During the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, had an aunt, Grand Princess Guantao, Liu Piao, who married the grandson of Chen Ying and gave birth to a daughter nicknamed Ajiao. Ajiao was lively and adorable, and all her relatives and friends adored her.
At that time, Liu Che was only a few years old. One day, he went to play at his aunt's house. The Grand Princess was very fond of her clever nephew, so she held him on her lap and teased him, "Child, do you want a wife?" Then, pointing to a woman standing nearby, she asked, "Would you like her to be your wife?"
Liu Che said, "No."
The eldest princess had a crowd of attendants, and she pointed to each one asking Liu Che, who shook his head like a rattle-drum, saying no to all. Finally, the princess pointed to Ajiao and asked if he wanted her. Liu Che immediately smiled and said, "If I could marry Ajiao as my wife, I would build the most beautiful house for her to live in."
As expected, when Liu Che grew up, he married Ah Jiao and made her his empress.
Later, "A Golden House to Keep a Beloved" came to describe a man secretly taking a concubine.
Source: *Han Wudi Stories* by Ban Gu (Han Dynasty)
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "金屋藏娇" came to describe a man secretly taking a concubine.