In the ninth year of Wude under Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Zhang Shaofei, governor of Zhongzhou, visited Wen Long, governor of Chang’an. Wen Long brought out a pair of “Hongxi Cups” and drank with Zhang Shaofei. Seeing how much Zhang Shaofei admired them, Wen Long gave him one. Though both Wen Long and Zhang Shaofei were jinshi graduates, they could see only the cups’ exquisite beauty, not the secret within.
Before long, Zhang Shaofei was struck by one calamity after another. Framed by treacherous ministers, he was banished to the southern wilderness. In remote Tianlu Mountain, where tigers and other beasts roamed and attacked people, he healed the sick, subdued dragons and tigers, and taught the local bullies, charlatans, and mountain folk to mend their ways. There, he and a celestial maiden shared a tender, moving romance born of hardship. He repaid hatred with kindness, treating his enemies and teaching them the Way until they turned over a new leaf and became virtuous. He preached to the Liao emperor, who came to his senses and swore never again to invade the Central Plains, sparing the people the ravages of war. He also preached to the Tang emperor, helping him become a benevolent ruler for the ages.
