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King You was the last King of the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC - 771 BC). He was a foolish and self-indulgent ruler. Baosi, the beautiful concubine whom he loved, was very solemn and never cracked a smile. King You asked people in and out of court for ideas to make her smile. However, none of their suggestions worked and the beauty still looked unhappy.

A court official named Guo Shifu then suggested that the King light the beacon towers on Mt. Lishan. Beacon towers had been used as warning signals against enemy attacks and to summon help. Fires or lanterns were used at night and smoke signals during the day. He assured the King that Baosi would smile when she saw that so many soldiers were fooled. The King agreed to try this plan. He took Baosi to Mt. Lishan, ordered his men to light the beacon towers and waited. When nearby rulers saw the flames in the sky, they thought the King was in danger and dispatched soldiers to his aid. King You then told them that it was only a joke. On seeing the disappointed soldiers scrambling to leave, Baosi burst into a smile. This made the king very happy. He rewarded Guo Shifu generously. The joke was repeated more than once.

But as a Chinese saying goes, "sadness usually follows extreme happiness." In 771 BC, the northern tribe of Quan Rong invaded his country. The King, as usual, commanded his soldiers to light the beacon towers, but by this time the other rulers had wised up and ignored his call for help. The king was killed and his beauty captured. The Western Zhou Dynasty collapsed and hence the legend spread.