The Eastern Palace's Favor

Ruan Shihe is the most beautiful woman in Yangzhou, and a famous shouma, a girl raised to be sold as a concubine.

In the ninth year of Zhaoyuan, chaos erupted in Yangzhou. She seized the chance to escape, and while being pursued, ran blindly into a carriage hung with bells and draped in brocade.

Inside sat a man with a stern expression and a handsome face. He rolled Buddhist prayer beads between his fingers and looked down at her. Ruan Shihe said, "Please save me, my father is an official in the capital. I will certainly repay you."

The man helped her, but one rainy night, Ruan Shihe broke her word and ran away.

A hundred li outside the capital, bandits stopped the brocade-draped carriage to rob it. The man lifted the curtain with his pale, slender fingers and saw the woman beside the bandit chief. After a fierce struggle, Ruan Shihe begged him once more: "Please save me, my family home in Lin'an has ten thousand taels of gold buried beneath it."

When they met again, Ruan Shihe had been presented to the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. This time, the man's pale fingers gripped her chin as he studied her with interest. "I should have your feet cut off."

Ruan Shihe was so frightened that she began to cry. Her body trembled as she raised her slender jade feet and lightly hooked them between his legs. "Your Highness, spare me."

Later, Ruan Shihe ran away again, leaving him a child.

--

In the ninth year of Zhaoyuan, the Fifth Prince, Xie Guanqing, finally returned to his homeland.

They say that while in an enemy state, His Highness was abused like livestock. After falling gravely ill, he entered the Buddhist clergy, and only now was he able to return safely.

To make amends, the emperor named him Crown Prince.

Officials at court offered precious treasures to pledge their allegiance, but every gift was refused. Only the beauty sent by the Censor was kept. Everyone wondered: the Crown Prince had long since forsaken worldly desires, so could this beauty have some karmic connection to Buddhism?

Later, word spread that the Eastern Palace had a happy event. Later still, they heard that the beauty had run away, and the Crown Prince was searching the land far and wide with a child who could only call for his mother.

The first time Xie Guanqing saved Ruan Shihe, he thought, Since I have entered the Buddhist clergy, I should show compassion and save her.

The second time, he wondered whether she would run away again, and saved her.

The third time, he thought he should chain her hands and feet. Otherwise, she would run away and end up being sent back to him again. What a hassle.

After that, all he wanted was to bask in the reflected glory of his child.

Core message: Family, country, and the world.