Emperor Ouei-Weng-Ti, having heard it said that a young girl named Sie-Ling-Yung, was reputed to be of incomparable beauty, wrote to the prefect, bidding him to send her to the capital. On bidding good-bye to her parents, Sie-Ling-Yung wept red tears, which were tears of blood.
Her reception at the capital was an extremely brilliant one. The Court sent out ten carriages to meet her, and sandal leaves were burned all along the way she was to pass through. A lofty tower was erected for the occasion, and was illuminated, as were all the houses in the city.
It was a memorable night, and is still mentioned in our histories. His Majesty went out in person to meet the beautiful woman, driving in a carriage of carved jade. At regular intervals bronze milestones, two metres high, had been erected. At last this marvellous woman was received in the arms of the sovereign, who gave her the name of Ye-Lae, which means “She who came in the night.”
She was an incomparable artist at embroidery. She could embroider in the dark masterpieces which could not be imitated in daylight by any other woman. On account of this she was also called “The Genius of the Needle.”
The celebrated poet Soung-U says, in a poem about his neighbour:
“All the beautiful women in the world
Are not worth my lady neighbour of the west.
Were you to add one inch to her height, she would be too tall;
Were you to reduce her stature by one inch, she would be too small.
Powder would give her too white a colour,