On the return journey, after traveling for a little over ten days, they reached the lands of Handan. There, a strangely handsome youth was riding ahead on the road; hearing the cries of byeokje, calling wayfarers aside for the procession of a nobleman, he dismounted and stood by the roadside. Yang Hanlim saw him and asked,
“Is not the horse that scholar rides one of the Eight Noble Steeds?”
Then, as the distance to the youth gradually closed, he looked at him closely. The youth was like a flower just blooming, like the moon just rising; his subtle bearing and pure radiance struck the eye so that one could scarcely look upon him.
Yang Hanlim said,
“I have seen many youths from the capital and every region, yet one such as he I behold for the first time.”
Then he said to an attendant,
“Go and summon that youth here.”
He returned to the guesthouse and was resting for a moment when the youth had already arrived; Hanlim had someone receive him, and when the youth had already arrived, Hanlim had someone receive him. The youth entered and bowed prostrate, and Hanlim, taking a liking to him, said,
“On the road I admired your bearing, and now that you have honored me with your presence and share my seat, my good fortune is beyond words. I would know your name.”
The youth answered,
“This youth was born in the north and is called Jeok Baengnan. Having grown up in a remote village, I did not meet a fine teacher or worthy friends, and my learning is shallow indeed; I have mastered neither the brush nor the sword. Yet I still possess one sincere heart, willing to die for a friend who truly knows me. When Your Excellency passed through the lands of Hebei, your majesty and benevolence spread together, moving all people; my heart of reverence and longing became boundless. Therefore, without regard for my lowliness and paltry nature, I wished to entrust this body to your noble person and awaken even the mean talents of cockcrow and dog-theft. Now Your Excellency has shown the sagely virtue of lowering yourself to await a scholar, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude.”
Hearing the youth’s words, Hanlim was even more delighted and said,
“As the old saying goes, ‘Like sounds answer one another, and like energies commune.’ Now that our two intentions accord, it is a truly joyous thing! From this day forth, I shall ride side by side with Student Jeok, share the same table at meals, discuss mountains and waters when we pass places of fine scenery, and when we meet a bright night, chant of wind and moon, forgetting the hardship of the long road.”
Thereupon, having completed preparations to depart, they reached the lands of Luoyang.
When they passed Tianjin Bridge, the memory of meeting Seomwol in days gone by appeared vividly before his eyes, and Hanlim gazed toward the wine tower, sighing sorrowfully to himself.
“If Gyerang knew that I passed by in vain last time, she would surely come here to wait. Since they say she has become a female recluse, I think that if her traces are not in a Taoist temple, then they must surely be in a Buddhist cloister. How am I to hear word of her? Alas. If we cannot meet on this journey, in what age shall we ever meet again?”
So saying, he suddenly lifted his eyes and gazed into the distance. A beautiful woman stood alone atop a pavilion, raising the beaded curtain high and watching the approaching carriage intently. It was none other than Gye Seomwol.
Just as Hanlim had been deep in thought, he beheld a familiar face, and her loveliness seemed near enough to grasp. He drove the carriage like wind and rain, and as it passed before the pavilion, the joy with which the two looked upon one another could not be fully expressed in words.
Before long, he reached the guesthouse. Seomwol had already taken a shortcut and hurried there first; she was inside the guesthouse, her robes arranged, greeting him. Joy welled up in both of them, and tears flowed before words. She bent low and offered her congratulations.
“Having received the imperial command, you hastened your horse along a distant road, yet your honored person is safe and well; this is ample comfort to my longing heart. As for this lowly concubine’s affairs, you must have heard of them, so there is no need to speak of them again. Last spring, when I heard news of Your Excellency, they said you had received an imperial edict and passed along this road, this road. The way was far, and I could not see you off, so I could only shed tears. Then the county magistrate, for Your Excellency’s sake, personally sought me out, showed me the writing you had left upon the wall of the guesthouse, treated me with excessive respect, and apologized of his own accord for the difficulties of the former days. He earnestly begged me, saying, ‘Enter the city and wait for Your Excellency’s return.’ Unable to restrain my gladness, I returned to my old house. This lowly concubine also came to realize that this body was precious, and I stood alone in Tianjin Tower waiting for Your Excellency’s procession. Among all the maidservants filling the city and the passersby coming and going, who would not have envied the honor shown to someone’s concubine? This lowly concubine does not yet know: now that Your Excellency has returned in glory, have you already taken a lady to manage the household?
Please tell me plainly.”
Hanlim said,
“I am already betrothed to the household of Situ Zheng, though the rites have not yet been performed. The young lady’s virtue and gentleness do not differ in the least from what Gyerang said. The grace of your good matchmaking is as great as Mount Tai.”
Then he spoke again of their old affection, and unable to leave at once, he stayed for several days in succession. Because Gyerang was in the inner chamber, he did not summon Student Jeok for a long while. Then a page came in haste and reported,
“In this servant’s eyes, Student Jeok is not a good man. In a place where many people were present, he was jesting with Lady Gye.”
Hanlim told him,
“How could Student Jeok be so discourteous? Moreover, there is no reason to suspect Gyerang. You must surely have seen wrongly.”
The page withdrew with a dissatisfied heart, but before long returned and reported again,
“Since Your Excellency says this servant’s words are mistaken, please see their teasing with your own eyes.”
He pointed toward the western corridor. Hanlim went out and looked, and saw the two standing with a low wall between them; at times they laughed and chattered, at times they pulled at each other’s wrists and jested. Wishing then to hear what they were saying quietly, he gradually drew closer. Student Jeok, startled by the sound of his dragging shoes, fled, and Seomwol looked back with a rather bashful air. Hanlim, finding this strange, asked,
“Did you have some bond with Student Jeok before?”
Seomwol answered,
“This concubine has no bond with Student Jeok. It is only that I have affection for his younger sister, and so I was asking after her welfare. Since this body was lowly to begin with and naturally accustomed to such sights and sounds, I did not know to avoid men; I held hands and jested, and spoke softly close to his mouth, thereby giving rise to Your Excellency’s suspicion. For this crime, I know that even death would not be regrettable.”
Hanlim said again,
“I do not suspect you. You need not be at all troubled.”
Then he thought,
“Student Jeok is still a youth, and since he was caught by my eyes, he must feel some unease. I should summon him and comfort him.”
He ordered the page to summon Student Jeok, but Student Jeok had already vanished.
Hanlim greatly regretted it and said,
“In ancient times, King Zhuang of Chu cut off the tassels of the caps to set all his ministers’ hearts at ease, yet now I failed to discern an uncertain matter and have lost a fine scholar. What use is there in feeling ashamed and sighing now?”
He immediately had his attendants search everywhere.
That night, Hanlim took Seomwol with him, spoke of old matters, deepened their new affection, and set out wine to enjoy themselves. When the night grew deep, he dismissed the candles and lay down upon the bedding, and soon the east grew bright. Only then did he wake from sleep. Seomwol was sitting before the mirror, newly adorning herself. He gazed at her intently with affection, then started in surprise and looked again: her slender brows and bright eyes, cloudlike side-locks and flowerlike cheeks, slim waist and snow-white skin—on close inspection she seemed like Seomwol, yet was not. Astonished and suspicious, he did not dare ask for quite some time.
Meeting Jeok Gyeonghong at the Guesthouse.
After a while, Hanlim asked the beauty,
“Who, in truth, are you, young lady?”
The beauty answered,
“This concubine is originally from Bazhou, and my name is Jeok Gyeonghong. When I was young, I pledged sisterhood with Gye Seomwol. Last night, Gyerang happened to be ill and said she could not attend upon Your Excellency, so she asked me to attend in her place, and I presumptuously took my place here.”
Before she had finished speaking, Seomwol opened the door and entered, adding,
“Your Excellency has gained another new person, but this concubine does not mind. I once recommended Jeok Gyeonghong of Hebei to Your Excellency. How is she, indeed?”
Hanlim replied,
“Her face is even more beautiful than the name I had heard!”
Then, looking once more at Gyeonghong’s appearance, he found she did not differ from Student Jeok by even a speck of dust.
“Was the youth Jeok Baengnan Lady Jeok’s elder brother? Yesterday I wrongly laid blame upon Student Jeok. Where is Student Jeok now?”
Gyeonghong laughed even more and answered,
“This lowly concubine has neither brothers nor sisters.”
Hanlim looked closely once more, and at last understood. Laughing, he said,
“The one who followed me by the roadside in Handan was originally Lady Jeok, and the one who spoke with Gyerang by the corner of the wall yesterday was also Lady Jeok. But why did you deceive me so, from north to south?”
Gyeonghong answered,
“How would this lowly concubine dare deceive Your Excellency? Though this concubine is not beautiful and has no talent, all my life I wished to follow a great and noble gentleman. The Prince of Yan heard my name, purchased me for a bushel of pearls, and took me into the palace. Though delicacies filled my mouth and silk and gauze clothed my body, they were not what I desired. I lamented that, like a parrot locked in a golden cage, I could not come and go as I pleased. Some time ago, when the Prince of Yan invited Your Excellency and set out a banquet, this concubine looked through a crack in the window and saw that you were the one I had longed for all my life. But the palace gates were ninefold—how could I cross them? The road was ten thousand li—how could I run it?
I pondered ten thousand ways and barely found a single plan. Yet if, on the day Your Excellency departed, I slipped away and followed behind, the Prince of Yan would surely send men to pursue me. Therefore, several days after Your Excellency left, I secretly led out and rode the Prince of Yan’s thousand-li horse, and in two days I caught up to Handan, where Your Excellency happened to summon me. At that time I should have told you the truth, but there were many eyes and ears, and I am guilty of having concealed it. My dressing as a man before was to avoid those who pursued me; last night, in imitating the old affair of Tang Ji, I merely followed Gyerang’s earnest request. Even if you forgive all my offenses from beginning to end, I shall not forget my shame and gratitude for a long time.
If Your Excellency does not take my faults to heart, does not disdain my baseness, and permits me to borrow the shade of your lofty tree and roost upon one of its branches, then this concubine will certainly share comings and goings with Gyerang. After Your Excellency has taken a virtuous wife, I shall go with Gyerang to your household and offer congratulations.”
Hanlim praised her.
“Lady Jeok’s lofty spirit could not be matched even by the courtesan of the Yang household—the courtesan of Yang Su recorded in the Chinese histories, who followed Yang Su’s guest Li Jing after seeing him once. I am only ashamed that I lack the talent of Li Weigong, a general and minister. Since we have already come to care for one another, what need is there to compare anything?”
“Since Lady Jeok has already seen Your Excellency in this concubine’s stead, this concubine should also thank Your Excellency in Lady Jeok’s stead.”
Thereupon she rose and bowed repeatedly.
That day, he spent the night with the two women, and when morning dawned, Hanlim said to them,
“On the long road, I cannot have the eyes and ears of others accompany me, but once my wedding is held, I shall at once bring you in.”
So he said.
That very day, Hanlin set out again, following the road toward the capital.
Thus, when Yang Hanlin returned to the capital, entered the palace, and was about to report on his mission, the Prince of Yan’s memorial and the gold, silver, and silks offered as tribute arrived at just the right time. The Son of Heaven was greatly pleased, consoled him for his labors, and, in recognition of his merit, was about to enfeoff him as a marquis. Hanlin, greatly startled, prostrated himself on the ground, knocked his head, and firmly declined. His Sacred Majesty esteemed his intention all the more, granted his request, and again made him Minister of Rites and Hanlin Academician, bestowing generous rewards and treating him with such honor that his glory was without equal in ancient or modern times.
The Son of Heaven greatly loved Yang Soyu’s literary talent and often summoned him into the side hall to discuss the Classics and the histories, so the days on which Minister Yang entered the palace became frequent.
One day, after attending upon the emperor until deep into the night, he returned to his quarters. The moonlight was bright and clear, stirring in him a secluded, wine-like delight; unable to sleep, he climbed alone to a high pavilion, sat leaning on the railing, and, facing the moon, chanted verses. Suddenly, borne on the wind, he heard the sound of a tungso flute, descending gradually from afar through the clouds.
Though he could not discern the melody clearly, its tone was something he had never heard in this world. The minister called an attendant and asked,
“Is that tungso sound coming from outside the palace? Or is there among the palace people someone capable of playing such a tune?”
The attendant replied,
“I do not know, my lord.”
The minister thereupon took out his jade tungso and played two or three tunes. Its sound, too, made the flowing clouds in the heavens halt. All at once, a pair of blue cranes flew into the palace and danced in time with the melody, and all the attendants of the Hanlin Academy found it wondrous and marvelous, saying that Wang Ziqiao, Crown Prince of King Ling of Zhou, was present in their hearts.
At this time, the Empress Dowager had two sons and one daughter: His Sacred Majesty, the Prince of Yue, and Princess Nanyang. When Princess Nanyang was born, the Dowager dreamed that a celestial maiden held out a pearl and placed it in her bosom. When the princess grew up, her wisdom and qualities were wholly in accord with propriety, without the slightest vulgar habit, and her writing, needlework, and embroidery were likewise miraculous and exquisite, so the Dowager loved her dearly. From the Western Regions, the kingdom of Taizhen offered as tribute a white jade tungso, whose ornamentation was exceedingly wondrous; but when she had the court musicians try to play it, no sound came forth.
Around this time, the princess one day met a celestial maiden in a dream, learned a melody from her, and mastered its divine subtlety. After waking from the dream, she tried the jade tungso of Taizhen, and its sound was clear, its pitch and rhythm naturally in harmony. The Empress Dowager and the Son of Heaven both found it strange and praised it, yet no one else knew how to play it. Whenever the princess played a single tune, all the cranes would of their own accord gather before the palace hall and dance facing her.
Seeing this, the Empress Dowager bowed to His Sacred Majesty and said, “In ancient times it was said that Nongyu, daughter of Duke Mu of Qin, played the jade tungso well. Now the princess’s single tune is no less than Nongyu’s; only after there is a man like Xiao Shi can the princess be married down.”
For this reason, though Princess Nanyang had already come of age, no prince consort had yet been selected.
That night, Princess Nanyang happened to be gazing at the moon and playing the tungso, bringing the cranes’ dance to an end. When the melody ceased, the blue cranes flew toward Hanlin and danced in his garden, and people passed the word among themselves, saying that cranes danced to the sound of Minister Yang’s jade tungso.
When the Son of Heaven heard this, he found it marvelous and thought, “The princess’s destined bond must surely lie with this man!”
He then reported to the Empress Dowager,
“Yang Soyu’s age and affinity accord with the princess, and his bearing and talent are unequaled in the entire court. I pray that he be selected.”
The Empress Dowager smiled and said,
“I have always worried because Sohwa had no mate. Now, hearing Your Majesty’s words, Yang Soyu is indeed Princess Nanyang’s Heaven-ordained match. However, I shall see him with my own eyes and decide, so let Your Majesty know this.”
His Sacred Majesty replied,
“That is not difficult. In a few days, I shall summon Yang Soyu to a separate hall and discuss writings with him, so please observe what sort of man he is.”
So he said.
Princess Nanyang’s name was Sohwa; this was because the two characters “Sohwa” were engraved on that jade tungso, and so she was named after them.
The Son of Heaven sat upright in Bongnae Hall and sent a eunuch to summon Yang Soyu. The eunuch received the command and went to the Hanlin Academy, only to find that Yang Soyu had already left the office. He went to Minister Jeong’s house and asked, but they said he had not yet returned, so the eunuch began searching everywhere in great haste.
At that time, Minister Yang, together with Jeong Sipsamrang, had taken along a famed courtesan named Jurang at a wine house in Chang’an and was already deeply drunk, singing songs, his drunken spirits soaring and his mood exultant. The eunuch hurried there and conveyed the imperial command for him to attend upon the emperor. Jeong Sipsam was so frightened that he fled outside, while the minister’s drunken eyes were hazy and he did not even realize the eunuch had already ascended the pavilion.
As the eunuch urged him on like sparks from a fire, the minister rose with the support of the courtesan, put on his court robes, and followed the eunuch into the palace. When he had an audience, His Sacred Majesty ordered him to sit and discussed with him the order and chaos, rise and fall of successive emperors and kings. His answers were clear and lucid, so His Majesty was greatly pleased and asked again,
“Though composing fine writings may not be the task of an emperor, our imperial ancestors from early on put their hearts into it, and some of the poems and prose they made in former days have been transmitted down to the present. Minister, as a test, discuss the writings of the sage emperors and enlightened kings. Do not shrink from critiquing another’s poems; judge them and determine their superiority and inferiority. Among the writings of emperors above, who is foremost? And among the writings of ministers below, who is best?”
“That ruler and subject should call and respond to each other through writing began with Yao and Shun, so this is not yet a matter to be discussed. Yet Gaozu of Han’s ‘Song of the Great Wind’ and Emperor Taizu of Wei’s ‘The Moon Is Bright, the Stars Are Few’ are foremost among the poems of emperors. Li Ling of Xijing, Cao Zijian of Yedu, and, of the Southern Dynasties, Tao Yuanming and Xie Lingyun—these four are the most eminent. Since ancient times there has been no age in which letters flourished as in our present dynasty, and within our dynasty there has been no time when so many men of talent arose one after another as in the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras. Among emperors’ writings, Emperor Xuanzong shines through a thousand ages; among ministers’ talents, there is no one under Heaven who can match Li Taibai.”
“Your meaning truly accords with Our thoughts. Whenever We read Li Taibai’s ‘Qingping’ lyrics and poems of pleasure, We regretted that We could not live in the same age as he. But now that We have obtained you, why should We envy Li Taibai? Following the old custom, We have had more than ten palace women take charge of literary learning, calling them the Female Secretariat. They have considerable talent in writing, and there are some among them worth seeing. We wish to behold once more the manner in which Li Bai composed while drunk. Minister, do not disappoint the earnest hopes of the palace ladies.”
Thereupon he had the palace ladies bring before the imperial presence a glass inkstone case, a white jade brush stand, and a yellow jade water-dropper. As all the palace ladies had already heard the imperial order to receive writings, each spread out silk handkerchiefs and silk fans and came before the minister.
The minister’s drunken flush was soaring, and thoughts for writing welled up of themselves. Taking up a fine brush, he wrote in order; wind and clouds arose, and his strokes were nimble as lightning, so swift that shadows did not shift, and the fans and other things filling the space before him were already all completed.
The palace ladies knelt in turn and presented them to His Majesty. His Majesty examined each one, and all were writings like pearls and jade; he could not cease praising them. Calling the palace ladies, he said, “Tonight Hanlin has labored hard, so bring especially fine wine.”
Then all the palace ladies held golden trays and parrot-shaped wine cups, bringing out clear wine filled to the brim. Some knelt briefly and some stood briefly, each vying to bow and vying to urge him to drink. Before the imperial presence, the minister took the cups in both his left and right hands and drank them in turn. After more than ten cups, his face took on the hue of his whole body and mist seemed to enter his eyes, so His Majesty ordered the wine withdrawn and said, “A single line of Hanlin’s writing is hard to buy even with a thousand gold pieces; it may truly be called a priceless treasure. With what will you offer your礼 gifts in return?”
Among the palace ladies, some removed gold hairpins and some took off jade pendants and cast them down in a disorderly heap, so that gold rang and jade clattered.
His Majesty ordered the inner officials to collect the paper, brush, inkstone, and ink the minister had used, together with the gifts from the palace ladies, and to follow Hanlin and deliver them to his house. The minister gave thanks and rose, only to collapse again onto his seat. The inner officials supported him to the south gate, where the attendants who looked after him surrounded him and helped him onto his horse.
Minister Yang returned and reached the flower garden. Chun-un supported him upstairs, removed his court robes, and asked, “At whose house did Your Excellency become so drunk?”
The minister was so deeply intoxicated that he only nodded his head. The servants carried in the imperial gifts of brushes and inkstones, hairpins, bracelets, rings, and other ornaments, piling them on the floor. The minister jested, “All these things were bestowed by the Son of Heaven upon Chun-rang, so how does my gain compare with Dongfang Shuo’s?”
Chun-un tried to ask again, but the minister had already fallen senseless asleep, and his snoring was like thunder.
Jin Chaebong and Yang-rang’s Bitter Reunion
The next day, the minister rose late and was washing his face when the gatekeeper came and urgently reported.
“The Prince of Yue has come.”
The minister, startled, said,
“The Prince of Yue has condescended to come; there must be some matter.”
He hurried out to receive him, seated him in the place of honor, and respectfully offered his greetings. The prince was roughly twenty years of age, with a clear and refined bearing, without a single trace of vulgarity.
The minister knelt and asked,
“Your Highness has come to this humble place; what instruction do you have for me?”
The prince replied,
“We have long admired your cultivated brilliance in secret, but since our paths of coming and going have differed, We have never once been able to hear your pure discourse. Now We have come by command of His Imperial Majesty to convey an imperial message. Princess Nanyang has reached her fragrant age, and His Majesty was about to choose a prince consort for her. His Imperial Majesty greatly loves the minister’s talent and virtue and has already settled the selection. He has ordered Us first to inform you of this matter, and an imperial edict will soon be issued.”
At these words, the minister was startled and prostrated himself, saying,
“Heavenly grace descends upon this lowly subject, and it goes without saying that when fortune is excessive, calamity arises. This subject has already asked for the hand of Minister Jeong’s daughter, and the betrothal gifts were sent more than a year ago. I humbly beg Your Highness to report this intention to His Imperial Majesty.”
The prince replied,
“We shall return and report it just as it is. Yet how regrettable. The intention in which His Imperial Majesty placed such trust has come to nothing.”
Minister Yang said again,
“This is a great matter of human bonds, and it cannot be treated lightly. This subject, too, should prostrate himself outside the palace gate and beg for guilt.”
The prince soon took his leave and returned. The minister went in to see Minister Jeong and reported what the Prince of Yue had said. Chun-un had already told the madam, so the entire household was at a loss what to do, and Minister Jeong’s brows were filled with clouds of worry, leaving him unable even to speak.
“Father-in-law, please do not worry. The Son of Heaven’s sage perception is bright, and he holds law and propriety in high regard, so in the end he will surely not disorder a subject’s moral bonds. Though I, your son-in-law, am unworthy, I vow that I shall not become guilty as Song Hong was.”
After the minister said this to Minister Jeong, he withdrew to the rear garden.
This matter had come about because the Empress Dowager had personally visited Bongnae Hall, observed Yang Soyu from behind the beaded curtain, and, finding him trustworthy in her heart, said to His Imperial Majesty,
“The Minister is indeed a man fit to be Nanyang’s consort; I report that there is no further matter to discuss.”
Thereupon he sent the Prince of Yue away, and the Son of Heaven also intended to summon the Minister and speak to him in person. Then, while His Majesty was in a side hall, wishing to look again at the verses Yang Shaoyou had composed the day before, he had an eunuch collect the writings that the Lady Secretaries and the others had received. All the palace women had hidden them away deeply, but one palace maid alone had taken the fan on which the poem was written back to her quarters, placed it in her bosom, and wept sorrowfully all night, abandoning food and sleep. This palace maid was none other than Chen Caifeng, the daughter of Censor Chen of Huazhou.
When Censor Chen suffered a tragic death by false accusation, Caifeng was seized and brought up to the capital, where she was confined within the palace. When His Majesty summoned her and wished to bestow upon her the title of Jieyu, the Empress, disliking this, remonstrated with him, saying,
“The Chen girl is indeed worthy of Your Majesty’s favor. Yet if Your Majesty, having killed her father, should then draw his daughter near, I fear it would run counter to the way of the enlightened rulers of old, who kept distance from beauty and established punishments with justice.”
His Majesty deemed her words right and accepted them. He then summoned Caifeng and asked,
“Do you perhaps know letters?”
Caifeng replied and said,
“I know a few characters.”
His Majesty therefore ordered that she be made a Lady Secretary and entrusted with writing, and had her go to the palace of the Empress Dowager to attend Princess Nanyang, reading books and practicing calligraphy. The Princess loved the Chen girl exceedingly, and the two were never apart, not even for a moment.
On that day, as she attended the Empress Dowager and went to Penglai Hall to receive the Emperor’s command, then joined the Lady Secretaries in receiving Minister Yang’s writing, she saw that the Minister was none other than the Yang youth of old, whom she had never forgotten, waking or sleeping. Since he was right before her eyes, how could she not recognize him?
The moment Caifeng saw the Minister, her heart seemed to burn and her flesh to melt. She hid her grief and concealed her pain, fearing others might find her strange. She sorrowed that their old affection could not be communicated, and lamented endlessly that it had become hard to continue their former bond; she lamented endlessly and was anguished that it had become hard to continue their former bond. Then, seizing a quiet moment, she held up the fan, recited the verses, and could not bear to put it down.
The silk fan is round and round, like the bright moon;
With the beauty’s jade hand it vied in radiance and purity.
Within the five-stringed zither, a warm breeze softly rises;
It goes in and out of her bosom, never once at rest.
The silk fan is round and round, like a disk of the moon;
The beauty’s jade hand follows it so tenderly.
With no path through, it screens and turns away her flower-like face;
The light of spring knows nothing at all of the human world.
As the Chen girl recited the poem, she sighed and said,
“Lord Yang does not know my heart. Though I am in the palace, how could there be any reason for me to attend upon the Emperor?”
Reciting the second poem, she sighed and said,
“Though he cannot see my face, surely Yang Lang does not have me in his heart; since the meaning of the poem is like this, truly a distance of a few feet is as a thousand li.”
Thereupon she remembered how, at her old home, she had once responded with a poem on willow branches, and she could not restrain her sorrow. Suddenly she heard that an eunuch, by imperial command, was searching for the fan on which the poem was written. Startled, she trembled all over and said,
“What shall I do? Now I am dead. Now I am dead.”
She was thrown into confusion.
The eunuch said to Lady Chen,
“His Majesty wishes to look again at Minister Yang’s poem written on the fan.”
At this, the Chen girl wept and spoke.
“This ill-fated person happened to compose a reply and wrote it below his poem, thereby committing a crime worthy of death. If His Majesty sees it, he will surely command that I be put to death. Rather than die under the law, it seems better that I take my own life. I shall kill myself by my own hand; after this body is dead, I entrust to you my poor burial, covered with only a little earth. I beg you, do not let this body become food for crows.”
The eunuch answered,
“Why does the Lady Secretary say such things? His Majesty is benevolent and generous, and will not impose a grave punishment. Even should he be angered, I shall do my utmost to plead for you, so please come with me.”
The Chen girl followed the eunuch. He left her standing outside the door and went in alone, presenting all the writings to His Majesty. His Majesty looked over them in order, and when he came to Lady Chen’s fan, there was yet another poem beneath Minister Yang’s. His Majesty found this strange and questioned the eunuch, who reported, “Lady Chen said to your servant that, thinking Your Majesty would not search for it again, she presumptuously composed a poem and wrote it beneath his, and that she would certainly be unable to escape guilt. She then tried to kill herself, so your servant admonished and persuaded her, and brought her here.”