After leaving the palace, the chamber musician Zhang Shi married a poplar carpenter and became pregnant. Soon, she entered the palace again and gave birth to a baby girl, and Empress Wu named her Yang Meizi. When Yang Meizi grew up to be seven or eight years old, she could perform on the stage and act as a children's actor in acrobatic drama, which was deeply loved by the whole palace.
Yang Meizi also learned a good pipa, and her talent and appearance were superb for a while, and her every move was in accordance with the will of Old Empress Wu.
When Emperor Xiaozong of Song was ill, Zhao Kuo, the King of Jia, came to visit his grandfather. One day, Empress Wu held a banquet in the palace to entertain her great-grandson. The banquet was served by Yang Meizi. Zhao Kuo saw such a beautiful woman, and he forgot that the wine spilled in his hands.
Yang Meizi hurriedly brought a wash basin and washed Zhao Kuo's hands. Zhao Kuo sprinkled water on Yang Meizi's face and smiled incessantly. This laugh made Zhao Kuo even more fascinated.
Since then, Zhao Kuo and Yang Meizi often met in chonghua palace.
There are no impermeable walls. Over time, the news that Zhao Kuo and Yang Meizi often met in the Chonghua Palace reached the ears of Old Empress Wu. When Old Empress Wu learned the truth, she was furious.
Old Empress Wu summoned Yang Meizi to enter and strictly ordered her to confess.
Yang Meizi compared herself to Zhuo Wenjun and Sima Xiang, and was frankly commensurate. It turned out that the two had been privately decided for life. Yang Meizi said that she would rather die than marry another.