Enwrapped as the mind of Nicholas had been in the delicious scene around him, no sooner did he reach the ground than a bitter feeling arose that his beloved Emperor should be content to repose in such soft and costly indolence, while millions of his subjects were being plundered by rapacious nobles. In deep thought he reached the far-famed mulberry orchard, where, for a time, he stood contemplating the industry of the marvelous little worms whose number and color cast a sickly hue over the broad green foliage of the trees, then in full leaf. Passing through this orchard, he came in front of a mimic palace, hewn out of rock crystal, and which glittered in the sun, so that it was some minutes before his dazzled vision could perceive that he was near the imperial menagerie and aviary, where were kept the rare beasts and birds presented to the Emperor by his tributary kings. The sight was curious, and he would have stopped, but for the rustling of leaves in the orchard, and the sound of soft footsteps, that warned him of his imprudence, and made him seek shelter in a small pagoda, from whence, through a kind of loophole which fronted the menagerie, he could see without being seen. Now his heart beat tremulously; the footsteps might be those of the princess and her ladies. He was right in his conjecture, for scarcely had he placed himself at the loophole, when two ladies, attended by female slaves, who held above the heads of their mistresses umbrellas of embroidered yellow silk deeply fringed with gold, came toward the menagerie. The princess was of middle height, with a form as graceful and elastic as a fawn; her face, like those of all of her race, was broad, but fair almost as a European blonde, yet looked the fairer from its contrast with the raven hair and eyelashes which beneath the thin brows shaded a pair of tiny jet black eyes, which like the purest diamonds, compensated by fire for their deficiency in size, and with the delicately small mouth, parted by a pair of thin pouting lips, lit up her sweet countenance with animation and vivacity. Of her hands and feet I can say nothing, for they were hidden beneath the ample folds of her long gold-embroidered robe of yellow satin. Upon her head she wore a kind of crown of rich silk, decorated upon each side with a "fong-hoang," the phoenix of China, which it is believed has but once appeared, and whose next advent will be the fore-running of the golden age. The extended wings of the little birds, which were of frosted gold, and sparkling with jewels, rested upon the forepart of the crown, so that while their beaks fell over the forehead, the spreading plumage of their tails afforded a graceful crest upon its summit; moreover they appeared to come with a tiny parterre of artificial flowers, which were fastened with a bevy of silver bodkins, whose heads were formed out of pearls, diamonds, and rubies; but far beyond her rare beauty and costly attire was the artlessness of her manner, which, arising from a virtuous heart and cultivated mind, won the love of all with whom she came in contact.
As for Nicholas, he was bewitched, and from the moment his eyes rested upon her, he lost all doubt of the success of his mission.
Of the lady in attendance I will only say, that she was of maturer age, and of fuller form. More plainly attired than the royal lady, she wore a robe of green silk, embroidered with flowers of the same color, and a head-dress of silk, slightly sprinkled with large pearls; her brow was high, and her features regular and handsome, but seemingly shadowed with care for the interests and ministers of Christ, to whose doctrines she had long been a convert; for this lady was no other than the illustrious Candida Hiu, of whom the colao had spoken to Nicholas. Her history was remarkable, and may be told in a few lines. The Emperor at the commencement of his reign, had been so favorably disposed to the Christian religion, that, although not a convert himself, he had permitted many of the lords and ladies of his court to embrace its tenets; chief and most sincere among the proselytes had been the prime minister, Paul Syu, whose influence over his weak-minded master had enabled him to protect the missionaries from the jealous bonzes and pagan mandarins around. No sooner, however, had this good man gone to his grave, than the bonzes accused the Christians of endeavoring to subvert the reigning family, and so artfully did they intrigue, that the Emperor ordered the Christians to leave China, and a terrible persecution took place, when all the court but the Lady Candida and the son and daughter of the monarch, returned to the worship of Fo. As I have said, the Emperor's love was so great for his beautiful daughter, that he permitted the princess and her friend Candida to follow the dictates of their own hearts; hence it was that the good lady had been able to protect her fellow-Christians from the rapacity of the bonzes and mandarins, even to obtaining permission for them to remain in Pekin. Further, to show her zeal, she founded at her own cost no less than thirty churches in different parts of the empire, and had vast numbers of religious books translated into Chinese, which she distributed by means not only of blind beggars, but vagabond fortune-tellers, whom she paid handsomely to stand at the corners of streets, and read the Gospel, in place of practicing upon the credulity of the populace with their vile falsehoods. Such were the two ladies now within a few yards of Nicholas.
As the princess and her friend approached, Nicholas almost felt ashamed of his intrusion upon their privacy. Should he not appear to them in the despicable light of an eaves-dropper? Then he would determine to come forward, but fell back again in dread of giving offence. Then the ladies began a conversation, and he dared not interrupt them.
"This then, dear Candida, is the sin-fin that my royal parent values so highly," said the princess, looking at a large black ape of the ourang-outang species, which sat grinning, with its elbows upon its knees.
"Truly, dear princess, this is the wonderful beast that the Prince Li-Kong has presented to the Emperor, from the wild province of Yun-nan," said Candida.
"Candida is surely laughing at her pupil, for is it not said that this Li-Kong is chiefest of the rebels, who have so lately been disturbing my royal parent's repose?"
"Alas! my princess, that it should be necessary to pour words of grief into thy sweet ears," said Candida, sorrowfully.
"What words are these, Candida? What grief can come in such a place of repose? Truly you terrify without answering my question," said the princess, angrily.
"But that my sweet mistress alone possesses the ear of the Emperor, and may open it for the benefit of the starving millions of the empire, her friend and servant would not grieve her," replied the lady.
"Tell me, O Candida, if thou wouldst not vex thy mistress, what mean these words," said the princess, pettishly; adding, "Surely you would not protect the traitor Li-Kong."
"It is of that prince thy servant would speak," said the lady; adding, "Know then, O princess, that, angered at some refusal of thy royal father, the Prince Li-Kong, fled from the court, placed himself at the head of a robber army, and being joined by thousands of the starving people, among whom he made himself popular, took possession of two of the largest provinces, and caused himself to be proclaimed as Emperor, and took the title of Tien-Chun (He that obeys Heaven), persuading the people that he had been appointed by Heaven to deliver them from the cruelty of the Emperor and his ministers."
"Dared the dog say this? Surely my royal father is the parent of his people."
"Nay, O princess, for as it was the duty of my father, the great minister, so is it mine, at the risk of death, to speak the truth. Until within the last moon, the greater part of the empire was in the hands of robbers and assassins, justice was openly sold by the mandarins to the highest bidder, the husbandmen of the hills and fields and the tradesmen in the streets were dying by thousands of starvation, while the Son of Heaven was shut up in his palaces intent upon nothing but his pleasures and the society of the bonzes."
"Candida, dear Candida, thou who art so truth-loving that thou darest even to rebuke thy Emperor, canst thou tell thy friend and mistress that while all is so calm, beautiful, and happy within these walls, there can be so much misery without?" said the princess, trembling with fear.
"Even worse, O dear princess, for while the imperial storehouses are groaning with grain, thousands of people are dying of starvation within the walls of Pekin," replied Candida.
"I dare not doubt thy words, O Candida, yet I will not believe that my great parent would keep close the public storehouses while his children were starving," said the princess.
"It is even worse, O princess, for the daily distribution of food has been withheld," said Candida.
With a vacant stare the princess gazed into the face of her friend for a moment, then with a flood of tears upon her cheeks, fell into her arms; but recovering her presence of mind, she said, "Truly this is a calamity; surely I have heard such things ever precede the downfall of dynasties; but I will to my father's presence, and dutifully implore him on my knees;" and she moved toward the palace as if to act upon her resolution, but Candida caught her in her arms, saying, "It would not be seemly, O princess, nay, it would be useless, for the Prince Li-Kong now possesses the Emperor's confidence."
"What words are these, O Candida? Thou art indeed laughing at thy mistress, for didst thou not say the traitor was in open rebellion?"
"True, my princess, he was, till, for some vile purpose, he made his submission to Ten Thousand Years, who, as he brought the heads of some chiefs of the rebels, pardoned him, in the belief that his rebellion had been a trick, a pretence whereby he had the better subdued the other rebels."
With indignation in her heart at the traitor Li, and her eyes swimming with tears, she placed her hands affectionately in those of her friend—before, however, she could speak she shrieked with fright. The sin-fin had broken his cage and stood as erect as a man, clattering his teeth and grinning in her face, with his great paws upon her neck. The princess fainted; not so the Lady Candida for she boldly clutched hold of the brute, who, however, without relinquishing his grasp of the princess, caught the Lady Candida by her head-dress and hair, and dragged them both in the direction of the lake, looking savagely at the screaming attendants, who scampered off as fast as their legs would carry them; and so rapid were the movements of the brute, that he reached the verge of the water before Nicholas could thrust his sword into his hirsute side, a bit of a surprise that caused the beast to leave his hold of the ladies, when "scotched" but not killed, and catching sight of his real enemy, he uttered a savage scream and sprang at him with extended claws, but so neat was the spring that the weapon of Nicholas passed through his heart, when he gave one last terrific leap and rolled over dead.
The fright, the horror of feeling themselves in the sin-fin's clutches, and the revulsion of feeling at the unexpected relief, made the ladies forget, as you may well imagine, the lesser terror of seeing a strange youth within the prohibited walls. As for Nicholas, he thought only of them both. However, seeing they had been more frightened than hurt, and that they were now regarding him with a mixed expression of gratitude, surprise, and even anger, for so great is the modesty of women, and such the force of the custom in China, that rescue from death itself was scarcely sufficient to suppress the instinctive anger they felt at the intrusion of a boy in so sacred a place; perceiving all this at a glance, Nicholas fell upon his knees, saying, "Pardon, O great princess, for thus thy yellow girdle betokens thee. Let the life of thy mean servant be the penalty for his unpardonable intrusion, and he will not regret it, since he has been the means of saving the daughter of his Emperor, and the Christian-protecting Lady Candida, from the fangs of a vile beast."
"Rise, O youth, for it is not seemly that thou shouldst kneel at the feet of her whose life thou hast saved, and say what chance hath brought thee hither," said the royal lady, smiling with sweet gratitude.
"Surely, O princess, chance can have no influence over the children of God, who must have sent thy servant hither as a manifest of his watchful care for those who obey his word and protect his worshipers," replied Nicholas earnestly.
"Then thou art of the Lord of heaven's religion. But who art thou, O my poor youth, who thus seekest certain death by thy presence here?" said Candida, looking tremulously around, for fear of the approach of any of the eunuchs of the palace.
"Let this, O princess, bespeak the reason of thy servant's intrusion, where even the daring Li-Kong cannot foil his purpose," replied Nicholas, falling upon his knees and presenting his father's letter to the princess, who handed it to Candida, who no sooner glanced at the characters upon the envelope than she said angrily, "This is from the rebel pirate, Chin-Chi-Loong."
"Should thy servant's tongue be torn from his mouth, he would say those words are false, lady. The noble chief is neither pirate nor rebel; if so, thy servant would not have risked his life to place that letter in the hands of the Son of Heaven," said Nicholas firmly.
"If thy words are true, youth——" but as the Lady Candida spoke, a body of armed eunuchs entered the garden, so, giving the letter back to Nicholas, she said, "Haste youth, for thy life;" but knowing the attempt would be useless, he stood his ground firmly.
"No, lady," said he; "thy servant came here to place that letter in the hands of the Emperor." Before he could say more the men had drawn around him.
"Tie the dog hand and foot," said the chief.
"Not so, O Lun-Yin," said the princess.
"Thy slave dare not disobey the laws, O illustrious daughter of the Mings," replied the chief, bowing to the earth.
"Then convey the youth to the presence of the Emperor, for he has treason to disclose, but let not his limbs be bound at the peril of your life, and we will answer to our great father," said the princess.
When the ladies withdrew toward the inner palace the eunuchs led Nicholas through the small gate into a spacious court, which was crowded with soldiers, bonzes and servants, in attendance upon the great lords, who were then in council with the Emperor. Passing through the crowd they entered a magnificent archway of veined marble into a vast court, across which ran a canal of water, so pellucid that shoals of gold and silver fish could be seen playing around the stems of the white-leaved lien-hoa at the bottom. Across this canal was thrown a bridge of glittering white marble, supported upon each bank by lions sculptured from the same material. From this bridge Nicholas could see that the whole court was surrounded with marble terraces, which led through small doorways into the imperial treasure rooms, which were full of precious metals, jewels, valuable furs, rare vases, and costly robes, and a variorum collection of silks, that had been presented from the chief manufactories of the empire. Other rooms contained bows, arrows, saddles, and even specimens of the choicest teas to be found in China. Leaving the treasures they entered the great court of the princes of the blood, whose palaces shone with gilding, japan, and varnish, through which they passed by a small side-gate into the hippodrome, or horse-racing court, which was crowded with mandarins of arms and letters, of inferior rank, besides the state chairs, and horse guards belonging to the princes. As they entered the hippodrome they saw a group of war mandarins gathered around a person who was clamoring for something that the mandarins must have deemed very absurd, for although so near the inner palace, they laughed loudly. Perceiving, however, the chief of the eunuchs, they became suddenly grave, and bowed to the ground three times.
"How is this? Are the dogs tired of their lives, that they venture to make this unseemly uproar within the very hearing of the Son of Heaven himself?" said that officer angrily.
"Truly, the all-powerful Yin would risk his flowery existence, laughing at this paper tiger, who is mad enough to demand an audience with the Son of Heaven," replied one of the mandarins. Before, however, the chief of the eunuchs could reply, the person in question had thrown himself at his feet, crying, "Pardon, O mighty officer of the palace, thy slave, who seeks a master bereft of his senses, and who is now wandering about the palace in search of the Son of Heaven. May he vanquish his enemies."
"Thou, then, art the servant of this dog who has profaned the imperial gardens?" said the chief of the eunuchs; adding, before Nicholas could interfere for Chow, "Let the dog be taken to the prison, as he will doubtless be strangled with his master when the will of the Emperor is known."
Then, in obedience to this command, the boy was hurried away, and Nicholas led forward to the court of the inner palace.
The audience-chamber of the Emperor was a vast square hall of great height. The ceiling was of pale green, sculptured in devices, and decorated with paintings, charged at intervals with the Emperor's crest in gold. The walls were smooth and without other ornament than the carved window frame, which was set with panes of richly painted paper. The roof was supported by rows of columns, elaborately sculptured and japanned, which rested upon a pavement of the rarest veined marble, of so high a polish that it reflected the whole interior.
In the centre stood a lofty alcove, above which, upon a drapery of yellow silk, were embossed in pale blue enamel the words "Ching Hoang," (Holy Emperor). Beneath, upon a dais, ascended by a flight of broad steps was a throne of frosted gold, surmounted and upheld by dragons of the same metal, but burnished, and whose claws rested upon a carpet of blue velvet, besprinkled with the same monsters in silver.
Opposite the throne upon a raised platform, were placed several vessels of the precious metals, filled with incense, which, as it burned, sent forth a delicious perfume, and candlesticks ingeniously wrought into the shape of animals.
From the throne to the end of the wall, ranged so as to form an alley, stood the great officers of state, attired in large flowing robes of silk, flounced with gold, and bearing on their breasts the insignia of their different dignities; those belonging to the military department wearing golden buttons on their caps and tigers or lions on their breasts, while the civil officers, who were of higher rank, wore birds in place of beasts. At the back of these mandarins were other officers, bearing umbrellas of silk brocade, fringed with gold; there were also many who wore the button of an inferior rank, and who wore large fans of silk, embroidered with gold; others with large standards, sprinkled with golden stars, dragons, the sun, and the moon in all its quarters, to represent the twenty-eight mansions of the heavens, and their conjunctions and oppositions with the sun, as they appear in the intersections of the circles, which the astronomers call the dragon's head and tail. Near the walls stood a number of mandarins of inferior rank, both civil and military, bearing maces, axes, hammers, and swords. Upon the steps of the throne stood the princes of the blood, attired in the costumes of their civil or military rank, the only tokens of their imperial blood, being the large yellow or red girdle, and the circle instead of the square in which the bird or beast is worn upon the breast.
The left hand being the place of honor in China, on that side of the throne stood the imperial but unfortunate Prince, Yong-Li, a youth of fifteen years of age, near to whom stood the aged Woo, whose office, that of a colao or censor, was at once the most dangerous and most popular in the empire, his duty being to check the great mandarins, and even the Emperor himself, in the wrong exercise of their authority. This officer may be termed the representative of that public opinion in China which moulds its irresponsible despotism somewhat to the shape of a constitutional government. One step lower, in the full costume of tsong-tou (a great viceroy), stood the Prince Woo-san-Kwei. This prince was the son of the censor Woo, and one of the most remarkable men of his time. He was tall and stately, and, like the rest of the nobles of the Ming dynasty, wore his hair in long and luxuriant tresses; moreover, like his parent Woo, he wore the circle upon his breast, and around his waist the girdle of red, which betokened him to be of the second rank of the princes of the blood. Upon the opposite side of the throne, and one step nearer, as became his closer relationship to the monarch, stood the first prince of the yellow girdle, Li-Kong, a man whose influence upon those tempestuous times was as remarkable for bad as that of Woo-san-Kwei was for good; he was also a tang-tou.
Next this prince, in their robes of office, stood the colaos, or ministers of state, and with them an officer whose bird-embroidered robe and cap betokened him a mandarin of letters of the highest rank in the great college of Han-Lin. This officer was tutor to the heir to the throne, but in addition held an office so peculiar that I do not think you will accuse me of tediousness if I tell you something about it. He was the chief historian of the empire, an appointment which, if carried out with similar integrity, would be creditable to other empires besides China.
"These historians," says a writer who resided within the walls of the palace thirty years, "consist of a certain number of men, who, for their learning and impartiality are purposely chosen for this office. Their business is to observe narrowly not only the actions but the words of the Emperor, which, without communication with the others, each must write upon a loose piece of paper, and put it through a chink into an office set apart for the purpose.
"In these papers both the Emperor's virtues and faults are set down with the same liberty and impartiality. 'Such a day,' say they, 'the Emperor's behavior was unseasonable and intemperate; he spoke after a manner which became not his dignity. The punishment which he inflicted on such an officer was rather the effect of his passion than the result of his justice. In such an affair, he stopped the sword of justice, and abrogated the just sentence of the magistrate.' Or else, 'The Emperor entered courageously into a war for the defence of his people and for the maintenance of the honor of his empire; and, notwithstanding the commendations given him by his flatterers, he was not puffed up, but behaved himself modestly, his words were tempered with all the sweetness and humility possible, which made him more loved and admired by his court than ever.'
"Such is the way in which they record down all that occurs; but that neither fear on the one side, nor hope on the other, may bias men to give a partial record of the Emperor, the office wherein these papers are kept is never opened during the life of the sovereign, or while any of his family sit upon the throne. When, however, the imperial dignity passes into another family, all these loose memoirs are gathered together, compared, and a history composed, that either hands down the Emperor as an example to posterity, or exposes him to the censure and odium of the nation, if he has been negligent of his own duty and his people's good. Thus is it the interest of the Emperor to be circumspect, and cautious how he behaves himself during his reign."
With reference to the history of events and the progress of the people generally, it is the custom for each city to keep an exact record of every memorable event as it happens, its most remarkable places and inhabitants, good or bad; moreover, of their manners and customs; and although there are many who, by offering bribes to the governor, obtain honorable mention in these annals, upon the whole the accounts are considered to be tolerably accurate, for at the end of every forty years the mandarins of every city assemble and examine the accounts, and expunge what they deem unfit to remain recorded.
Theoretically, the will of the emperor is the only law; the lives, fortunes, and worldly happiness of his subjects depend upon its wildest caprice; but, in reality, it is only theoretically, for in the words of another great authority, who not only resided at the court of Pekin some thirty years, but absolutely held office therein. "One would imagine that this unlimited power of the Emperor would often occasion very unfortunate events in the government, and indeed it sometimes hath, as nothing in this world is without its alloy of inconvenience, yet so many are the provisions and so wise the precautions which the laws have prescribed to prevent them, that a prince must be wholly insensible of his own reputation and even interest, as well as the public good, who continues long in the abuse of his authority; for if he hath any regard for his own reputation, there are three things which will prevail with him to govern by justice, not passion: first, the old laws, given from the foundation of the empire, have laid it down as a standing maxim, that kings are properly the fathers of their people,and not masters placed upon the throne only to be served by slaves. The words in italics contain a doctrine, by the way, that our first James strived so hard to inculcate, that it ultimately led to a revolution in England, not very dissimilar to that in China, of which I am now writing. Such having been the teaching of those law-givers, Confucius and others, who are to the present day venerated as deities in China, the Emperor's proudest title of honor has been in all ages Ta-fou" (that is, grandfather).
This theory of what the Emperor should be, is so deeply imprinted in the minds of the people and the mandarins, that, when they offer praises, whether deserved or not, it is based upon his presumed affection for his people. The teachers and philosophers continually set forth in their books that the state is but a large family, and that he who knows how to govern the one is best capable of governing the other; so that, if the Emperor neglects, never so little, the practice of this maxim, he may be a great warrior, an able politician, a learned man, and yet meet with neither love nor esteem from his people. Indeed, they value him only as they believe he is, or is not, a father to them.
Thus, as I have shown you, not only the censor, but, in a lesser degree, every mandarin may tell the Emperor of his faults, provided it be in a manner agreeable to that veneration and profound respect which is due to his office. The manner, however, in which this is done, is somewhat roundabout. The mandarin who perceives any thing in the Emperor's conduct contrary to the maxims laid down in the sacred books, draws up a request, in which, after having set forth the respect which he bears toward his majesty, he most humbly prays that he will please to reflect upon the ancient laws and good examples of his great predecessors. This request lies upon a table among many other petitions, which are daily presented and which the Emperor is obliged to read; and if he does not change his conduct, the petition is repeated again and again till the end has been gained, or the mandarin himself punished for his presumption. The latter, however, never happens, except with bad and tyrannical Emperors.
Thus were the great princes and lords of China awaiting the coming of their imperial master, and with something like impatience, for often, of late, had his majesty kept them waiting for hours, and then granted no audience at all. Such, however, was not to be the case then, for soon the sounds of wind instruments were heard, pages and eunuchs entered from the door which led to the imperial apartment, followed by the favorite body attendants of the sovereign, then the Emperor himself;—and the mandarins in the body of the hall, and the lords upon the steps of the throne, bent their heads till their foreheads touched the floors, in which position they remained, awaiting the command of the monarch to arise. Wey-t-song, the last of the Ming Emperors, was of middle height and spare figure, at least for a Chinese, whose notion of manly beauty consists of large and bulky form; he was attired in a robe of yellow silk, embroidered with five-clawed dragons, a necklace of costly pearls, and a golden girdle fastened around his waist by a jeweled clasp; his high cap or crown of purple satin, sparkled with jewels, and was decorated with the peacock's feather, which fell upon his long black hair; his boots were of purple satin, and fitted tightly to the shape of the feet; as for his hands, they were hidden beneath the folds of his robe.
When the Emperor had seated himself upon the throne, a graceful movement with his ample sleeves gave the sign for the kneeling courtiers to arise, and they stood with their arms straightened and eyes turned upon the ground, pretending that the sight of so much majesty was too dazzling for their vision.
Thus, for a time, all was silent, till the censor Woo, falling upon his knees, and holding above his head his silver seal of office, gravely said, "Since our lord has vouchsafed us his heavenly audience, and the door of the imperial apartments is no longer disfigured by the audience-denying tablet, it is the duty of the meanest of his slaves to open his lips, even at the risk of his life."
"Rise, thou venerable noble, for it is not seemly that one who is at age's extremity should kneel, even before the Emperor. Rise, noble Woo, for thy years demand that thy petition should be heard standing," said Wey-t-song, aiding the aged man to his feet.
"Alas! dread prince, thy servant's days have been too long, for he has lived to see a successor of the great Emperors, Yu and Yaou, forget that Heaven had made him the father of his people," said Woo, sadly.
"What words are these? Surely the noble Woo presumes upon his age, for has it not been wisely said that the will of the Emperor is omnipotent?"
"It is written in the sacred books, O prince, that it is equally criminal in the Emperor and the subject to violate the laws. Truly the life of the minister is the property of his sovereign, but the dignity of his office belongs to the country, which is even now torn into shreds by maladministration," replied the firm old noble; adding, "For when the Emperor becomes negligent of his duty, and sinks into a lover of luxury and ease, the spirit of indolence must pervade the occupant of every mandrinate; so, at the present time, every viceroy and governor has grown to think himself the sovereign, instead of the father and teacher of his province; each minister, in defiance of the law, sells places to those unfit to occupy them; and thus the people, being oppressed, have arisen in rebellion over the empire, to the advantage of rogues and thieves, who await but the finding of some bold bad man to enable them to change, O prince, thy very dynasty. Yet surely this is not without cause, for hath it not been asked, 'Why hath Heaven placed the Emperor upon the throne, if not to be our parent?' and therefore he ought not to make himself feared, but in proportion as he deserves to be loved for his goodness and virtue; therefore, at the risk of his life, the censor dares tell his dread sovereign that while the people are suffering, the Emperor should forget his pleasures, fast in his palace, punish the offending mandarins, remit the taxes of the suffering provinces, and employ his whole thoughts in alleviating their misfortunes. Like the Emperors of old, he should lament night and day till the evils are remedied. Such are the words of the aged Woo, who hath lived through the reigns of six of thy illustrious predecessors, and they have been called forth, O dread prince, by thy neglect of the petitions which he has laid upon the imperial table. If thy slave offendeth, O prince, let his worthless head be the penalty, for he has done his duty; and the old noble again fell at the feet of Wey-t-song, who, giving way to a paroxysm of passion, rose, and, placing his hand upon the hilt of his sabre, exclaimed, 'What words are these old man? Is the Emperor a slave that thou darest so far?' But, despot and even cruel as he was, the age and daring of the old noble had excited in the eyes of the surrounding courtiers such unmistakable gleams of satisfaction, that, really afraid of proceeding to extremities, he fell back upon his throne, saying, "Arise, noble Woo, and that in the licence of thy office thou hast uttered words of wind against thy Emperor, the rebel-subduing General Li-Kong will testify."
Upon this, the Prince Li-Kong, falling upon his knees, said, "Truly, O august and sovereign Emperor, the age of the noble Woo must have diminished his eyeballs, or he would have seen in the Imperial Gazette that the Emperor, our father, having heard of the rebellion in the provinces, had despatched his mean servant, myself, with a correcting army, and that thy unworthy relation had secured a lasting internal peace."
"And thy reward, prince?" said the Emperor."
"The generalship of the home armies, and the favor of my great sovereign, who will not open his heavenly ears to the words of these rogues, who accuse thy servant and mean relation of ingratitude and treason."
"This reminds us that the reward is inadequate to thy services, most princely Li. Let it therefore be proclaimed throughout the empire that the grateful Wey-t-song is about to bestow upon the kingdom-soothing Prince Li-Kong the hand of his only daughter in marriage," said the Emperor.
But before the prince could thank the Emperor, the General Woo-san-Kwei fell upon his knees before the throne, saying, "The humblest but most devoted of thy servants would dare to claim the heavenly ears of his most august prince."
"If the barbarian-subduing general has aught to counsel let him open his lips."
"Then, truly, O dread Emperor, it must be at the risk of my life; for so many moons has thy servant been engaged in defending the frontiers of the empire against the Tartar barbarians, that he has lost the submissive tones fitted to thy heavenly ears," said Woo-san-Kwei.
"Let the general open his lips, for although his words may be more warlike, they cannot be rebellious, like those of his noble parent."
"The words of the noble Woo flowed from his heart, O prince, and were approved by his son, who now, as in duty bound, would counsel his sovereign, that, although the services of the rebel-exterminating general have been great, his reward has been greater than his merits, for does he not hold the golden seals of the highest military command? As for the princess, she is the daughter of the empire, and too exalted to be bestowed upon the noble Li-Kong. Remember O Emperor, it will be the duty of the historians to record that the Emperor Wey-t-song, instead of commanding, had been weak enough to purchase the services of a powerful lord, tainted with treason, with the only daughter of his house; setting aside the wise custom of his ancestors, who bestowed their daughters upon tributary kings, whereby alliances were formed for the prosperity of the empire," said the Prince Woo-san-Kwei; adding, "At the risk of his life has thy servant spoken, O prince, for fear that thy too great generosity may smear thy page in history."
Scarcely dissembling his enmity, Li-Kong spoke, "Truly my sovereign is too generous to permit the envy of his servant's enemies to have weight in his dragon ears."
"The kingdom-soothing general speaks well, for who is this turbulent lord, and what the value of his services, that he dares be so rebellious?" said the Emperor; adding, angrily, "Let the dog be arrested;" when the young prince threw himself before the throne, and said—
"Let my illustrious parent not so far forget his royal dignity as to vent his anger upon the honest Woo-san-Kwei, who has saved the kingdom from the Tartars, and offered his counsel only by right of his high rank. No, O my sovereign, rather let the hand of my dear sister be withheld until the Prince Li has further proved his merits, by showing to his Emperor that he has really performed those wonderful feats of conquest which he now boasts, but all others deny."
At this speech a half-suppressed murmur of approbation rang through the hall, which brought a heavy frown upon the forehead of Wey-t-song. As, however, he really feared a quarrel with either of these powerful princes, he said, "Though young, the words of the Prince Yong-Li are wise, for it is not fitting that our people should be feasting and rejoicing at the marriage of our daughter, while it is not certain that the rebels are subdued, and the Tartars upon the frontiers. It is, therefore our will that our daughter's hand be withheld till entire peace be restored."
Then the whole court bowed to the ground three times in submission to the imperial will, and the Emperor moved the sleeves of his robe, as a token that the audience was at an end, when the chief of the eunuchs ran quickly up the avenue formed by the court, till he reached about half way, when he stood with his head erect and his arms by his side for a minute, then having performed the usual prostrations, he ran to the foot of the throne, where he threw himself upon his knees.
"Is the slave mad, that he dares intrude in this our highest council-chamber?" said the Emperor.
"The life of the slave is in the hands of his master, yet must he perform his duty. Treason is within the very walls, O my sovereign."
At the word treason the blood of Tait-sou became weak as water, for the royal face became livid with fear. He grasped his sabre, saying, "What says the slave?"
"Two boys, O dread sovereign, have been found within the prohibited wall; one even within the sacred precincts of the imperial gardens."
At the words two boys there was a half-suppressed titter, probably at the little cause the Emperor had had to fear; but at the mention of the garden of the inner palace, the aged Woo said, "Surely, O great sovereign, the worthy eunuch has overstepped his duty; these young slaves should have been handed over to the police tribunals."
"The noble Woo is right," replied the Emperor. "What has the dog of a eunuch to say for intruding in our presence with such matters?"
"The will of the Emperor is the life-blood of the meanest of his slaves, and but little else is that of the princess in whose presence one of the dogs was found, and at whose command he is brought hither," replied the trembling eunuch.
"The profane slave!" muttered the surrounding mandarins, clutching the hilts of their swords.
"The will of our beloved daughter is law; let the audacious slave be brought before us," said the Emperor.
Nicholas was led into the hall between two inferior mandarins, and had no sooner prostrated himself at the foot of the throne, than the Prince Li-Kong said, "Surely the eyes of the Emperor of the earth are too holy to be darkened by such mean dogs as this. Let the common executioner deal with him, for there can be no doubt of his guilt."
"Stop not the fountain of justice at its very source, O my sovereign, for when was it that a good king refused to listen to the meanest of his slaves?" said Woo; but before the Emperor could reply, one of the great officers of the palace ran up to the steps of the throne, performed the prostrations, and being commanded to speak,
"The great and beautiful princess, thy daughter, begs an audience of her illustrious father," said the officer.
The Emperor having signified his assent, the princess, accompanied by the Lady Candida, and both veiled, knelt before the Emperor, who, lifting her from her kneeling position, said affectionately, "Truly my daughter must have matter of weighty import upon her lips, thus to break through the delicacy of her sex and rank."
"Pardon, great prince, if thy daughter has forgotten what is due either to her parent or her sex, but it is a common saying, 'that those who forget favors conferred upon them are unfit to live,' and therefore thy daughter would protect the life of one who saved her from a cruel death," said the princess.
"Has the safety of the pearl of my life been endangered?" said the Emperor, trembling at the possibility of such a catastrophe, and placing his hands upon her head; adding, "What words are these, my daughter, for is not the empire crowded with those who would deem happiness if it were to save their princess from danger."
"Not one of whom could have saved her from the savage sin-fin, who, having escaped from his cage, had seized her, when yonder bold youth slew the beast."
The Lady Candida then described the whole scene in the gardens to the Emperor, who forgetful of the desecration of the place by the profane feet of Nicholas, nay, of every thing but the escape of his beloved child from a fearful death, commanded the release of Nicholas; but again the general Li-Kong stepped forward.
"It is true," said he, "that the beautiful and illustrious princess has been saved from great peril, and the whole empire will rejoice; yet it is a maxim, 'that the laws should be enforced even upon the imperial kindred.' Moreover, my sovereign, in his generosity, forgets that the cage of the beast could not have opened itself, and that the slave merits death for being in the garden."
"Though not generous, the words of the rebel-exterminating general are just," replied the weak prince; adding, to Nicholas, sternly, "What says the boy; what traitorous errand brought him within the sacred gardens of our palace?"
"The life of the slave belongs to the master. The personal safety of thy servant, O great prince, was nothing when he desired to place in thy hands a letter of the greatest moment, from one far greater than the lords around thy throne."
"These are wild words, O youth; for know you not that it was the duty of our chief colao to receive thy letter?" said the Emperor, interrupting.
"Mean as is thy servant, O prince, he knew that treason was within the palace, and that the letter would never reach thy royal hands; therefore, that it should not fail to do so, I sought the imperial gardens with the daring hope of meeting thy royal daughter, knowing that if my life were sacrificed, my mission would be fulfilled," said Nicholas; adding, "Such has been the crime, and the criminal awaits his punishment."
"This letter," said the Emperor.
"Is here, great prince," and Nicholas presented the document to Wey-t-song, who tore open the seals, and for some minutes became lost in the perusal of its contents, after which, to the surprise of the court, he placed it beneath his vest, saying, "This letter must be for the consideration of our inner council. Youth, thy honesty and loyalty are beyond doubt, and we permit thee to name thy own reward."
"Thy slave, O prince, would ask one so great, that the greatest of thy tributaries would seek it upon his knees," was the reply, to the astonishment of the lords, who expected it would be nothing less than the hand of the princess. "No less, indeed, than a private audience," added Nicholas, which, with a smile at this novel and modest request, the Emperor granted.
"May this not be a trap, O my prince, to beguile thy person within reach of the assassin's dagger?" said the artful but baffled Li-Kong.
"The dagger to be feared by thy sovereign, base prince, is beneath thine own vest," said Nicholas.
"Dares the dog so far?" said the exasperated Li-Kong.
"Forget not thy dignity, O noble Li," said Woo-san-Kwei, touching that prince upon the shoulder, and adding, "Yet it is but just that such an assertion, made in the very presence of the Emperor, should be verified."
The Emperor came to the rescue, saying, "Open thy lips, youth, for, well as we think of thy honesty, thou hast uttered words against the noblest of our yellow girdles, which as they are true or false merit reward or punishment."
Thus challenged Nicholas fell upon his knees, and related his adventure at the palace of retirement, declaring that the two men were plotting the dethronement of the Emperor, and that the chief of the two was the Prince Li-Kong himself. At this bold and circumstantial accusation, the young Prince Yong-Li and the great lords on the steps of the throne, placed their hands upon their swords, and alternately glancing at Li-Kong and Nicholas, awaited the command of the Emperor to seize either accuser or accused. For an instant the lips of Li-Kong quivered with fear or rage, but, recovering his equanimity, he gave a signal with his hand, when a large body of military mandarins came around him, and fell upon their knees before the Emperor, when Li said, "Are the services of thy servant so soon forgotten, have the rebels been no sooner chastised, and peace restored within the empire, that the exterminator and his officers should be as mice before the words of this less than a dog? O my sovereign! let these officers be questioned, and they will prove that on the night of which the dog speaks, their general was engaged in discovering a new conspiracy among the Fan-Kwi priests."
"What words are these, O prince?" said the Emperor, whose alarm had been artfully turned in another direction. "Have we not honored these priests, even to making their chief the president of our high board of mathematics?"
"Yet such is the ingratitude of the barbarians, O my Emperor, that, in league with the outer barbarians, they seek to overthrow the empire."
"Let my guards instantly secure every villain priest within the walls of the city," said the terrified Emperor.
"Thy slaves have been diligent, and thy command anticipated, O Emperor; the miserable chief of the mathematics and his brethren have been carried before the three tribunals, their guilt proved, and most mercifully adjudged to be strangled; the sentence but awaits the vermilion pencil of the Emperor," said Li-Kong.
"The judges have failed in the duties of their office by so mild a sentence, for which let them all be degraded three degrees of rank, and the priests be cut into ten thousand pieces," said the Emperor.
"If the crime be proved, the sentence is light; if not, terrible must be thy remorse, O my sovereign, for the learned father's services have been great. Surely, then, thy wisdom alone should seek to discover the guilt or innocence of this enormous culprit, or much-injured priest," said Woo.
"The words of the venerable Woo, O my royal father, are worthy of his years and the imperial dignity; let not thy indignation rather than thy justice adjudge this priest, but command that he be brought before thee," said the young prince, earnestly.
"Thy words are but reasonable, my son; we will examine the Christian dog ourselves," said the Emperor. When, at a signal, the aged missionary, Adam Schaal, was brought before the throne, so laden with iron chains that his form was bent to the shape of a bow; still, with his long white hair and beard, and the unflinching, piercing blue eye of his German race, he looked, as he was, a willing martyr for the cause of his Saviour.
At the sight of his old favorite thus humiliated, even the Emperor melted with pity and doubt as to his guilt. "Can it be under heaven," said he, "that so holy a body should contain so vile a heart? Have we not protected and fostered thee and thy companions in the heart of our empire, giving thee permission to build thy temples and even to convert the people to thy religion; nay, moreover, raised thee to the first rank among the learned? Canst thou answer, thou villainous old man?"
"It is even these favors, O mighty Emperor, that have raised the envy of the enemies of Christ, who, jealous of the success of thy servant's cause, seek to destroy him, that they may triumph over his religion; and if their malice should prevail, the Christian priest will die blessing the great Emperor who enabled him to do so much good."
"What says the accuser to these words?" said the Emperor, sternly, more than half believing in the father's innocence.
"Stand forth, O Hung," said Li-Kong; when a mandarin of the second degree fell before the throne and held above his head some medals, a book, and a chaplet of beads, saying, "Are not these proofs of the old rogue's guilt?"
"They are, O my sovereign, the mysterious symbols and secret marks used by the initiated in the great conspiracy, which is now insidiously spreading throughout the empire, and known to each other."
"How! what dog's words are these, thou ignorant slave? Dost thou not know that these are the symbols of the Lord of heaven's religion?" replied the Emperor, who, at the beginning of his reign, having befriended the missionaries, and made himself master of the mysteries and symbols of their religion, was far beyond most of his nobles in intelligence.
"It is so alleged, O dread sovereign, by the villains, for their own vile ends, and should it be even so, the Son of Heaven can not doubt this proof of guilt," replied the mandarin, placing a letter in the Emperor's hands.
For some time there was a dread silence; when, however, the Emperor had perused the document, his eye sparkled with rage, and he exclaimed, "Truly the proof is overwhelming, and it is to the viceroy of Quang-Tung the Emperor owes the discovery of this villainy. Bring hither the petition of the criminal tribunal for the villain's execution. Moreover, let it go forth through the earth that every Christian dog be exterminated;" and the court having prostrated themselves three times in token of obedience, one of the colaos presented the petition or sentence to the Emperor, which as he was about to confirm, by affixing the signature of the vermilion pencil, Nicholas threw himself at the foot of the throne, crying at the risk of his life, "O great Emperor, thy slave dares proclaim the extreme villainy of the great viceroy of Quang-Tung, whose jealousy and envy of the favors his royal master has bestowed upon the good father has caused him to seek his life."
"Is the boy pirate mad that he dares so insolently presume upon his small services, as to interrupt the course of justice?" exclaimed the angry Emperor.
Taking from his vest the letter his father had given him for Father Adam, Nicholas said, boldly, "This letter, O great sovereign, thy servant was commanded by his parent to place in the hands of the priest Adam. Should it contain treason, the Emperor can punish on the spot, for both the priest and the son of the writer are in his hands. Should it be otherwise, his royal generosity will know how to reward."
No less surprised than appeased by the boy's vehemence, Wey-t-song commanded the censor Woo to proclaim aloud its contents, to which the nobles, as they were friends or enemies of the priests of Christ, listened with divided attention. The document was lengthy and tedious, and directed by Chin-Chi-Loong, the merchant of the south, to his illustrious teacher and religious parent, the Father Adam Schaal, warning him that the viceroy of Quang-Tung, in conjunction with the bonzes of the court, whom he had bribed at Pekin, had organized such a scheme that it could not fail to appear clear that the Christian priests in China were at the head of a conspiracy to dethrone the Emperor, at whose feet he advised the Father Adam immediately to prostrate himself and demand an investigation, promising speedily to send proofs of the viceroy's villainy to Pekin.
"The wickedness of this viceroy must be great, O my sovereign," said Woo, when he had concluded.
"Truly the great father of the empire will not believe the miserable charge of a wretched pirate against one of his highest officers," said Li-Kong savagely; but making an angry motion to the prince for silence, the Emperor said, "What says the priest?"
"Truth, O great sovereign, is deeply emeshed in falsehood, that time alone can unravel; yet, had that letter reached thy servant's hands, his imperial master would have been saved an act of injustice; of, not receiving the great merchant's warning, the cruel viceroy succeeded, the storm of persecution burst over Hang-tcheou-fou, the churches of Christ were destroyed, and their priests loaded with chains whipped, tortured upon the rack, and otherwise degraded, it being only by the providence of the Almighty that thy servant was enabled to escape and reach Pekin in safety—where, alas! the persecution followed, and burst out with redoubled fury; thy servant, the head of his Church, being the first to feel and glory that he was the first to suffer for the cause of Christ."
"Can these words be true, O Woo? Has such villainy taken place in the land?" said the Emperor.
"Such things, O great prince, have been done in thy holy name by roguish ministers, who (may I be pardoned for my boldness) have taken advantage of the luxurious retirement of their Emperor to serve their own vile ends," replied Woo.
"Then be it the care of the upright censor to see that these miserable mandarins, who have so traitorously brought their Emperor's name into contempt and hatred, be exterminated with their whole families," said Wey-t-song, who was as impulsive for good as for bad.
"Surely my great father may be upon the brink of great injustice; he may be sacrificing the lives of many devoted servants. It would be but justice that accusers and accused should be confined till the matter is sifted, and the truth discovered," said the young prince.
"The prince, our heir, has wisdom beyond his years; his words are good, and shall be followed," said the Emperor. At which there was an indecorous murmur of satisfaction, which was, however, instantly suppressed by the Emperor making the signal with his sleeves, that the audience was at an end.
When Nicholas arose the following morning, his first care was for the safety of Chow, whom he discovered to be still in the custody of the criminal tribunal, where by the laws, he would be kept till the will of the chief colao became known. Feeling, however, satisfied that the boy would meet with no harm, now that he himself was in such high favor, he prepared for the promised private audience; and scarcely had he donned the state habiliments, which had been supplied to him by the chamberlain, than he received the imperial summons, and having been conducted through a series of large courts, he was shown into the innermost apartment of the palace, where in deep thought over a letter, sat the Emperor; upon the left (the place of honor) stood the young prince; upon his right, the aged Woo.
Having complied with the court etiquette by running quickly up the apartment, throwing himself on his knees, and performing the kow-tow, the Emperor commanded him to arise, and, placing his hand upon the letter, said, "The noble youth, then, is the son of the daring writer of these terrible characters, which declare most boldly that the noblest of our generals and relations is a traitor and rebel."
"The life of thy servant, O great prince, is at the will of his sovereign if those characters are not as truthful as the sacred books themselves," replied Nicholas.
"We dare not doubt them, youth, if these other characters are not forged by some villain," said the Emperor, placing a letter in the hands of Woo; adding, "Let the venerable Woo, who knoweth all things, declare the pencil that portrayed them."
Falling upon his knees and taking the letter, the aged man said, "Truly, O prince, these characters are from the hand of the General Li-Kong, whose treason is indeed stupendous, for he offers the supreme command of the four seas, and the sovereignty of the barbarous island of Formosa, to the merchant pirate, providing that sea chief will, with his multitudinous ships and great wealth, aid him (may the sound of the words not deprive me of reason) in subverting the dynasty of his holy Emperor. The crime, O my sovereign, is too huge to be conceived, and its author should be hewn into ten thousand pieces. Yet the eyes, nay, the very reason of thy aged servant, may be failing him, therefore it behoves us to have greater proof that these characters are not forged; for, though great is the cunning of villainy, surely so great a crime cannot exist beneath heaven."
"The words of the aged noble are magnanimous, for surely the Prince Li-Kong is the enemy of him and his; yet, though magnanimity is taught by the sacred books, it must not endanger the life of our great sovereign and father," said the Prince Yong-Li; adding, "Surely Li-Kong is famous for his vileness; his character is known to us all, yet if greater proof be wanting, let it be sought from the lips of this noble youth, whose life will be the penalty of so false an accusation."
"It would ill become so mean a person to traduce so great a general as the Prince Li-Kong, yet the safety of his sovereign must unseal his lips. Know, then, dread Emperor, that the General Li-Kong is at this very moment plotting thy ruin," said Nicholas, who then gave in detail the conversation he had heard at the palace of retirement, which the Emperor had no sooner heard than he said hastily, "Convey our command, O noble Woo, to the general thy son, to search for this traitor, and bring him in chains before us."
"Thy servant is unfortunate, for this is not possible, my sovereign. The brave Woo-san-Kwei, knowing his duty too well to remain in idleness at Pekin, while the Tartar-barbarians were harassing his army like hungry wolves,—truly the body was of little use without the head,—departed for his command after the council yesterday," replied Woo.
"How!" said the Emperor passionately; "dared the general take his departure without an audience of leave."
"Let not thy wrath, O great sovereign fall upon the head of thy faithful servant, who presumed so far because his Emperor has, of late, foregone the salutary ceremonies laid down by his ancestors," said the aged minister.
Angry at this rebuke yet feeling its truthfulness, the weak prince despairingly threw himself backward in his chair, when the young prince said "Surely the throne should be defended by its heir. Thy son, O my Emperor and parent, will depart with the guards of the palace and bring this arch-traitor to his father's feet;" and not receiving a denial, the prince respectfully took his leave, when, having recovered his equanimity, the Emperor again took up Chin-Chi-Loong's letter.
"Truly, boy," said his majesty, "this daring pirate, thy father, knows more than the Emperor or his ministers. How know we that he is not as great a traitor as the prince he denounces, for surely by commerce alone he could not have obtained this wealth of ships, men, and money, which, like a king, he so insolently offers to his sovereign and master?"
"Truly, O great Emperor, if my illustrious parent were a traitor, he would not have placed the life of his only son, thy mean servant, in so great a danger," said Nicholas.
"The words of the youth, O prince, are as true as his deeds are brave," said Woo; adding, "Let then thy slave pray that the sunshine of the Emperor's favor may fall upon his race; for, fearing that the intentions of this great merchant were treasonous, I have long caused his actions to be watched and his ships to be harassed by the sea mandarins; but indeed with little use, for the noble Chin-Chi-Loong overcame them all, to the disgrace of the board of arms of thy empire.
"How! did the slave pirate dare to overcome our sea tigers?" said the Emperor in a rage.
"He has presumed, O prince to chastise traitors who wielded thy royal commission but for their own purposes, which, if a crime, he now offers to amend by sending his only son to beg that he may receive an order, signed by the vermilion pencil, to command that great fleet in his sovereign's name alone. The powerful pirate, for whose head the Emperor's ministers have offered great rewards, now places himself and his fortune at the disposal of the Son of Heaven," said Nicholas.
So great an offer having restored the Emperor to a better humor, he said, "It is a presumptuous request, yet loyal, if this bold man can give us a guarantee that he intends not playing us false."
"That guarantee is the life of thy servant, his only son, O my prince," replied Nicholas.
"These words are good and loyal, O my Emperor; for surely if this bold merchant hath sought wealth and power for his descendants, lo! he places his heir in thy hands," said Woo.
"The words of the aged Woo are wise and far-seeing. We grant this bold man's petition, and should he help us to root out from the land this growing rebellion we will secure to him the island promised by the villain Li-Kong. As for thyself, brave youth, to whom we are so greatly indebted, we grant thee the title of Princess-defending Tiger of War, and appoint thee to a command in the guards of the palace; and, moreover, will keep thee in our favor, of which this shall be a token," said the Emperor, taking from his girdle an embroidered purse, and handing it to Nicholas, who fell reverently upon his knees and held his hands above his head to receive the present.
At that moment the Prince Yong-Li entered, threw himself at the foot of the throne, and said, "Thy son, O my sovereign, is deserving of punishment, for the traitor has escaped."
"Escaped!" repeated the Emperor, bitterly.
"Truly so, my father; no sooner did the council of yesterday disperse, than, fearing the discovery of his guilt, he assembled his officers and guards and quitted the city."
"Let the fleetest of our horsemen follow immediately," added the Emperor.
"It would be in vain, my father, for ere they can overtake him the traitor will be in the midst of his own troops and province," replied the prince.
"It would be wise to have the gates closely guarded and the defences of the city examined," said Woo.
"The villain dares not carry his treason so far as to invade our capital," replied Wey-t-song.
"Let not the generous nature of my prince carry him too far, for by insidious arts and treacherous gifts this Li-Kong has gained the hearts of the people of the provinces, and is vile enough to attempt the greatest of crimes," said the minister.
"By the tombs of our ancestors, the venerable noble is wise, and we should be prepared for the vilest of crimes. Let the barbarian-subduing General Woo-san-Kwei and his army be recalled from Leao-tong."
"And so exchange a small traitor for the Tartar king, who, though a barbarian, is brave and powerful; rather let my royal father call around him in council the doctors of war and the ablest of his generals, who from the military books will doubtless find sure means of defending the city," said the prince; adding, "Then, O my sovereign parent, let the army be assembled, and permit thy son and this noble youth to meet the rebel on his way. Let this be so, my Emperor, and thy son will bring the traitor's head to thy feet, or be himself brought there upon his own shield."
"Thy heart is brave, but thy years too few, O my son, for so great a trust," replied the Emperor.
"At my years the illustrious Tait-sou, the founder of our race, planted the first seeds of his glory in the field," said the young prince, warmly.
"The royal prince, thy chosen heir, is both wise and brave, my sovereign, for his name and rank will be a banner, around which the loyal will flock as plentifully as locusts, while his youth and bravery will shame the rebels into submission," said the censor.
"The counsel of the venerable Woo is bold," said the Emperor; adding, "After the council of war my son shall seek to emulate the bravery of his ancestors."
"The tongue of thy son is too feeble to speak his thanks, my sovereign," exclaimed the impetuous prince, falling upon his knees.