Spring Palace

After her husband's passing, Runxian returned from the northwest to her natal family in Luoyang. Though she had been married before, she was a daughter of the Lu clan of Fanyang, and before her marriage she had been a famed beauty renowned throughout Luoyang. Thus, young men seeking her hand in marriage still came knocking in an endless stream. But Runxian had been married for five years and had shared a deep, devoted bond with her late husband, so she planned to mourn him for a year. She therefore went to a Daoist temple in the mountains, staying there for a few months to avoid the attention. The mountains were serene, the ancient temple tranquil, and Runxian's days were quiet and conten...