Cai Yan

Cai Yan, (Style name : Cai Wenji) is a chinese composer, poet, and writer. Her father, Cai Yong, was forced to serve the tyrant Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo treated Cai Yong well, so when Dong Zhuo was assassinated, Wang Yun, the orchestrator of the assassination, also had Cai Yong executed. Not long after, Cai Yan's husband, Wei Zhongdao, became ill, and died as well. Tribal nomads from the north, known as the Xiongnu, took advantage of the Han Dynasty's ongoing civil wars, and invaded. They kidnapped Cai Yan, and forced her to marry the Xiongnu chieftain, Liu Bao. However, during this time, a warlord by the name of Cao Cao, was searching for Cai Yan. He was a friend of Cai Yong, and wanted to ensure the safety of his daughter. Though it took him 12 years, Cao Cao eventually learned of her location. He paid a fortune to the Xiongnu, to have her sent to him, and from then on, Cao Cao acted like a father figure to her.