i at Chien-men1, found her a suitable lodging and
ordered a match-maker to perform the initial ceremonies for uniting the
two families and to accomplish the six rites of welcome. The young man
came back from Ch`eng1-tu and they were duly married. In the years
that followed their marriage, Miss Li showed herself a devoted wife and
competent housekeeper, and was beloved by all her relations.

Some years later both the young man's parents died, and in his mourning
observances he showed unusual piety. As a mark of divine favour, magic
toadstools grew on the roof of his mourning-hut,[5] each stem bearing
three plants. The report of his virtue reached even the Emperor's ears.
Moreover a number of white swallows nested in the beams of his roof, an
omen which so impressed the Emperor that he raised his rank immediately.

[5] See "Book or Rites," xxxii, 3. On returning from his father's burial
a son must not enter the house; he should live in an "out-house,"
mourning for his father's absence.

When the three years of mourning were over, he was successively
promoted to various distinguished posts and in the course of ten years
was Governor of several provinces. Miss Li was given the fief of
Chien-kuo, with the title "The Lady of Chien-kuo."

He had four sons who all held high rank. Even the least successful of
them became Governor of T`ai-yuuan, and his brothers all married into
great families, so that his good fortune both in public and private life
was without parallel.

How strange that we should find in the conduct of a prostitute a degree
of constancy rarely equalled even by the heroines of history! Surely the
story is one which cannot but provoke a sigh!

My great-uncle was Governor of Chin-chou; subsequently he joined the
Ministry of Finance and became Inspector of Waterways, and finally
Inspector of Roads. In all these three offices he had Miss Li's husband
as his colleague, so that her story was well known to him in every
particular. During the Cheng1-yuuan period[6] I was sitting one day
with Li Kung-tso[7] of Lung-hai; we fell to talking of wives who had
distinguished themselves by remarkable conduct. I told him the story of
Miss Li. He listened with rapt attention, and when it was over, asked me
to write it down for him. So I took up my brush, wetted the hairs and
made this rough outline of the story.

[6] A.D. 785-805.

[7] A writer.

_[Dated] autumn, eighth month of the year Yi-hai, (A.D.
795), written by