During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Mu of Qin had a beloved young daughter named Nongyu, who was not only stunningly beautiful but also passionately devoted to music. The duke adored her and was determined to find her a perfect husband. One night, Nongyu dreamed of a handsome young man playing a flute, who said, "I am a musician from the celestial realm, and I have come to meet you." When she described the dream to her father, Duke Mu sent his men to search for this man. They found a man named Xiao Shi, who played the flute so beautifully that even the phoenixes danced in the sky. The duke was overjoyed and arranged for them to marry. After their wedding, Xiao Shi taught Nongyu to play the flute, and together they created music so divine that one day, a phoenix descended and carried them both to the heavens, where they lived forever as immortals. This story reminds us that true love and shared passion can transcend the ordinary world.
There was also a young man named Xiao Shi, whose elegant bearing and refined features set him apart from others. His great talent was playing the *xiao*, a vertical bamboo flute. In his hands, this complex instrument seemed as light as a leaf, effortlessly producing enchanting melodies. Xiao Shi was especially skilled at mimicking the calls of phoenixes; once, while playing, he even summoned a real phoenix to circle before him. Duke Mu of Qin, seeing that Xiao Shi and his daughter Nongyu were a perfect match, married Nongyu to him.
After their wedding, the young couple loved each other deeply. Xiao Shi devoted himself wholeheartedly to teaching Nongyu the art of playing the xiao, and Nongyu, diligent and quick-witted, soon learned to produce the melodious cry of a phoenix, even drawing flocks of birds to sing in harmony. Later, Xiao Shi rode a dragon, Nongyu mounted a phoenix, and playing their xiao, they ascended into the sky, becoming a blissful immortal couple.
"Riding the Dragon" means riding a dragon to heaven and becoming an immortal; "Excellent Son-in-Law" means a pleasing and satisfactory son-in-law. The idiom "Riding the Dragon, Excellent Son-in-Law," also written as "Riding the Dragon, Fine Son-in-Law," describes an extraordinary and wonderful son-in-law.
Source: *Biographies of Immortals* by Liu Xiang
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "乘龙快婿" came to describe an extraordinary and wonderful son-in-law.