Dou Xu of Jiaozhou, whose courtesy name was Xiaohui, was napping at home one afternoon when he suddenly saw a man dressed in brown standing by his bed, peering around hesitantly, as if struggling to speak. Dou Xu asked, "Is something the matter?" The man in brown replied, "The Lord requests your presence at a banquet." Dou Xu inquired, "Who is the Lord?" The answer came, "He is close by."

He followed the man out, rounded a corner of the wall, and arrived at a place of tiered mansions and continuous courtyards, winding his way through what seemed like a thousand gates and ten thousand households—utterly unlike the mortal world. He saw palace maids and eunuchs bustling back and forth, all greeting the man in brown, "Has Young Master Dou arrived?" The man in brown confirmed, "He has."

Presently, a high official emerged to greet Dou Xu with flawless courtesy. Once inside the hall, Dou Xu said, "I am a complete stranger to you all, with no prior association, yet I am overwhelmed by your master’s invitation to this feast. However, a slight doubt remains in my heart, which I hope you might alleviate." The official replied, "The Young Master’s ancestors possessed noble character, belonging to a venerable lineage. Our Great King has long admired him and eagerly anticipates meeting him."

Dou Xu asked, "Who is this Great King?" The reply was, "You shall know shortly."

Before long, two palace maids came forward to escort Dou Xu to the banquet, leading him through numerous doorways into a grand hall. Upon it sat a king who rose to welcome Dou Xu as soon as he appeared. After the necessary formalities between host and guest were exchanged, they took their seats. The feast was lavish with wine and delicacies. Dou Xu occasionally looked up and noticed a plaque hanging in the hall bearing the bold inscription: "Gui Residence" (Palace of Cassia). Witnessing such grandeur, Dou Xu felt constrained and uneasy, unable to speak.

The Great King chuckled, "The Young Master and I are neighbors, so our fate is closely intertwined. My invitation today is purely from goodwill; you should drink freely and dispense with any suspicion." Dou Xu responded meekly, accepting the sentiment.

After several rounds of wine, the sound of flutes and songs filled the hall, their melody delicate and subtle. The Great King glanced around and declared, "I suddenly recalled an upper couplet: ‘A talented soul ascends the Cassia Palace.’ Does anyone here have a suitable lower couplet?" The ministers pondered deeply, but Dou Xu spoke up, "I have the lower line: ‘A virtuous gentleman cherishes the lotus flower.’" The Great King was overjoyed, laughing, "What a coincidence. The Lotus Flower is my young daughter’s given name. Such a perfectly matched couplet—is this not fate? Guards, go and fetch the Princess to meet this great talent."

Soon after, the tinkling of jade ornaments preceded a rush of fragrance as the Princess emerged with graceful steps. She appeared to be sixteen or seventeen, unmatched in beauty. The Great King instructed the Princess to bow to Dou Xu, saying, "This is my daughter, Lotus Flower." Princess Lotus Flower executed a bow and immediately withdrew.

Dou Xu, captivated by the vision of beauty, was utterly transfixed, sitting lost in thought. The Great King raised his cup to encourage him to drink, but Dou Xu paid him no heed. The Great King seemed to notice, remarking, "My daughter and the Young Master are truly a match made in heaven, yet they are not of the same kind. What is to be done?" Dou Xu sat in melancholy stupefaction, completely deaf to whatever the host said next. A nearby minister offered a gentle reminder, "Earlier, the Great King saluted you, and the Young Master did not see it. Now that he speaks to you, why do you still not hear?"

Dou Xu, utterly lost and feeling ashamed, rose from his seat and said, "I fear I have drunk too much and behaved improperly. I beg the Great King's forgiveness. Since the Great King is busy with affairs of state, I shall take my leave now." The Great King responded, "It is rare to meet you, Young Master; why such haste to depart? Since my esteemed guest has no wish to stay, I cannot insist. If you feel inclined to visit another time, you are always welcome." He ordered the man in brown, "Escort Young Master Dou home."

On the way, the man in brown remarked, "I heard the Great King’s words just now, suggesting an intention to marry the Princess to you. Why did you not utter a single word?" Hearing this, Dou Xu was consumed by deep regret. In the blink of an eye, he was back home, startling awake—it had all been a South Ke dream. Outside the window, the sun was setting. Dou Xu sat in deep meditation, the scenes from the dream vivid in his mind. That night, extinguishing his lamp, he lay down, hoping to re-enter that realm, but the road to Handan was too distant, intangible, leaving him only with sighs.

That night, Dou Xu shared a bed with a friend when the man in brown suddenly reappeared, announcing, "By order of the Great King, the Young Master is summoned to an assembly." Dou Xu was overjoyed. He followed the man to the palace, where, upon seeing the Great King’s face, he immediately knelt in homage. The Great King reached out and helped him up, saying, "Since our parting, I have learned that the Young Master misses my daughter deeply, which causes me great unease. If you do not disdain her, I shall bestow Lotus Flower upon you as your wife. What say you?" Dou Xu was ecstatic beyond measure and offered profuse thanks.

The Great King ordered his assembled ministers and scholars to dine with Dou Xu. As the feast neared its end, a palace maid announced, "The Princess has finished adorning herself." Soon after, dozens of maidservants escorted the Princess out. Wearing a red scarf on her head, the Princess moved lightly onto the red carpet and exchanged ritual bows with Dou Xu. The rites were soon concluded, and everyone escorted the newlyweds into the bridal chamber.

The room was warm as spring, filled with waves of fragrance. Dou Xu murmured, "The beautiful one is right before my eyes, making one forget all sorrow. Only, I worry slightly—will today’s encounter also prove to be a dream?" The Princess covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "Your humble wife is clearly standing here; how could this be a dream?"

The next morning, Dou Xu helped the Princess apply her makeup, measuring her waist with a ribbon and her feet with his fingers. The Princess laughed, "Is my husband gone mad?" Dou Xu replied, "Having been tricked by dreams so many times, I am taking the Princess’s measurements to keep them firmly in memory. Even if this is a dream, it is good to have some mementos." As they joked, a palace maid rushed in breathlessly, proclaiming, "A demon has breached the palace gates! The Great King is hiding in the side hall seeking refuge. Disaster is imminent!"

Dou Xu was alarmed and rushed to the side hall. The King grasped Dou Xu’s hand, weeping, "I am grateful that you did not abandon me, Young Master. I intended to form a kinship with you. Who knew that disaster would strike from the heavens, threatening to dissolve the kingdom? What is to be done?" Dou Xu asked, "What exactly is happening?"

The Great King picked up a memorial from his desk and said, "Read this for yourself." Dou Xu opened the memorial and saw the writing: "Your humble servant, Black Wing, Grand Scholar of the Hanxiang Hall, submits this report: Recently, strange spirits have been causing havoc, possessing terrifying power. Your Majesty must relocate the capital quickly to preserve the foundation of the realm. According to the reports from the Palace Attendants: Since the sixth day of the fifth month, an inexplicable thousand-zhang python has appeared, coiling outside the palace, devouring more than thirteen thousand eight hundred residents, both within and without. Wherever the great serpent passes, palaces are reduced to ruins. I risked death to examine it and saw that the serpent’s head was as large as a mountain, its eyes like rivers and seas. Merely raising its head crushes palaces; extending its body destroys towers. Truly, this is an unprecedented vile creature, a calamity unseen for ten thousand generations. The ancestral temples and the state itself are in grave peril. I implore the Emperor to lead his household and move swiftly."

Dou Xu finished reading the memorial, his face ashen. Then, a eunuch reported, "The demon has arrived." At that moment, cries of misery echoed throughout the halls and pavilions, a scene of unparalleled woe. The Great King, utterly bewildered, could only weep, begging Dou Xu, "Please, look after my daughter." Filled with indignation, Dou Xu returned to his quarters. The Princess was weeping, clutching her head along with her attendants. Seeing Dou Xu return, she seized the edge of his robe, pleading, "Husband, will you abandon me?"

Dou Xu said sternly, "I will not. However, I have been poor and humble since childhood; I only have three or four thatched huts to my name. I invite the Princess to take refuge there. What do you think?" The Princess, tears flowing, replied, "The situation is dire; how dare I be selective? Let us go." The two joined hands and departed. Soon, their humble dwelling was visible in the distance. The Princess exclaimed, "This is a grand residence, far better than our own nation! However, accompanying you, my life may be secure, but what of my parents? I beg you, build just one more dwelling so that the entire nation might come to seek refuge."

Dou Xu mused internally, "The court has tens of thousands of family members; where could they all possibly fit?" His face showed difficulty. The Princess burst into loud sobs, crying, "If my husband cannot help me in this emergency, what use is he?" Dou Xu tried to comfort her gently, but the Princess would not listen, merely weeping into her pillow, refusing all consolation.

Dou Xu was at his wit's end, troubled and anxious, when suddenly he awoke with a start—it was another dream, the Yellow Millet Dream. Yet, the sound of weeping still lingered in his ears, a soft, continuous sobbing. Focusing his attention, he realized the crying was not human; it was just two or three wild bees circling above his pillow, buzzing loudly.

Dou Xu cried out in alarm, "Strange! How strange!" His friend was awakened by the noise and asked what was wrong. Dou Xu briefly recounted his dream, which greatly astonished his friend. They both threw on their clothes and got up. The wild bees were clinging to their sleeves, reluctant to leave. When brushed away, they still did not depart.

The friend pondered for a moment and said, "The best course of action now is to build a hive for them." Dou Xu nodded in agreement, sent for craftsmen, and quickly constructed a nest. As soon as the hive was finished, the swarm of bees gathered, flying in from outside the wall ceaselessly—a massive, dark cloud, filling almost a dou measure, numbering in the tens of thousands.

Dou Xu followed the traces of the wild bees, gradually tracing their origin to the vegetable garden of the neighboring house.

An old man next door kept a beehive in his garden that had been there for over thirty years, the swarm multiplying and laboring endlessly. Someone informed the elder about Dou Xu building a hive. The old man went to inspect his garden. The interior of the hive was silent. When he pried it open, he found a large snake, over ten feet long, coiled inside. The elder caught the snake and smashed it with a rock, realizing with sudden clarity, "The thousand-zhang python in Scholar Dou's dream must have been this very creature."

The wild bees moved into Dou Xu’s home, multiplying and thriving, their lineage becoming even more vigorous. From then on, no more strange occurrences took place.