After her family fell into ruin, A Xiu became a farmer's bride.
The young lady who had once been pampered now wielded a kitchen knife and picked up her needlework, caring for her parents-in-law at home and sending her husband to school. She was the very picture of a virtuous wife.
Many years later, after Song Tian had weathered countless ups and downs, he entered the cabinet and became prime minister. The events of their early years turned into a fond tale.
Someone wondered, "I hear Prime Minister Song was strange and hideous as a child. How did the two of them become such a devoted couple?"
Could she have been won over by his talent, knowing she'd one day become the wife of a first-rank official?
The servants understood. A Xiu looked at the IOU in her hand and thought, "No, I'm here to collect a debt."
*
Song Tian passed the imperial exams and came first at a very young age. Someone asked him, "How did you take the top spot?"
He replied, "My wife has a halo."
