At the end of the Han Dynasty (early 3rd century AD), China entered the tumultuous Three Kingdoms, Six Dynasties period, which lasted several hundred years. Warlords seized power, and established their own spheres of influence, each plotting against the others. Cao Pi, son of the infamous warlord Cao Cao, became the first emperor of Wei. Upon seizing power, he claimed the beautiful Zhen Hou as his empress. Unbeknownst to him, Zhen Hou had already met and fallen in love with his younger brother Cao Zhi.

Zhen Hou and Cao Zhi met many times over the years to lament their separation, but never betrayed the emperor. After bearing him two sons, Zhen Hou was replaced in the emperor's affections by another. When she voiced her bitter resentment, she was ordered by Cao Pi to commit suicide.

One evening, as Cao Zhi was traveling alongside the Lo River, he saw an apparition of a beautiful woman, whom he thought was his beloved Zhen Hou. As he hurried toward her, the woman vanished into thin air. With heavy foreboding in his heart, he hurried to capitol city, where he learned of Zhen Hou's death. In deep anguish, he sat down and penned the famous Lo Shen Fu, a poem lamenting his great loss, a literary work which has withstood the test of time.