In ancient times, a son, a young man of extraordinary talents, grew up in the family of a noble dignitary. Father was proud of him.
It's time to go on state exams in the capital. The young man entered Chang'an through the gates of the entertainment quarter and immediately noticed a beauty near one of the houses. It seems that she noted well done. Our hero learned from people that the girl Lee was greedy and treacherous, but nevertheless made acquaintance with her. And she directly bewitched him. They settled together. The young man abandoned friends, classes, know from theatrical performances and walked around the revels. At first the money ran out. Then they had to sell the horses, the carriage, and there the turn came to the servants.
The beautiful woman, seeing that her lover became impoverished, conceived an insidious plan. She lured him into the house of her aunt, allegedly, and herself slipped away under the pretext of a sudden illness of her mother. The young man sought her, but to no avail. I realized that he was simply fooled. He began to languish from grief, and people, seeing how close he was to death, took him to a funeral home.
However, the care of the employees of the funeral home, the unfortunate gradually came to his senses and began to help the owner. He especially succeeded in singing funeral laments, became famous in the city. Soon, even a rival funeral home beckoned him, and when a contest was arranged between the competitors, it was the young man who brought the victory to the new owner with his singing.
Unfortunately, the father, who turned out to be in the capital on business, recognized his son as a performer of funeral chants, and in anger beat him with his whips half to death. The comrades tried to care for him, but despaired: a barely living young man wandered around the city, asking for alms. He accidentally came across the house of his beloved. Terrified of the deed, the beauty began to nursing him and succeeded. Then she conceived again to hunt the young man for science. For two years, day after day, she made him study before his old knowledge returned. Another year was spent on bringing them to shine. The young man passed the exams so that his fame thundered throughout the country. But the beautiful Lee did not calm down. She made her lover work even harder. Finally, in the capital’s exams, he turned out to be the best and received a high state post.
Going along with the beautiful Li to a new duty station, he met his own father, who, admiring the successes of his son, forgave him all his sins. Moreover, learning about the role played by his lover in the life of a young man, his father insisted on their speedy marriage. The beauty has become a truly exemplary wife, and among their descendants in many we meet the most worthy scientists and statesmen.
