There was a wealthy man named Yang Chongyi in Chang'an City, who was the most prominent wealthy merchant in the Tang Kaiyuan period. The wealthy merchant family had been in business for several generations, and by his generation, they had run more than a dozen shops, mainly dealing in jewelry, jade and medicinal herbs. Yang Chongyi grew up in this luxurious and prosperous environment, Xi to the extravagant ** life, and his living standard even exceeded that of some princes and nobles. Yang Chongyi has a wife and three concubines, and his wife Liu is young and beautiful, and she is quite favored by Yang Chongyi. But Yang Chongyi was not satisfied with this, relying on the wealth of his family, he lived an idle life, indulging in fireworks and wine. Liu often felt lonely, so he kept a parrot as a companion.
One sunny day, Liu was leaning against the gate boredly, hit by a small pebble in the foot, looked up and found a handsome and dashing young man smiling at her under a big tree. The man's name was Li Yi, and he said that Liu's flower and moon appearance and asked her what was on her mind. The two looked at each other, and their hearts were connected. Since then, the two have secretly met privately, and their relationship has become deeper and deeper, and Liu has gradually become disgusted with her husband.
Although Yang Chongyi's three concubines noticed some clues, because the Liu family was favored and had a higher status than them, they could not find conclusive evidence and did not dare to expose it publicly. The two decided that sneaking around was not a long-term solution, so they planned to elope. However, Yang Chongyi is an inescapable obstacle. In order to achieve their goal, the two agreed to get rid of him and disguised himself as missing. The plan was for Liu to pretend to be pregnant with his widow and seize the family property, so that the two could sell their belongings and leave the country.
One evening, Yang Chongyi was drunk and fell asleep at a friend's house, the servants did not return, and the three concubines disappeared. Liu and Li Yi took the opportunity to strangle Yang Chongyi to death and buried him in a dry well in the back garden. However, they did not expect a parrot to witness all this. The next day, when Yang Chongyi's servant returned, Liu behaved anxiously, inquired about Yang Chongyi's whereabouts, and reported the case. The government came to investigate, but there were no clues. The servant described the situation at Zhang's house, and Zhang Sheng said that Yang Chongyi had left the previous night. The investigation did not lead to any results, and the government decided to leave.
However, the private relationship between Liu and Li Yi can no longer be suppressed. Late one night, Li Yi secretly visited the Liu family, but was unexpectedly bumped into by a servant and reported to Yang Chongyi's three concubines. The government investigation was unsuccessful, and Liu tried to cover it up, but the lie was exposed by the cries of servants and parrots. After interrogation, the two confessed to the crime. When the case was reported, the emperor was shocked, and the parrot was named a green-clothed messenger and handed over to the harem to take care of.
Story**: The Legacy of Kaiyuan Tianbao (Wang Renyu of the Five Dynasties).