Set a Purpose

Read to find out why a woman must begin a new life.

My grandmother saw the emperor cry the day he lost his golden dragon throne.

She wanted something to remember him by, so she snuck down to the silent palace, near the River of Perfumes, and plucked a seed from a lotus pod that rattled in the imperial garden. She hid the seed in a special place under the family altar, wrapped in a piece of silk from the ao dai she wore that day. Whenever she felt sad or lonely, she took out the seed and thought of the brave young emperor.

And when she married a young man chosen by her parents, she carried the seed inside her pocket for good luck, long life, and many children. When her husband marched off to war, she raised her children alone.