[1] A.D. 742-56.

Starting from P`i-ling[2] he reached Ch`ang-an in a few weeks and took a house in the Pu-cheng1 quarter.  One day he was coming back from a visit to the Eastern Market.  He entered the City by the eastern gate of P`ing-k`ang and was going to visit a friend who lived in the south-western part of the town.  When he reached the Ming-k`o Bend, he saw a house of which the gate and courtyard were rather narrow; but the house itself was stately and stood well back from the road.  One of the double doors was open, and at it stood a lady, attended by her maid-servant.  She was of exquisite, bewitching beauty, such as the world has seldom produced.

[2] In Kiang-su, near Ch`ang-chou.

When he saw her, the young man unconsciously reined in his horse and hesitated.  Unable to leave the spot, he purposely let his whip fall to the ground and waited for his servant to pick it up, all the time staring at the lady in the doorway.  She too was staring and met his gaze with a look that seemed to be an answer to his admiration.  But in the end he went away without daring to speak to her.

But he could not put the thought of her out of his mind and secretly begged those of his friends who were most expert in the pleasures of Ch`ang-an to tell him what they knew of the girl.  He learnt from them that the house belonged to a low and unprincipled woman named Li.  When he asked what chance he had of winning the daughter, they answered:  “The woman Li is possessed of considerable property, for her previous dealings have been with wealthy and aristocratic families, from whom she has received enormous sums.  Unless you are willing to spend many thousand pounds, the daughter will have nothing to do with you.”

The young man answered:  “All I care about is to win her.  I do not mind if she costs a million pounds.”  The next day he set out in his best clothes, with many servants riding behind him, and knocked at the door of Mrs. Li’s house.  Immediately a page-boy drew the bolt.  The young man asked, “Can you tell me whose house this is?” The boy did not answer, but ran back into the house and called out at the top of his voice, “Here is the gentleman who dropped his whip the other day!”

Miss Li was evidently very much pleased.  He heard her saying, “Be sure not to let him go away.  I am just going to do my hair and change my clothes; I will be back in a minute.”  The young man, in high spirits, followed the page-boy into the house.  A white-haired old lady was going upstairs, whom he took to be the girl’s mother.  Bowing low, the young man addressed her as follows:  “I am told that you have a vacant plot of land, which you would be willing to let as building-ground.  Is that true?” The old lady answered, “I am afraid the site is too mean and confined; it would be quite unsuitable for a gentleman’s house.  I should not like to offer it to you.”  She then took him into the guest-room, which was a very handsome one, and asked him to be seated, saying, “I have a daughter who has little either of beauty or accomplishment, but she is fond of seeing strangers.  I should like you to meet her.”