The Emperor’s Last Dream

Chinese scholars once spoke of a tomb sealed with jade, said to belong to General Hua Ping, a warrior erased from records after “dishonoring” the Emperor.

In 1978, the tomb was finally found. Inside was a woman’s skeleton wearing armor — her sword still sharp, her hand clutching a blossom of pure silver. The inscription read:

“She became the son I needed.”

The remains were reburied without ceremony, and photos were confiscated. But years later, when Disney visited China to research Mulan, one historian claimed they were shown something off the record: a silk scroll depicting a woman cutting her hair under moonlight — her reflection turning into a man’s.

No one knows where the scroll is now. Only that it was titled, in faded ink:

“The Dream of Hua.”