| | Lady Lizhuang was the daughter of Marquis Wei and the wife of Lady Lizhuanggong. After going there, they did not share the same desires; their concerns were different, and they had never met in person, which made them very dissatisfied. Her nursemaid, Lady Min, was virtuous. The marquis did not accept her, and feeling pity for her disappointment, he also feared that she might have already been dismissed but had not left at the appropriate time. He said to Lady Min: "The way of husband and wife is such that they unite when there is righteousness, and part ways when there is no righteousness." "Now that you are unhappy, why not leave?" He then composed a poem saying: "The dusk is deepening, the dusk is deepening—why do you not return?" Lady Min said: "A woman's way is simply to be wholehearted." "Although he does not value me, how can I abandon the principles of being a wife!" She then composed a poem saying: "Were it not for your sake, why would I be in this plight?" She remained steadfast and loyal to her principles throughout, never violating the conduct of a wife, waiting for the lord's command. Therefore, gentlemen included them in their anthology of poems.
|
