After finally drifting off to sleep, she suddenly dreamed that two brilliant meteors fell from the heavens, striking the family residence like blazing fireballs.
Startled awake by the astonishing dream, she immediately went into labor and gave birth to a son.
By this time, the elderly Langjun already had many sons and daughters. Most of his adult sons were married and had children of their own. Moreover, because this newborn was the son of a concubine, he received little attention or affection within the family.
The baby did not cry when he was born. Instead, his eyes remained wide open, his tiny fingers naturally formed the lotus mudra, and a delicate fragrance of lotus blossoms emanated from his little body. For this reason, Consort Zhuang named him Lianbao (蓮寶), meaning "Lotus Treasure."
Living with his mother in a secluded side courtyard, Lianbao displayed extraordinary intelligence from an early age. Whatever he read, he never forgot. Before he could even walk steadily or properly grasp objects with his hands, he was already able to hold a writing brush and flawlessly reproduce passages he had read entirely from memory.
However, in a wealthy and influential family, such exceptional talent was not necessarily a blessing.
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