The Shen family had been plagued by bad luck lately. In the chilly days of early spring, the whole family decided to climb the mountain and pray at a temple for good fortune.
Not long after entering the temple, Shen Wuyou found the old monk's sermons to her parents dreadfully dull. While they weren't looking, she slipped away by herself and headed for the back of the mountain.
The back of the mountain was bitterly cold, with snowflakes swirling straight into her face. She ducked into a sheltered spot to catch her breath, and suddenly spotted a little monk sweeping snow.
The little monk looked no more than six or seven. He was exceptionally handsome, with delicate, picturesque features, long eyes, and soft eyelashes. Quiet and cool, he stood there without a sound, like a little celestial child enshrined in the temple.
He clutched a tiny bamboo broom and swept the snow slowly, stroke by stroke, with such a gentle touch that it seemed he was afraid of hurting the snow on the ground.
His little hands were red with cold, yet he held on tight and didn't utter a word.
Watching him from the side, Shen Wuyou thought he looked so pitiful that she went over to strike up a conversation.
"Little monk, what's your name? I'm Shen Wuyou. My parents call me Wuyou or Youyou."
"The snow is so cold. Aren't you cold? My hands are all red!"
"Did the old monks at the temple punish you?"
"Little monk, are you mute?"
The little monk merely lowered his eyes in silence, his long eyelashes falling over them. He was as still as a small white jade Buddha statue. No matter how much she chattered, he neither got angry nor said a word.
From then on, Shen Wuyou went up the mountain every day.
When he copied scriptures, she sat on a nearby flagstone and played with mud. When he meditated, she picked little wildflowers and secretly tucked them into his monk's hat.
The little girl clung to him every day, from early spring until the snow melted. The little monk remained quiet the whole time and never once sent her away.
According to the historical records, in the first year of Tianyuan, the new emperor Xiao Yungui ascended the throne. His first imperial decree appointed Shen, daughter of former Censor Shen Guyan, as empress. There were no consorts in the six palaces.
The officials of the whole court were green with envy. After years of misfortune, the Shen family had finally risen to the heavens in one leap and gained supreme glory.
Theme: After hardship, good fortune will come in time
