Yang Yu-huan, more familiarly known as Yang Kuei-fei, is one of the Four Great Beauties of Chinese history. She was the favorite concubine of the emperor during the late Tang dynasty. Because of his obsession with her, he neglected his affairs of state, and as a result the barbarians were able to invade China. With the enemy literally at their doorstep, the entire royal family and court, together with the army and the generals, fled south until they arrived at Loyang. There the general demanded the death of Yang Yu-huan, whom they held responsible for all the ills of the country and their impending disaster. Faced with this ultimatum, the emperor nevertheless could not bring himself to kill his beloved. He hanged her maid in her place, and smuggled Yang Yu-huan aboard the Black Ship to Japan, where she lived out her life in luxury.