Have you ever wondered if your love story was written long before you met? The tale of Wei Gu from the Tang Dynasty might hold the key.

Wei Gu, orphaned at a young age, longed to marry early—yet every match fell through. One night, he stayed at an inn in Songcheng where a meeting was arranged with the daughter of an official the next morning. He arrived before dawn and found an old man reading a mysterious book under the moonlight.

The old man revealed himself as the marriage official of the underworld. He told Wei Gu, “Your wife is now only three years old. She will marry you at seventeen.” He showed Wei Gu a bag of red threads, explaining, “These connect those destined to be together—regardless of status, grudges, or distance.” He even pointed out Wei Gu’s future wife: a little girl being carried by a one-eyed vegetable vendor in the market.

Enraged, Wei Gu ordered his servant to kill the child. In the chaos, the knife only left a scar between her eyebrows.

Fourteen years later, Wei Gu married the adopted daughter of the governor. She always wore a flower between her brows. When he finally asked why, she wept and told her story—how she was raised by a nanny who sold vegetables, and how a man had tried to kill her as a child, leaving a lifelong scar.

Wei Gu realized she was the girl from the market—the one chosen by the Old Man Under the Moon.

As the saying goes, “What is tied with the red thread cannot be undone.” Their marriage grew in respect and love, and the inn where they first met became known as “The Betrothal Inn.”

Key Themes and Insights:

• The Red Thread Connects Predestined Partners: Regardless of social status or distance, those connected by the red thread are fated to meet.

• Karma Is Real and Unavoidable: Wei Gu’s evil act did not change his destiny but demonstrated the inevitability of cause and effect.

• Inner Qualities Over Appearance: The wife he thought was “ugly” turned out to be virtuous and beautiful—a reminder not to judge by looks.

• Acceptance Over Resistance: Embracing fate’s plan, rather than fighting it, leads to true fulfillment.

📜 Combining historical texts, folklore, and philosophical reflection, this article offers a profound perspective on marriage and destiny.