In 782 BC, King You of Zhou, Ji Gongne, ascended to the throne. At that time, natural disasters and earthquakes occurred frequently, but King You of Zhou disregarded the safety of the country, indulging in sensual pleasures and neglecting national affairs. In the third year of King You’s reign, the state of Bao presented the stunning beauty Bao Si to please King You of Zhou. Bao Si has outstanding beauty, with a slender willow waist and skin as smooth as condensed fat. Her face is stunning, and just a glance can make one’s heart yearn for her. After Baosi entered the palace, King You completely neglected the court affairs and spent his days enjoying the hot springs of Mount Li with Baosi and the court officials. To ensure a safe and comfortable ride, a beacon tower was built on the top of Xiuling Mountain in Mount Li to serve as an alarm.
After Bao Si entered the palace, she quickly won the exclusive favor of the King of You. Soon after, she gave birth to a son named Bofu for King You, who doted on Bao Si and her son. However, Bao Si often furrowed her brow and had worries in her eyes. Seeing this, the King of You felt heartbroken and mistakenly thought that Bao Si was homesick. He ordered musicians to play music in an attempt to make her laugh, but repeated attempts were unsuccessful. So, King You declared to the world, “Those who can make the queen smile will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold.” His favorite minister Guo Shifu suggested that Bo Fu be appointed as the crown prince and light a beacon, allowing Bao Si to witness the magnificent scene of thousands of troops and horses gathering together, in order to win her favor.
Upon hearing this, King You was overjoyed and immediately issued an edict to depose Empress Shen and Crown Prince Yi Jiu, and to appoint Bao Si as the queen and Bo Fu as the crown prince. Afterwards, he carried Bao Si to the Lishan Hot Spring Palace. After arriving, the King of You ordered the beacon to be lit, and suddenly the smoke billowed and the flames soared into the sky. Upon seeing the situation, various feudal lords mistakenly believed that there was an external invasion and rushed to rescue with their troops. However, when they arrived at the palace panting heavily, they only saw the singing and dancing in the pavilion, the sound of silk and bamboo echoing incessantly, and there was no trace of military achievements. And Bao Si looked at the feudal lords who were frightened by the false alarm, finally showing a smile. Seeing this, King You was overjoyed and rewarded Guo Shifu heavily.
However, the good times did not last long. In 771 BC (the 13th year of King You’s reign), Canrong and Marquis Shen took advantage of King You’s visit to Mount Li and launched a surprise attack on the palace with two armies. King You was drinking and having fun with Bao Si when he suddenly heard about the enemy situation. In a panic, he lit a beacon to seek help, but no one responded. Seeing the enemy approaching, King You had no choice but to flee hastily with Bao Si and others. Shen Hou was afraid that King You would escape, so he ordered arrows to be fired in pursuit. In the end, King You and Bo Fu died in chaos under the arrows, while Bao Si was captured by the Canrong and presented to the king of a foreign tribe. This event not only led to the downfall of the Western Zhou Dynasty, but also became a profound lesson for later generations to warn monarchs of debauchery and national wrongdoing.
