Comics and Video

In 1126, Emperor Qinzong of Song appointed his brother Zhao Gou as the grand marshal. The following year, as the Jin army moved south, the Northern Song dynasty fell. Both Emperors Qinzong and Huizong were captured by the Jin people and taken north. Zhao subsequently ascended the throne in Nanjing, becoming the first emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. The story of "Disrobing in a Dream" takes place during this period of turbulent regime change. One day, while Zhao was engaged in a military campaign as the grand marshal, he dreamed of meeting his brother Emperor Qinzong in the palace garden. In the dream, Emperor Qinzong took off his robe and offered it to Zhao, symbolizing the transfer of power and throne to him. Just as Zhao was about to decline, he awoke from the dream. Upon hearing of this, Zhao's minister Cao Xun wrote a piece praising Zhao's brave leadership and divine mandate, prophesying a resurgence of national strength.

When Lu Ji was six years old, he went to visit Yuan Shu, who invited him to a feast. Noticing some oranges on the table, Lu secretly slipped a few into his sleeve to take home for his mother, who loved oranges. As he was leaving, the oranges fell out. When asked why he had them, Lu replied, "I wanted to bring them home for my mother." Yuan admired Lu's filial piety and encouraged him to continue his filial ways. Lu's reputation for filial piety spread to the court, and he was later appointed as a governor.

Wang Xiang, who had lost his father at a young age, devoted himself to caring for his mother. When she fell ill and there was no medicine to cure her, she expressed a craving for carp one winter. Unable to find fish due to the frozen lake, Wang prayed to god and then stripped down to melt the ice with his body heat. Suddenly, the ice cracked open, and two carp leaped out. Overjoyed, Wang cooked the fish into a soup for his mother, who soon recovered.

During the late Eastern Han dynasty, when warlords divided the country, Liu Bei followed the advice of his strategist Xu Shu and went with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to visit the recluse Zhuge Liang at Wolong Gang in Nanyang to seek his assistance. Their first visit was in March; Zhuge, who was reading in his hut, had his servant claim that he was out at a banquet. In August, Liu visited Zhuge again, but Zhuge found another excuse to decline. On the third visit, Liu had his troops dismount and wait outside the thatched cottage. When informed that Zhuge was reading, Liu, Guan, and Zhang waited in the courtyard until Zhuge appeared and invited Liu inside to sit. Zhuge then analyzed the situation of the country and devised strategies, eventually becoming the military counsellor of Liu and later, the state of Shu.

On a snowy night, Wang Ziyou woke up from his sleep. He opened his door and ordered wine to be served. Surrounded by the pristine whiteness, he wandered inside his house reciting poetry. Suddenly, he thought of his friend Dai Kui and decided to visit him by boat immediately. After traveling through the night, Wang arrived at Dai's doorstep only to choose to return the way he came. When asked why he did this, Wang replied, "I went on a whim, and now that my whim has passed, it is natural to go back. Why must I see Dai Kui at all?"

During the chaotic late Eastern Han dynasty, Cai Yan (courtesy name Wenji), the daughter of the renowned official Cai Yong, was abducted and married to a Xiongnu chieftain. This marked the beginning of a long and painful life in the north. During this time, she bore two sons and, despite her disdain for the foreign tribe, she felt compassion for her children. One day, a Han envoy brought news that Wenji would be ransomed, which filled her with joy but also sadness at the thought of leaving her young children. Her sons clung to her clothes, unwilling to part, but she was ultimately brought back home. Upon her return, Wenji transformed her 12 years of sorrow into Hujia music that she plaintively played.

Master Huiyuan had lived on Mount Lu for over thirty years, never leaving its confines nor engaging with the secular world. Whenever he saw guests off across the Tiger Brook, tigers would always roar loudly, as if to remind Huiyuan not to cross the creek. On one occasion, he was seeing off the poet Tao Yuanming and the Taoist Lu Xiujing. Engrossed in their discussion of philosophical matters and finding great camaraderie in each other's company, they crossed the Tiger Brook without realizing it. Upon discovering this, all three burst into laughter.