The Enchanting Fox Woman of Qingzhou City
By Su Yanci
Mei’er is the daughter of the Jade Emperor and Lan Yuniang, who live in seclusion among mortals. Though she carries the blood of the Heavenly Court, she was born with breathtaking beauty: brows like distant mountains, eyes like autumn waters sparkling with stars, skin fairer than snow, and dimples that appear when she smiles. Countless men in Qingzhou City stop to admire her. Some offer a fortune just to meet her, while others wait outside her teahouse simply to give her a love letter. Yet she remains unmoved, with room in her heart only for Duan Lang, a refined and gentle scholar.
The two grow close amid the bustle of life in Qingzhou City, promising to share a little courtyard and watch the seasons pass together. But they don’t know that the Queen Mother’s jealousy has already reached the mortal world. She sends monsters to wreak havoc in Qingzhou and a fox demon to bewitch Duan Lang. Even their young child is afflicted by the chill of the Jade Lake and brought to the brink of death.
Faced with a leap from a cliff, a century of longing, and the threat of demons destroying her home, Mei’er endures every hardship with unwavering strength. Once he regains his senses, Duan Lang does everything he can to protect her, while the Jade Emperor and Lan Yuniang secretly watch over them. At last, the truth comes to light, and when the Jade Emperor sees that the lovers still stand by each other after all they have suffered, he grants a general amnesty. Peace returns to Qingzhou City. Only then does Mei’er understand that no matter how many people are captivated by her beauty, nothing compares to sharing the warmth of a humble home, one lamp and one bowl of tea, with the person she loves.
