In the southwest of the Chinese province of Shanxi was an ancient city named Puzhou. It lay in Hezhong Prefecture， amongst the fertile middle reaches of the Yellow River， boasting majestic mountain ranges and lingering rivers. Rich in natural resources， the region produced a myriad of valuable products. As Hezhong borders the three provinces of Shanxi， Shaanxi， and Henan， it was a key thoroughfare for those traveling to and from the Tang Dynasty capital of Chang’an and the rich provinces of Shanxi and Hebei. What’s more， Hezhong was the home of the Fengling Ferry， one of the most important ferries along the great Yellow River during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). The prefecture thus attracted many government officials and wealthy businessmen， making it a prosperous and vibrant marketplace. The streets were constantly bustling with large crowds of merchants， hawkers， travelers， monks， soldiers and occasionally pickpockets.
Within Hezhong lay the Temple of Universal Salvation， a royal temple built for Wu Zetian – a Tang Dynasty empress， the only one in Chinese history， where she used to offer sacrifices and burn incense to Buddha， along with monks and pilgrims who came from far and wide to profess their piety. Incense burned all day and all night throughout the year， the smoke enveloping the magnificent temple in a halo of mystic beauty.
Later the temple fell down and the late Prime Minister Cui， acting under orders of the court， supervised its reconstruction. The abbot of the temple happened to be the monk who tonsured Cui. Despite the multitudinous crowds of worshippers that constantly thronged the temple， the monks nonetheless led a peaceful and serene life.
One day， two female pilgrims arrived along with an entourage of two servants. It was the late prime minister’s wife， Madam Cui and her only daughter， the 19-year-old Yingying. She was a fountain of talents， intelligent and capable， skilled at all that was expected of a well-bred lady： embroidery， poetry， calligraphy and much more. As was the custom of the time， her parents were responsible for arranging her marriage. When her father still lived， he betrothed her to Zheng Heng， the eldest son of the Imperial Secretary and nephew of Madam Cui. Everyone considered the marriage a perfect match. However， Prime Minister Cui passed away before the wedding ceremony could be held. As a devoted daughter， Yingying went into mourning for her departed father. During this time no preparations for the wedding could take place， and so the ceremony was delayed.
Among Madam Cui and Yingying’s retinue was a clever and cunning maid named Hongniang. Having served Yingying since her childhood， their relationship was like that of sisters. Also in the group was young servant named Huanlang.
Abbot Faben found himself caught off guard by the visit of Madam Cui and Yingying， and he hastened out to the courtyard to greet them. Having not yet been informed of the prime minister’s death， he was shocked to see the women dressed in mourning. He gradually learned of the death and that the grievers were escorting his coffin to the family burial ground in the town of Bolin， in Hebei province. However， the journey from Hezhong to Bolin was a long one， and there were only four of them. Wishing for a short rest， they entreated the abbot to accept the coffin into the temple and allow them to stay for a short while. While they waited， they sent a letter to Yingying’s fiancé， requesting that he accompany them the rest of the way. The abbot immediately arranged for them to stay in a quiet compound of rooms called the Western Chamber.
It was then late spring. On one day， no pilgrims came to burn incense， and the temple sat in utter silence. As Madam Cui surveyed the solitary scene， she was filled with intense feelings of melancholy and loneliness. When her husband was alive they had resided in an extravagant home full of luxury： colorful silken clothes， choice foods， and hundreds of servants and guards. When she compared her previous life of opulence to her current state of bereavement， with only a handful of people to depend on， she could not help but feel forlorn and sick at heart.
