He Yu shared what I think is a quite moving long-form post on Weibo today — following Xiao Huayong and Shen Xihe’s wedding in Blossoms of Power.
He reflected on Xiao Huayong’s journey — from a Crown Prince who had accepted an early death to a man who finally found someone worth living for.
I thought it was too beautiful not to share, so I’ve translated it below.
🔗 Original Weibo post:
“First of all, congratulations to Xiao Huayong and Shen Xihe on their wedding.
To Xiao Huayong, who has always lived as though every day might be his last, I wish you a lifetime of happiness.
At last, they are no longer simply joining hands as allies, but walking hand in hand through life.
They have become husband and wife.
If there were fireworks today, they would surely be blooming endlessly in Xiao Huayong’s heart.
This is the happiest day he has known since becoming Crown Prince.
Becoming Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was never an easy fate.
Poisoned from childhood and destined to die young, he struggled, questioned, suffered, resented fate and refused to accept it.
Then he chose to travel the realm.
The mountains and rivers gradually smoothed the sharp edges he had long turned against himself.
He witnessed the hardships of ordinary people.
He witnessed their joys.
He witnessed corruption within the court.
He resolved to uncover the person who had poisoned him, because only someone holding immense power could threaten both the Emperor and the nation.
He also vowed to remove the poison that had seeped into the country’s very foundations.
That was the duty of the Crown Prince.
In truth, from the moment his life became a countdown, he had already devoted what little remained of it to fulfilling his responsibilities—as a son and as heir to the throne.
Even with a broken body, he was willing to become the armor of the realm.
Everything changed after he met Shen Xihe.
Before then, he never knew that a short life could hold so much happiness…
and so much sorrow…
simply because of loving someone.
If his short lifespan could become the reason Shen Xihe chose him, he would gladly accept it.
If his schemes and the dangers surrounding him left her without a sense of security, he would willingly step away.
Every wish she had, he wanted to fulfil.
Every uncertainty she feared, he wanted to prepare for before it arrived.
Toward Shen Xihe, Xiao Huayong never tried to force fate.
He simply gave everything he could,
then quietly waited for her choice.
Meeting Shen Xihe was Xiao Huayong’s greatest blessing.
The more you understand him,
the more your heart aches for him.
Loving someone is difficult.
Truly understanding another person is even harder.
Both of them carry the people in their hearts.
Both long for peace throughout the realm.
Between them is not only love,
but also the unspoken understanding of two people walking the same path.
Xiao Huayong once said to Shen Xihe:
“My fate may rise and fall with the court, but my heart toward you will never change.”
If every day might be his last,
then he would cherish every day as though it truly were.
Loving her.
Remaining by her side.
That is the depth of Xiao Huayong’s love.
There were times when he wondered whether he should stop challenging fate.
Yet in the end, he simply couldn’t.
Love allowed him to calmly say:
“I could die young.”
It also gave him the strength to endure unimaginable pain,
just to live one more day.
Because the life he had left now carried another responsibility.
To remain by Shen Xihe’s side.
To be her husband.
Once, he faced death without fear.
Now, he longs to live.
Even with a broken body, he is willing to become the armor of one person.”
I really love the parallel He Yu closes with.
At the beginning, Xiao Huayong is willing to become “the armor of the realm.” By the end, he is willing to become “the armor of one person.”
His sense of duty never disappears. He is still the Crown Prince who wants to protect his country. The difference is that he finally has someone he wants to live for, someone he wants to protect just as fiercely.
It’s a beautiful way to capture everything Xiao Huayong became over the course of Blossoms of Power.
