구운몽: 거문고 타는 여도사

When he reached the capital, Chang'an, Soyu went to see his aunt, Du Yeonsa, who lived in a Taoist temple. When Soyu brought up Lady Jeong Gyeongpae, his aunt shook her head. "That young lady lives deep in the inner rooms of the house. No man can ever see her face."

But his aunt did tell him that Lady Gyeongpae loved music dearly. Soyu came up with a plan: he would disguise himself as a Taoist nun and go to play the zither for her. Soyu had learned the zither from the sage in the mountains, and no one could match his playing.

A few days later, dressed as a Taoist nun, Soyu went to Minister Jeong's house with a zither in his arms. The minister's wife wanted to hear this famous player, and Lady Gyeongpae sat behind a bamboo screen to listen. Soyu played one old tune after another, and each time a tune ended, Gyeongpae named it and told exactly what it meant.

Last of all, Soyu played a tune called The Phoenix Seeks His Mate. It is the song of a male phoenix searching for his mate, and long ago a scholar had played it to win the heart of the woman he loved. When Gyeongpae heard it, her face turned bright red, and without a word she rose and went off to her room.

Gyeongpae had realized that the Taoist nun was really a man. "He came in pretending to be a woman and looked at my face. How could anything be more shameful!" Gyeongpae was furious at being tricked, and made up her mind to pay him back one day.

Soon afterwards the state examination was held, and Soyu came first, ahead of countless other scholars. Minister Jeong wanted the gifted young winner for his son-in-law, and Soyu gladly asked for his daughter's hand. When they learned that the top scholar was the very same zither-playing nun, the minister and his wife laughed heartily. The engagement was settled, but Gyeongpae had not forgiven Soyu yet.