破镜重圆 — “Refers to a husband and wife who have been separated”

In the late Southern Dynasties, Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, extinguished the surrounding Southern Chen and Northern Qi states, establishing the Sui Dynasty. As the Chen state was on the verge of collapse, its consort Xu Deyan and his wife Princess Lechang foresaw that the unification of the empire was an irresistible trend. Realizing that their identities would make them primary targets for the Sui, and anticipating inevitable separation, they broke a bronze mirror in half. Each took one half as a token for their future reunion, agreeing to sell their respective mirror halves in the market on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month each year as a means of contact.

Due to the incompetence and debauchery of Chen's last emperor, the Chen state finally fell. Xu Deyan became a wanderer, while Princess Lechang was captured. Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, bestowed her upon Yang Su, a meritorious general who helped conquer Chen, as a concubine. This loving couple, surviving the turmoil of their crumbling nation, endured the agony of separation.

The following year, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Xu Deyan, after much wandering, hurried to the main street of Chang'an. There, he indeed saw an old man selling half of a bronze mirror, priced exorbitantly, deterring anyone from inquiring. Upon seeing the mirror half, Xu Deyan knew his wife's whereabouts and couldn't help but burst into tears. Without delay, he paid the old man the asking price and immediately led him to his dwelling.

After they had eaten and drunk, Xu Deyan produced the other half of the mirror he had carefully preserved. The two halves fit perfectly together, and he managed to ascertain his wife's location. The couple began to communicate in secret. Later, Yang Su learned of this. This man was not a lecher, as depicted in some fictional works, but a person who valued propriety and righteousness. He was deeply moved by the couple's true affection. He immediately sent for Xu Deyan to be brought to his residence, allowing the husband and wife to reunite. The couple then returned hand-in-hand to their hometown in Jiangnan.