| Chinese Fable Stories | |
The Fall of a State
The powerful emperor, Liu Che, of Han Dynasty was a successful sovereign, who
was not only a politician but also a talent poet. He started the famous official
conservatory for collecting and composing folk songs and ballads.
A bandmaster in the conservatory called Liyannian was very good at songs
and ballads and also did well in composition. One day, he showed the emperor a
new piece: "In the north is a beauty, unique among her contemporaries. One look from her will
cause the fall of a city; another, the fall of the state. Who knows
to what degree her charm can reach? And she is the best." The emperor
was very fond of the song. The song brought him not only great aesthetic feeling
but also a bit affliction. The emperor sighed with regret, "How terrific it
would be if there was a beauty like her in the world?"
A careless word may be important information to an attentive listener. The
emperor's sister decided to search for such a girl from the country for the emperor
as the empress. In the end they found that the sister of the bandmaster was
just the one they were looking for. She was well educated, uniquely charming,
and perfectly gorgeous. She danced before
the emperor delicately and charmingly, which made the emperor completely excited. He
watched the dance attentively and finally said, "Well, my sweet beauty, the
country has certainly fallen by you!"
Since then, the expression, THE FALL OF A STATE, has been used
to describe the most beautiful and charming woman.
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