over the three realms: heaven, hell, and earth. It is through these two daughters' marriages to His chosen successor, Shun, that humans could have a blessed and righteous emperor. 

Ehuang (娥皇) is the eldest miss, her name meaning Fairy Radiance. Like the name suggests, she is the epitome of grace, possessing a brightness that can attract anyone. Her snow white skin, noble countenance, and beauty are unrivaled. Hailed as the most beautiful being in all of the realms, she is also highly skilled in the four arts and is Emperor Shun's most beloved wife and his wangfei (王妃), legal wife and Empress of earth. It should be noted that 娥 is comprised of the two Chinese characters for female and "I," but it is also close to the character for hunger, 饿. Despite Ehuang being the embodiment of feminity, she is power-hungry and schemes endlessly to keep Shun to herself, with only her own sons competing to be the next emperor. 

Nuying (女英) is the second miss, her name meaning Maiden Bloom. Her name also has other meanings such as female hero, brave and outstanding person. However, her bloom has always been overshadowed by Ehuang's unparalleled brilliance. She is Emperor Shun's cefei (侧妃), a literal "side squat." Nuying is looked down upon by all others in the realms, never having a moment to shine due to Ehuang's halo. Although Ehuang has countless admirers, in Nuying's life as Emperor Shun's Noble Consort, she has only two, the identities of which are still unknown and lost to time. 

While there are many beautiful flowers in Emperor Shun's harem, the drama and plots involving Ehuang and Nuying are infamous. Whereas Ehuang is the shining sun, known and loved by all, Nuying is the waxing moon, only showing her glow when people can see past the sun's rays. Nuying is content, however, to stay in the shadow, for only the worthy can stay long enough to find the light in the darkness. The others are merely blinded by the fiery sun. 

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A/N
DISCLAIMER: I would include the real Qu Yuan's poem in this story, but I don't want to be copyrighted, so you can search online for it if you want. The resources I'm using for this arc are Chinese artworks from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Wikipedia articles. While the major characters in these arcs appear in history and mythology, the representation of them in this story are not true. 

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