The wretched woman turned to the king for help, only to realize that the kind ruler was her husband whom she had pushed off the precipice. Deep remorse immediately gripped her.

Once upon a time, there was a crown prince. He was very close to his little brother. After their father passed away, each of them wanted the other to ascend the throne. The younger brother felt his brother's seniority made him the rightful king, but the older brother wanted to hand over his sovereignty so that he could be a spiritual practitioner.

In the end, the prince abdicated the throne and left the imperial city. Although his wife was very reluctant to give up the glory and luxury of their royal life, she had no choice but to leave with her husband. They traveled over mountains and valleys and finally settled down in a mountain forest. There they started to live a hard life.

One day, the prince saw a damaged raft drifting on the river. A man lying on it was calling for help. Without a second thought, the crown prince plunged into the water and rescued the person. It turned out that this man, covered in wounds, was a convict. His arms and legs had been broken as punishment for the felony he had committed.

The prince took him home and carefully treated his wounds for several months. However, during this period of time the prince's wife began having an affair with the escaped prisoner. Wanting to be with the man forever, the woman began to harbor evil thoughts in her mind. She said to the prisoner, "I want to be with you. You've got to think of a way to kill my husband."

The prisoner replied, "But your husband is a wonderful person. I owe him my life. How can I do such a thing? Besides, I have difficulty using my arms and legs." She said, "As long as you promise me, I'll think of something."

On the following day, she said to her husband, "Honey, you've always been the one to go out to collect food for us. Let me go with you today." The prince agreed.

When they reached the edge of a precipice, the woman called to her husband, "Look, there are so many wild melons and vegetables there!" Just when the prince stepped forward to take a look, she pushed him from behind. The prince fell and tumbled down the mountainside. Convinced of his death, the wife then left for home.

Fortunately a tree in the middle of the mountainside broke the prince's fall. Stuck in the tree and unable to move, he kept yelling for help. A group of passers-by saw him and managed to save him.

The travelers were on their way to do business in another country, and they took the injured prince with them. When they reached the city gate there, they saw an imperial notice. It turned out that the king was old and seriously ill. Having no offspring, he hoped that the citizens could recommend a capable and wise candidate to succeed to the throne.

The group of merchants read the notice and concluded that their injured companion matched the criteria perfectly. All during their journey, he had been teaching them. And he had such a noble character, for he was honest, kind, intelligent, and wise. If he could succeed to the throne, he would make a compassionate ruler. Therefore, in spite of the prince’s objections, the merchants took him to the palace.

The king on the sickbed was filled with joy when he saw the prince. He took him by his hand and said, "I can tell that you are not an ordinary person, for you aren't thrilled with the idea of wearing the crown. But please think about it. When I die, who will take care of the citizens of the kingdom? I entrust them to you. Please take good care of them for me."

As soon as the king finished his words, he passed away. The queen was very sad, but she was equally pleased at the sight of the successor. She said, "You are just like my son. I can depend on you and trust you with everything." After the prince became ruler, he did not forget the loving kindness the late king had shown him, so he started working to relieve poverty in the country.

Years passed by. The wife and the runaway prisoner had been living a miserable life in the mountains. When the wife heard a very kind king was giving relief to the poor, she decided to beg him for help. So they begged for food all the way to the city.

At last, when she met the king, she realized that the kind ruler was her husband whom she had pushed off the precipice. Deep remorse and shame immediately gripped her. The king also recognized who she was.

When the people of the city found out what the couple had done to their king, they were very angry. They wanted to send them to jail for their overdue punishment. But the king said, "I only have one wish in my life, that is to love everyone. I am willing to forgive them. So let them go."

However, when the queen heard the news, she commanded, "We don't welcome such adulterous and ungrateful people in our country. They deserve to be expelled as soon as possible. The soil of our country must not be stained by their feet."

So, cast out by the crowd, the despised couple left remorsefully. On their way out, even their footprints were swept away by people.