Gongxi Chou's adopted brother's lover had once been a daughter of the imperial clan.
Before she married, she had been quite renowned for her beauty.
After coming of age, she married the son of a prominent family. The couple got along harmoniously after their wedding, and for a time they were truly happy. But that didn't last long. After she failed to conceive for two years, her husband gradually grew bored of her and abandoned her in the rear courtyard.
Her husband dallied among the flowers, and she refused to be outdone.
Later, her husband died in a political upheaval, and under Geng Country's laws, she had to become a nun at Chengkang Temple. Her days were no longer as carefree and wanton as before. She had been ready to give up, spend the rest of her life before the Buddha with a lamp for company, and quietly wait for death, but then King Zhi did something utterly shameless.
Her dormant heart came alive again.
The women who lived at Chengkang Temple were said to be praying for the country's good fortune. Put less kindly, they were a group of pitiable widows whose freedom was restricted, forced to live in poverty. She had grown up surrounded by fine clothes and rich food; how could she endure such a life? So she began to entertain other ideas.
King Zhi's debauchery at Chengkang Temple was the kind of secret that couldn't stay under wraps. Sooner or later, word would get out.
If King Zhi wanted to salvage his reputation, he had only two options. He could burn Chengkang Temple to the ground, but that would be like admitting his guilt outright—the worst possible choice. Or he could find an excuse to show mercy and let the widows at Chengkang Temple choose good