The Tale of Jade Trees and Curious Flowers

“The Two Wangs and Two CuIs, Pei, Li, Lu, and Xie” were the eight most prestigious noble families in the realm. Thirty years ago, Xie Dihua, son of the governor of Donglai Commandery, fell in love with a young woman of the Yao family. He gave her father twelve black pearls, and her father agreed to the marriage, but she refused. Not long afterward, Xie Dihua’s younger cousin, Xie Muyou, came to visit and fell in love with her. The Yao woman then married Xie Muzhuang. A few years later, Xie Dihua left office. The Yao family estate was burned down, and more than thirty members of the household were killed. Xie Dihua was accused of being the “mastermind behind it all.” Husband and wife were separated, the brothers fell out, and the Xie family retreated to their ancestral home, never to recover. Twenty years ago, the eldest son of the Lu family died. His young son, Lu Ziyuan, was stripped of his hereditary title by his uncle and driven out of the ancestral home. Lu Ziyuan worked tirelessly to rise above his uncle, and before long he had surpassed him. The Xie family continued to decline, and its younger generation proved worthless. To preserve the family’s standing, they had no choice but to seek a suitable son-in-law. Xie Rongrong was therefore betrothed to the Wang family of Luoyang, a powerful clan. As Lu Ziyuan’s influence grew, he arranged an early engagement with the same Wang family to keep his eldest son, Lu Chengzhi, from marrying into the imperial family.