A Husband's Virtue

In this chapter, we are introduced to a new character named Si Long. Si Long is fifteen years old, and he is the son of a former emperor's personal attendant, a man named Tanzhuo. The attendant, named Cang Qing, is a member of the ruling class, and Si Long's father is a former imperial teacher. The narrator explains that the attendant is a puppet of the former emperor, and that he was born on the tenth birthday of the current emperor, who gave him the name of Long. He also reveals that the empress, Zhao Xuetang, had a son who died of sickness at an early age, but she never had another child after that. This new character, Si Long, is shocked to learn that his former teacher and the current empress were married before. He recalls that he once had a contract with the former teacher, but was forcibly taken away by the former empress. This time, however, he does not want to repeat what happened in his former life. The author of the book Si Long was reading outside the palace is also present.