Lin Zhaowei was engaged to the heir of the Marquis of Jing'an, and their wedding was just around the corner. At a palace banquet, she got drunk and kissed Shen Ci, the Imperial Tutor. The next day, a letter breaking off the engagement arrived at the Lin residence. She hated Shen Ci, convinced he had interfered. Yet Shen Ci neither defended himself nor explained. Instead, he came every day to tutor her, teaching everything from the Four Books and Five Classics to the rules of marriage contracts. She slammed the table. "Are you here to tutor me, or to force me to break off my engagement?" Shen Ci closed his book. "You kissed me. If you still marry into the Marquis's household, that would be a breach of propriety. As your teacher, I can't stand by and let you make that mistake."
