They all say women of the pleasure quarters are heartless, but they don’t know that all I, Du Shiniang, ever wanted was a sincere heart.
I thought Li Jia was the one who could give me that.
I spent every last coin I had for him and plotted my escape from the brothel. The countless treasures I’d earned over half a lifetime in the pleasure quarters, all my pearls and jewels, I locked away in an unassuming sandalwood chest. It was my last refuge, and the dowry on which I’d staked my life.
A small boat carried my new beginning toward the hometown where he promised we would grow old together. I was full of hope, never imagining that these surging waters would become a proving ground for human nature.
When a wealthy merchant appeared and exposed the cowardice and greed beneath his refined mask; when all my love proved no match, in his eyes, for a price tag of a thousand taels of silver…
Only then did I understand: I had beaten the brothel keeper, beaten society, and lost only to the good man I had chosen with my own hands.
Then let this treasure chest shine one last time in my hands.
With the most resolute of finales, I will show the world that the love of Du Shiniang is beyond price!
