The day before the Grand Princess's wedding, I returned to the capital after three years of traveling among the common people. The emperor was overjoyed and decided to announce that he would pass the throne to me, the crown prince, on the day of my elder sister's wedding. I bade farewell to my father and was just about to get some rest when my future brother-in-law barged into my bedchamber with his men, calling me a male prostitute from a brothel. "You filthy wretch, how dare you sneak into the harem and seduce the Grand Princess!" "I'll make you a eunuch today, so you won't be able to carry on with your vile deeds ever again!" He ordered the guards to strip me naked, shave off all my hair, and drag me along the stone-paved path, while countless palace maids and eunuchs gathered to watch.
