About The Digital Library of Korean Classics

The Digital Library of Korean Classics is a project undertaken by Literature

Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) to digitalize selected translated titles of
Korean classics published in the late nineteenth to the early twenty-first century.
LTI Korea is an affiliate of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of the
Republic of Korea that seeks to promote Korean literature and culture around the
world.
This e-book was made by scanning and converting the original book using OCR
software. We have made every effort to ensure the book is free of any errors or
omissions, but if you discover any, please email us so that we can improve the quality
of the book.

1
 CONTENTS

PREFACE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION

A NINE CLOUD DREAM

by Kim Man-jung
trans. by Richard Rutt

THE TRUE HISTORY OF QUEEN INHYN

trans. by Kim Chong-un

THE SONG OF A FAITHFUL WIFE, CHUN-HYANG

trans. by Richard Rutt

2
 Preface

The three works translated in this volume are generally recognized as the most
significant products of traditional Korean fiction. Kuunmong was written in the reign
of King Sukchong (1674-1720); lnhyn Wanghu chn describes events of that reign;
and Chunhyang ka is a romance set in the same period, which came to be regarded as
an ideal age of peace and prosperity. The second and third stories, however, did not
attain the form in which they are here translated until the nineteenth century.
The three stories were translated independently of each other between 1968 and
1971 at the request of the Asia Society of New York. Mrs Bonnie Crown, director of
the Societys literature program, noticed that the theme of womans life and ideals is
common to all three tales and suggested they should be published in one book.
I am responsible for all introductory matter and for the translations of Kuunmong
and Chunhyang ka. I have also edited Professor Kim Chong-uns translation of
lnhyn Wanghu chn, principally in order to unify the treatment of technicalities. I
refer chiefly to four matters. Chinese names are transliterated as Chinese, Korean
names as Korean; the ages of characters, and the counting of time in general are
expressed according to western computation, and are thus one or two years less than
the figures given in the original texts, which use Korean computation; and year dates
are given according to the western era only, disregarding the Chinese sixty-fold
numeration system, except where that system has some significance beyond bare
chronology. The text has not been annotated, because the book is intended for the
general readers enjoyment. Explanatory phrases have been inserted into the
translation where it seemed necessary to illuminate what would otherwise be merely
mystifying allusions. Students requiring critical texts and detailed references can be

3
expected to be capable of using Korean editions.
The illustrations to Kuunmong are taken from Gales The Cloud Dream of the Nine
(London 1922), which contains a picture for each of the sixteen chapters in the
Chinese text, inscribed with the appropriate chapter heading. The English legends
provided here, however, identify the incidents represented.
I am grateful for the generous help of many people; especially Professor Chng
Kyu-bok of Korea University; Professor Pak Yo-sun of Sungjn University; Mr. Choi
Woon-sok of Korean National Commission for Unesco for editing, layout and
proofreading; and to my wife, Joan, for improving the English style of The History of
Queen Inhyn.

Taejn, Korea
3 December 1973
Richard Rutt

4
 General Introduction

Korean fiction was relatively slow in developing written forms. It is not in fact
until the late seventeenth century that works by certainly identifiable authors can be
found. The tradition of story-telling is, of course, very much older, but the linguistic
conditions of the country prevented that tradition from blossoming into the production
of novels, as the Chinese and Japanese traditions had done long before. There was no
sanction for the wide use of the vernacular in literature. Although after the invention of
a native Korean script in the middle of the fifteenth century it was theoretically
possible to write the national language, in fact the entrenched use of Chinese continued
to dominate Korean literary culture. It was possible to write novels in Chinese, but the
scholastic tradition set more store on poetry and discussion than on fiction. Fiction in
Korea remained for the most part oral.
Under a Confucian orthodoxy, male society did not provide the best setting for the
growth of fiction. The Confucian ethos gave men a great interest in history, so great
that made-up stories were deemed frivolous; the stress on philosophyespecially
moral philosophyemphasized this disregard for fiction. The western concept of the
novel as a contribution to thought has scarcely even today made much impression on
Korea.
When fiction came to be written down, adventure and romance were the chief
topics, and it was only to be expected that the needs of women would be of great
significance for the writers. Equally inevitable was the fact that only upper-class
women and professional entertainers would be realistically described in written
fiction. For coolies wives and farmers daughters, and indeed sometimes even for the
upper classes, fictional descriptions of their ideals and their dreams would have more

5
success than true descriptions of the hardship which was the lot of most people. Life
in East Asia was hard by any modern western standard. Even the ladies of the palaces
lived in what would now be regarded as unbearable discomfort, cold in winter and
stifled in summer, without bathrooms, without holidays, and with acute discomfort if
they ever travelled. Japanese ladies had bathrooms, but their quarters were in general
fitted for a rugged life. The men were no better off, and because such discomfort was
accepted as part of the way of the world, it was not remarked on in fiction. Occasional
phrases remind the modern reader of the smells of the old houses and palaces, of the
rigors of the climate, and the problems of the water supply. Most of the nation lived in
what its present-day descendants would call squalor.
Physical discomfort was not the worst thing in life. Nervous strain was intense, and
grew more intense as one went up the social scale. The byzantine politics of the
palace were reflected in other large households. Everyone was vulnerable to jealousy.
A womans social fortunes were tied to the careers of her menfolk, who could be
influenced by the way in which she satisfied the men and thereby held at bay the
dangers of concubines and singing-girls. Such stresses were also accepted as part of
the framework of life, but differed from physical hardships in that they provided
suitable material for fiction. They were subject to luck, that good fortune which is a
leit-motif of East Asian literature: one could always hope that things would turn out
better, or stay well. Dreams of good fortune buoy up most of the human race on its
passage through the vale of tears.
That the longest, and in most ways the best, of Korean stories should have been
written specifically for a woman and called a nine cloud dream, Kuunmong, is
therefore not in the least surprising. It was intended to divert and console an ageing
mother. The interest of the story centers in its women, three of whom are mothers, and
the remaining eight eventually married to one man. This is a reductio ad absurdum of a

6
major problem of Yi dynasty family life: secondary wives and concubines. In
Kuunmong the problem works out with smooth perfection, comfortably suggesting that
such a life was possible; or perhaps ironically understating that such felicity was
impossible. The ability of the eight women to live together is of greater concern than
their relations with their husband. His role is to provide the social framework on
which they can embroider the pattern of what really matters to them: their emotional
relationships in the inner quarters. Their world is as narrow as their courtyards, as
wide as the human heart. Affection is what matters most. The husband plays a role that
is remarkably modern in that he is expected to provide a firm emotional basis for his
women. The book is a dream of what women wished for: womens converse with
women was as essential as marriage itself.
Philosophically the book is an account of the tension between Confucianism and
Buddhism that was latent in Korean thinking, but more obvious in the lives of women
than of men. A man could be brought up to despise Buddhism and be a whole-hearted
Confucian. Most men were. Women had to conform to the role allotted to women by
Confucianism but were rarely allowed to study Confucianism deeply, and would
probably have had little taste for it had they been so allowed They retained much
Buddhist devotion, and were thus induced to enjoy the religious aspect of Kuunmong.
Simply expressed, the argument was between Confucian emphasis on the right
ordering of this world, (with its natural concomitant of the pursuit of honor by men
vying in their worthiness to achieve that right ordering), and the other-worldliness of
Buddhism. The Confucian who failed in his personal ambitions could find solace in
self-regard, quietly rejoicing in his own nobility of mind, or taking comfort from a
more or less stoical, yet essentially humanistic philosophy. For men this was usually
sufficient; for women it was not enough. They needed the help of mysticism and of
religious devotion which Buddhism was able to supply. Men were sometimes

7
attracted to Buddhism in a notably more intellectual fashion, but the confrontation
between Confucianism and Buddhism in Kuunmong is only implicitly philosophical. It
is essentially poetic. Kim Man-jung, who wrote the book, was deeply influenced by
women, and wrote naturally in a vein that would appeal to his mother, who had been
the dominant influence in his spiritual formation.
Kuunmong, however, is not a romance for ill-educated women. On the contrary, it
is carefully constructed fiction for a discriminating and sophisticated woman who had
led her family from distress to success and then seen the almost inevitable fall from
success which was the lot of the seventeenth-century Korean politician. The bitter
uncertainties of life in that atmosphere of jealousy and maneuvering appeared to be
under control by the men. Life was tougher for women, who had to accept the family
fortunes for which the men were responsible. For women the comforts of Buddhism
were of greater importance.
But not all women, not even all court women, were either well-educated or mild.
Many of them were powerful political forces and they were openly accepted as such.
Kuunmong does not touch on this aspect of womens life because the author could not
have shown his women characters manipulating the male characters politically without
spoiling the moral idealism of the book. He could allow himself to be witty, and could
describe in full the way in which women teased men sexually, so long as he did that
with propriety within the contemporary conventions.
The History of Queen lnhyn belongs to a different literary genre, and describes
the same society as Kuunmong does, but as history, not as fiction. Yet it gives a
heightened account of the noble qualities of some of the male characters, applauding
Confucian virtues to an extent that is obsequious to King Sukchong (about whose
personality there is obviously something important to be said on the debit side); and
describes a virtuous woman, in the person of Queen lnhyn, driving her virtue to

8
logical extremes that verge on caricature. The book is staunchly orthodox and makes
no mention of Buddhism, though it describes a macabre and despicable charade of
shamanism. The result is an account of the life of aristocratic women at once
historically more accurate and poetically more distorted than the picture provided by
Kuunmong. Chang Hibin is an ill-educated, coarse, selfish and scheming woman, the
antithesis of the ideal. Whether the real Chang Hibin was as bad as the character in
the History is of little importance. There were women of this kind, and they played
important roles in politics. In describing her the writer intends a contrast with the
perfection of Queen Inhyns character; indirectly he underlines the weakness of the
king, and of any other men who could be swayed by such women. Thus the polemical
purposes of the History provide a revealing account of the life and character of
highly-born women. The formality of the writing does not obscure the relentless
intensity of purpose and emotion that distinguished the life of the palace from the life
of the commoner.
Both Kuunmong and The History of Queen lnhyn deal with the life of aristocrats.
Chunhyang ka comes to us in a text that was formulated for different audiences.
Unlike the other two works it is properly part of oral literature. The heroine is not an
aristocrat, but she is of aristocratic descent and could reasonably be imagined
marrying into an aristocratic family. Social protest has a long history in East Asia, and
elements of it are much easier to descry in Chunhyang ka than they are in the other
two stories in this collection; but it would be a mistake to emphasize the disparate
social origins of the hero and heroine and treat that point as the whole purpose of the
story. (It would be wiser to note that though Chun-hyangs mother was a dancing-girl,
her father was an aristocrat. The social distinction is a subtle device to provide and
emphasize romance, rather than a blunt instrument of social criticism.) The audience
for which Ch'unhyang ka was intended constitutes the real social distinction between

9
this work and the other two. Chunhyangs audience could include the illiterate, and it
is provincial, whereas the other two are metropolitan; it is more human, less urbane; it
contains low comedy, contrasting with the high comedy of Kuunmong. It does not
describe the lower classes, but it was designed to appeal to all classes.
It resembles the other two works, nevertheless, in that it deals with the ideal
woman, and sets its ideal in an aristocratic milieu. Of all the elements that have been
blended in the storyromantic love, social justice, melodrama, horseplay, mild
eroticism, descriptive poetry, high moralityidealized female virtue is the most
important. The point is adequately proved by the alternative titles by which the story
has been known. The women of Kuunmong are an ideal group, Inhyn is a paragon of
correctitude and goodness, and we are expected to admire them, perhaps even to envy
them. What distinguishes Chunhyang, who is equally idealized, is that clearly we are
expected to respond to her with affection and with a pity warmer than that elicited by
the dazzlingly virtuous Queen Inhyn, whom we never see falling in love and romping
under the quilts with her husband. In spite of the literary conventions that mould the
form of Chunhyang, the story is essentially earthy, and so the ideal of Korean
womanhood comes over more believably. If the Tang court of Kuunmong is cooled
by the fragrant breezes of cloud-cuckoo-land, and the palaces of Queen Inhyn
enshrine morals that surpass our belief, the village alleys and vulgar parties of
Ch'unhyangs lusty Namwn give us an insight into the place of feminine idealism in
the life of the whole peninsula of Korea.
The constant principles that inspired Korean women were the same as those that
inspired Korean men: the principles of orthodox Confucianism. But humanity kept
breaking through. Women wanted to be modest, pure, obedient, ceremonious, and
noble-minded. They were also jealous, ambitious, and clever. Some were ignorant,
but many were accomplished and well-educated. The tension between the formal role

10
expected of them by society and the spiritual forces within them combined to make
women more interesting subjects for fiction than men were.
Did these women live fulfilled and happy lives? The answer must be Yes. Fictional
descriptions of ideals presuppose a sound basis in a happy view of life. If there is real
lack of fulfilment there will be a lack of consistent ideals in fiction. Despair does not
breed ideals, but blank questioning. No one should be misled by the superficial fact
that western women and twentieth-century women could never find happiness within
the conventions of Yi dynasty society.

11
A Nine Cloud Dream

12
 Introduction

Kuunmong, 'A Nine Cloud Dream', holds a special place in the history of Korean
fiction: it has traditionally been regarded as the oldest major novel written in the
Korean language, yet it is a story of China and there exists no Korean text that can
confidently be identified as the original. It is scarcely a true novel in the modern
western sense, but more nearly a romance, which at first reading tells little of the
author or his times.
It was written in the seventeenth century, when Korean culture was still dominated
by Chinese influences. Even the language of everyday life was deeply imbued with
Chinese thought-forms. Korean belongs to a quite different linguistic family from
Chinese, but as Latin was the language of literature and administration in the Europe of
the high Middle Ages, so Chinese was the language of literature and administration in
Korea until the end of the nineteenth century. Koreans looked to China for their
artistic, political and moral ideals, and Korean compositions in Chinese often earned
the esteem of Chinese critics.
Most of what was best in Korean aristocratic culture had been learned from China.
Confucianism, in the syncretistic form developed in China during the Sung dynasty,
was the official philosophy and, in effect, religion of the Korean nation. It provided
the canons of art and literature as well as the code of ethics. Buddhism was in a
period of eclipse, though far from dead: its temples flourished in the mountains outside
the cities, and its mysticism satisfied the emotional needs of women, for whom
Confucianism had little to offer. Taoism did not exist as a formally-organized religious
system, and like Buddhism was officially frowned on, though its myths were known
from Chinese books and it was influential in so far as it was mediated through the
works of the Sung Confucian commentators. The ruling dynasty had deliberately
13
developed a Confucian system of government with elaborate attention to ritual
propriety and manners, which in theory ensured both the continued blessing of heaven
and the political stability of the state.
Kuunmong reflects this background: it is a Korean story, but it is set in an idealized
China. Korean ideals could not, in the seventeenth century, have been imagined in any
other fictional setting. Paradoxically, the chinoiserie of Kuunmong is one of its most
typically Korean characteristics.
The author was Kim Man-jung, commonly referred to by his pen name, Spo
(Western Port). He was born in 1637, shortly after the death of his father, who
committed suicide on the island of Kanghwa in the aftermath of the Manchu invasion
of Korea in that year. The fact that he had never seen his father and was brought up
with his only brother in a household of women deeply influenced Kim Man-jung for
the whole of his life. His mother was a Yun of the Haepyng clan, and a
granddaughter of the royal princess Chnghye. Haepyng Yuns were noted for strict
adherence to Confucian propriety, especially their womenfolk. In spite of the poverty
of the boys early days, their social status was maintained and one of Kim Man-jungs
nieces eventually married into the royal family and became Queen Ingyng.
His mother was devoted to poetry and learning. To ensure that her sons should learn
the Chinese classics and poetry, she taught them herself, begging or borrowing books
for them, and even making her own handwritten copies. The effect of this genteel
female-dominated upbringing shows in Kim Man-jungs writings. His poems have a
concentration on romance, and his novels a preoccupation with the life of women that
accord perfectly with his reputation, which was that of a womanizer. Extreme filial
piety and concern for aristocratic manners are characteristic themes of Kuunmong and
typical of the impression that he made on his contemporaries.
At the age of 28 he was placed at the top of the list in the national civil service

14
examination, which was the only gateway to a political career, and began to climb
through the ranks of officialdom. It was a time when Korea should have been bending
her energies to the reconstruction of the country after the destruction caused by the
Japanese invasion in the last decade of the sixteenth century and the Manchu invasions
at the time of Kim Man-jungs birth, but the aristocrats of the Korean court spent their
efforts in jostling for power. They formed themselves into parties and then redivided
themselves. Public life was a constant warfare of accusations and memorials to the
throne. The questions at issue were often purely ceremonial; yet the fate of the losers
was usually not only dismissal, but also exile to the remote countryside.
In 1671, Kim Man-jung was appointed a royal agent to travel in the provinces
incognito and report to the king on the doings of local governments. In the following
year he was back at the capital in the central government, but in 1674, on the death of
Queen Insn, the statesmen indulged in one of their fiercer quarrels. This time it was
about the appropriate form of mourning for the Lady Chai, who was the royal consort
next in rank to the dead queen. Kims party was disgraced and he was removed from
office. In 1679 he was restored to office and, after serving with the Board of Rites, in
1683 he became Minister of the Board of Works, and then held office in the justiciary,
but was impeached again by the other party and forced out of office. In 1685 he was
back at work once more at a high post in the office which concerned itself with the
royal archives and rescripts. Before long he was in trouble again because he protested
against what he considered an injustice in the treatment of another scholar-official.
This time he was exiled to Snchn, in the northern province of Pyngan. A year
later, in 1688, he was recalled and was at once embroiled in the troubles arising from
the kings dismissal of his queen, Inhyn, of the Min family. She was sent out of the
palace to live in the city, and a concubine named Chang was put in her place. King
Sukchong had more trouble with the palace women than any other Korean king, and

15
this particular story has passed into Korean folklore. The women were not only
jealous of each other, but were involved with their family connections in the court
factions. Kim Man-jung was again in disfavor, and in 1689 he was exiled to the island
of Namhae off the south coast, near Yosu. He died there in 1692, before his faction
could regain influence in Seoul. His mother had died while he was in exile and he
never recovered from the loss.
However, in 1698 he was posthumously reinstated, and a few years later when
Queen Chang was dismissed on the downfall of her party, he was officially given the
honorific title of Munhyoa name whose meaning honors his filial piety and his
literary skill.
As with most personalities of the period, it is difficult to unravel from the records
any reliable picture of his character. He is either praised or blamed, according to the
political affiliations of the writer. However, it is clear that he was a man of unusually
wide learning, interested in religion, music, mathematics, and astronomy as well as
literature. His acquaintance with music is amply demonstrated by the subject matter of
some of his poetry and also appears in the details of Kuunmong. His writings consist
mostly of poetry and essays published, according to the custom of the time, in a
collected edition after his death; and two novels: Kuunmong and Sa-ssi namjng ki
(The Story of Lady Hsiehs Dismissal). The latter, much shorter and slighter than
Kuunmong, was written about 1689 or later. It is a story about concubinage which,
although it is set in Ming China, is only too clearly a satire about King Sukchongs
home life.
The history of the text of Kuunmong is obscure. The tradition is consistent that Kim
Man-jung wrote it to console his mother when he was first parted from her at the time
of his exile to Snch n. He was then about fifty years old. There is no more reason to
doubt this tradition than there is to believe the more elaborate form of it that says the

16
book was completed in a single night. The finished work does not bear the marks of
extempore writing.
Kim Tae-jun in his pioneer work on old Korean fiction Chosn sosl sa, published
in 1933, was the first to state that Kuunmong was written in Korean and later
translated into Chinese. No evidence was adduced to prove this opinion, but it went
unquestioned until Chng Kyu-bok in 1961 published the first serious study of the
various editions, and came to the tentative conclusion that the Chinese text printed
from woodblocks in Chnju in 1803 was the oldest and most authoritative extant
version. All the Korean versions appeared to be translations from the Chinese, and it
is known that Kim Man-jungs mother, for whom the book was written, was devoted to
Chinese literature. Furthermore, the book is full of formal documentsmemorials to
the throne, decrees, prayers and poemsand it is unlikely that these would have been
written in Korean by a man of Kim Man-jungs background and period.
There was, however, a lacuna in the argument for the priority of the Chinese text.
The 1803 edition, though fuller than any of the Korean versions, lacked one important
episode that some of them contained: the attractive description of the state of mind of
Hsing-chen when he awakes from his dream at the end of the book. This discrepancy
gained additional interest in that the awakening passage was contained in J. S. Gales
English translation, The Cloud Dream of the Nine, published in London in 1922.
Gales book corresponded to no single known text. Scholars concluded that Gale must
have translated from the Chinese with reference to a Korean version. In 1971 when I
found among his papers in Montreal a note saying he had worked from a Chinese text
and never seen a Korean text, it became clear that he had used a Chinese text other
than the 1803 edition, and unknown to modern scholars.
Among my own books was a battered single volume from a two-volume woodblock
Chinese edition of Kuunmong which I had found in an antique shop in Chnju in

17
November 1970, in such poor condition that the shopkeeper had made me a present of
it and I had not bothered to examine it. When I looked at it in the autumn of 1971 I
discovered that it was printed at Naju in 1725 and contained the awakening passage.
Professor Chng had discovered a similar volume at Taegu in 1970, and An Chun-gn
possesses another copy. The first volume of this woodblock edition has not been
found, but four manuscripts of the whole text have been identified. Professor Chng
published an article describing the 1725 text, which could then be identified as the
basis of Gales translation.
Professor Chngs continued investigations led him to examine manuscript copies of
the Chinese texts more closely than had been done before. He has classified them in
three groups, two typified by the 1725 and 1803 woodblock texts, the third
distinguished by the fact that the title of the first chapters, which in the woodblock
edition begins with Ynhwa-bong, Lotus peak, in this group of manuscripts begins
with Nojon, an old monk.
The 1725 text is superior to the 1803 text, but both have misprints and errors of
various kinds, and lack whole sentences of the Nojon text. The Nojon text is therefore
probably the original, but it exists only in manuscript and no modern edition has yet
been published.
The various Korean vernacular versions can all now be shown to have been
translated from the Chinese. Three are of greater importance than the others: one in
Seoul National University library, one in the possession of Professor Yi Ka-wn, and
a translation of the Chinese Nojon text known to Professor Chng. The Seoul National
University text is an abbreviated translation of the Nojon text, and the manuscript
probably dates from the second part of the nineteenth century. Professor Yis copy is a
more recent version, partly dependent on the Seoul National University text, but also
related to a metal type Korean version, the Pangmun edition of 1917. The Yi Ka-wn

18
text was published in an annotated edition by its owner in 1955; the Seoul National
University text was not published until late in 1972.
When I made the first draft of my translation in 1968-9 I used the Yi Ka-wn text,
supplementing its obvious shortcomings from the only longer version then available,
the 1803 Chinese text. I have now, however, made further amendments and additions
in the light of the Seoul National University text since published. If a critical edition of
the Nojon Chinese text were available, the ideal course would obviously be to make a
translation based on that textbut I see little benefit to be derived from waiting for
that possibility. The history of the text is a story of attrition, and the best we can do for
the time being is to supply the deficiencies of the shorter texts while making
sometimes arbitrary decisions about those loci where the texts are at variance with
each other. The differences are all in matters of detail, chiefly in details of dialogue.
The Chinese text is divided into sixteen unequal parts, each entitled with a Chinese
couplet, after the style of Chinese novels. These sixteen chapters are sometimes ill-
adapted to the structure of the work, so I have ignored them and made an entirely new
division into sections which I believe will give a better picture of the real shape of the
book. It is composed of the description of a long dream with a prologue and an
epilogue. There are several dreams within the dream, but they are incidental rather
than structural. The thread of the story is simple and chronologically continuous.
The prologue tells how a Buddhist monk came to transmigrate into a brilliant young
Confucian scholar, and the epilogue tells how he becomes a monk again. The bulk of
the story is the dream of the successful career of his Confucian manifestation. The
dream itself falls roughly into two halves. In the first half the hero meets eight women,
and in the second half he marries them. The women are met in different places, and the
changes of locality, with a different woman as the center of interest in each place, give
the first half of the book a lively variety. This episodic narrative is bound together by

19
the involved story of his relations with the girl (Chiung-pei) to whom he is formally
espoused, and the problem posed by the emperors demand that he should marry the
princess Lan-yang.
The second half of the dream is an account of happiness and honor after the winning
of glory and success. In contrast to the first half, there is little movement, but much
conversation. Such psychological interest as the characters evoke is developed in this
section, where the personalities of the women become more distinct. The problems
which the narrator has set himself to solve in the first half have been settled,
particularly the problem of the imperial command and faithfulness to a marriage
contract. The less interesting problem of precedence between the princess of the line
and the adoptive princess takes up some of the story; and the author allows himself
two set pieces: the hunting picnic (owing much to Tu Fus poetry) and the wine
punishment scene. Finally there is the best piece of reflective writing in the book when
the old man and his eight consorts play the flute in the twilight on a hilltop. The reprise
of elements from the earlier part of the book is used to unify the whole work.
After the vigorous narrative quality and taut dialogue of the first part of the book,
the later sections move more slowly. But they have a proper function. The point of the
story demands that the hero should be more than successful; he must enjoy all the fruits
of success. The main events of the plot cover only four years of the prime of his youth.
The remaining years of lifetill he grows grey-headedare compressed into a few
pages. This again might look so disproportionate that the story could perhaps have
better ended when the hero had won all possible worldly honors. However, the ideal
of blessedness in Kim Man-jungs day was an old age lived out in peace and plenty,
and without such a long slow evening of life the impact of the story would have been
weakened.
The real theme of the book is in its title. It describes the life of a man who achieves

20
all the earthly bliss that can be attained. Nothing ever seriously spoils the happiness of
his existence. Yet at the end of the book it all turns out to be a dream, not because it
could not happen, but because even though it should happen, it would be of no real
value. Kim Man-jung does not say that because the life of man is painful and cruel, it
is worthless and must be transcended. He says that even at its impossibly ideal best it
would be no more than a dream. The tradition about the writing of the story is
significant. His mother was to be offered the consolations of philosophy, not merely
diverted by the romance. In spite of the chequered career of her son, he had tasted
success, and both he and she enjoyed the pleasures of poetry. Nevertheless, the
bitterness of exile did not mean less or more than the success. Life is a spring
afternoons dream.
There is a tradition in Korean Buddhism which accords with the later additions to
the famous Chinese Ox-herding pictures. In the end the ascetic who has achieved
Buddhahood is able to return to the market-place and live unperturbed in the ordinary
world. The same theme can be found in those Christian writers who assert that the
negative way of asceticism can be perfected in a world-accepting, positive view.
Kuunmong is not far from this concept, because while it says clearly that all life is a
dream, it does not reject the dream. At the end of the book the parable of Chuang-tzu
dreaming that he was a butterfly is quoted and there is a suspicion that the dream may
not have been unreal. Yet, whether it should be interpreted as unreal or not, the writing
and the interest of the novel are mostly centerd in the delights of the heros loves and
life in the imperial world. It is a Buddhist novel, but it is not by any means a simple
presentation of a via negativa, a theology of escape.
Three religions are described in the book and they are described as they existed in
China rather than as they have ever existed in Korea. The manners are purely
Confucian; most of the mythology has the exotic mysticism of Taoism; and the

21
underlying thought is Buddhist. However, it was the normal habit of Korean
storytellers to set their tales in China. The choice of the Tang period would also be
most natural, because it was regarded as the golden age not only of Chinese culture,
but of world culture.
The consistency of the setting is remarkable. The geography is right: the story starts
in the region a little south of modern Shanghai, and the journeys are rational. The
historical background too is reasonable. The only anachronisms occur in a few of the
literary allusions made by the characters. The story is set in the earlier part of the ninth
century, when very old men could recall the Emperor Hsan Tsung (reigned 713-736),
and less than a century after a rebellion put down by the Emperor Te Tsung (reigned
780-805). The rebel Chou Shih-liang is mentioned. He flourished in the first half of
the ninth century. The trouble in the commanderies of Ho-pei could be identified with
any one of a number of such events, and the Tibetan war refers to Tangs prolonged
struggle with the Tu-fan, who were the fore-runners of modern Tibet. The Tu-fan
empire finally disintegrated from 842 onwards. Its last important war with the Tang
ended in 821 in the reign of the Tu-fan King Ral-pa-chen. The title given for the
Tibetan king in the novel, Tsen-po, was used by more than one ruler of Tibet, and does
not indicate an historical personage any more than the Tang emperor of the story can
be identified with an historical emperor. However, the official government titles are
convincing: the period background has been carefully created without introducing real
people.
Throughout the book fantasy is blended into a story that is entirely credible. Given
only a modicum of faith in the powers of Buddhist adepts, one can accept the whole
thing. The eldritch battle with the fish hordes occurs only in the dream within the
dream. Some doubts about the real origin of the two girls, Niao-yen and Ling-po, are
who the only preternatural elements in the tale, and even they can easily be explained

22
away.
However, one cannot claim that Kuunmong is in any sense a precursor of realistic
literature. The importance of what we should call coincidence, but Koreans call inyn,
is basic to the whole concept of the novel. Without it the story would lose its point. I
have usually translated inyn as karma. Strictly speaking inyn and karma are
different. Inyn is a translation of the Sanskrit hetupratyaya and means causality, while
karma means deeds and their ethical effects in character, especially in relation to
transmigration. However, both the colloquial English use of karma and the colloquial
Korean use of inyn tend to confuse the two concepts, and for the purposes of this
novel the words are practically interchangeable.
The extreme youthfulness of the hero at the time of his major exploits so disturbed
Gale that he added a few years to the ages of all the characters. I have translated the
figures as they stand in the Korean text and if the impression given by my translation
errs at all, it probably errs by making the characters appear to be too old, because the
Korean and Chinese way of reckoning ages describes a person as being one or two
years older than he would be according to the modern western reckoning. The idea of
very young lovers ought not to worry anyone. In Koreas other famous romance,
Chunhyang chn, the ages of the protagonists are very much the same as in
Kuunmong, and so are those of Pao-y and his friends in the great Dream of the Red
Chamber of Ching China. Nor should it be forgotten that Shakespeares Juliet was
only fourteen years old.
The material which Kim Man-jung drew together in his story can be found in many
other stories in China and Korea. It is often difficult to identify the origin of an
episode in Korean literature because of the difficulty, even the impossibility, of fixing
the dates at which the majority of Korean romances were written. It is enough here to
remark that there is another Korean story, of roughly similar date to Kuunmong, about

23
a man with six concubines; that the theme of the succubus, or the woman disguised as a
succubus, is a very common one and much older than Kuunmong; that the story of a lad
meeting a girl by disguising himself as a female musician and playing the Phoenix
Song can be found elsewhere; and that the theme of the Dragon King and his daughter
is an ancient one, traceable eventually to Indian Buddhist sources; that many details
derive from the classic Chinese tales, Ying-ying chuan (or Hsi-hsiang chi), San-kuo-
chih yen-i, and Hsi yu chi.
The title of the book, Kuunmong, means literally nine-cloud-dream. Chinese and
Korean novels whose three-syllable names end with the character meng (Korean
mong), meaning dream, are legion. In nearly every case the dream means human life.
Later Korean novels written in Chinese include Ongnu-mong (Dream of the Jade
Chamber), Ongnin-mong (Dream of the Jade Gryphon), Ynnu-mong (Dream of the
Lotus Chamber) and Chngnu-mong (Dream of the Green Chamber). In Chinese
literature the style has a history going back to Yang- chou-meng (Dream of Yang-chou)
of the Tang period and the Yan-yang-meng (Dream of Mandarin Ducks) of the Ming
dynasty. Among the Korean titles, Ongnu-mong shows the greatest resemblance to
Kuunmong, because it tells of a complex romance set in the context of a preface and
epilogue in heaven. It is longer than Kuunmong, but much inferior to it.
The preface and epilogue set in heaven or elsewhere is a pattern also well-tried in
Chinese fiction. It can be found in Hsi yu chi, one of the three great novels of China
familiar to the English-speaking world through Arthur Waleys version, Monkey. There
is an even closer resemblance to the story of Kuunmong in Hung-lou-meng, the Dream
of the Red Chamber, which is not only one of the greatest Chinese novels but one of
the great novels of the world. There the young hero Pao-y, like Kuunmong's Hsing-
chen, goes off at the end with his mysterious teacher. However, there can be little or
no direct connection between the two books. The Ching novel is of quite a different

24
character from the Korean story, the religious element is much lower- keyed, and
Hung-lou-meng was written seventy-five years later than Kuunmong.
The cloud in the title is often understood to be an adjective describing the dream,
but in view of the significance of the idea of the dream in novel titles of this genre,
such an adjective would be otiose. On the other hand, the cloud as a symbol of the
insignificance of human life is to be found in the Analects of Confucius, and in
Buddhist usage the word cloud can mean a devotee, especially a wandering monk.
Since the nine of the title unquestionably refers to the nine chief characters who
transmigrate from the life of Buddhist devotees to the dream of worldly life, it seems
best to take the word cloud as a substantive and understand the title as a dream of
nine clouds.
In any Chinese or Korean novel it is to be expected that the names of the characters
and buildings will have symbolic meaning. Even the surnames are carefully chosen in
Kuunmong. The hero as a monk is called Hsing-chen (Korean Sngjin), which means
true to the Buddha-nature. When he transmigrates he joins the Yang family. Yang
means willow tree and is connected with the willows of the first set of poems in the
story. The willow figures much in songs of love and parting and of the transience of
human life. His mothers surname is Liu (Yu), which is another character meaning a
willow tree.
The first of the eight girls, Cheng Chiung-pei, has the surname that is the title of the
most famous love songs of antiquity, the songs of Cheng in the Book of Songs. Her
given name means jewel. The princesss name is explained in the text as referring to
the magic flute she plays on, and the titles by which these two are officially known,
Ying-yang and Lan-yang, are royal names which mean blossom and orchid
respectively. The blossom character carries an overtone of pride, and the orchid is a
symbol of retirement: the names hint at the girls characters.

25
 Chin Tsai-feng has the family name of a great emperor and her given name means
rainbow phoenix. The Oriental phoenix is a splendid bird of sexual love and
devotion, and is also a symbol of ability. Tsai-feng is the girl who is above all clever
at verse-making; her slightly showy character is contrasted with that of Chun-yn,
with whom she is usually paired in the story. Chun-yn means spring clouda less
self-assured young lady, aptly named as a cloud, but with the character for spring
carrying gentle and faintly erotic overtones.
The two professional dancing and singing girls have the type of name affected by
such women. Kuei Chan-yeh has a name full of moonbeams: her surname is the name
of the cinnamon tree in the moon, associated with the ravishingly beautiful moon-
maiden Heng-o, and her given name means simply moonlight'. Ti Ching-hung has a
surname which is also the name of a non-Chinese barbarian tribe, evoking her entry
into the story from the northeast borders; and her given name means startled
wildgoose. She is the one who is an expert horsewoman and huntress, able to pass
herself off as a boy, when she calls herself Po-luan, white bird of lovean
intentional irony.
The two mysterious girls picked up on the Tibetan campaign are Chen Niao-yen,
whose surname means deep, and whose given name means wreath of mist (she is
the one who comes through the air); and the daughter of the Dragon King is Po Ling-
po, literally meaning white waves.
The name of the Buddhist monk who guides the hero at the beginning and end of the
novel, Liu-ju, or Liu-kuan, is taken from the Diamond Sutra, and means the Six
Illusions: a dream, a phantasm, a bubble, a shadow, a dew, and lightning. It is a key
symbol of the novel, quoted in the mantra on the last page.
Even the names of the minor characters are carefully chosen, and there is studied
appropriateness about the names of Shao-yus children, in the last chapter of the book,

26
and the names of the various pavilions which figure in the story. In some cases the
significance depends on an allusion which makes it practically impossible to translate
the names succinctly, and I have interpolated explanatory phrases into the text.
Names are close to poetry in this context, and the poems that figure in the pages of
Kuunmong, as in so many other stories from China, Korea and Japan, are an integral
part of the work. The writing of poems was the ultimate sign of education and
refinement, and was particularly appreciated when it was done on the basis of a set of
rhyme characters and a subject proposed by someone else. The Kuunmong poems are
all written in pure Chinese. They are in a variety of styles, some of them more rigid
than others, but when there is a contest and a suggestion that one persons poetry was
better than anothers, then the fact is duly shown in the quality of the poems included in
the text.
The consistency of the detail of the poems may reflect no more than Kim Man-jungs
passion for elegant verse composition, but it is one more index of the care with which
Kuunmong is constructed. It comes from an aristocratic milieu, and a world-weary
one, yet it is neither savage nor self-righteous. It points beyond the world, but does not
deny its pleasures. The fact that the book is good entertainment does not detract from
its transcendental values, but transforms what might have been a philosophical parable
into a genuine work of creative literature.

27
 I. Transmigration

HSING-CHEN BECOMES SHAO-YU

The five sacred mountains of China are Tai-shan in the east, Hua-shan in the west,
Heng-shan in the south, another Heng-shan in the north, and Sung-shan in the center.
Heng-shan in the south is the highest of them. It has Chiu-i-shan to its south, Tung-ting
Lake to its north, and the Hsiao and Hsiang rivers flow round it. Its five peaks, Chu-
yung the Fire Spirit, Tz-kai the Violet Baldaquin, Tien-chu the Pillars of Heaven,
Shih-lin the Rock Granary, and Lien-hua the Lotus Peak have their tops hidden in the
clouds and wreathing mists around their shoulders, so that on a hazy day it is
impossible to make out their shape.
In ancient times the great Y, after he had controlled the floods, went up this
mountain and set up a memorial stone on which he recorded his feats, and the superb
characters are still clear and easy to read. In the time of Chin, Lady Wei became a
Taoist adept and by divine appointment she came to live on this mountain with a
troupe of fairy boys and girls; and so she is called Lady Wei of the Southern Peak.
There is not space to tell here of all the wonderful things that were done in the
mountain.

In the time of the Tang dynasty an old monk from India came to China and took a
liking to the Lotus Peak in the Heng-shan range and built a monastery for his five or six
hundred disciples, to whom he expounded his copy of the Diamond Sutra. He was the
venerable Liu- ju, usually known as the Great Master Liu-kuan. He taught the people
and dispersed the evil spirits so that men said that a living Buddha had come on the
earth.
28
 Among his hundreds of disciples some thirty or more were advanced adepts. The
youngest of them was called Hsing-chen. His complexion was pure as driven snow,
and his soul was as limpid as a stream in autumn. He was barely twenty years old, but
he had mastered all the scriptures, and Liu-kuan loved him so much for his grace and
wisdom that he intended him for his successor.
When Liu-kuan expounded the law to his disciples, the Dragon King from Tung-
ting Lake used to transform himself into an old man dressed in white and come to sit
in the lecture hall to hear the sermons. One day Liu-kuan said to his pupils: I am
growing old and feeble. I have not left the monastery gates for over ten years. I am no
longer able to go out. Will one of you volunteer to go to the Dragon Kings water
palace and return his compliment for me?
Hsing-chen at once asked if he might be allowed to go. Liu-kuan was delighted and
sent him off with his orders. He was dressed in a heavy robe and carried an official
staff with six jangling rings attached to the top. So he gaily made his way toward
Tung-ting.

Just after Hsing-chen had set out, the gatekeeper of the monastery came to the
Teacher and told him that the Lady Wei had sent eight of her fairy girls and that they
were waiting outside the gate. He ordered them to be admitted. They presented
themselves in due order where he was sitting, circling him three times and scattering
fairy flowers before they delivered Lady Weis message:
Sir, you live on the west side of the mountain and I live on the east. We are near
neighbors, but I am so busy that I have never once had opportunity to attend at the
monastery and hear your teaching. So now I am sending some of my maids to greet you
and offer you gifts of celestial flowers and fairy fruit, and some gems and silk brocade
as tokens of my respect and devotion.

29
 Then each girl knelt down and raised the gifts of flowers, fruit, gems and silks high
over her head as she presented them to the old man. He handed them to his disciples
who set them out as offerings before the image of Buddha in the temple.
Liu-kuan joined his hands in reverent greeting and said: 'What has an old monk like
me done to merit the favors of an immortal? Then he entertained the girls
appropriately and dismissed them.
They took their leave of him and left. Outside the monastery gate they began to talk
among themselves about how the entire mountain had originally been their domain, but
since Liu-kuan had established his monastery with its enclosure, there were parts
where they could not go freely, it was a long time since they had had a chance to see
the Lotus Peak section. Now that the Lady has sent us here on this lovely spring day
and it is still quite early, lets go to the top of the peak and loosen our robes, wash our
ribbons in the waterfall and make a few poems. Then when we go back home to the
palace we can boast about it to our companions!
Joining hands, they strolled up to the ridge to see the source of a waterfall. Then
they followed the watercourse down as far as the stone bridge, where they decided to
rest for a while.
It was springtime. The valleys were full of all kinds of flowers, surrounding them
like a pink mist. A hundred species of birds sang like an orchestra of pipes and
piccolos. The spring air was intoxicating. The eight girls sat on the bridge and looked
down into the water. Streams from several valleys met there to form a wide pool
under the bridge. It was clear as a polished mirror and their pretty dark eyebrows and
crimson dresses were reflected there like paintings from a masters hand. They smiled
at their reflections and chattered together happily without thought of returning home
and did not notice when the sun began to slip behind the hills.

30
 At the same time Hsing-chen had reached Tung-ting Lake and gone through the
waves to the Crystalline Palace. The Dragon King had heard that a messenger was on
his way from Liu-kuan and so he appeared outside the palace gate with his whole train
of courtiers, to meet him. After they had gone into the palace, the Dragon King sat on
his throne and Hsing-chen kowtowed before him and presented his masters message.
The Dragon King replied graciously and gave a banquet. Hsing-chen noticed that the
food, all of fantastic dainties, was entirely unlike what men eat. The king himself
offered a cup, but Hsing-chen declined it: Wine inflames the mind. It is a strict law of
Buddha that monks should not drink it. Please do not force me to break my vows.
But the Dragon King replied: Of course I know that wine is one of the five things
that Buddha forbids; but my wine is quite different from the wine made by men. It
neither arouses the passions nor befuddles the mind. Please do not refuse it.
Hsing-chen was not able to hold out against this, and he drained three cups before
he took leave of the Dragon King and left the palace, riding on the wind to the Lotus
Peak. When he came down at the foot of the peak his face was burning and he began to
feel dizzy from the wine. He thought to himself: If Liu-kuan sees me in this condition
there will be no end to his anger.
So he went toward the stream, took off his robe and laid it on the white sand while
he swirled his hands in the water and bathed his flaming face. Suddenly a strange
fragrance was carried to him on the breeze. It was like neither incense nor flowers. It
entered his mind and intoxicated his spirit, like something he had never imagined
before. He thought: Whatever wonderful flowers have bloomed upstream? Their
scent has come down with the current. I must go and see what they are.
He put on his robe again, arranged it neatly, and then began to walk up the river. So
it happened that the eight fairies sitting on the bridge came face to face with Hsing-
chen. He at once dropped his staff, joined his hands and bowed deeply: Gracious

31
ladies, I beg your pardon. I am a disciple of the master Liu-kuan of Lotus Peak, and I
have just been on an errand for him. Now I am on my way back. This bridge where
you are sitting is very narrow and there is not room for a man to pass by ladies sitting
there. Will you kindly step down for a moment and allow me to cross over?
The fairies replied: We are attendants of the Lady Wei, and we are just on our way
back from delivering a message from her to the Master, Liu-kuan. We stopped here to
rest for a little while. The Book of Rites says that men should pass on the left and
women on the right, but this bridge is extremely narrow. Since we were here before
you came, we suggest you find another path.
Hsing-chen said: The stream is deep and there is no other path. Where else do you
suggest I should go?
The fairies said: Bodhidharma is supposed to have crossed the sea on a reed. If
you have really studied with Liu-kuan, you must have great powers, too. Why are you
disputing the right of way with a group of girls, instead of passing over this little
stream?
Hsing-chen laughed. I see what you are after. You want me to pay some sort of toll.
A poor monk has no money, but I have eight pearls, and I will offer you those as a
payment.
He snapped off a branch of peach blossom and threw it at the girls. Eight flowers
fell to the ground and immediately changed into sparkling fragrant jewels. The eight
fairies each picked up one of the jewels, looked at Hsing-chen and, laughing gaily, at
once rose in the air and rode away on the wind. Hsing-chen stood for a long while on
the bridge looking in all directions, but he could not see where they had gone, and
soon the shimmering mists had dispersed and the fragrance had faded away.
Hsing-chen was deeply troubled and could not quieten his soul. He returned and
told Liu-kuan what the Dragon King had said. Liu-kuan upbraided him for taking so

32
long to get back. Hsing-chen said: The Dragon King detained me with his kindness so
that I could not refuse and get away. It made me late in leaving. Liu-kuan asked no
more questions, but sent him away to rest.
Hsing-chen went to his cell. As he sat alone in the twilight, the voices of the eight
fairies kept sounding in his ears and their beautiful forms kept appearing before his
eyes as though they were there in the room with him. However hard he tried, he could
not collect his thoughts as he sat distractedly trying to meditate. He thought: If a man
studies the Confucian classics while he is young and then serves the country as a
general or a minister of state, he gets to wear a brocade coat and hang a seal of office
on his jade girdle; he sees lovely things and hears wonderful things, he takes pleasure
in beauty and leaves an honorable reputation for his descendants. That is the way for a
man worthy of the name. We poor Buddhist monks have only a bowl of rice and a cup
of water, volumes of scriptures and a hundred and eight beads to hang round our necks.
All we do is expound doctrine. It may be holy and profound, but it is appallingly
lonely. Suppose I do master all the doctrines of Mahayana and succeed to the chair
here on the Lotus Peak carrying on Liu-kuans teaching, once my spirit and body have
been parted on the funeral pyre, who will know that Hsing-chen ever existed?
His troubled mind kept sleep at bay until deep into the night. If he closed his eyes he
saw the eight fairies; if he opened them the girls would disappear without trace.
Then he pulled himself together: The law of Buddha for purifying the heart is the
highest course in life. I have been a monk for ten years and have avoided the smallest
fault. These deceitful thoughts will do my progress irreparable damage.
He burned some sandalwood, composed himself on his prayer-mat, and was
concentrating quietly on the Thousand Buddhas as he told the beads of the rosary
round his neck, when one of the boys called from outside: Have you gone to bed,
brother? The Master wants to see you.

33
 Hsing-chen was alarmed and thought: It must be something serious for him to call
me at this time of night. He went with the boy to the lecture hall.
Liu-kuan had gathered all his disciples. He was sitting on the lotus seat, looking
fearful and solemn. The lanterns and candles filled the hall with light. He rebuked
Hsing-chen harshly: Hsing-chen! Do you understand your sin?
Hsing-chen, very frightened, knelt at the foot of the dais and answered: I have
served you for more than ten years and I have never willingly disobeyed you. Now
you are accusing me, and I do not wish to hide anything from you, but truly I do not
know what I have done wrong.
Liu-kuan grew angrier: A monk has three things to study: his body, his speech and
his will. You went to the Dragon Palace and drank wine. That was sin enough. On the
way back you lingered at the stone bridge and dallied in idle chatter with eight girls,
then threw flowers at them and toyed with jewels. After that, when you got home you
dwelt on their beauty and thought about worldly riches and honor and mentally
rejected the pure way of life of a monk. You have sinned in all three respects at once.
You cannot stay here now.
Hsing-chen wept and beat his head and begged: Master! I have sinned, I know. But
I drank wine in the Dragon Palace because I could not refuse my hosts insistence. I
talked with the fairies at the bridge because I had to ask them to get out of the way. I
was tempted in my cell, but I repented and controlled myself. I have no other sins! If I
have committed other sins, please instruct me and set me right. Why do you drive me
away so cruelly and give me no chance to correct myself? I left my parents when I was
only twelve years old to come to you and be a monk, and you loved me like your son. I
respect and serve you as my father. The relation between teacher and disciple is
sacred. Where can I go if I leave the Lotus Peak?
Liu-kuan said: I am making you go because you want to go. Why should I send you

34
away if you wanted to stay? You say Where shall I go? You must go where you wish
to go.
Then he shouted: Mighty Ones! Immediately the commander of the yellow-
turbaned constables of hell appeared and bowed to receive his orders. Liu-kuan said
to him: Arrest this sinner, take him to hell and hand him over to King Yama!
When Hsing-chen heard this he sweated with terror. Tears streamed from him as he
put his head to the floor and implored: Father, father! hear me, please! When the holy
Ananda slept with a prostitute, Sakyamuni did not condemn him, but admonished him. I
sinned through carelessness, but I did not go so far as Ananda. Why are you sending
me to hell?
Liu-kuan spoke severely: Although the holy Ananda slept with a prostitute, his
mind was never shaken; you set eyes on female beauty only once and completely lost
your heart. You cannot escape the suffering of transmigration.
Hsing-chen still wept, and did not want to move. Liu-kuan spoke to comfort him: If
your mind is not purified, even though you are here in a mountain monastery, you will
never attain perfection. But if you stay faithful to the way of Buddha, even though you
get buried deep under the dust of the world, you will surely come back one day. If ever
you want to come, I will fetch you back. Go now, and trust me.
Hsing-chen then bowed to the image of Buddha, took leave of his master and
brethren, and went with the constables to the nether world, past the Gate of Hades and
Terrace of Looking Back in Regret, till they reached the city walls of hell, where the
sentries asked why they had come. The constables answered: We have brought a
sinner according to the orders given by the Master Liu-kuan.
The demon soldiers opened the gates and let them in, and they went to the presence-
chamber where the reason for Hsing-chens arrival was announced and Yama
dismissed the constables and spoke to him: Although you lived on Lotus Peak, your

35
name was already written in the roster on the incense table before King Ksitigarbha,
Guardian of Earth and Deliverer from Hell. I understood from this that you had
already achieved perfection and would win grace and salvation for many souls. What
is the reason why you have come here?
Hsing-chen was bitterly ashamed and hesitated before he replied: I have sinned
against my teacher by letting myself be misled by the South Peak fairies when I met
them on the road, so I have been sent here. Do as you must.
Yama sent some of his attendants to Ksitigarbha with the message: Master Liu-kuan
of the South Peak has sent his disciple Hsing-chen to hell for punishment, but he is not
like other culprits. What shall I do with him?
The Bodhisattva replied: A man seeking perfection must find his own way. Why do
you ask me?
But Yama was intent on judging the matter properly. At that moment, however, two
demon soldiers came in and said: The yellow turban constables have come again at
Liu-kuans order, with eight fairies under arrest.
Hsing-chen was amazed at this news. Then he heard Yama say: Bring them in!
The constables brought the eight women in and Yama made them kneel before he
asked: Fairies of South Peak, indeed! You fairies have an infinite world of ineffable
delights. How it is that you have come here?
The fairies answered shamefacedly: Lady Wei sent us to the Master Liu-kuan with
a message and on the way back we stopped to talk with the young novice Hsing-chen
at the stone bridge. This made the master very angry. He said we had defiled Buddhas
demesne, and sent a letter to Lady Wei telling her to send us to your Majesty. We
implore you to be compassionate and send us to a pleasant place to live.
King Yama called nine messengers to stand before him and commanded them: Take
each of these nine people and lead them back to the land of the living.

36
 Yama had barely finished speaking when a great wind suddenly arose in front of the
palace and swept the nine people into the air and whirled them away to different
corners of space. Hsing-chen was carried hither and thither on the wind behind his
messenger until he touched down on firm ground. The noise of the wind died down,
and both his feet were steady. When he had collected his wits and looked around, he
found he was closed in by thickly-wooded mountains with clear streams flowing
peacefully by. Here and there between the trees he caught glimpses of bamboo fences
and thatched roofs, about ten houses altogether. The messenger made him wait outside
one of the houses while he himself went in. While waiting, Hsing-chen heard someone
in the next-door house say: The wife of the hermit Yang is pregnant. Shes over fifty
years old. Its amazing! Its past her time, but I havent heard the baby crying. Im
worried.
Hsing-chen realized he was to be born again in Yangs house and thought to himself:
I am going to be born into the world again. I have no body now, only a spirit. My
flesh and bones have been cremated on the Lotus Peak, where I left them. I was too
young to have any disciples and so there will have been nobody to collect up my
relics.
He fell to thinking like this in considerable distress when the messenger came out
and beckoned him to follow, and said: This is the township of Hsiu-chou in the
province of Huai-nan of the empire of Tang. This house is the home of the hermit
Yang. He will be your father. His wifes surname is Liu, and she is to be your mother.
You were destined from your previous life to be the son of this family, so go in quickly
and do not lose this good opportunity.
Hsing-chen went in and saw the hermit wearing a kerchief of coarse hemp and a
rough coat, sitting on the wooden floor by a brazier stirring a medicinal concoction.
The smell of it filled the house. The womans moans could be heard coming quietly

37
from the inner room. The messenger urged him to go into the room, but Hsing-chen
hesitated, so the messenger pushed him from behind. Hsing-chen fell over and lost
consciousness, calling out for help as he fainted. The sound stuck in his throat and
would not come out as words: it was only the crying of a new-born babe. The midwife
said: It cries so loud, it must be a boy.
The hermit Yang was still stirring the medicine for his wife when he heard the baby
cry. With mingled alarm and joy he hurried into the room, to find that she had already
safely given birth to a son. Overcome with happiness he bathed the child in scented
water, put it to rest and then attended to its mother. When Hsing-chen cried because he
was hungry they gave him milk, and as soon as his stomach was full he stopped
wailing.
While he was very tiny he still carried traces of memory about the Lotus Peak in his
mind, but as he grew up and came to love his parents, he completely forgot all about
his previous life. The hermit saw that his son had fine bones, and one day, stroking the
childs forehead, he said to his wife: This child is a heavenly being come to live
among men. So he named him Shao-yu, which means brief sojourner, and gave him
Chien-li, which means a thousand leagues, for his literary name.
They loved him dearly and by the time he was ten years old his face was as pretty
as a piece of jade, his eyes shone like stars, his character was gentle and strong and he
was wonderfully intelligent. He was a model child, destined to become a great man.
The hermit said to his wife: I was not originally a man of this world, but because I
was joined to you by our karma, I have stayed a long time in this world of dust. A long
long time ago I had a letter from my friends the immortals of Peng-lai-shan, asking me
to go to them, but I could not go and leave you alone. Now that heaven has helped us
and given you a brilliant son of more than ordinary ability, you have someone else to
look after you. You will have riches and honor in your old age. So do not grieve when

38
I leave you.
One day a group of immortals came to the house, some riding white deer, some on
blue cranes. Then they departed toward the deep mountain valleys. The hermit Yang
made a sign with his hand toward the sky, to summon a white crane which he mounted,
and flew happily away. He had gone before his wife could utter a sound.
She and her son grieved beyond words. The hermit occasionally sent a letter
through the air, but he never again returned to his home.

39
 II. Boy Scholar

SHAO-YU MEETS TSAI-FENG AT HUA-YIN

After the hermit had departed the mother and son looked after one another
devotedly. Time passed and Shao-yus abilities developed to such an extent that the
local governor referred to him as the Wonder Boy and recommended him for a place
at court, but the boy refused out of regard for his old mother, whom he did not wish to
leave. By the time he was thirteen or fourteen he was as handsome as Pan Yeh; he
could write verse like Li Po: his calligraphy would compare with that of Wang Hsi-
chih; he was as clever as the famous strategists Sun Pin and Wu Chi. He was expert in
astronomy and geomancy. He had mastered military tactics, and was skilled in fighting
with both sword and spear. He seemed to know everything. In former existence he had
been of refined temperament, so he had a limpid heart and a liberal mind, and his
understanding was far beyond that of ordinary men.
One day he said to his mother: When my father went off to heaven he confided the
fortunes of the family to me. But we are still wretchedly poor and you have to work
very hard. If I stay around here like a watch-dog or a turtle dragging my tail, and make
no effort to get on in the world, the family will never prosper. I shall never be able to
make things better for you. That is not what my father wanted. I have just heard that the
government is going to hold a Civil Service examination, and now is the time to
enroll. I want to leave you for a little while and go to sit for the examination.
His mother saw that he was not going to be put off, but she worried about him going
on a long journey alone when he was so young, and she wondered how long they
would be parted. She said to him: You are young and inexperienced, and this is your
first real journey. Take great care of yourself, come back safely. I shall be waiting
40
anxiously to see you again.
Shao-yu heard her meekly and then said goodbye and set off on his little donkey,
accompanied by a tiny lad as his attendant. After a few days they came to Hua-chou in
the magistracy of Hua-yin, and were then not far from the capital city of Chang-an.
The scenery was especially magnificent, and the start of the examination was still
some days off, so he travelled in easy stages, enjoying the mountains and visiting
famous landmarks. He was not in the least bored or lonely.
Suddenly he came upon a place where a secluded house was set in a pleasant wood.
There were shady willow trees round about and blue smoke was rising like a roll of
silk being unwound. There was a freshly-painted pavilion, beautifully kept, set in this
delightful place. He reined in the donkey and went very slowly among the willow
fronds which swept the earth like the hair of a girl when she combs it in the breeze
after coming from her bath. It was a beautiful spot, well worth turning aside to see.
Pushing the fronds aside with one hand he hesitated, almost unable to go forward. He
sighed: Back home in Chu there are some lovely trees, but I never saw anything as
fine as these willows before. And he composed a song about the willow trees.

The willows shimmer like green silk,

The long fronds brush the painted pavilion.
Why should you plant them so carefully?
The mere sight of such trees stirs the senses.

Why are the willows so green?

The long fronds brush the silken pillars.
Why should you want to pluck them?
The mere sight of such trees stirs the heart.

41
 He chanted this aloud once. His clear young voice sounded like a bronze bell or a
jade chime through the motionless clouds, and made the valley echo. He was heard in
the upper storey of the pavilion where a pretty girl was suddenly awakened by his
voice from a daytime nap. She pushed her pillow aside, drew back the edge of the
embroidered blind, and, leaning on the carved balustrade, looked round to see where
the voice was coming from. Suddenly her eyes met Shao-yus. Her hair was mussed
and her jade hair-pin was askew. Her eyes were still heavy with sleep and she looked
dazed. Her eyelids were messy and her makeup was smudged, so that her own natural
loveliness, beyond what anyone could describe or paint, was revealed.
The two of them just stared at each other, saying nothing. Shao-yu had already sent
the little boy ahead to the inn to arrange the evening meal. Now the boy came back to
say that the food was ready, and the girl, having stared for a moment, went in and
closed the curtains, leaving only a faint trace of her perfume lingering in the breeze.
Shao-yu was sorry the boy had come back at that moment. Once the blind was
closed there might as well have been three thousand leagues of sea between him and
the girl. He left for the inn with the boy, looking back three times at every step, but the
silk blind remained firmly drawn. When he arrived at the inn, he sat down feeling
gloomy and at odds with himself.

The girls family name was Chin and her own name was Tsai-feng. She was the
daughter of a royal inspector. She had lost her mother when she was very young and
had no brothers or sisters. She was old enough to have put her hair up, but she was
still not married. Her father had gone up to the capital, and the girl was left alone in
the house, when she unexpectedly saw this good-looking young man and heard his
poem. She thought to herself: A woman has to follow her husband all her life. Her

42
success or failure, her happiness or unhappiness all depend on him. That is why Cho
Wen-chn when she was a widow went after the general Szu-ma Hsiang-ju. I am still
unmarried, and though I do not much care for the idea of being my own go-between in
arranging an engagement, there is an old saying: Wise subjects choose their king. But I
did not ask that young man who he was or where he lived, so if I want to ask my father
later on to send a go-between for me Ill have no idea where to send him.
She undid a roll of ornamental ruled paper, wrote a line or two of poetry and gave it
to her nurse, saying: Take this letter to the guesthouse and look for the young man who
came to the pavilion just now on a little donkey and stopped and chanted a poem about
the willow trees. Give the letter to him. Let him know that I am looking for the person
to whom I can commit myself in marriage according to my karma, but be very careful
how you put it. He is as beautiful as polished jade and has the most delicate eyebrows
compared to ordinary men he is like a phoenix among barnyard fowls. Make sure
you see him yourself and hand over the letter personally.
The nurse replied: I will take great care and do just as you ask. She went out, but
immediately came back, saying; If your father finds out and asks about it, what shall I
say?
If my father asks about it I will answer him myself.
And how if the young man is already married or engaged.
If the young man is married I shall not mind becoming his second wife. But he
looked very young. I dont think he will have married yet.
The nurse went to the inn and asked for the youth who had made a poem about the
willow trees. Soon Shao-yu came out and spoke to her: I am the man who wrote the
willow poem. Why do you want me?
When she saw his handsome features she had no doubt he was the right man, so she
said: We cant talk here.

43
 Half-guessing her errand, he showed the old lady into his room and when they had
sat down comfortably he asked her why she had come. She replied with a question:
Where did you compose the willow poem?
I come from a long way off, and this is my first visit to the capital area. I was
enjoying the sights when at noon today I came upon a painted pavilion in a lovely
grove of willows north of the road and spontaneously produced that poem. Why do
you ask?
She said: Did you see anybody?
Without hesitation He replied: Indeed I did. There was a fairy in the pavilion. I can
still see her beauty and her scent is still on my clothes.
Now I will come to the point. That house is the home of my master, Inspector
Chin, and that girl is his daughter. I am her nurse. Since she was tiny she has had the
purest heart and the sweetest disposition, and she has a very sharp eye for character.
She saw you just once, but she wants to entrust herself to your care. However, her
father is away in the capital and we must get an answer from him before anything can
be settled. If you go away in the meantime you will disappear like a piece of
duckweed on the ocean, and we shall not know how to find you. But karma is vitally
important and momentary embarrassment is nothing, so, overcoming her modesty, she
has adopted the expedient of asking her old nurse to come and ask your name and
where you live, and whether you are married.
Shao-yu blushed with joy, and thanked her: My name is Yang Shao-yu. My home is
in the land of Chu. I shall never forget the honor of being looked at by her. I am young
and I am not married. I have only my old mother in all the world. The question of
marriage will have to be discussed by the parents on both sides, but I will plight my
trouth here and now. I swear by the everlasting greenness of Hua-shan mountains and
the ceaseless flowing of the river Wei.

44
 The nurse was happy too and drew the letter out of her sleeve and gave it to Shao-
yu. When he opened it he discovered that it was a song about willow trees:

Beside the pavilion they planted willows

So that you could tie your horse there.
Why did you pluck a branch for a whip
And start off again for the town?

Shao-yu chanted the stanza over, and liked its freshness. He praised it: Neither
Wang Wei nor Li Po could have written better! he said, and wrote another stanza on a
piece of the same kind of paper and gave it to the nurse, who put it in her robe. As she
was about to leave the inn, Shao-yu called her back and said: Your mistress is from
Chin and I am from Chu. Once we are parted it will be difficult to get news across
the mountains. We have no reliable proof of todays contract and it is all much too
uncertain. I want to visit the young lady by moonlight tonight. Go and see what she
thinks about it. There seems to be a hint in her letter. Please let me know at once.
The nurse agreed and went straight back to the girl and told her: Young master
Yang swore his consent by Hua-shan and Wei river and believes this is his karma. He
praised your poem and wrote another one in reply.
Then she gave the note to the girl, who read it aloud:

Ten million willow fronds

Bind up the cares of my heart.
Why not make a cord in the moonlight
To bind up the tidings of love?

45
 When the girl had finished reading it her pretty face lit up with pleasure. She
enjoyed his reference to the coming night, and the ancient story about the old man of
the moonlight, who kept a register of all the marriages on earth, and bound with a
scarlet cord the feet of those who were destined for each other. The nurse said: He
asked me to see what you think of his coming here tonight to exchange poems.
The girl smiled and said: For a man and a woman to meet before they are married
is most improper, but since I intend to spend the rest of my life with him, how can I
refuse him? Yet if we meet at night I am afraid people will talk, and if my father finds
out he will be exceedingly angry. It will be all right if we wait until the daytime and
meet in the hall of the house and make our promises there. Go back and tell him that.
So the nurse went back to the inn and told Shao-yu what her mistress had said.
Shao-yu was very disappointed, but he said: Her pure heart and entirely proper
answer put me to shame. He repeatedly urged the nurse that nothing must be allowed
to go wrong, until she took her leave and went.

That night when Shao-yu went to bed in the inn he could not get to sleep. He kept
tossing and turning, waiting for the cock to crow, and fretting at the length of the spring
night. At last the morning began to dawn and the cocks crowed. He called the boy and
told him to feed the donkey at once. Suddenly there was the sound of a huge army of
cavalry, like the roar of a torrent, coming from the west. Shao-yu was very worried.
He pulled on his clothes and went out into the street. It was a scene of indescribable
confusion, a milling mass of armed soldiery trampling on fleeing refugees. The
soldiers were shouting and cursing, and the refugees were complaining piteously.
He asked a bystander what was happening and learned that the rebel Chou Shih-
liang had proclaimed himself king, raised an army and started a revolt. The emperor
was away in Yang-chou on a tour of inspection, and there was confusion in the whole

46
capital area, where the rebel soldiers had spread about and were robbing the homes of
the people. Some of the passes were sealed and all travel was impossible. Rich and
poor alike were being pressganged into army service.
Shao-yu was thoroughly alarmed, told the boy to get the donkey ready quickly and
made for Lan-tien-shan, where he hoped to hide among the rocks. There at the
mountain top was a little thatched cottage surrounded by clouds and echoing with the
cries of the cranes. Thinking that somebody must live there, he told the boy to wait
awhile and then walked up between the rocks, till he came upon a Taoist hermit
leaning on a low desk. The old man sat up straight and said to him: You must be
fleeing from the troubles. And you must be the son of the hermit Yang from Huai-nan.
Shao-yu was amazed. He returned the old mans greeting with a low bow and burst
into tears: Yes, I am Yangs son. Since my father left us I have been living alone with
my mother. Even though I am not clever I wanted to improve our situation and I was on
my way to sit for the civil service examinations. When I got as far as Hua-yin my road
was blocked by the rebellion and so I came to the mountains for safety. Now, quite
unexpectedly, I meet you, sir. I know that heaven has helped me and brought me into
contact with the immortals. It is a long time since I heard news of my father, and the
longer the time that passes, the more earnestly I yearn to hear of him. You sound as if
you knew something of him. Please, O immortal one, tell me what you know, and
comfort your friends poor son. Where is my father? And how is he?
The immortal laughed: Your father and I were just playing chequers together on
Chu-ko Peak. It is not long since we parted, but I have no idea where he has gone. His
face has not changed and his hair is not grey, so do not worry about him.
But Shao-yu was still weeping, and he begged the old man to help him meet his
father. The old man only laughed again and said: The love of father and son is deep,
but the difference between immortals and men is such that even though I should like to

47
help you I cannot. The hills of the immortals are far away and their ten provinces are
vast, so I have no idea where your father is now. Now that you are here, why dont you
stay until the road is open again? You will be able to go on your way before very
long.
Although Shao-yu had heard that his father was well, since the immortal had no
intention of helping him, he lost hope of seeing his father and gave way to his distress
in tears, which began to soak his clothing. The old man comforted him, saying:
Meeting and parting, parting and meetingthats life, you know. Tears do not help.
Shao-yu dried his tears, suddenly forgot all about the world, even forgot that his boy
and the donkey were at the foot of the path, and found a place to sit down. Then he
thanked the old man.
The teacher pointed to a lute hanging on the wall and said: Can you play that?
Shao-yu said: Im interested in music, but I never met a good teacher and so I have
never been able to learn anything properly.
The old man told a boy to take the lute down and give it to Shao-yu. He told Shao-
yu to play it. Shao-yu put it across his knee and played a tune called The Wind in the
Pines. The old man chuckled delightedly and said: You have the right idea. I will
teach you properly. He took the lute and taught him four tunes that were unknown to
men. The music was clear and beautiful, such as had never been heard before. Shao-yu
was very quick-minded, so that once he had learned a tune he had permanently
mastered its mystery. The old man was so pleased that he got out a white jade flute and
played a tune on it for Shao-yu to learn.
Even in the old days it was rare for two skilled musicians to meet. Now I shall
give you this lute and this flute. One day you will find a use for them. Remember to
look after them carefully.
Shao-yu took them, bowed, and said: You are my fathers friend. I want to serve

48
you as my father. Please let me be your disciple.
The old man smiled once more: You cannot escape the lure of worldly honor and
riches. How could you pass your time here in the hills with me? You must go
elsewhere, and you cannot become my disciple. But I shall not forget your request. Let
me give you this book of Peng-tsus magic. If you learn its contents, although you may
not attain immortality, nevertheless you will live to a great age and never be ill.
Shao-yu stood up again, bowed and received the book: You say that I shall enjoy
riches and honor. Please let me ask about another matter. I have just been discussing
marriage with the daughter of the Chin family in Hua-yin, but I was put off by the
revolt and found my way here. I have no idea what will happen next. Tell me, will this
wedding take place?
The old man roared with laughter and said: Marriage is as mysterious as night, and
it would not do to talk lightly of heavens dispensations. Still, your karma is excellent,
so you have no need to set your heart on the Chin girl.
Shao-yu knelt to receive his final instructions, and then went to the guest-room with
the teacher and spent the night with him. The old man woke him before it was light:
The road is now open for you, and the examination has been deferred until next
Spring. Your mother will be waiting for you. Go back home quickly and relieve her
mind for her. And he gave him some money for the road. Shao-yu, bowing repeatedly,
picked up his lute, his flute, and his magic book. As he left the valley he could not
suppress the sadness in his heart, but when he looked back once more where he had
come from, the house and the old man had already disappeared. He could only see
clouds passing over the mountain in the sunlight. When he had entered the hills the
flowers had still been on the willow trees, and now only a day later there were
chrysanthemums everywhere. Autumn had come. He was amazed, but he returned to
the inn, where he soon learned that it had taken five months to get troops together from

49
all the provinces and restore peace. The emperor had returned to the capital, and the
examination was deferred till the following spring.
Shao-yu went back to the house of Inspector Chin. The shady willows in the garden
were faded and broken in the cold wind, and the painted pavilion had been burned
down. The place was strewn with ashes, scorched stones and broken tiles. The village
was in ruins and there was no sound there, not even of dogs or fowls. Shao-yu thought
sadly how easily mens affairs are overthrown. He was heartbroken that his marriage
plan should have been so bitterly destroyed. He grasped a willow branch in his hands,
and turning away from the evening sun sang over the willow song that the Chin girl
had composed. Tears rolled down his face.
Back at the inn he asked the keeper of the place: Where has Inspector Chins
family gone to now?
The man frowned as he replied: Havent you heard? The inspector went up to the
capital on government business and left only his daughter and the servants to look after
the house. When the government troops retook the capital, it was discovered that he
had accepted office from the rebels and so he was executed. The girl was taken to the
capital. Some people think that she was executed too, and others say she became a
government slave. But only this morning the guards were taking a group of criminals
relatives past the door, and when I asked about them, I heard that they were all to be
slaves in Ying-nan, and somebody said that the Chin girl was among them.
This made Shao-yu burst into tears again: The old man of Lan-tien said that
betrothal to her was as mysterious as night. He must have meant that she is dead.
He was miserable all that day and could not sleep that night so in the morning he
packed up his things and returned to Hsiu-chou. He found that his mother had heard
about the fighting in the capital, and was afraid he might have been killed. She had
exhausted herself in prayer and worry for him. Her body was gaunt and her face was

50
thin and pale. She could not have endured much longer. But when her son came in they
embraced each other with happy tears as though he had come back from the dead.

All too soon the year ended and spring came near again. Shao-yu was ready to go
up for the examination a second time. His mother said: Last year you went to the
capital and came through great dangers. It terrifies me to think of it. You are still young
with your whole life before you, and plenty of time to do things slowly. But I must not
try to stop you from doing what you want. Hsiu-chou is a very shut-off part of the
world, and you have no intellectual equals here, nor is there a suitable bride for you.
You are fifteen years old and it is high time that you thought of getting married, or it
may be too late. The priestess Tu at the Chu-ching Temple in the capital is my cousin.
She has been a Taoist priestess for many, many years, but I think that she is still alive.
She is a great woman, and very wise, and she knows all the best families in town.
Dont forget about her, because she will treat you like a son and help you to find a
good woman for your bride.
She wrote a letter and sealed it. Shao-yu was so worried by all this that he told his
mother about the Chin girl at Hua-yin. It made him sad to think of her. His mother
sighed: She may have been very beautiful, but evidently her karma did not match
yours. Even if she is not dead, it would be very difficult to find the daughter of a
disgraced and destroyed family. Please forget about her and look for a wife
somewhere else. For my sake, please!
Shao-yu said goodbye to her and set off once more.

SHAO-YU MEETS CHAN-YEH AT LO-YANG

When he arrived in Lo-yang he was caught in a shower of rain and took shelter in a

51
wineshop outside the South Gate of the town. When the shopkeeper asked him what he
wanted, he asked for good quality wine. The man brought him some, and while he was
drinking it, Shao-yu said: I do not think much of this wine. I have tasted better.
The shopkeeper said: It is the best I have. If you want something better you will
find it by the Tien-chin bridge. They sell the best wine in town. It is called Lo-yang-
chunbut it costs a small fortune a bottle.
Shao-yu thought to himself: Lo-yang has been a royal city for centuries. It is the
finest city in China. Last year I went by another road and missed seeing it. This time I
will stay here for a while and enjoy it.
He made the little boy pay for the wine and lead the donkey, and set off toward
Tien-chin, the bridge of the Milky Way. As he went through the city he noticed that
it was as prosperous and beautiful as he had heard. The Lo river flowed through the
middle of it like a white silk ribbon. The Tien-chin bridge was like a rainbow arched
over the river with both ends firmly anchored. Its vermilion pillars and the blue-tiled
roofing of its pavilion rose in the sky to reflect the sunshine and were themselves
reflected upside down in the water below. The sunlight and shadows of its colonnade
slanted across the path on the bridge. It was a magnificent place.
Thinking this must be the place mentioned by the wineshop-keeper, he rode up to it.
A number of fine white horses with silver-mounted saddles were tied up outside, with
the grooms and attendants lounging about. He looked up: music was coming from the
upper story of the pavilion, and the scent of silken clothes was wafting out on the air.
Shao-yu wondered if it was a party for the prefect and sent the little lad to find out
what was going on. The boy came back and said: All the young men of the towns
best families are having a party with some famous singing girls.
When Shao-yu heard this he was exceedingly curious, and felt like composing a few
poems, so he got off the donkey at the foot of the pavilion steps and climbed to the

52
upper story. A dozen or so young literati were sitting about on silken cushions with a
score or more of pretty girls. They had excellent food and drink, they were chatting
and laughing noisily and their dress and appearance were wealthy and confident.
Shao-yu made his way among them. Noticing his good looks, they all rose and
bowed, introducing themselves and making room for him to take a seat. The leader, a
youth named Lu, said: You look as if you have come up for the examination.
Thats right, replied Shao-yu. As I was going by, I heard the sound of your music,
and I could not resist it. I am young and bold enough to invite myself as a gatecrasher. I
hope you will forgive me.
Well, Yang, said another boy, named Wang, if you are really a candidate for the
examination, even though you were not invited, you are nonetheless welcome. Having
such a guest makes the party twice as gay. There is no need to apologize.
Shao-yu said: I see this is not just a drinking bout; you are composing verses. It is
very presumptuous of me to have gatecrashed this sort of party.
They all thought he was so shy and young that they were quite prepared to treat him
as a child: You are the last guest to arrive, Yang, and you need not feel obliged to
compose a poem. Have a cup of wine and enjoy yourself.
So they all urged him, passing the cups round and telling the dancing girls to play
music. Shao-yu looked round, a little bleary-eyed from the wine, and noticed that
though all the girls were above the ordinary, there was one of them who sat quietly,
neither singing nor playing and not joining in the chatter. She had a beautiful face
which well became her beautiful manners. She was peerless. Shao-yu was thrown off
balance by the sight of her and forgot to pass the wine. She looked at him and their
minds made contact across the floor. He also noticed a pile of poems in front of her, so
he said to the youths: Those must be your poems. May I look at them?
Before they could answer, the girl suddenly got up and carried the papers over to

53
Shao-yu and put them down in front of him. He looked at them one by one. Some were
better than others, but none of them was outstanding. He thought: I had always heard
that the people of Lo-yang were unusually good at poetry. Now I know it is not true.
So he returned the papers to the place where the girl was sitting and bowed towards
the young gentlemen, saying: I live in Chu and we never have a chance to read verses
from the capitals, but now I have seen your wonderful compositions and I feel
enlightened and instructed.
By this time they were all drunk. They replied in drink-sodden tones: You have
thought only of the beauty of the poems. You dont realize what other joys are
involved.
He answered: You have been so kind to me, I am sure you will not hold anything
back from me. What other joys are you talking about?
Wang laughed loudly and said: Why dont we tell him? Lo-yang is famous for its
poetry. If a Lo-yang man does not come out top in the national examinations then a Lo-
yang man is sure to be second. All of us here have a reputation as writers, and we
cannot judge between ourselves; but that girl is Kuei Chan-yeh. She is the most
beautiful and accomplished singer and dancer in Lo-yang. She knows all about poetry,
both classical and modem, and is an excellent critic. Everybody in Lo-yang submits
his poems to her inspection and she never makes a mistake in her estimate of them. So
we gave our poems to her and asked her to choose the best and sing it for us and tell us
its good and bad points. Her name of Kuei means the same as the cinnamon tree in the
moon, so to win this contest will be a good omen for the man who is to pluck the
cinnamon, as they say, by coming out top in the examination. Isnt this a great
opportunity?
A youth named Tu said: There is something even better than that. The man whose
poem she chooses to sing is to spend the night with her, and we shall all envy him.

54
What about that, now? Yang, you are a full-blooded male too. You have nothing to lose
by it: why dont you try your hand at a verse?
Yang said: You have all finished writing your poems some time ago. I dont know
whether I should now. In any case has the lady not sung any of your poems yet?
Wang answered: She has kept her cherry lips tight shut and not shown her snow-
white teeth since the party started. We have not heard a note from her.
Yang said: It is true that I did compose some poems back home in Chu, but I am an
outsider and I am afraid I shall not do very well.
Wang shouted: He has a face like a girl! I wonder if he is really a man at all? In the
Analects it says, In goodness one need not avoid competing with ones teacher. A
gentleman is bound to compete. Stop pretending to be modest and let us see whether
you can write verses or not.
Although Shao-yu had pretended he did not want to try, when he saw the girl he was
very excited, so he took a piece of paper from the pile and dashed off three stanzas of
verse. The brush sped over the paper like a boat scudding over the sea in a fair wind,
or a thirsty horse making for water. The young men were amazed and their faces turned
pale.
Shao-yu threw down the brush and said: I ought by rights to ask you all for
criticism, but the lady is todays examiner, and I am anxious in case I am late in
submitting my entry.
On the ornamental paper which he gave to the girl he had written:

A traveler from Chu roamed westward to Chin,

He came to Lo-yang and got drunk on its wine.
Who plucks the first branch of the moons russet tree?
The man who today proves his prowess in verse.

55
 Willow catkins wave by Tien-chin bridge,
Beaded curtains sift the fading light;
We strain our ears to hear her one song,
When the dancing sleeves pause on the silken cushions.

The blossoms droop in shame at her beauty;

She has not sung, but her lips drop fragrance.
When her song has banished the dust from the roof-beams,
The candles in her room will greet the bridegroom.

Chan-yehs bright eyes scanned the verses once, and at once she picked up her
lute and plucked the strings. Then her clear voice seemed to let the poem sing itself. It
was like cranes singing in the clouds of heaven or phoenixes in the bamboo thickets;
the flutes fell silent and the mandolines lost their melody. The hearers were all
transported, and their faces changed expression. They had been contemptuous of the
country boy, but when they saw how Chan-yeh unhesitatingly chose his three stanzas
and sang them, their spirits fell; they looked at each other despairingly but could say
nothing. It went against the grain to let Chan-yeh go to this boy, but they could see no
way out of their promise.
Shao-yu sensed what they were feeling and got up in a hurry: I have burst into your
party without ceremony, and you have been very kind. I have drunk too much and I
have eaten my fill. I thank you most sincerely. I have a long way to go and I ought to
press on. I shall look forward to meeting you all again after the examination, at the
banquet for the top graduate.
Then he slipped away quietly down the staircase, and none of them tried to hold him

56
back.
As he was mounting his donkey and starting away from the bridge pavilion Chan-
yeh came running down after him and said: As you go along this road you will see a
white-washed garden wall with flowering cherry trees outside it. That is my house.
Go and wait for me there. I will come soon.
Shao-yu nodded and went off. Chan-yeh returned to the party in the pavilion and
said: Gentlemen, you have been very kind to me and allowed me to decide tonights
encounter by singing just one song. What do you think about it now?
The reply was: Yang is an outsider. He has nothing to do with us. You have no need
to start an affair with him.
They argued this way and that, but could not agree together. Chan-yeh interposed.
I have no room for men who break their promises. I am not feeling very well, and I
shall have to leave now and go home. But dont let me spoil the party for you. Have a
good time.
And she went down from the pavilion. The young men were very unhappy about it,
but because of the compact and also because of her very chilly smile they dared not
say a word to her.
Meanwhile Shao-yu had gone back to the inn and packed. About sunset he went to
look for Chan-yehs house. She had already swept the inner hall and lit the lamps
and was waiting for him to come. Shao-yu fastened the donkey to a cherry-tree and
knocked at the gate, and Chan-yeh ran out to meet him without putting her shoes on.
You left before me. Why did you not get here sooner?
You know what it says in the Analects: It is not that I dared to come late; it was my
horse that would not move fast.
They embraced delightedly and went in. They were both very excited. She filled a
jade cup with wine and presented it to him while she sang the song of The Gold-

57
Embroided Robe. Her voice was sweet and she was ravishingly beautiful like flowers
in the moonlight. He lost his soul to her. He could not restrain his mounting desires and
drew her to him by the hand, then pulled her down to the mattress. They made love
ecstatically, with happiness beyond what either had anticipated. Afterward, still lying
in the bed, Chan-yeh started to talk: I want to spend my life with you. Let me tell
you about myself. I want you to help me and love me. I come from Shao-chou. My
father obtained a post in the local prefecture offices there, but unfortunately died while
he was away from home. The family fortunes were in a very bad way. We had no
money for the funeral, but he had to be buried, so my stepmother sold me to be trained
as an entertainer for a hundred gold pieces. I swallowed my shame and accepted the
bitterness, and began a life of servitude. Heaven has been kind, for now you have been
sent to me and restored light to my life. The road to Chang-an passes in front of this
house, and people are constantly going by in both directions, but during the last four or
five years nobody like you has come. Tonight I feel as though my lifes desire had been
granted. If you think I would do, I should like to be your serving-maid and cook your
rice for you. Will you let me?
Shao-yu fondled her gently and spoke kindly: I love you very much, but I am only a
poor scholar. And I have an old mother at home. I should like to marry you, but I do
not know what she would think of it. Supposing she made me take you as a second
wife, what would you think then? Even if you did not mind, I know I should never find
anybody better than you. I dont know what to say.
Chan-yeh answered: You are the best in the world; I know you will come out top
in the examination. You will become either a minister of state or a general, and all the
pretty women of China will run after you. I cannot expect to be the only one who loves
you. When you marry a girl from some good family and have your mother to live with
you, please do not forget me. From now on I shall keep my body for you alone, and

58
wait for you to send for me.
Shao-yu said: When I was passing through Hua-chou last year, I met a girl of the
Chin family who was as beautiful and clever as you are. Now she has disappeared
completely. Where do you think I should look for another girl of good family?
The girl you are talking about must be Inspector Chins daughter Tsai-feng. When
her father was in charge in this prefecture she was a close friend of mine. She was a
skilled musician. I do not wonder that you fell in love with her. She is as clever as
Cho Wen-chn. How could you fail to love her as Szu-ma Hsiang-ju loved Cho Wen-
chn? But there is no point in grieving about her now; you must look for a bride in
another family.
Shao-yu answered: Really beautiful women have always been very rare. If you and
Tsai-feng both exist in the same generation, I do not hope to meet another woman of
equal loveliness.
Chan-yeh laughed loudly: If you talk like that youll be called a frog in a well,
who does not know what is outside. Let me tell you about some beautiful dancing
girls. They say there are three girls of outstanding loveliness in our profession: Wan
Y-yen, the Jade Swallow of Chiang-nan; Ti Ching-hung, the Shy Wild goose of Ho-
pei; and Kuei Chan-yeh, the Moonlight of Lo-yang. Thats me. My reputation is quite
unfounded, but Y-yen and Ching-hung are the loveliest girls alive. How can you say
there are no other pretty girls besides Tsai-feng? Y-yen lives a long way away and I
have never met her, but everybody who comes from the south sings her praises, so the
stories about her must be true. And I love Ching-hung like my own sister, so I can tell
you all about her. She was born in a good family in Po-chou, but she was parted from
her parents when she was very small and sent to live with her aunt. From the time she
was little more than ten years old, stories of her beauty began to spread all over Ho-
pei. High prices were offered for her as a concubine, and marriage brokers came

59
round the house like bees at a hive. Ching-hung asked her aunt to send them all away.
The marriage brokers asked the aunt how on earth she hoped to find a match for the
girl if she let her send them all away like that. Was she insisting on a minister of the
crown, or a provincial governor or some famous writer or poet?
Ching-hung answered for herself: If a man like Hsieh An-shih who married a
dancing-girl of Tung-shan, in the days of Chin, should want me, I would happily
become the wife of a minister. If somebody who knows as much about music as Chou
Kung-chin of the Three Kingdoms comes along, Ill marry a provincial governor. If a
poet who can write as well as Li Po of Tang should turn up, then Ill be a poets wife.
If anybody as skilful as Szu-ma Hsiang-ju who sang The Song of the Phoenixes in the
time of the Han Emperor Wu Ti should arrive, then I will marry him. I shall go where
my heart leads me. How can I tell you in advance?
The marriage-broking women laughed scornfully and went away. Ching-hung
thought to herself: How can a country girl, restricted to a remote place like this, with
no chance of getting out and about to meet people, ever hope to find a good husband?
Now a dancer meets great men and learned men on equal terms and converses with
them freely. She may even meet nobles and princes of the blood. She comes to
understand men very accurately and can tell the good from the middling expertly. She
soon recognizes the quality of Chu-an bamboo, or jade from Lan-tien. She has no
difficulty in choosing the best. So she sold herself to be a dancing-girl, in the hope of
meeting a suitable man for a husband; and she has become very famous.
Last autumn the literati of the twelve prefectures of Shan-tung and Ho-pei held a
banquet at Yeh-tu, and Ching-hung performed The Song of the Rainbow Robe for them.
She soared like a wild goose and danced like a phoenix, and put all the other girls to
shame. So you can see how marvellous she is. After the party was over she went up to
the Bronze Bird Terrace and as she sat there, recalling sad old tales and reciting heart-

60
breaking songs, it reminded people of the Wei Emperor and his cruel treatment of the
pretty second daughter of the Chiao family. Everybody was struck by her beauty and
cleverness. Do you think there are no others like her in the womens quarters?
Ching-hung and I once went on a picnic to the Hsiang-kuo monastery at Pien-chou.
While we were there we opened our hearts to each other. She said to me: If either of
us meets a young man who would suit us both, lets recommend each other to him, and
then live together with him as his wives. We should have no troubles in a hundred
years. I agreed. Now I have met you and at once I remembered Ching-hung, but at the
moment she is in the palace of the Count of Shan-tung. Well, they say every good thing
is beset by many evils. She has a life of position and luxury, but that is not what she
wants. In fact, she is bored by it all. I wish I could see her again and tell her about
this. I have quite made up my mind.
Shao-yu said: There are plenty of clever dancing girls. But surely there are well-
born girls just as accomplished?
Chan-yeh replied: Of all those I know, none will compare with Tsai-feng. How
dare I recommend to you anybody less wonderful than her? But I have heard many
people in Chang-an say that the daughter of the Minister Cheng is clever and beautiful
and has rare qualities. They say she is the best match in the city. I have never met her
myself, but great fame is never won for nothing. I think you should try to meet her
when you get to the capital.
While they were talking the dawn had broken. They both got up, washed and
dressed. Chan-yeh said: You will not be able to stay here very long. The other boys
will still be very angry about you. Get away quickly. We have many happy days to
look forward to, so there is no need to linger over my sadness at your leaving.
Shao-yu bade her good-bye: Your words are gold and jewels to me; they are
engraved on my heart.

61
They both wept as he left her.

62
 III. Graduate

SHAO-YU MEETS CHIUNG-PEI AT CHANG-AN

Shao-yu left Lo-yang and arrived at Chang-an, chose a lodging, and waited for the
examination, which was still some days off. He asked the master of the guest-house
where the Chu-ching temple was and learned that it was outside the Chun-ming Gate,
so he prepared a gift of silk and went to look up his aunt, the priestess Tu. She was the
chief of the priestesses of the temple, already more than sixty years old, and regarded
as spiritually very advanced. Shao-yu greeted her with elaborate ceremony and
presented his mothers letter. The priestess greeted him and then burst into tears: It is
more than twenty years since I last saw your mother, and now her son has grown up.
Time flies indeed. I am an old woman now and I am tired of living in the bustle and
noise of the capital. I was just on the point of going off to retire in the Kung-tung hills
in search of immortality away from the cares of the world, but now that your mothers
letter has come with its request, I will stay here a little longer and do what I can for
you. You are so handsome and have such a good presence that it will be hard to find a
good enough wife for you even in the capital. We must make haste slowly. When you
have time to spare, come and see me again.
Shao-yu answered: I come from a poor family, my mother is old, and I have lived
in the remote countryside until I am nearly twenty years old. I have had no chance to
seek a bride. It has been more than I could do to provide food and clothing for my
mother as I ought to have done. So I came to you with this request, and I feel ashamed
of myself now I see what trouble I am putting you to. He said good-bye and left.
The day of the examination drew closer, but since his aunt had said she would try to
help in arranging a marriage for him, his dreams of success and fame began to take
63
second place, and within a few days he was back at the Chu-ching temple. His aunt
laughed at him and said: I have found a girl who would suit you very well. She is
clever and pretty. But her family is too high-ranking. They have been a ducal clan for
six generations. Three of them have been prime ministers. If you were to come out top
in the examination we might hope to bring the match off, otherwise I do not see much
chance of it. Stop coming to visit me and work hard to prepare for the examination.
Then we can think further of the matter.
But what family does she belong to?
The family of the Minister Cheng, who lives outside the Chun-ming Gate. They
have the imperial privilege of painting their main gate red and displaying lances above
it. The daughter is more like a fairy than a girl.
Shao-yu suddenly remembered what Chan-yeh had said. This girl seems to be
very widely known and praised, he thought; aloud he said: Have you met this girl?
Of course I have. She is very prettyit is practically impossible to describe her to
you.
I know it sounds boastful, but I am sure that I have the top place in the examination
in my pocket already. There is no need to worry about that. However, I have always
had one special wish, absurd though it may seem: I do not want to be engaged to a girl
whom I have never seen. Please be kind and arrange for me to see her just once.
How can you manage to have a look at a woman from a ministers family? Dont
you believe what I say about her?
I dont doubt you for a moment. But we all see things differently. How do you
know that I shall like what you like?
Han Y says that even children can recognize the phoenix and the gryphon as
wondrous creatures, and wise and foolish alike know when the sun shines. Only a
blind man would fail to recognize her qualities.

64
 Shao-yu went back unhappily to the guest-house. He very much wanted to get his
aunts permission to see the girl, so soon after dawn the next morning he was back at
the temple. His aunt laughed again: Shao-yu! Surely you must have something on your
mind!
Shao-yu smiled too: My mind will never be at rest if I do not see the Cheng girl.
You can see what a state you have got me into. For my mothers sake, think of some
ruse so that I can get to see her.
She shook her head: It is very difficult indeed.
She thought deeply for a while, then said: I can see you are bright and have studied
a lot. Have you had the chance to study any music?
I learned some rather unusual music from a Taoist master, and I do know all about
the pentatone and the hexachord.
Now, it is a ministers house. The walls are high and there are five gates before
you get to the inner parts. There are large flower gardens. You will never get in
without wings. And the girl herself has studied the Book of Rites and abides by the
strictest etiquette. She never comes to burn incense at the temple, nor visits nuns, even
for the new year lantern festival, and never attends the celebrations for successful
examination candidates. There is no opportunity for an outsider to see such a woman.
There is just one way that might work, but I dont know whether you would like to try
it.
I would go up to heaven or down to hell if I could catch sight of her. Id go through
fire and water. Of course Ill try it.
Cheng is growing old and his health is poor so he has practically retired from
public life. He finds his pleasure in gardening and music. His wifeher name is Tsui
likes music, so their daughter, as well as studying everything else, has also studied
music. She has only to hear a tune once and she can analyze it expertly and criticize the

65
player. Every time her mother discovers a new tune she invites the player to the house
and she and her daughter listen to it and discuss it in the study. My idea is that since
you can play the lute you should practise some tune till you have it perfect, and then on
the birthday of the Divine Emperor Ling-fu, the day after tomorrow, which is the last
day of the Third Moon, when the Cheng family always sends serving maids to the
temple with incense and candles, you dress up in womens clothes and let the maids
hear you playing the lute here in the temple. They are sure to go back and tell their
mistress about it, and she will certainly ask you to go to the house. Once you get inside
the house, whether you see the daughter or not is a matter of fate, and I can make no
promises about it. I can think of no other plan. Your face is rather girlish and your lip
that has not yet started to grow. Some priestesses arrange their hair away from their
eyes like a mans, so you should be able to get away with it.
Shao-yu was overjoyed with the plan. He counted the days on his fingers while he
waited for the last day of the moon.

Cheng had no children besides this one daughter. When her mother was in childbed
in a semi-conscious state, she saw a fairy come down from heaven and enter the room
with a shining pearl in her hand. So when the baby was born a girl she had been
named Chiung-pei, which means Gem. As she grew up she became more and more
beautiful and clever, a most extraordinary girl. Her parents doted on her and had tried
hard to find her a suitable bridegroom, but without success. She was now sixteen
years old and not yet married. One day her mother called the nurse, old Chien, and
said: Today is the feast day of Ling-fu. Take incense and candles to the Chu-ching
temple and give them to the priestess Tu. Take some silk and some sweetmeats as well
to show that I have not forgotten her.
The old nurse did as she was told, and went to the temple in a little sedan chair. The

66
priestess received the candles and incense, and set them in the San-ching Hall. She
thanked the old dame profusely for the silk and sweetmeats, entertained her as was
proper and was about to say goodbye, when Shao-yu started to play the lute in one of
the other halls. Old Chien was on the point of stepping into her chair when she heard
the music coming from the western wing of the temple. It was unearthly in its beauty.
She told the chair-men to wait and stood for a while listening. Then she went back to
the priestess and said: I have heard some wonderful lutanists playing in my mistresss
house, but this is the first time I have heard such fantastic playing. Who on earth is it?
It is a young priestess from Chu who has come to see the capital and is staying
here. She often plays the lute, but I have no ear for music and so I do not know whether
it is good or bad playing. But if you think so, she must be good.
If my mistress knew about her she would certainly want to invite her to the house.
Persuade her not to leave the place for a while.
The priestess promised to do this, and after the old nurse had gone she told Shao-yu
what she had said. He was very excited and waited impatiently for Madame Tsuis
summons.

Old Chien went straight back home and told her mistress: There is a young
priestess staying at the Chu-ching temple who plays the lute unbelievably well. I have
never heard anything like it.
Her mistress said: I should like to hear her.
The next day she sent a sedan chair and a maidservant to the temple with a message
to the priestess Tu saying: I should like to hear the lute-playing of the young priestess
who is staying with you. Even if she is reluctant to come to my house, please do your
best to persuade her.
Shao-yus aunt spoke to him in the presence of the Chengs servant: A great lady is

67
sending for you. Make no excuses, but go to her.
He replied: It is all wrong for a low-born provincial girl to go to a noble ladys
house, but if you command me I cannot refuse.
Then his aunt brought out a priestesss hat and robe and the lute and got him ready.
He looked the very picture of a fairy musician, and the Chengs servant girl was
beside herself with joy at the sight.
When he arrived at the Cheng house the servant showed him inside. Madame Tsui
was seated in the great hall, looking very dignified. Shao-yu bowed at the bottom of
the steps. Madame Tsui said: Ever since I heard my servants story yesterday I have
wanted to hear your playing. Already the mere fact of your gracious presence seems to
be relieving me of my cares.
She indicated a chair for Shao-yu, but he declined it, saying: I am only a country
girl from Chu, just a traveler who passes like a cloud, and it is great presumption to
play in your presence. It is too great an honor for me.
Madame Tsui asked: What tunes can you play?
Shao-yu replied: I learned several tunes from a strange old man I met in the Lan-
tien Mountains. They are very ancient. Nobody plays them nowadays.
Madame Tsui made one of the servants bring Shao-yus lute over to her. She
fingered it and praised it: What lovely wood!
The boy answered: It is hundred-year-old lightning-struck paulownia wood from
Lung-men Mountain. It is as hard as a gem. You could not buy such an instrument for a
thousand gold pieces.
As they talked together the afternoon sun moved across the threshold, but there was
no sign of the daughter. The boy was getting anxious and worried. He said to the
woman: I know only classical tunes. Not only do I not know any modern tunes, but I
do not even know the names of the old tunes which I can play. I heard from the girls at

68
the Chu-ching Temple that you have a daughter whose knowledge of music rivals that
of Chung Tzu-chi. Since I am so ignorant I should like to hear her comments on my
playing.
The lady consented and sent a servant-girl for her daughter. The embroidered
curtain parted and a delightful fragrance spread through the room as the girl entered
with a tinkling of jade ornaments and sat beside her mother. Shao-yu stood up and
bowed, stealing a glance at her. She was as lovely as the sun in the first blush of
morning or a lotus flower gleaming above the blue water. His mind was so dazed and
his eyes so dazzled that he was unable to look for long. He was sitting so far away that
in any case he could not see very well, so he said to the mother: The room is so big
and I am so far away that I cannot properly hear what the young lady says.
Madame Tsui made one of the maids move the musicians cushion nearer. Although
he was now very close to the women, he was to the right of the girl and could not look
at her directly. However, he dared not ask to be moved again. A maid put some
incense in a burner, and the boy sat up straight and drew the lute toward him.
Shao-yu felt happy and excited. He started to play, and began with The Rainbow
Robe. The girl said: This is beautiful. It comes from the peaceful days of the Emperor
Hsan-tsung. Everybody knows it, but you play it superbly.
The Y-yang barbarians with thundering drums
Broke up the playing of The Rainbow Feather Robe.
was said of this tune. It reminds us of luxury and rebellion. We should not listen to
it. Play something else.
So he played another and she said: This is pleasant too. It is sad and sensuous, but
impetuous. It is Chen Hou-chus Flowers in the Jade Tree Courtyard. They say:
If you should meet Hou-chu in hell,
Dont mention the Jade Tree Courtyard flowers.

69
 He lost his kingdom to the playing of this tune. We cannot approve of it. Play
something else.
So he played another and she said: This tune is sad and gay by turns, moving and
tender. Long ago when there was an invasion and Tsai Wen-chi was taken captive by
the barbarians, she had two sons born in bondage. Tsao Tsao ransomed her and when
she returned home she made this melody as she parted from her two half-barbarian
boys. It is Eighteen Measures of the Barbarian Pipes.
The barbarians shed tears that drenched the grass,
The Chinese envoy was heartbroken at the sight of her.
It is very good music, but she had forsaken her virtue. We cannot really talk of her.
Please play a fresh tune.
So Shao-yu played yet another. This time she said: This is Wang Chao-chns song,
Into Mongolia. She was thinking of her king and her homeland, mourning that she had
been sent to live among barbarians and regretting the untruthfulness of the portrait-
painter who was at the root of her troubles. She wrote the music in her sorrow.
Who will transmit just one sad tune
To make future generations shed their tears for me?
But it is the work of a barbarians bride, and it has a foreign sound. It is not strictly
correct for us. Play something else, quickly.
And he played another. Her face changed.
It is a long time since I heard this tune. You are no ordinary musician. This breathes
the spirit of a great man who lived in bad times and had given up all thought of earthly
advancement. Disaster befell him in troubled times because of his loyalty. Hsi Kangs
tune, The Song of Kuang-ling, or The Great Tomb, is it not? As he faced death in the
East Market-place, he looked at the shadows and played this tune. He said: Alas,
will anyone ever want to learn The Song of Kuang-ling? I have not taken the trouble to

70
teach it to anybody else. It is a pity. This is the last time it will be played.
A lone bird flies to the southeast.
Is that where Kuang-ling is?
If it was passed on to no disciples, you can only have learned it by meeting Hsi
Kangs immortal soul.
The boy replied, still kneeling: Your ladyships knowledge is unbelievable. I
learned this from a teacher who said exactly what you have just said.
He played another tune and she praised it highly:
High, high as the blue hills,
Wide, wide as the flowing waters.
Immortals footsteps are imprinted in the dust of the world! Is not this Po Yas tune
of The Water Fairy? If Po Ya had known about your musical skill, he would not have
grieved so much about the death of the master-player, Chung Tzu-chi.
Shao-yu played another tune. The girl fiddled with her collar as she sat, and said:
This is a sacred and mystic melody. The Sage lived in turbulent times and traveled
around the world trying to help the people. Is it not Confucius? Who else could have
composed this tune? It must be The Luxuriant Orchid. Does not the phrase:
Wandering through all China
And never settling down
refer to this tune? The Sage strove to save the world, but the times were not
appropriate.
Shao-yu put some more incense in the burner, then sat down and played another
tune. The girl said: This is a noble and beautiful tune. It reflects the splendor of
creationit has a spring feeling. It is majestic and broad. I cannot be sure of its name
but it must be a setting of The Song of the Southern Breeze written by the great King
Shun.

71
 The fragrance of the southern breeze
Blows our people's cares away.
There is nothing better or more beautiful than this. Even if you know more tunes I
dont want to hear them.
Shao-yu bowed and said: I have been told that if you play nine tunes an angel will
descend. I have now played eight tunes, and only one is left. I beg your permission to
play the last tune.
He straightened the bridge of the lute, tightened the strings, and began to play. The
music started softly and gathered momentum, a gay tune to intoxicate a mans soul. The
flowers in the courtyard burst into bloom, the swallows swooped in pairs, the orioles
joined in the music. The girl bowed her forehead, and sat quietly with her eyes half-
closed till the tune came to the point where the words say:
Phoenix, phoenix, come back home,
Over the four seas seeking your mate.
Then she glanced up, and immediately looked down again and fumbled with her
girdle, blushing furiously. The whiteness left her brow and she went red as though she
had been drinking. Very dignified, she got up and went into the inner room. Shao-yu
was startled. He pushed the lute away from him and stared after the girl. He stood
aghast, like a terracotta figure. The mother told him to sit down and said: What was
that tune you just played?
Shao-yu answered: I learned it from my teacher, but I do not know its name; I was
hoping the young lady would tell me.
The girl did not reappear for a long time, so her mother sent a maid to find out what
was wrong. The maid came back and said: She has been sitting in a draught and feels
a little unwell. She cannot come out again now.
Shao-yu was afraid that the girl had guessed the truth about him, and felt very

72
uncomfortable. He dared not stay much longer, so he rose to take leave of her mother,
saying: Since your daughter feels unwell, I should leave you. I expect you will want
to go and see her, so I beg permission to withdraw.
Madame Tsui brought out some silver and some silk to reward him, but he declined
it gently: I have learned a little music, but only for my own amusement. I cannot take
payment like a professional entertainer. As he spoke, he shook his head; and bowing,
stepped over the stone threshold.

The mother was concerned about her daughter and sent for her at once. She found
there was nothing really wrong. Chiung-pei returned to her quarters and asked one of
her maids: How is Chun-yn feeling?
The maid replied: When she heard that you were going to have some lute music
today she felt a good deal better and got up and dressed.
Chun-yns surname was Chia, and she had come originally from Hsi-shu. Her
father had come to the capital as a secretary in the government and had won favor with
the Cheng family. Unhappily he had died of some disease when Chun-yn was ten
years old. Cheng and his wife had been very sorry for her and had her brought up in
their house with their own daughter. There was a difference of only one month in their
ages. She was not as pretty and accomplished as Chiung-pei, but she was nonetheless
a remarkable girl, almost her equal at poetry, calligraphy and needlework. The older
girl treated her like a sister and would scarcely ever be parted from her. Although they
were strictly speaking mistress and servant, their relationship was one of intense
affection.
Her name in the first place had been Chu-yn, the Cloud from Chu, but Chiung-
pei was so fond of her that she renamed her Chun-yn, which means Spring Cloud.
This was in reference to a quotation from Han Y: Great beauty is like the clouds of

73
spring. Round the house everybody simply called her Chun.
Now Chun-yn asked her mistress: All the maids are saying that the priestess who
came to play for you was as lovely as a fairy and played marvellously and you praised
her to the skies. This made me so curious that I forgot my pains and got up to have a
look at her. Why did she leave so quickly?
Chiung-pei went very red and spoke haltingly: I have always observed the
strictest propriety and etiquette in my attitude of mind as well as in my behavior. I
have never ventured into the outer courts of the house. You know that I do not even
gossip with my relations. Now I have been deceived and disgraced. How shall I ever
dare to lift up my head again?
Chun-yn asked her: What did the priestess do, then?
She began with the Fairy Robe tune and then went on to play other tunes, finishing
up with King Shuns Song of the Southern Breeze. I praised her and was ready to
stop, but she wanted to play one more, and she played the Song of the Phoenix
Seeking a Matethe very tune by which Szu-ma Hsiang-ju seduced Cho Wen-chn.
That aroused my suspicions and I looked closely at her face. It was not like a girls
face at all. I think some cunning fellow who wanted to look at girls has got into the
house disguised as a woman. The one thing I regret is that you were not feeling well
and so were not there with me to see him. Now I cannot be sure about it. If I, a girl
who has never left the inner quarters of the house, have sat all that time talking face to
face with a man, I am so ashamed that I dare not even talk to my mother about it. You
are the only person I can talk to.
Chun-yn only laughed: Why cannot an unmarried girl listen to Szu-ma Hsiang-
jus Song of the Phoenix Seeking a Mate? You are making a mountain out of a
molehill.
Its not like that at all. He played the tunes in a particular order. If there was no

74
point in it, why did he play the Phoenix Song right at the very end? Besides, some
women are frail and some are robust, but I never before met one like thisso
handsome and self-possessed. No. The capital at the moment is full of young men from
the provinces who have come up for the examinations. I think some young scoundrel
has heard a false rumor about me, and tried out this ruse to come and look at me.
Chun-yn said: If he is really an examination candidate and is good-looking and
well-mannered and clever at music as you say, then he must be a most unusual young
man. Maybe he is another Szu-ma Hsiang-ju? she added archly.
He may be another Szu-ma Hsiang-ju, but I have no intention of being another Cho
Wen-chn.
Cho Wen-chn was a widow. You have never been married. She followed her
lover of her own free will, and you have been involved unintentionally. How can you
compare yourself to her?
Then they laughed together happily and talked of other things.

One morning Chiung-pei was sitting talking with her mother when her father came
into the room carrying the pass-list of the examination. He gave it to his wife and said:
We have not yet arranged a marriage for Chiung-pei. I thought we might look for a
suitable bridegroom among the successful men in the examination. I see that the top
name is Yang Shao-yu, a boy from Huai-nan. He is fifteen years old. Everybody is
speaking very highly of the pieces he wrote for the examination. He is certainly a first-
class brain. They also say he is very good-looking and has charming manners and will
doubtless go far. He is not yet engaged either. I think I should like him for son-in-law.
His wife replied: What you hear and what you see are two very different things.
You cannot believe all that you hear, even if he is highly praised. I think we had better
see him before we make up our minds.

75
 The minister replied: That wont be very difficult to arrange.
When Chiung-pei heard what her father was saying she went into the bedroom and
said to Chun-yn: That priestess who played the lute said she was from Chu and she
looked about fifteen years old. Now the top man in the examination is from Huai-nan,
and Huai-nan is in Chu. Both facts seem to fit. I am more suspicious than ever. The
man is sure to come to see my father, so I want you to see him and tell me what you
think.
Chun-yn answered: I did not see the priestess when she came. I think it would be
more to the point if you spied on him through a chink in the door.
They looked at each other and giggled.
Meanwhile Shao-yu had passed both the doctoral examination and the special
examination before the emperor and had been appointed an Imperial Academician. His
name was on everybodys lips. All the nobility were trying to arrange to marry their
daughters to him, but he refused them all. Instead he went to a senior secretary of the
Board of Rites, named Chan, and told him that he wanted to marry Chengs daughter,
asking him to arrange an introduction. Chan gave him a letter, which Shao-yu took
and put carefully into his sleeve.
On arriving at the Cheng residence he sent in his visiting book. The minister came
straight away to see him in the guest hall. The sprays of cinnamon flowers in Shao-
yus hat marked him as the top graduate. He was accompanied by the official singers
and musicians provided by the government to go about with the graduate academician,
and he delighted everyone with his good looks and modest bearing. The whole Cheng
household except Chiung-pei was there to gape at him.
Chun-yn asked one of Madame Tsuis maids: Come here a minute. I thought I
heard the mistress say that the priestess who came and played the lute the other day
was this mans cousin. Did she look anything like him?

76
 The maid hesitated a little and said: I think she did. How unusual for cousins to
favor one another so closely!
Chun-yn went in to Chiung-pei and said: You must be right. They look exactly
alike.
Chiung-pei said: I wish you would go back again and hear what he is saying.
Chun-yn went away, and some considerable time later she returned to say: Your
father suggested that you should be married to Yang. Yang said he had heard that you
were gifted and modest, and he was presumptuous enough to think of coming here
today to ask for your hand. He had asked Secretary Chan at the Board of Rites for a
letter of introduction, which he had received. But your two families are as unlike as
blue clouds and muddy water, your persons as a phoenix and a crow, so he dared not
present it before. It was there in his sleeve, and he gave it to your father, who was
excited and happy and called for wine and sweetmeats.
Very upset on hearing this, Chiung-pei was about to speak when her mother sent for
her. The old lady said to her daughter: Yang Shao-yu has graduated top of the list in
all the examinations. Your father has arranged for you to marry him. Now we shall
have somebody to look after us, and need not worry any more.
Chiung-pei said: I heard one of the maids say that Yang looks just like the girl who
came here the other day to play the lute. Is that really true?
Her mother said: Yes, it is. I was very much taken with that girl and I shall not
forget her face for a long time. I meant to send for her again, but I was too busy. Come
to think of it, Yang Shao-yu does look very much like herso you can tell how
handsome he is.
Chiung-pei hung her head and whispered: He may be handsome but I dont like
him. Such a marriage arrangement will never do.
Her mother was surprised: What an extraordinary thing to say! You have been in

77
the womens quarters all your life and Yang has been living in Huai-nan. How on earth
can you say you dont like him?
I have been so ashamed about it that I dared not tell you till now, but that priestess
was Yang. He dressed up in womans clothes and came to play the lute here so that he
could look me over. I fell for the trick and sat half the day chatting with him. How can
I help hating him?
Her mother was somewhat taken aback. Her father had finished talking to Shao-yu
and had let him go away. Now he came into the inner quarters with satisfaction written
all over his face. He said to his daughter: Chiung-pei! Today you have mounted the
dragon! Its a great day!
His wife then told him what his daughter had just said. He asked Chiung-pei to tell
him again all about the tune of The Phoenix Seeking a Mate, and when he heard the
story he burst out laughing: Young Yang is a bright boy. There is a story that Wang
Wei dressed up as a musician and played the mandoline in the palace of Princess Tai-
ping and then went on to pass out top of the examinations. If Yang has gone so far as
to dress up in womans clothes in his search for a bride, that shows he is more than
usually resourceful. Are you going to hate him for this one prank? In any case all you
saw was a priestess. You were not thinking of looking at Yang, so it is not your
responsibility that he made a very pretty musician.
I could die for shame at the humiliation of being taken in like that.
Her father laughed again: That is not the sort of thing your old father is able to
work out for you. Settle it with Yang yourself later on.
Then he turned serious and his wife asked him: When did Yang suggest the
wedding should be held?
He wants to have the exchange of presents at once and then put off the wedding
until the autumn. After he has brought his mother to Chang-an we can fix the date.

78
 So they chose a day for receiving the betrothal gifts and when Shao-yu had sent the
appropriate presents they invited him to come and live in a summer house in the
gardens. He did for them all that a son-in-law should and in return they cherished him
as if he were their own son.

SHAO-YU MEETS CHUN-YN, WHO FOOLS HIM

One day Chiung-pei was passing by Chun-yns room and noticed that she had
been overcome by the drowsiness of spring while she was embroidering a pair of silk
shoes. She had put the embroidery frame under her head and was fast asleep. Chiung-
pei tiptoed in to admire the embroidery and while she was sighing over its prettiness
and skill she noticed a scrap of paper with some writing on it under the embroidery
frame. When she opened it and read it she saw that it was a poem about the shoes:

You have a jewel now for your friend,

Step by step you are always with her.
But when the light goes out and her girdle comes off
You will be kicked under the ivory table.

She read it through and then thought to herself: Her poetry gets better and better.
She is comparing herself to the shoes and me to their beautiful wearer. She means that
we have always been very close to one another, but after I am married I shall forget all
about her. She must love me very much indeed.
She read the poem again and then smiled to herself: The poem seems to mean that
she would like to share the same bed. That would mean us both marrying the same
man. She seems to be very much upset.

79
 Trying not to wake Chun-yn, she crept out of the room and went back to her
mothers quarters, where the old lady was supervising the maids who were preparing
Shao-yus evening meal. Chiung-pei said: Mother, you spend so much time and
energy worrying about his food and clothes, I am afraid you will overtax yourself. I
think that it is really I who should do these things, yet there is no precedent in the
classics for a girl to serve her husband before they are married, so I cannot very well
do it. But Chun-yn is grown up now and quite capable of doing these things, so
wouldnt it be a good idea to send her to the Garden Pavilion and let her look after
Shao-yu?
Her mother replied: Chun-yn could do it, but her father was a very faithful man
to us and she is a very special girl. Your father thinks a great deal of her, and hopes to
find her a good husband. Besides, I think she likes looking after you.
I dont think she wants to be parted from me.
According to the classic precedents she could go with you when you get married
only if she went as a concubine. Chun-yn is not just an ordinary maid, you know. I
think she wants to stay with you always.
Yang is a fifteen-year-old lad from the provinces, but he has already dressed up as
a girl to get into the womens quarters of a great house and managed to sit for a while
playing the lute with the women of the place. Do you think a man of that sort is going
to be satisfied with only one wife? Once he gets a high post with a fat salary, how may
Chun-yns do you think he will provide himself with?
Chiung-peis father came in while she was speaking and her mother told him about
the idea and said she thought it might be better to give the boy a servant-concubine. He
nodded his head gravely and said: We cannot let the girls be separated before
Chiung-peis wedding, and even afterward I think they had better stay together. Why
should we not send Chun-yn to him straightway? Its a matter of timing. I know there

80
is no need to satisfy the amorous urges of a young lad, but why shouldnt we send
Chun-yn to him to brighten his solitary life? Still, it might seem a little precipitous.
Perhaps we should wait and complete the ceremonies. We must be careful to do things
right. You find out what the girls think and then you decide.
Then he went out and Chiung-pei said to her mother: I have a plan. If Chun-yn
will give her body to Yang I think I can wipe out my disgrace by getting my revenge on
him. If Shih-san will co-operate I think we can bring it off.
Shih-san means thirteen and was the familiar name of one of Minister Cheng's
nephews. He was a good boy and clever but full of fun, and he always thoroughly
enjoyed practical jokes. He and Shao-yu had taken to one another and were now on
very intimate terms.
Chiung-pei went back to her own rooms and saw Chun-yn: Chun-yn, you and I
have loved one another since the time when our hair tumbled over our foreheads. We
have played together since the days when we beat one another with flower stems. We
have fought one another and wept together. Now I am engaged to be married, and it is
really time that you were too. Have you thought much about the sort of husband you
want?
Until now I have lived within these four walls and always been happy with the
affection you have given me. I owe everything to you. I can never repay you a
thousandth part of it, unless I spend my life holding your mirror for you. I must stay
with you always.
I know. And I have something I wish to talk over with you. You are the only one
who can help me to wipe out the shame I have suffered through Yang. You know our
summer pavilion, in that secluded spot on Chung-nan-shan, the mountain to the south of
the city? It is a beautiful place, almost out of this world. We could prepare a wedding
chamber for you there and get Shih-san to lure Yang to it for you to seduce him. I am

81
sure we can make the plan work if you are willing to try hard.
How can I refuse to do what you want? But how would I ever be able to look Yang
in the face again?
Deceiving is not at all the same thing as being deceived. Youve nothing to worry
about there. He will be the one to feel ashamed.
So Chun-yn agreed to the plan.

Shao-yu now had certain official responsibilities but in the main his time was his
own, and after his turn of duty was finished he had ample days of leisure which he
spent visiting his friends or enjoying the spring flowers and foliage in the countryside.
One day Shih-san said to him: I know a quiet place outside the city to the south which
is very pretty. I should like to go there one day soon with you for a picnic.
Shao-yu replied: I should like nothing better.
They prepared some wine and food and made do without grooms to go four or five
miles out to a place where the mountains were high and clear streams burbled through
them. They were in a world of their ownnot a human being was to be seen. The
fragrance of the flower-bejewelled thickets cleared the dust of the town out of their
heads. They came to a stream, where they dismounted and drank some wine together
and composed some verses. It was just the time when spring turns into summer. There
was a great variety of trees and flowers in the place, and suddenly some fallen
flowers floated by them on the stream. Shao-yu quoted the verse of Wang Wei which
says:
Spring now is fully come, with peach-petals floating by and remembering how the
poem goes on to mention the peach-blossom paradise, he added that there must be a
place like Wu-ling, the paradise in question, further up the stream.
Shih-san said: This stream flows down from Tz-ko peak. I have heard it said that

82
four or five miles further up the valley, when the flowers are in bloom and the moon
shines, you can hear the music of the immortals in the clouds. But I am not very
sensitive to the fairy world, and have never been anywhere near it. Now that I have
come this near with you, who have more affinity with that sort of thing, I should like to
taste fairy food and perhaps drink the wine poured by the Jade Fairy herself.
Shao-yu was pleased and flattered: If there are no fairies in the world, then that is
that, but if there are any, then surely they must be in these hills, and we will find them.
They were just getting ready to set off further up the mountain when suddenly one of
Shih-sans servants came running up to them, streaming with sweat and panting his
heart out: I have come as quickly as I could to tell you that your lady has been taken
ill, he gasped.
Shih-san got up quickly: If my wife has been taken seriously ill all of a sudden, it
just goes to prove what I said about my having no affinity for the fairy world.
And he got on his donkey and rode off as fast as he could. After he had gone, Shao-
yu felt bored and disappointed; nevertheless he still had some idea of seeing a little
more of the place and so he began to walk further up the valley. The clear water was
bubbling and pouring peacefully over the rocks and his mind was completely relaxed.
As he walked on slowly, meditating, a leaf of a red cinnamon tree came floating down
the stream. He noticed two lines of verse written on the leaf, so he bent to pick it up,
and discovered it was a regular couplet:
The fairys watchdog barks beyond the clouds:
He knows that Master Yang is on his way.
Shao-yu was amazed. How could there be anybody living up here? And who could
write such a verse? He walked on, ignoring the servant lad, who said, It will soon be
too late to get back inside the city gates before nightfall.
He continued on for another couple of miles or more. The path was steep and the

83
sun was beginning to go down. The bright moon was already rising over the eastern
ridge. He made his way through the shadows of the trees by the light of the moon and
crossed the stream. There was no sound but the cries of a few startled birds and one or
two sad hoots from the monkeys. The stars twinkled over the peaks and dew dripped
from the pine needles. He realized that night was drawing on. He was feeling most
perplexed when he saw a girl about twelve years old, dressed in green like a fairy,
washing some clothes in the stream. She saw Shao-yu and ran off in alarm, calling as
she went: My lady, the master is coming!
Shao-yu was even more astounded. He went on another score of paces, but the
mountains seemed to be blocking the path. Then he saw the pavilion. It was built over
the stream so that it appeared to be floating in the air. It was an enchanted place.
A woman who seemed to be veiled in a rosy mist was standing in the moonlight
under a green peach tree. She bowed to him and said: Master Yang, why are you so
late in coming?
He was thunderstruck. He noticed that her dress was of rose-colored silk, and her
hair was fastened with a huge pin of kingfisher green jade. Her girdle was ornamented
with white jade and she had a phoenix-feather fan in her hands. She was so beautiful
she could scarcely be human. Overcome, he answered her: I am a man from the world
of mortals. I have made no promise to come, so how can I be late?
She asked him to go up into the pavilion and talk. After they had gone in and sat
down rather formally as hostess and guest, she called the girl in green and said: The
master has come a long way and he looks hungry. Bring some tea and cakes.
The servant immediately brought in a jewelled table set with dainty food and
poured out the twilight wine of the fairies in a white jade cup. It was clear and sweet
to taste and its bouquet spread through the room. One cup of it intoxicated him. He
said: This mountain is high, but it is still below the heavens. How did it happen that

84
you left the celestial city of jade and all your companions to come and live down
here?
She sighed: If I tell you what happened long ago I shall only bring back the memory
of my sorrow. I was a lady-in-waiting of the Queen Mother of the Western Paradise.
You were one of the fairy courtiers in the Shimmering Mauve Palace of the Jade
Emperor. Once when the Jade Emperor gave a banquet for the Queen Mother and many
of the fairies were present, you suddenly teased me by throwing a heavenly peach at
me. As a punishment you were made to transmigrate into the soul of a man. I was
fortunate to get off with a lighter punishment and was only exiled to this place. You
have been so befuddled by the smoke and dust of human life that you have completely
forgotten your former existence, but my time of exile is now up and I can soon make
my way back to the Lake of Gems. I wanted to see you once before I go to and renew
our love, so I got my time extended a little. I knew you would come here and I waited
for you. Now at last, you have finally arrived and our karma is fulfilled once more.
The shadows of the moonlight were already beginning to slide across the floor and
the Milky Way was fading when Shao-yu drew the pretty girl toward him and they
started to make love. Their love-making was like the transports that Liu Ch'en and
Yuan Chao enjoyed when they made love with the two fairies in Tien-tai-shan. It
was like a dream, but it was not a dream. It seemed to be real, but it was not. When
they finished their mutual pleasures the mountain birds were already twittering among
the blossoms, and the dawn was pale on the eastern horizon.
The girl got up first and said: Today I have to go back to the celestial regions.
When the Jade Emperors officers come here with his imperial decree and all their
halberds and banners to fetch me, if they find you here we shall be in trouble again.
Please leave quickly and make your way down the mountain. If you do not forget our
love, there will be an opportunity to meet another day.

85
 At the last moment she wrote a farewell poem on a silk handkerchief and gave it to
him:

When we met the flowers bloomed,

Now we part they fall to the ground.
Spring and love are a passing dream:
Infinite ether divides us now.

Shao-yu read the poem and was so moved at the thought of their parting that he
ripped a piece of silk from his sleeve, wrote a poem on it and gave it to the girl:

Heaven's wind stirs your jade ornaments,

Why must the white clouds scatter so?
Another night love's rain will pour,
And may my robe be soaked right through.

She took it and looked at it and then said: The moon has gone down behind the
Jewelled Tree, the frost is settling on the Cinnamon Palace in the Moon. When I am at
the other end of the heavens, this poem will be my only comfort.
She put the poem into her scented purse and repeatedly urged him to leave: It is
time already! Please hurry away.
Shao-yu raised his hand to wipe his tears away, and said goodbye to her. He had
scarcely got beyond the trees when he turned back to look at the pavilion. The trees
were thick and green, white clouds scudded by in flocks; nothing else was to be seen.
It was as though he had woken from a dream of the Lake of Gems. He went back to his
garden pavilion at the Chengs house and then thought regretfully. Even if she did have

86
to go back to heaven today, I wish I had hidden myself in the trees so that I could have
seen the fairy messengers when they came to escort her. Even then I should not have
been very late getting back. Why on earth did I hurry down so fast?
He could not sleep that night. Next morning, when the sun was high, he stopped
moping, and, telling no one where he was going, took a servant boy with him to look
for the place where he had met the fairy. The peach blossoms and the stream seemed to
mock him. There was nothing but the pavilion. The fragrance had all evaporated. He
leaned on the balustrade and looked at the blue sky and shining clouds and said: She
has ridden away on a cloud and gone to wait upon the Divine Emperor. I should like to
see her again; but I have no hope of it.
He came down from the pavilion and leaned against the peach tree. His tears started
to flow again, as he thought to himself: These flowers understand the depth of my
sorrow. Then he sadly made his way back home.

A few days later Shih-san came to Shao-yu and said: The other day because of my
wifes illness I was not able to stay with you till our outing was completed. I am still
very grieved about that. But the willows outside the city are still fresh and pleasant.
How about taking half a day and going out together again to see if we can hear the
orioles?
Shao-yu answered: New foliage is even prettier than spring blossoms, said Wang
An-shih.
So they left the city gates together and chose a wood where they sat down and used
flowers as tallies to line up on the grass for counting the number of cups of wine they
drank. Then they noticed that just beside them was an ill-tended grave. Wormwood
grew all over it, weeds waved on it in the mournful wind and a handful of etiolated
flowers moved to and fro on their stalks between the scraggy trees. Shao-yu, under the

87
influence of the wine, pointed to the tomb and said: Rich and poor, wise and foolish,
we shall all die and return to dust. Prince Meng-chang long ago wept when he heard
Yung-men singing to the lute that thousands of years later children would dance on his
tomb and shout: This is the grave of Prince Meng-chang. Let us drink and enjoy life
while we can.
Shih-san said: You obviously do not know whose grave that is. It is the grave of a
royal concubine named Chang who was so beautiful that she was called Li-hua, the
Lovely Flower. She died when she was only twenty, and still unmarried. People were
sorry for her and so they planted flowers and willows by the grave to comfort her
soul. How about pouring a cup of wine as a libation for her now?
Shao-yu was a kind-hearted lad by nature: That is a very good thing to do.
They walked up to the tomb and there poured out the wine and each composed a
poem for the departed soul. This was Shao-yus poem:

Your beauty overwhelmed a nation,

Your soul has now gone up to heaven.
The woodland birds are your musicians,
The forest flowers your silken robes.
Spring grasses clothe your lonely grave,
Evening mists surround the empty pavilion.
Your name was renowned throughout Chin-chuan
But in whose borders does it linger now?

Shih-sans poem was:

I ask you where was that lovely land

88
 To whose household did you bring delight?
Su Hsiao-hsiao's home is wasted now
And Hseh Taos house is silent.
The grass is now your only dress,
Wild flowers your lingering scent.
I call your soul but no-one comes,
Save black crows circling in the gloom.

When they had both recited their odes, Shih-san walked round the grave and found,
in a crack where the sods had fallen away, a piece of silk with some writing on it. He
read it over and said: It looks as if some meddlesome character has written a poem
and tried to thrust it into Chang Li-huas grave.
Shao-yu asked for it and read it, and found that it was the poem he had written on a
piece of his sleeve and given to the fairy in the mountain pavilion. He was very upset
about it and thought to himself: The girl I met the other day must have been Chang Li-
huas ghost.
He broke into a cold sweat and could not stop the thumping of his heart. He tried to
still his fears by thinking: A fairy has a divinely appointed fate, but a ghost has its
own karma too. There is nothing to choose between a fairy and a ghost.
At that moment Shih-san got up from where he had sat down, and Shao-yu took
advantage of his back being turned to pour another libation and murmur a private
prayer: The living and the dead inhabit different worlds but love unites them all. I
pray that your beautiful spirit will accept this act of devotion and deign to visit me
again tonight and renew our love.
When he had finished he went back home with Shih-san. That night he was alone in
bed in the garden pavilion thinking longingly of the girl, and quite unable to get to

89
sleep. The moonlight flooded the room and covered the blinds with the shadows of the
trees. Everything was silent. Then he heard a sound of someone moving. He was sure
that it was footsteps. He opened the door and looked, and there was the fairy he had
met on Tz-ko Peak. Surprised and delighted, he leapt over the threshold and took her
soft white hands to lead her into his room, but she resisted him, saying: Now that you
know who I really am, are you not repelled by me? When I first met you I intended to
tell you the truth, but I was afraid you would be alarmed, so I told you that I was a
fairy. After we spent that wonderful night in bed together your love made my soul
return to me again and my rotting flesh has been restored. Today you came to my grave
with a libation and consoled my lonely soul with poems. I never had such a lord and
master before. I could not refrain myself from coming to thank you for your great
kindness, and so I have come for a little while. But how can I dare to approach you
again with my mouldering corpse?
Shao-yu pulled at her sleeve again and said: People who are afraid of ghosts are
fools or cowards. If a man dies he becomes a ghost, and if a ghost transmigrates it
becomes a man, so a man who is frightened of a ghost is an idiot. A ghost that runs
away from men is a silly ghost. Since they are both fundamentally the same thing, why
need we distinguish between the living and the dead? This is my opinion, and this is
my love. Why do you still refuse me?
How can I ever refuse your love? But you love me because of my moth eyebrows
and my rosy cheeks, and they are false. They are not my true shape. They are only a
trick specially designed to entrap living men. If you want to see what I really look
like, there is nothing but a few scraps of lichen sticking to a few bones. Do you wish
to embrace such disgusting things?
Shao-yu answered: The Buddha said that mans body is like foam thrashing about
on the water and flowers tossed by the wind, nothing but vanity. Who dare say whether

90
it is real or whether it does not exist at all?
So he led her inside, and they lay down on the bedding, and passed a happy night,
many times more exciting than the first night they spent together. Shao-yu said to her:
From now on lets meet every night and let nothing prevent us.
The girl said: Men and ghosts live in different worlds, but if they love one another
they can respond to each other fully. Your concern for me comes from the sincerity of
your heart, so what can I do but wholeheartedly return your love?
When the bell sounded at dawn, she got up and disappeared among the flowers.
Shao-yu stood leaning on the balustrade and as she left he asked her to come again the
next night, but she did not answer him. She was quickly gone.

After meeting the fairy girl in the mountains, Shao-yu no longer went out visiting his
friends nor did he entertain any guests at home. He stayed quietly in the house. At night
time he waited for the girl to come and in the daytime he longed for it to be night
again. He tried to persuade her to come frequently, but she would not. His mind
became obsessed with the thought of her.
One morning two people came into the garden by the side door. The first one was
young Shih-san, but the other was somebody whom Shao-yu had never seen before.
Shih-san asked his companion to come forward and introduced him to Shao-yu: This
gentleman is the Tao-master Tu from the T'ai-chi Temple. He is as expert at reading
faces and telling fortunes as Li Chun-feng or Yuan Tien-kang were. He has come
with me to read your face for you.
Shao-yu joined his hands and bowed to the priest: I have heard of you, of course.
This unexpected visit is a great honor. I expect you have read my cousins face here.
What do you make of it?
But Shih-san answered him: He read my face and said that within three years I

91
shall pass the government examinations and become an imperial inspector in one of
the eight provinces. I am very pleased about that. Now let us ask him to try yours.
Shao-yu said: A good man does not ask for blessings, but only how to prepare for
disaster. Please tell the truth as you see it.
The priest studied his face intently for a while, and then said; You have very
unusual eyebrows and your eyes are almond-shaped like a phoenixs, slanting up
towards your temples. There is no doubt that you will rise to be one of the three chief
ministers of state. Your complexion is as fair as though it had been powdered and your
face is pearl-shaped. You are bound to become famous. You have the bearing of a
dragon and the gait of a tiger: you will surely be commissioned as a field officer and
your reputation will reach to the ends of the world. You will rise high in the peerage.
But there is just one flaw; if you had not met me today you might have succumbed to a
great danger.
Shao-yu asked: Whether a man has good or bad fortune depends very much on the
man himself, but it is practically impossible to avoid sickness if it comes your way.
Do you think I am going to be seriously ill?
The priest answered: This is not the usual kind of misfortune. There is a bluish
tinge to your forehead and a strange quality about your lower eyelids. Do you have a
boy or girl in your household of whose origin you are not quite certain?
Shao-yu had already guessed that the trouble was due to the ghost of Chang Li-hua,
but he struggled to hide the fact and replied with false lack of concern: I have had no
relations with any of the maids.
The priest asked him again: Well, have you perhaps been frightened when passing
an old grave or have you perhaps had relations with a ghost in your dreams?
Shao-yu again answered: There has been nothing like that either.
Shih-san interjected: The Tao-master is never mistaken. Think very carefully, and

92
see if you cannot remember anything of the sort.
Shao-yu made no reply, so the priest spoke again: Man has the yang or positive
principle. A ghost has the yin or negative principle. Man and ghost are as immutably
different as night and day or fire and water. Now I can see quite clearly from your face
that some ghost has got control over your body and in a few days it will have seeped
into your bones, and your life will be in danger. When that happens, dont complain
that I did not warn you about it.
Shao-yu thought: It is amazing that he should say such a thing, but Li-hua and I have
vowed to stay together for ever, and our love for each other grows stronger every day.
Why should she harm me? But without pausing he said to the priest: A mans life is
all predestined from the time of his birth, whether he lives long or dies young. If as
you say I am to rise to eminence and fame, how can a ghost harm me?
The priest frowned, but he had an answer: Whether you live or die is up to you; I
can do nothing about it. Then he shook his wide sleeves into position and left. Shao-
yu did not press him to stay.
Shih-san tried to comfort him: Shao-yu, you are born a lucky man. Heaven will
help you; why be afraid of ghosts? Fortune-tellers often like to upset people with silly
tales. It is a despicable trick.
He called for wine and they got thoroughly drunk together for the rest of the day.
That night, when he was alone, Shao-yu came round from his drunkenness, and had
put some incense in the burner and was sitting quietly in his room waiting for Li-hua to
come, but there was no sight or sound of her. He slapped the table impatiently and
said: The sun is coming up and still she has not come!
He extinguished the candles and was trying to get to sleep when suddenly he heard
Li-hua weeping outside the window. She said: You have put a charm against demons
in your topknot, so I cannot come near you. I know you did not do it purposely, but still

93
it has been done and our karma has been broken. It is a horrible weird trick. I pray for
your safety. Now I must go and I shall never come back.
Shao-yu leapt up and threw the door open but there was nobody there. Only a piece
of paper with writing on it was lying on the stone threshold. He snatched it up and
unfolded it. It was a poem from Chang Li-hua.

To meet in joy we trod the colored clouds,

Then you poured wine upon my lonely grave.
Devotion was not proved before our love was severed.
I blame young Cheng; I lay no blame on you.

Shao-yu read sadly, then he was startled. He felt his head, and sure enough there
was something stuck in his topknot. He pulled it out and found that it was a paper
charm against demons. He screamed at it: Some devil has ruined everything for me!
He tore the charm into little pieces. Then he calmed down and re-read Li-huas
poem. Light dawned on him: She blames young Cheng. That means Shih-san has been
fooling around. He has not meant to do anything wrong, but that old devil Tu has
messed everything up. He made Shih-san do this. I shall have to face him with it.
He composed another verse using the same rhymes that Li-hua had used, and put it
away in his pocket. He sighed: I have written a poem, but who shall I give it to? The
poem was:

You rise on the whispering wind above the heavenly clouds,

Dear soul, say not you live in that old lonely grave.
A hundred flowers fill the garden, moonlight bathes the flowers
It does not matter where I go, how can I forget you?

94
 It was a mournful little verse.

In the morning Shao-yu went to look for Shih-san at his house, but could not find
him. Every day for three days he tried again, but never managed to meet him. Nor did
he catch a glimpse of so much as the shadow of Li-hua. He went again to the Tz-ko
pavilion in the mountains to look for her, but it is difficult to make an assignation with
a ghost, and his efforts were fruitless. He pined night and day and began to lose his
appetite. The Minister Cheng and his wife noticed this, so they prepared some cakes
and wine and asked him to come and see them. While they were drinking the minister
said: Why are you so thin and pale just lately?
Shih-san and I have been drinking too much for the past few days. I expect that is
the reason.
Just then Shih-san came into the room. Shao-yu looked at him sideways, but said
nothing. Shih-san spoke first: You seem very unhappy lately. Is it because you are so
burdened with your government duties? Are you feeling homesick? Why are you so
miserable and dejected?
Shao-yu could not refuse to answer any longer, so he answered: How can a man
who is far from his home be otherwise?
The minister said: The servants are saying that you have been having a pretty girl
to see you in the Garden Pavilion. Is it true?
The garden is walled and closed and it is impossible for anyone to get in. Such talk
is stupid.
Shih-san said: With all your experience why do you blush like a girl? I can see
from your face that something is wrong. Although you dismissed the teacher Tu so
rashly, your face gave you away. For your own sake I obtained a charm against evil

95
spirits written by the teacher, and put it in your topknot. You were dead drunk at the
time and did not know what I was doing. That night I hid in the grove and I saw a
female ghost weeping outside your bedroom. Then she disappeared. So I knew that Tu
had been right and I had done the right thing for you. But instead of thanking me for it
you seem to be angry.
Shao-yu realized that he could not conceal the matter any longer, so he said to the
minister: I have had the weirdest experience. Let me tell you about it.
And so he told him everything step by step and at the end he said: I know Shih-san
did it for my sake, but even if Li-hua was a ghost she was marvellous and had a good
heart, not at all deceitful. I may be stupid, but I would not be duped by a ghost. Shih-
san has cut her off from me with the charm, and I cannot help feeling badly toward
him.
The minister clapped his hands and roared with laughter: My boy, you are as bold
and bright as Sung Y. He called up ghosts; dont you know how to call up the girl
spirit again? I am not teasing you. When I was a boy I met a strange character who
taught me how to summon spirits; I will call up Li-hua for you and you can forgive
Shih-san and feel comforted again. How about that?
Shao-yu answered: The necromancer Shao, in the days of Han, called up the soul
of the Lady Li, but that skill was lost many centuries ago. I do not believe what you are
saying.
Shih-san said: You called up Li-hua without making any effort at all, and I drove
her off with a piece of paper. It is obvious that ghosts can be controlled, so why do
you say otherwise?
The minister said: If you dont believe, just watch.
Then he struck the folding screen with a fly whisk and called out: Chang Li-hua!
Where are you?

96
 At once a girl came out from behind the screen smiling all over her face. She moved
very gracefully and went to stand behind the ministers wife. Shao-yu looked at her. It
was Chang Li-hua. He stared at the minister and Shih-san in astonishment and then
asked: Is this a real girl? Is she a ghost? Is it a dream or is it true?
The minister and his wife chuckled to themselves, but Shih-san laughed so much he
could not stand up. The servants were all doubled up with merriment too. The minister
said: Now I will tell you the truth. This girl is no ghost, nor is she a fairy. Her name
is Chia Chun-yn, and she has been brought up in this family. You were living alone
in the Garden Pavilion and I had her sent to you to relieve your loneliness and
boredom. These youngsters put their heads together to tease you and fool you. But it is
only a joke.
When Shih-san succeeded in controlling his laughter he said: I arranged both your
meetings with her, but instead of thanking me for it you look as if you could kill me.
You are grossly ungrateful! And he roared with laughter again.
Shao-yu had the grace to laugh too: What have I to thank you for when you spoiled
my father-in-laws present to me?
Shih-san said: I can take your rebukes quite happily. It was not I that hatched the
plot, but somebody else.
Shao-yu asked him: Well, if you did not do it, whose idea was this great joke?
Mencius says: What goes forth from you will return to you, so just think for a
moment. If a man can become a woman, a human being can become a fairy and a fairy
can become a ghost. It is all quite logical.
Then Shao-yu got the point. He turned to his father-in-law and said: I see it all
now. I played a trick on Chiung-pei and she could not get over it.
The minister and his wife laughed again, but they did not say anything. Shao-yu
looked at Chun-yn and said: Chun-yn, you are very clever, but to start off by

97
deceiving the man you want to marry is hardly the thing, is it?
She knelt and answered by quoting the Shu ching: I heard only the generals orders.
I did not hear the emperors decrees.
Shao-yu sighed: When Prince Hsiang made love with the fairy on Wu-shan he
could not distinguish between her being a cloud in the morning and a shower of rain in
the evening. Now I can see that you were both the fairy and the ghost. But you are
really a girl. Why talk about the clouds and the rain, spirits and ghosts? Now I
understand the principle of transmogrification. I have heard it said: A strong general
has no weak soldiers. If this is what the troops are like, I can guess at the power of the
general without even seeing her.
Everybody laughed happily again and more food and wine were produced. They
spent the day eating and got thoroughly drunk.
Chun-yn could now join the party and did so. After darkness had fallen she took a
lantern and led Shao-yu round to the garden pavilion. He was happily tipsy. He took
her hand and teased her: Are you really a fairy or a ghost? I made love to a fairy and I
made love to a ghost, and now I have a real pretty girl! But I'll make you into a fairy
and Ill make you into a ghost! Shall I make you into Heng-o, the beautiful woman who
lives in the moon? Or shall I make you into a fairy of Heng-shan?
She answered coquettishly: I have been very bad to you, havent I? But you will
forgive me?
If I didnt spurn you when you were a ghost, what do you think Ill do now?
She stood up and thanked him solemnly.

98
 IV. Imperial Envoy

SHAO-YU MEETS CHING-HUNG IN YEN

When he had arranged to marry Minister Chengs daughter after he had passed the
examinations, Shao-yu intended to go home during the following autumn to bring his
mother to the capital, and then celebrate his wedding. But he had taken up his duties as
an official of the Imperial Academy and did not have time to go home. He was in fact
on the point of leaving the capital to fetch her when national events intervened. The
Tibetans were constantly invading the marches, and the three governors of Ho-pei,
styling themselves the princes of Yen, Chao and Wei, allied themselves with their
stronger neighbors, raised an army, and started a rebellion.
The emperor, in great distress, assembled all his counsellors, civil and military, to
discuss the sending of an army to put down the insurrection, but the counsellors could
not agree on a plan until Yang Shao-yu stepped forward and said: In olden times the
Han emperor Wu-ti summoned the prince of Nan-yeh and remonstrated with him.
Your majesty should do the same and quickly send a letter warning these rebels. If they
do not yield to reason you should send an army to destroy them.
The emperor told Shao-yu to get the writing-materials and compose the letter at
once. Shao-yu kowtowed and wrote the letter as he was commanded. The emperor
was very pleased with it: That letter is solemn and dignified. It is gracious but it will
show them our strength and power. These foolish rebels will surely see sense.
The letter was sent off at once to the three rebel commanders. Chao and Wei at once
gave up their royal titles and obeyed the imperial decree. They sent letters asking for
pardon together with a tribute of ten thousand horses and a thousand rolls of silk. Only
the Prince of Yen held out. His territory was far from the capital and he thought he had
99
strong armies. The emperor recognized that the capitulation of the two commanderies
was due to Shao-yus sagacity, so he issued an edict:

It is nearly a century since the commanderies of Ho-pei, trusting in the

strength of their troops, each raised a standard and began a rebellion. The
emperor Te Tsung marshalled a hundred thousand troops and sent them out
with his general. But he failed to break the rebellion and get the submission of
the rebels. Now, however, Yang Shao-yu has obtained the surrender of two
commanderies with a single epistle. Not one soldier has been deployed or
killed. The imperial power has been strengthened throughout the Empire. We
note this with the most profound satisfaction and hereby grant him three
hundred rolls of silk and five thousand horses in recognition of his services.

The emperor also wanted to raise Shao-yus rank, but Shao-yu went before the
throne, kowtowed, and said: Drafting an imperial decree is no more than part of my
duty. The surrender of the commanderies was due entirely to the imperial prestige.
How can I possibly presume to accept these rewards? There is still one commander in
open rebellion, and I regret that I have not been able to draw sword or spear in an
effort to wipe out the nations shame. Therefore I cannot possibly accept promotion; I
do not offer my loyalty for the sake of advancement. Victory or defeat does not depend
on the number of troops, so I beg that I may be allowed to set out with one regiment of
soldiers and, relying on the imperial power, go to settle the matter with the Yen rebels
by fighting them to the death. Thus I might make return of a ten thousandth part of the
imperial grace shown to me.
The emperor thought well of this, and asked the opinion of his counsellors, who
said: Three commanderies were in league against the empire and two of them have

100
capitulated. Little Yen is not more that a piece of meat in a cauldron or an ant in a
cranny. If an army approaches, Yen will crumple like a dry twig or shrivel like a rotten
one. The imperial armies should try persuasion first and if that fails then strike with
power. Let Yang Shao-yu be sent and try to make Yen see reason. If it does not
surrender, then will be the time to crush it.
The emperor approved this plan and commissioned Shao-yu to go to Yen and try to
persuade the rebels before striking them. When he was ready to set out he went to say
goodbye to the Minister Cheng, and the old man said: In the border lands men are
wild and bad, and rebellions are everyday occurrences. You arc a scholar and you are
going to a dangerous place. If anything should happen to you it will be not only my
wife and I, but the whole nation that will suffer loss. I am old now and have no
business in the government, but I still have the right to present a memorial to the throne
to prevent your going.
Shao-yu dissuaded him: Please do not worry so much. If conditions in the capital
are unsettled, people in the border states take advantage of them to make trouble, but,
since the emperor has firm control and the government is honest and orderly, the two
strong powers of Chao and Wei have already made their peace. Yen is much smaller
and is nothing to worry about.
Cheng said: The emperor has issued his decree and you have made up your mind,
so I will say no more. Only please take great care of yourself and be watchful to
safeguard the imperial honor.
His wife wept and said: After you became ours we were much comforted in our
old age by the thought that we had a good son-in-law. Now you are going far away I
am filled with anxiety again. Come back quickly and safely.
Shao-yu went to the garden pavilion to pack for the journey, and Chun-yn clung to
his clothes weeping: When you went to work in the Academy I got up early to roll up

101
your bedding and help you put on your court robes. You used to look at me so tenderly,
as though you could hardly bear to go. But now you are going to the far distance and
yet you say nothing at all.
He laughed and said: A career man who receives an order from the emperor in a
national affair must not care whether he lives or dies. Still less can he bother with
everyday family matters. You are fretting about nothing. Dont spoil your pretty face
with tears. Look after your mistress dutifully and I shall soon be back with a gold seal
hanging from my belt. Just wait for me.
He went out of the gate and mounted his chariot.
Soon he came to Lo-yang and found it much as he had last seen it. Then he had been
a fifteen-year-old boy traveling very simply on a little donkey. Now, only a year later,
he had a generals glory and was drawn by four horses. The mayor of Lo-yang had the
streets swept for his arrival, and the prefect of Ho-nan respectfully accompanied him
on his way. The whole road was alive with the throng of people struggling to see him,
and the passers-by cheered loudly in admiration of his splendor.
As soon as he arrived he sent a boy to seek out Chan-yeh, but the boy found the
gates of her house locked and the pavilion fastened. Only the cherry trees still
blossomed outside the wall. The boy inquired of a neighbor and learned that the
previous year in the springtime Chan- yeh had had a one-night affair with a traveling
scholar. Shortly after that she said she was ill and refused to entertain any guests and
stopped attending official banquets. A little later she pretended to be insane and threw
off all her jewels and ornaments, dressed in a nuns robe and set off wandering round
the countryside. She was still not back and nobody knew where she was.
The boy went back and told all this to Shao-yu, who was bitterly distressed by the
news. He went to look at her house and grieved over the joys of their meeting, then
went sorrowfully to the guest-house. That night he could not get to sleep.

102
 The prefect sent him a score of dancing girls to cheer him. They were all top-
ranking professionals. They were pretty and beautifully dressed and vied with each
other in their charms. He looked round at them all, but evinced no interest in any of
them, and did not even ask one of them to sit near him.
The next morning he had to go on his way. He wrote a poem on the wall:

Rain passes Tien-chin and the willow buds are green,

The landscape is as lovely as it was in last years spring.
How sad it is to come again, although I come in state,
For even in the drinking-hall there is none to pour the wine.

He threw down the writing-brush and got into his chariot to continue on his way.
The dancing girls who had been unable to touch his feelings hung their heads in shame.
They jostled each other as they copied his poem and took it to the prefect, who
scolded them: If you had made him take notice of you, your reputations would have
been made. If not one of you could win his favor, it is a disgrace for Lo-yang.
He found out who it was that Shao-yu had referred to in his poem, and posted
notices throughout the provinces to try to find out where Chan-yeh was before Shao-
yu returned again.

When Shao-yu arrived in Yen the people of that remote area, who had no idea of the
power of the government, nor of its splendor, struggled with one another like gryphons
on earth or phoenixes in the clouds, crowding round his chariot. Everybody wanted to
see him, and they hindered his progress.
When he went to meet the Prince of Yen, his dignity was like thunder and his
graciousness was like spring rain. The people danced and sang and told each other:

103
The emperor is going to spare us!
Shao-yu explained the attitude of the government and told the prince how powerful
the emperor was. He made him appreciate the choice between submission and
rebellion. His words were as fluent as the waves of the sea and as severe as autumn
frosts. He was irresistible. The Prince of Yen was impressed and deeply moved. He
bowed to the ground and begged for pardon: Yen is too far from the capital for us to
feel the effect of the emperors will and authority, and we have treated the central
government all too lightly, and not concerned ourselves with obedience and good
order. You have enlightened me with your message. In future we will mend our ways
and be loyal subjects. Please go back to the imperial court and obtain peace for us as a
faithful vassal state, and turn our troubles into blessings.
A banquet was held in the Pi-lou Palace and Shao-yu was offered a present of a
hundred ingots of gold and ten magnificent horses, all of which he declined. Then he
left the Yen region.

When he had traveled about ten days on his return journey, he arrived at Han-tan.
While he was passing through that place a strikingly good-looking young man, riding a
superb horse, appeared on the road in front of him. The boy heard the calls of the
outriders who were clearing the way for the cavalcade, and got down from his horse
and stood by the roadside, watching. Shao-yu said: What a magnificent horse that boy
is riding!
As he drew closer to the youth he saw that he was a very handsome boy with a face
as beautiful as an opening flower or the rising moon. He had a charming presence that
attracted everyones attention and astounded them all. Shao-yu said: I have seen many
boys in city and countryside, but never one so good-looking as he is.
Then he said to one of his attendants: Ask that boy to come and see me.

104
 Soon after he entered the guest-house for the night the beautiful young man arrived.
Shao-yu sent someone to show him in, and when the youth entered Shao-yu was
completely captivated by his appearance, and said: I was very much taken with your
good looks and good manners when I saw you by the roadside, and wondered whether
I should send someone to ask you to come and see me. I was afraid you might refuse.
But now that you have come and we are together I am delighted. What is your name?
The boy answered: I come from the North and my name is Ti Po-luan. I grew up in
a small village where I had no good teachers nor influential companions, so my
education was very poor. I can neither write verse nor use a sword properly. But my
heart is sound and I am ready to die for my friends. When you came through Ho-pei
with all your splendor and your goodness, everybody was deeply impressed, and I
ached to live with you. I forgot my low birth and ignorance, and was ready to live like
a dog or a cockerel in your yard if that would make it possible for me to be near you.
And you thought enough of me to send for me like this. It is a case of two voices
responding to each other, two hearts with one thought.
Shao-yu was overjoyed: If we both want it, that is marvellous. In future we will
ride bridle to bridle, you shall eat your meals with me, when we pass through
beautiful scenery we shall be able to enjoy it together, and at night we can forget the
trials of the journey in the pleasures of the moonlight.
They went on till they arrived back at Lo-yang. As they were crossing the Tien-
chin Bridge, Shao-yu looked up at the pavilion again and recalled his happy meeting
with Chan-yeh. He was very sad once more and thought to himself: If she had
known that I was coming this way she would surely have been here to meet me. They
said she had become a nun. That means that if she is not in a Taoist temple she will be
in a Buddhist monastery. But how can I find out which one? If we miss one another
again I have no idea when we shall have a chance to meet.

105
 As he looked at the pavilion he suddenly saw that there was a girl standing up there,
holding the blind back so that she could look down the road at the passing people. It
was Chan-yeh. His sad thoughts were brought to an end and his face lit up as he saw
her again. When the chariot passed by the pavilion at speed they looked at each other
with unspeakable affection and joy. By the time he got to the guest-house she had
already come by a short cut. She caught hold of his robe, but between joy and sorrow
she could not speak. She wept copiously. Eventually she bowed and greeted him: I
am so relieved that you are safe that you had been sent on a mission by the emperor
and would pass this way. I was not able to get here to meet you. You can imagine how
pened to me, and there is no need to tell you again. Last spring I heard sound after the
long journey. Yondau will have heard what has hap- I felt about it. It was too far for
me and I wept bitterly. But the governor came to the temple where I was and showed
me the poem you had written on the wall of the guest-house. He was very kind to me,
apologized for having treated me badly in the past and told me to come back here and
wait till your return. I was so happy!
I came back to my old home, feeling at last that somebody wanted me. Every day I
went up alone to the Tien-chin pavilion and stood there looking for your cavalcade. I
shall be the envy of everybody in the place. It is all too much! But now you have risen
high in the world, havent you married yet? Tell me the good news.
I am betrothed to the daughter of the Minister Cheng, but we have not had the
wedding yet. She is as wonderful as you said she was. Youre a marvellous go-
between. I owe you mountains of thanks.
So they picked up their old love again and he could not tear himself away for
several days. Because he was sleeping with Chan-yeh he did not send for the boy Ti
during this time, until one morning a serving boy came to him and said privately: I
dont think that Ti boy is to be trusted. I saw him playing around with Kuei Chan-yeh

106
in the inner quarters.
Shao-yu said: He would never do such a thing! Besides, I have complete faith in
Chan-yeh. You must have been mistaken.
The boy was very angry, but he went away. Soon he was back again and said: If
you still think I am making up lies, please come and look at them now.
The boy led the way to the servants quarters in the west wing. There Shao-yu saw
the two young people leaning over the wall laughing and talking together, fondling
each others hands. He tried to approach them quietly so as to hear what they were
saying, but Ti heard the sound of his footsteps and ran away in alarm. Chan-yeh
looked round and blushed with guilt.
Shao-yu asked: Have you been a friend of Tis for very long?
She answered: We are not friends; but his sister is an old friend of mine and I was
asking after her. I am a dancing-girl, you know, and I am not shy about men. I am used
to holding hands and joking and whispering in their ears. But I have raised doubts in
your mind, and I am very sorry about it.
Shao-yu said: I trust you completely. Please dont let it worry you at all.
But he thought: Po-luan is only a boy. He is bound to feel ashamed that I caught
him. I must call him and set his mind at rest.
So he sent a serving boy to fetch Ti, but he was nowhere to be found. Shao-yu was
very disturbed: In olden days Prince Chuang of Chu, when the queen broke the hat-
string of a man who inadvertently offended her while the lamps were out at a party,
made all those present break their hat-strings and so saved the man from
embarrassment. But I, by misjudging an innocent trifle, have lost my precious young
man. Whatever can I do about it?
And he made the servants search everywhere for Ti.
That night he was with Chan-yeh, talking over their love both past and present,

107
drinking and playing with her. It grew late. They extinguished the candles and lay
down together. They passed the night in love and soon the dawn came. When he
awoke, she was up already, and sat doing her face in the mirror. Shao-yu looked at her
lovingly. Suddenly he started, and looked again more intently. The delicate eyebrows,
the bright eyes, the clouds of hair at her temples, the rose-petal cheeks, the willow-
slender waist and snowy skin were all like Chan-yehbut it was not Chan-yeh.
Alarmed and worried, he lay for a while without speaking.
At last he said to her: Who are you?
I am from Po-chou. My name is Ti Ching-hung. I have been a friend of Chan-yeh
for years. Last night she did not feel well, and she could not spend the night with you
so she asked me to sleep with you instead so that you should not be angry with her. I
presumed to come to you in her place.
Before she finished speaking Chan-yeh opened the door and came in; she said:
Now you have won yet another woman, I congratulate you. It is a long time since I
recommended Ti Ching-hung of Ho-pei to you. What do you think of her?
Shao-yu said: She is even lovelier than her reputation would have it.
But as he looked at Ching-hung more closely he realized that she was the exact
double of the boy Ti Po-luan. He asked her: Is Po-luan your brother? I am afraid I
was unfair to him yesterday. Where is he now?
Ching-hung laughed as she answered: I have no brothers.
Then Shao-yu realized the truth and laughed: So it was you who came with me
from Han-tan. And it was you who stood chatting with Chan-yeh in the corner of the
garden yesterday. But why did you dress up as a boy and deceive me?
What hopes could I have had of attracting your attention? Even though I am low-
born and dim-witted, I have always wanted to marry a gentleman. The Prince of Yen
heard about me and bought me for a peck of jewels and put me in his harem. Although

108
I ate the best of food and wore the most beautiful silks, it was not what I wanted. I
fretted like a parakeet in a gilded cage. Then when the prince invited you to a banquet
in the palace, I looked through the screen and saw you. You were the man I had been
yearning for. But how could I get out through the nine gates of the palace and then
cover the vast distances to get to you? I thought over many possibilities, and finally
decided on a plan. I could not leave the day you did, or the prince would have sent
someone after me to fetch me back. So a few days after you had gone I quietly made
off with one of his fastest horses and in two days I had reached Han-tan, where you
saw me and called me. I should have told you who I was straight away, but there were
too many people about. The best way to keep my escape secret and to avoid arrest
was to stay in mens clothes.
Yesterday evening I did what Chan-yeh asked me to do. If you forgive me for that
deception too, I shall live for ever in grateful admiration. If you will overlook my
humble birth and let me live under your protection together with Chan-yeh, when
you are married to some noble lady, Chan-yeh and I will come and congratulate her.
Shao-yu was very pleased: Even the famous dancer Yang Chih-fu cannot compare
with you. She played the same sort of trick on Duke Li Wei. I am only ashamed that I
cannot compare myself to the duke when she came to him in the night. Since we have
been doing so well together, why should we have to make new plans?
Ching-hung thanked him many times over and Chan-yeh said: Since Ching-hung
has slept with you for my sake, I ought also to thank you on her behalf.
They bowed again and again.
Shao-yu slept with them both the next night. In the morning light he said: You will
not be able to go with me on the rest of my long journey, because there are too many
people to spy on us. But as soon as I am married I shall send for you.
And so he set off for Chang-an.

109
 SHAO-YU IS CHOSEN FOR PRINCESS LAN-YANG

Shao-yu arrived back at the capital to make his report to the imperial palace at the
same time that the letter of submission and the tribute of gold and silk arrived from the
Prince of Yen. The emperor was delighted and wanted to reward Shao-yu for his
labors and to give recognition of his merits by making him a marquis, but Shao-yu,
greatly alarmed by this suggestion, fell on his knees with his head to the ground and
declined the offer. The emperor, deeply moved by this attitude, took Shao-yus hands
in his own and made him Minister of the Board of Rites, as well as an imperial
academician. It was an unprecedented accumulation of honors and dignities.
Shao-yu returned home and Cheng and his wife received him in the main hall of the
house. They congratulated him on his safe return from his dangerous journey and his
success, and told him of their great pleasure at his promotion in the state. The whole
household was brimming with happiness about it all.
Shao-yu went to the garden pavilion and met Chun-yn again. They talked of their
inner thoughts since they had parted and of their joy at being united again, and the
rapture of their love beggars description.
The emperor was very impressed with Shao-yus ability in literature and frequently
called him to his private quarters to discuss the classics and historical writings, so
that most days saw the young man in attendance at the palace.
One evening the emperor kept him very late. When he arrived back at his official
quarters the place was bathed in moonlight and he felt restless. He could not get to
sleep. So he went up to the top story of the pavilion and sat there leaning on the
balustrade, admiring the moon and reciting poems in the mood of the place. Suddenly
his ears picked up the faint sound of a flute borne distant on the breeze as though it
were coming down from among the distant clouds. He could not distinguish the
110
melody, but the tone was like something from another world.
He called one of the secretaries and asked him: Is that sound coming from outside
the palace walls? Or is there someone within the palace who can play like that?
I cannot tell you, said the secretary.
Shao-yu took out his own jade flute and played a few tunes on it. His music, like the
other, went up to the sky and made the clouds halt in their course. Suddenly two blue-
grey cranes came flying over from the gardens of the inner palace and began dancing
in time to his flute-playing. The secretaries of the Academy were amazed. Prince
Chin of Chou, who moved the phoenixes with his pipes, has come to our place! they
said.
Now the empress-dowager had two sons and one daughter. One son was the
emperor, and the other was Prince Yeh. The daughter was Princess Lan-yang. When
the princess was born, a fairy had appeared to the empress in a dream and placed a
pearl in her bosom, and when the girl grew up she was as lovely as her name, which
meant orchid. There was not the least taint of vulgarity in her manners, she was
gifted in calligraphy and embroidery, and the empress-dowager doted on her.
There had been a white jade flute sent to the court as part of the tribute from Syria.
It was exquisitely fashioned, but although the court musicians were asked to play it,
none of them could coax a note from it. Then one night in a dream the princess met a
fairy who taught her to play a secret tune. When she woke up she tried out her art on
the Syrian jade flute and immediately obtained beautifully clear and harmonious tones.
The empress-dowager and the emperor were very much surprised, but also very
pleased: nobody outside the family knew anything about it. Whenever the princess
played, cranes would gather in front of the building and dance to the music.
The empress said to her son: In olden time Nung-yeh, the daughter of Duke Mu of
Chin, was a remarkable performer on the jade flute. When she played the phoenixes

111
came. Lan-yang clearly is like her. And since Nung-yeh met her husband, the flutist
Hsiao-shih, through her music, surely Lan-yang will do the same.
Because of this, although Lan-yang was grown up, no bridegroom had been chosen
for her. But on this particular night she played the flute in the moonlight and the cranes
came and danced as usual, and then they flew off to the gardens of the Academy and
danced there too. People in the place started to talk: When Minister Yang plays the
flute, cranes come and dance for him.
The emperor came to hear of this. He was surprised, and immediately it occurred to
him that Yang Shao-yu was undoubtedly the man intended by destiny to be Lan-yangs
husband. He spoke of the matter to his mother: Yangs age matches that of the
princess, and he has no peer in the court for either good looks or sheer ability. We
should choose him for her.
The empress laughed and said: I have been getting anxious about arranging a
marriage for her, but now it looks as though heaven has settled the matter for us. All
the same I would like to see him before we decide finally.
The emperor replied. That will be no problem. In a day or two he will come to my
rooms to discuss books with me, and then you can see what you think of him.
Her mother referred to Lan-yang as Hsiao-ho, meaning flute harmony. It was her
personal name, as distinct from her official style of Lan-yang, and it had been given to
her because the two characters with which it is written were carved on the white jade
flute.
Some days later the emperor sat in state in the Peng-lai Hall and sent a eunuch to
fetch Yang Shao-yu. The eunuch went to the Imperial Academy, but found that Shao-yu
had left. So he went on to the Cheng house, only to be told that Shao-yu had not yet
come back. The eunuch was rushing about all over the place looking for him in great
distress.

112
 In point of fact Shao-yu had gone off with Cheng Shih-san to a wine-house in the
city where they were drinking and singing with two well-known singing girls called
Chu-niang (Vermilion Girl) and Y-lu (Jade Dew). They were having a drunken and
hilarious time. The eunuch found them and told Shao-yu of the imperial command to
attend at the palace at once. Shih-san was alarmed and jumped up immediately and
disappeared. Shao-yu was so drunken and befuddled that he did not realize what was
happening. The eunuch fussed and harrassed him till the two girls eventually pulled
him to his feet and got him into his court dress. He went off after the eunuch to the
palace, where the emperor made him sit down and start discussing past rulers, their
governments and wars, their successes and failures. Shao-yu was coherent and the
emperor was very pleased with him, and said: I know that writing poetry is not the
principal occupation of rulers, but our imperial ancestors have all shown great interest
in poetry and their works are widely distributed and read. Now give me your ideas
about poets and their qualities, and tell me who you think was the best royal poet, and
who was the best poet among the subjects of the throne.
Shao-yu replied: If we are looking for well-constructed verses by kings and their
ministers, we must start from the Emperor Shun and his minister Kao Yao, but there is
no need to discuss them at length. Then the finest works by rulers are the Han Emperor
Kao-tis Song of the Great Wind, the Han Emperor Wu-tis Ode to the Autumn Wind,
and the Wei Emperor Wu-tis Moonlight and Starlight. Among the ministers I would
choose Li Ling of Western Han, Tsao Chih of Wei, and then Tao Yan-ming and
Hsieh Ling-yn of Chin, who are all famous. But there has never been a dynasty with
more distinction in poetry than our present one, and the finest period was in the forty-
years reign of the Emperor Hsan Tsung. He was the finest poet among our emperors
and Li Po was not only the best poet among the ministers, he was the greatest poet of
all time.

113
 The Emperor said: Your evaluation is mine exactly! Every time I read Li Pos Song
of Ching-ping or his Ode on the Joy of Travel I regret that I did not live in his days.
But now that I have you I no longer wish I had Li Po.
I have followed an ancient custom by appointing a dozen or so women to take care
of the ink and writing brushesthe Lady Secretaries. They are all very intelligent and
there are no complaints about any of them. Now I would like to see what it was like
when Li Po wrote poems while he was drunk, and I hope you will not disappoint these
ladies. I should like to watch you myself.
He then ordered one of the palace women to bring a crystal ink-stone case, a white
jade brush-pot and a moon-shaped yellow jade water-dropper. These were set out and
the women gathered round, excited about the emperors command that they should
receive poems. They brought out silk handkerchiefs and fans and presented them for
Shao-yu to write poems on them.
Shao-yu, still thoroughly drunk, wrote on them all swiftly and spontaneously, his
brush flying as fast as lightning through the clouds. Before the suns shadows had
moved appreciably, he had written on all the fans and other articles the women had set
before him. The women took each article as the writing was finished and presented it
for inspection to the emperor, who praised each poem for its gem-like perfection. He
said to the women: The minister has worked hard for you. Now bring him some of the
best wine.
The women brought in white jade plates, gold beakers, a crystal wine bottle, and
some of the cups made of pearly nautilus shells that look like little parrots. They filled
the cups with wine to the brim. Some of them knelt by him, some stood in front of him,
struggling to persuade him to drink more and more. He was drinking with a cup in
each hand, and when he had finished a dozen or so cups his face was flushed like
spring blossom, and his eyes were growing misty. The emperor told them to take the

114
rest of the wine away, and said: The chancellors poems are worth a thousand gold
dollars apiece. Rather, they are beyond price. What do you all intend to offer him by
way of thanks? Do not forget what the Book of Songs says about exchanging quinces
for rosy girdle-gems.
Some of the girls took out their big gold hairpins that held up their coiffures, and the
jade ornaments from their girdles and threw them down in front of Shao-yu, together
with fish-shaped earrings, gold bangles and incense-cases. They tinkled pleasantly as
they fell. The emperor told a eunuch to take up the inkstone, brushes, water-dropper,
paper and other things used by Shao-yu when he was writing and take them, along with
the gifts of the women, to Shao-yus house. Shao-yu thanked him and tried to get up,
but fell over in the attempt. The emperor ordered a eunuch to support him and help him
as far as the South Gate of the palace, where a mounted escort had been assembled.
He was put on his horse and taken home to the garden pavilion of the Cheng mansion.
There Chun-yn received him, and held him up as she took his court robe off him.
Wherever have you been to get as drunk as this?
Shao-yu was so far gone that he could do no more than nod his head in reply. Soon
the servants came with the writing-materials and ornaments which the emperor had
ordered to be sent, and piled them all up on the verandah. Yang chuckled, and managed
to say: This stuff is all things the emperor sent for you! I earn as much as Tung-fang
Shuo!
She was going to ask him again to explain himself, but he was deep in drunken
sleep, snoring thunderously.

The next morning Shao-yu rose very late. He had just finished washing and dressing
when the gatekeeper came hurrying in to say: Prince Yeh is here.
Shao-yu was most surprised. He thought: If Prince Yeh has come in person, there

115
must be something important afoot.
He went out quickly, greeted the prince and conducted him to the reception room,
and after he had sat down, made the obeisances appropriate to the emperors brother.
The prince was nearly twenty years old. He was exceedingly attractive and handsome.
Shao-yu knelt in front of him and said: Your Highness has deigned to visit me: what
are your commands?
The young prince answered: I have known your high reputation for a long time, and
wanted to meet you, but there has never been an opportunity to do so. Now I have been
sent with a message from the emperor and I am delighted to have a chance to talk with
you. It is time that the Princess Lan-yang was betrothed, and the emperor thinks so
highly of your ability and qualities that he has made up his mind, and he gave me the
honor of bringing the news to you. The official announcement will be made a little
later.
Shao-yu was astonished. He bowed very low and said: If the imperial favor comes
down too rapidly or too fully on a poor subject, it turns inevitably into a disaster. I am
already betrothed to the daughter of the Minister Cheng, and the wedding gifts were
exchanged last year. I beg you please to convey this news to his imperial majesty.
The prince answered: I will go back and tell him, but I am very sorry about it. His
majestys cherished designs will fall to the ground.
This is a very important matter for me, and I dare not treat it lightly. I will bow
before the palace gate and proclaim my fault.
The prince left for the palace at once, and Shao-yu went in to see Cheng, and told
him what the prince had said. Chun-yn had heard the prince speaking, and had
already told Chengs wife about it, so that the whole house was babbling with distress.
The old mans brow clouded over with anxiety, and he did not know what to say.
Shao-yu said to him: Please do not worry, sir. The emperor is a good and wise man

116
who holds the traditional rites and proprieties in high esteem. He will not force me to
go against my conscience. I am unworthy enough, but I swear I will not be guilty of the
crime Sung Hung refused to commit when he rejected the royal suggestion that he
should divorce his old wife for a princess.

The day before, the empress-dowager had gone to the Peng-lai Hall and watched
Shao-yu through the beaded screen. She had been very much taken with him. She had
said to the emperor: He is just the man for our Lan-yang. There is no need to discuss
it any further.
And he had sent Prince Yeh to tell Shao-yu.
Now the emperor wanted to speak of the matter himself. He was staying in his
private apartments. He thought he would take another look at the poems which Shao-yu
had composed the day before, and he sent a eunuch to collect from the lady secretaries
all the poems that Shao-yu had written for them.
All the girls had put their prizes away very carefully, except one girl who had taken
her inscribed fan to her bedroom alone. She had put it in her bosom and wept over it,
unable to eat or sleep till morning. She was Chin Tsai-feng, the daughter of the
inspector from Hua-chou. After her fathers execution, she had been put into service in
the palace. All the women praised her beauty, so the emperor wanted to make her an
imperial concubine, but the empress-dowager was opposed to the idea. She said: The
Chin girl is very attractive, but you had to order her fathers execution. If you had her
close to you it would not only be a violation of all ancient precedents, but I am afraid
it would endanger the system of criminal punishments.
The emperor saw the point of her objections and called Tsai-feng and asked her if
she could write Chinese characters. She replied that she could do so a little. So the
emperor had her appointed as one of the lady secretaries, and put her in charge of

117
palace documents. She was sent to the house of the empress-dowager, where she was
put to work with Princess Lan-yang to help her perfect both her reading and her
composition. The princess quickly grew very fond of her and they were never apart
even for a short while.
On this particular day she had been waiting upon the empress in the Peng-lai Hall,
when by the emperors command she had received Shao-yus poem along with the
other secretaries. She had recognized him as the young man Yang whom she had met at
the Willow Pavilion in Hua-yin. His face was in her mind night and day, how could
she fail to know him? He, of course, did not even know whether she was alive or not,
since he was writing in the presence of the emperor he had not dared to look at the
girls, but had simply dashed off the poems with the writing-brush. But when Tsai-feng
saw him her heart was on fire and her bones melted. She stifled her feeling and was
afraid that other people would notice something strange about her. There was no one
she could talk to about it. There seemed to be no hope of ever meeting him again. In
the depths of her distress she held up the fan and read the poem he had written on it,
hardly able to bear the agony of the situation. The poem said:

Round, round is the silken fan, round as the shining moon,

It vies with the white hand that holds it.
Its fragrant breezes waft peace and pleasure.
In and out of her bosom, never at rest.

Round, round is the silken fan, round as the lonely moon,

It follows the white hand that holds it.
On its aimless way it hides her face
And man loses sight of the beauty of spring.

118
 She read over the first stanza and sighed: He does not know how I feel. I am living
in the palace, but I have no chance for such intimacy with the emperor.
Then she read the second stanza and sighed again: He may not have seen my face
this time but I am sure he cannot have forgotten it. So the poem only goes to show that
a foot is as far as a thousand miles.
She thought over their first meeting and his poem about the willow trees. It was too
much for her: the tears rolled down on to her dress. At last she composed a poem of
her own and wrote it on the fan after Shao-yus stanzas. She read it over and sighed.
Suddenly she heard the eunuch coming to collect Shao-yus poems for the emperor to
read them again. She was terrified and began to tremble violently: What shall I do?
she cried, Now I shall be killed! I shall be killed!
The eunuch said to her: His majesty wants to see the fans that the minister wrote
poems on. Why are you so distressed?
Tsai-feng was weeping: Miserable creature that I am, without thinking what I was
doing I capped his verses with one of my own and added it to the fan. I could be killed
for it. If his majesty sees it he will order my execution at once. Rather than die in
disgrace, I had better kill myself. When I am dead, please see that my body is properly
buried. Dont let it be left to the carrion crows.
The eunuch said: What on earth are you saying? The emperor is kind and good, and
he will not make a great account of this slip. Even if he is put out about it, I will
soothe him for you, so just you follow me.
She followed the eunuch, who left her outside the door while he went in to the
emperor alone. The emperor studied each of the pieces in turn until he came to Tsai-
fengs fan. When he saw the new poem written after Shao-yus work, he asked the
eunuch about it. The eunuch said: The Chin girl told me that she never dreamed that

119
your majesty might ask to see it again and without thinking she wrote a verse of her
own on it. Now she thinks that she will be killed for her presumption. She was going
to take her own life to avoid the disgrace, but I dissuaded her and made her come here
with me.
The emperor read the new verses over:

Round, round is the silken fan, round as the autumn moon,

It recalls my shyness the first time that we met.
When we come close and you do not know me
I am sorry I first let you know I saw you.

When he had finished reading them, the emperor said: Obviously there is some
story attached to his. I dont understand it all, but she met somebody somewhere and
this poem refers to the fact. The technique of the poem is excellent.
He told the eunuch to bring Tsai-feng in. She bowed low before the dais and
confessed her fault. The emperor said: If you tell me the truth I will pardon you
completely. With whom have you had this experience?
Hanging her head, she answered: How dare I conceal anything? Before my fathers
house was destroyed, Yang Shao-yu happened to stop by our pavilion when he was on
his way to sit for the state examinations. We saw each other and exchanged poems
about the willow trees. I sent my nurse to him and we promised to marry one another.
The other day when I was in waiting at court I recognized him, but he did not
recognize me. I remembered what had passed between us two years ago and was upset
and scribbled these verses, which you have now seen. I deserve to die for it.
The emperor felt very sorry for her. He asked her: Can you remember the willow
songs that led to your engagement?

120
 Immediately she wrote out the willow songs for him and handed them up to the
throne. The emperor forgave her: You have done wrong, but your poem is very
beautiful and Princess Lan-yang loves you very dearly. I forgive you absolutely. Do
your best in her Highnesss service, and do not forget your true duty.
He gave the fan back to her. She thanked him gratefully and went out.

Meanwhile Prince Yeh had come back from the Chengs house and told the
empress-dowager that Shao-yu was already spoken for in marriage. She was very
displeased and went to the emperor and said to him: Yang is now a minister of state,
and must know what the laws and customs are. How can he resist like this?
The emperor said: Betrothal is not at all the same thing as having been married. If I
speak with him he will soon come round and be sensible.
The following day he summoned Shao-yu and said: My sister is uncommonly gifted
and you are the only possible spouse for her. I sent Prince Yeh to tell you this, but he
says you decline the suggestion very firmly on the grounds that you are already
engaged. This is most irresponsible of you. In the old days when an imperial son-in-
law was to be chosen, sometimes a married man was selected. Wang Hsien-chih
mourned the fact till the end of his days. Only Sung Hung refused the royal command.
But I am the parent of the people; I would not force you to act contrary to the rules of
correct behavior. If you repudiate the Cheng marriage now, the Cheng girl will not
suffer. She can easily look elsewhere. Since you are not actually married, what
principle of right conduct will have been contraverted?
Shao-yu hung his head and said: Your majesty has not only not punished me, but has
admonished me like a father talking to his son. I am deeply grateful and have nothing
further to say. Nevertheless, my circumstances are unusual. When I came to the capital
first I was a poor country scholar with nowhere to go. Minister Cheng in his

121
generosity not only betrothed me to his daughter, but he has treated me like a son-in-
law, and I have already seen his daughters face, and we clearly have the obligations
of a married couple. The only reason why the wedding has not been celebrated is that I
have been so busy with affairs of state. Now that the borders are happily at peace and
we have no anxieties for the safety of the land, I was about to ask for leave of absence
to go to the country and fetch my old mother. Then we were to set a day and hold the
wedding. But quite unexpectedly your majestys order was issued. I am alarmed and
my life has been thrown into confusion. If I obey you from fear of punishment I know
that Cheng Chiung-pei will never marry anyone else till her dying day. If she never
becomes a wife, will it not be a blot on your majestys record as a wise governor?
The emperor said: Your attitude is upright and good, but you are a pillar of the
state. Apart from that, the empress-dowager decided this matter herself, and she wants
you very badly. I cannot go against her. Shao-yu politely refused again. The emperor
said: Ah well, marriage is a very important question, and we must not make decisions
hurriedly. Let us pass a little time with a game of backgammon.
He ordered a eunuch to bring in a board, and the two of them sat down together to
pit their wits against each other.
After darkness had closed in, they stopped playing, and Shao-yu returned to the
Cheng house. The old man met him with a very sad face, and said, wiping his tears:
Today an order came from the empress-dowager that all your betrothal gifts were to
be returned. I have already sent them round to Chun-yn in the garden house. When
we think of our poor daughters misfortunes, we two old folks have no idea what to
do. I might manage to bear it, but my wife is prostrate. She is unconscious now and
cannot recognize people.
Shao-yu was appalled and turned pale. For a time he could not speak; then he said:
This is a wickedly unfair situation. If I memorialize the throne there is sure to be a

122
reversal of the decision.
Wringing his hands, the old man said: You have already repeatedly defied the
imperial command. If you now make a memorial, that will finish the matter. You will
be severely punished. Not only must you submit, but you must find somewhere else to
stay. It is too embarrassing to have you living here in the garden house, and you must
leave us.
Shao-yu did not answer him, but went to the garden house. Ch'un-yn, with many
tears and a choking voice, showed him the returned betrothal gifts. She said: I have
been looking after you on orders from my mistress. You have been good to me and I
have been grateful to you, but the demons have been jealous and men have envied me,
so everything has gone wrong. My mistresss marriage plans have come to nothing. I
must say goodbye to you for ever, and go back to look after her.
And she quoted the song of distress about a royal decision from the Book of Songs:
Far, far away is the blue heaven and What kind of men are these?
Her weeping was unbearable to hear. Shao-yu said: I intend to petition the throne.
Once a woman has consented to marry she is bound by the rites and customs to stay
faithful to her husband. How can you talk of leaving me?
I am not very bright, but at least I know the three rules for a woman: that she must
obey her father till she marries, her husband after her wedding, and her son after her
husbands death. But my circumstances are not like ordinary people's, because I have
been brought up by my mistress from my earliest years. All thoughts of difference of
status were dropped, and we swore to live and die together. I will accept good or evil
with her. Ill follow her like her shadow. If the body goes, how can the shadow stay
behind?
Shao-yu replied: Your devotion to her is exaggerated. You and she are different.
She can go wherever she pleases; but can you possibly now leave me and follow her

123
to marry somebody else?
Chun-yn replied: That proves you do not understand our intentions. My mistress
has sworn to stay with her old parents until they die. Then she will shave her head and
become a nun and pray to Buddha that she is not reborn into the world as a woman.
And I have vowed to do the same thing. If you want to see me again, we can talk about
it after your betrothal gifts have been returned to my mistresss room. Otherwise this is
our last farewell in this life. In the next life I hope I can become your dog or your
horse and show my devotion to you. I hope you live happily.
She turned away and sat down. For half the day she wept bitterly. Then she got up
and went out into the courtyard, turned and bowed to him, and went into the womens
quarters.

After Chun-yn had gone away, Shao-yu remained alone in great distress, his
stomach turning over and over. He looked at the blue sky and sighed deeply.
Frequently he rubbed his hands together and said: I shall have to present a memorial
to the throne.
Finally he wrote out an earnestly-worded petition. This was the text:

Yang Shao-yu, Minister of the Board of Rites, bowing to the ground, humbly
presents this memorial to your imperial majesty. Respect for the moral law is
the basis of royal government, and marriage is the first moral law. If this
fundamental principle is once lost, countless troubles will multiply, and the
state will be endangered; if we do not care for its primary nature, then its
purpose will fail, and any family that is affected will be destroyed. The welfare
of the state depends on this question. Therefore all the great sages and kings of
the past have taken great pains to ensure that the primary moral laws were

124
observed in the governing of the state, and considered nothing more important
than the correct ordering of marriages in properly disposed households.
Your humble servant has already sent his betrothal gifts to the daughter of
the Cheng household and bound himself to her family. After this was concluded
your imperial majesty unexpectedly issued a gracious command that your
unworthy servant should be chosen as the imperial son-in-law. He was deeply
distressed by this order, and fails to understand how the imperial command
and the governments approval can be regarded as being in accordance with
the accepted laws and rites. Even had your servant not been promised in
marriage, he is entirely unfitted, by reason of his lowly birth and lack of
proper education, to be chosen as the imperial son-in-law. Moreover, is it
possible for a man already betrothed to a commoner to be joined to the noble
person of a princess?
Can this matter be allowed to pass without careful consideration of its
appropriateness, or the risk of ignoble ridicule be passed over without
searching investigation? Your imperial majesty has issued a secret order for
the cancellation of rites which have already been performed. Your servant, as
an official of the Board of Rites, is unable to countenance this action. Your
servant fears that your majestys government may be jeopardized on his behalf;
that because of your servant the moral laws will be thwarted, that the virtue of
the throne above will be damaged, and that in the common places below there
will be violence and disorder, and finally the whole state will be unable to
avoid disaster.
Your humble servant devoutly implores that your imperial majesty will
earnestly regard the moral foundations of the state, ordering all things aright
from first principles, by revoking the order that has been made, and so

125
 permitting your servant to perform his lowly duties with peace.

The emperor read this petition and showed it to his mother. She was furious and
demanded that Shao-yu be imprisoned, but the major officials of the government used
all their efforts to prevent that happening. The emperor said: I know that is too heavy
a punishment, but the empress-dowager is so angry that I dare not simply pardon him.
So he ordered that Shao-yu should be imprisoned. Minister Cheng was in disgrace
too. He closed his doors and refused to receive visitors.

126
 V. Marshal of the West

SHAO-YU MEETS NIAO-YEN AND LING-PO IN TIBET

At this time the Tibetans became stronger and with an army of a hundred thousand
men they began to harrass the border prefectures. Their vanguard advanced as far as
the Wei River Bridge, not far to the north of Chang-an. The capital grew very uneasy
and the emperor assembled all his ministers in council. They advised him that since
the garrison force in the capital was no more than a few thousand men, and the relief
forces in the provinces were too far away to come quickly, he should leave the capital
for a while, go out to Kuan-tung and make a progress through all the provinces to
muster troops and set matters right. He found it difficult to make up his mind, but said:
Yang Shao-yu is the most resourceful of all my counsellors and has sound judgment.
When I was about to make a mistake before, it was he who was responsible for the
submission of the three rebellious commanderies.
So he persuaded his mother to have Shao-yu freed and summoned him to hear his
advice. Shao-yu said: The capital has the tombs of the imperial ancestors and the
royal palaces. If you desert them now there will be confusion throughout the empire.
Moreover if a strong enemy were to enter the city, it would be very difficult indeed to
drive them out again. In the days of your predecessor Tai Tsung, the Tibetans and the
Uighurs joined forces and attacked the capital with a million men. At that time the
garrison was even weaker than it is now, but the Prince Fen-yang, Kuo Tzu-i, drove
them away with his cavalry. My skill and ability are not equal to a thousandth part of
Kuo Tzu-is, but if you will allow me a few thousand soldiers I will do my best to
chase away this enemy and so repay your graciousness in forgiving me.
The emperor approved heartily and at once appointed Shao-yu as commander-in-
127
chief, allowed him thirty thousand men from the garrison and told him to deal with the
Tibetans.
Shao-yu took his leave, marshalled his army and drew them up in battle formation at
the Wei Bridge. He defeated the vanguard and took one of their princes prisoner. The
enemys strength was broken and they fled. He followed closely after them and joined
battle three times, defeating them each time. He killed about thirty thousand men and
took a thousand horses. He sent notice of his victories to the emperor, who was very
happy to get the news and ordered the armies to return. He also appointed rewards for
each of the generals according to his merits in the campaign.
The message which Shao-yu sent to the emperor was this:

I have heard it said that the imperial forces are invincible, but if they wait
idly and lose an opportunity they cannot prove their value. I have also heard
that 'troops who always win tend not to respect the power of their enemies and
cannot destroy them unless they attack when the enemy is hungry and faint.
Our enemies are strong and well-equipped, but they have come as strangers to
fight against the owners of the land and we ought to wait well-fed for the time
when they grow hungry. Their strength diminishes daily, and their men are
weakening. The textbooks of war say that one should strive to catch the enemy
when his food supplies are low and the terrain is not in his favor. Already our
foes are broken and fleeing. They are in dire straits. We have supplies of food
and provender stocked for us in every town along the way, so we have no fear
of lack of provisions. The flat plains are to our advantage and there are no
dangers of ambush. If we can follow them fast we shall gain a decisive victory.
I am pleased with our partial victory, but hope you will approve a decisive
strategy and not insist on our returning now, because I cannot accept that this

128
 would be a wise plan. I beg you to take counsel of your ministers and decide
our course. Allow me to chase the enemy as far as possible, and to fire his
hide-outs, and I swear that not a single suit of his armor shall come back over
our border, nor a single arrow again be shot at us. Then your imperial majesty
will be relieved of all anxiety.

The emperor was much impressed by this dispatch, and at once promoted Shao-yu
to Chief Inspector and at the same time Minister of the Board of War, with the title of
Marshal of the West. He invested him with a magnificent sword, a crimson bow with
scarlet arrows, a belt of water-buffalo horn, a white yaks tail standard and golden
battle-axe; and sent out a further order for the mustering of troops and horses to Shao-
yus forces from the provinces of So-fang, Ho-tung and Lung-hsi.
When Shao-yu received the decree ordering all this, he faced toward the palace and
bowed his thanks, then chose a propitious day to make the sacrifice to the army
standard, and set out with twenty thousand men.
His strategy was the cunning of the Six Chapters of Chiang Tai-kung: the Dragon,
the Tiger, the Book, the Warrior, the Leopard and the Dog; and his disposition of the
lines was according to the Eight Trigrams of the Book of Changes. On the march
discipline was strict, and the column moved like a jet of water or a split in a bamboo.
Within a few months the fifty or so over-run towns were recovered and the main force
had arrived at the foot of the Chih-shih hills. Suddenly a great whirlwind rose before
the horses, crows cried out and the whirlwind passed through the camp. Shao-yu
called the diviners to explain this omen and learned that though the enemy would
attack his lines with great force, he would be victorious in the end. So he camped
below the mountains and surrounded the place with caltrops and booby traps. Then he
settled down to wait.

129
 That night Shao-yu was sitting in his tent perusing military textbooks by the light of
a candle; the sentry had already called the time of the third watch. Suddenly a cold
draught blew out the candle and a young woman appeared in the middle of the tent as
though she had come down through the air. She had a gleaming dagger in her hand.
Shao-yu guessed that she was an assassin, but did not falter. He looked at her very
sternly and spoke slowly: What sort of a woman are you, to appear in the midst of the
camp in the middle of the night? What do you want?
She replied: I have been sent by Tsen-po, the king of Tibet, to fetch your head.
Shao-yu laughed: The superior man is never afraid to die. Strike quickly!
The girl then threw down her dagger and hung her head: You need not worry. How
could I do such a thing?
Shao-yu raised her up and said: You came into the camp armed with a dagger and
now you say you will not hurt me! What do you mean?
She answered: I want to tell you my whole story, but I cannot do it all at once.
Shao-yu made her sit down, and then asked: You faced great risks in coming to find
me. Now, who are you, and what did you want to say to me?
She answered: I have been trained to be an assassin, but I have no desire to kill. I
will open my heart to you.
Then she stood up and re-lit the candle and came to sit close to Shao-yu. Now he
could see her properly. Her hair was like a cloud, fastened with a golden hairpin in
high coiffure. She had a narrow-sleeved military coat embroidered with a design of
China-pinks. She wore phoenix-tail-shaped wooden shoes, and had a dragon sword
sheathed in her belt. Her face was like a sea-rose with dew on its petals, and as she
slowly opened her cherry lips, her voice was as sweet as the song of the oriole:
Originally I came from Yang-chou. My family have been subjects of Tang for

130
generations. I was parted from my parents when I was a child and became the disciple
of a woman teacher. She was a brilliant swordswoman and had three disciples: Chen
Hai-yeh, Sea Moon; Chin Tsai-hung, Rainbow; and Shen Niao-yen, Mist-wreath. I
am Niao-yen.
After learning the art of the sword for three years, I was able to learn the art of
transmogrification. I could ride on the wind, chasing the lightning, covering a thousand
leagues in an instant. We were all equally proficient in our swordsmanship, but
whenever our teacher had an enemy to destroy or some wicked person to kill, she
always sent Hai-yeh or Tsai-hung, and never once employed me. I was very angry
about this, and said to her: We three girls have all learned from you together, but I am
the only one to whom you give no opportunity to repay your goodness. I cannot
understand it. Is it because my skill is weak that you never send me? She replied:
You are not really one of our kind. Eventually you will learn the right way and will
be made perfect. If you went to kill men as the other two do, you would be
permanently harmed. That is why I never send you. So I asked her: In that case, what
use will my swordsmanship be to me in the future? She told me: The man for whom
you are destined is in the empire of Tang. He is a great personage. You are at present
in a foreign country and have no chance to meet him. I am teaching you skill with the
sword so that you shall have such a chance. You will have to go into a camp of
thousands of soldiers, among the swords and spears, to fulfil your destiny.
Then this spring she said to me again: The Tang emperor is going to send a great
general to defeat the Tibetans. The Tibetan king, Tsen-po, is advertising for assassins
to kill the Tang general. Take this opportunity and go down from the mountain. Go to
Tibet and test your skill among the assassins. On the one hand, you will save the Tang
general from imminent disaster: on the other hand, you will realize your life's destiny.
So I did as she said and went to Tibet. I tore down the notice I saw on the city gate and

131
took it to the king. He compared my proficiency with that of the other assassins. He
judged I was the best and was very pleased with me. He told me to come, and said: If
you bring back the Tang generals head to me, I will make you my chief concubine.
Now I have met you. I see that my teacher was right. Please let me join your retinue
and wait on you. Will you let me?
Shao-yu was very pleased. He said: You have spared my doomed life and now you
want to stay with me and look after me. How can I repay you? What I should really
like to do would be to marry you.
So they went to bed together. The gleaming of his sword took the place of nuptial
candles, and the boom of gongs replaced the music of the lute. Moonlight bathed that
distant place with soft light. No silken-curtained bridal chamber could have increased
their joy: their ecstasy in that army tent was as great as the mountains and
overwhelming as the sea.

After this Shao-yu was head over heels in love with her and did not bother to see
his soldiers. Three days later Niao-yen said to him: It is bad to have a woman living
in the camp. I am afraid the soldiers will lose their spirit.
Shao-yu said: But you are not an ordinary woman. I hope you are going to teach me
some of your wonderful skill so that I can destroy the enemy.
She answered: There is no question of your military prowess. You will cut the
enemy down like a rotten tree-stump, but I came here on my teachers instructions, but
I have not formally taken leave of her. I ought to go back and greet her and then wait
till you return from the campaign, when I will eventually meet you again in the
capital.
Thats all very well, but what shall I do if another assassin comes? complained
Shao-yu.

132
 The Tibetans have many assassins, but none that will compare with me. When they
learn I have married you, they will not dare to come, so you need not fear anybody
else, and you have nothing to worry about.
Then she took a jewel out of her belt and gave it to him, saying: This jewel is
called Miao-ya-wan, the Mystic Trinket. It was a pin in Tsen-po's headdress. Please
send a messenger with it to indicate that I have no intention of returning to him.
Have you any other instructions? asked Shao-yu.
Further along the road is a place called Pan-she Valley. You are bound to pass that
way. There is no drinking water there: you must make sure to dig wells so that the
soldiers can drink.
She threw down the jewel and Shao-yu was about to ask for more information when
she leapt straight into the air and was no more to be seen. Then he called together the
officers of his army and told them about her. They and the troops all agreed that she
was a blessing and a strength to him for frightening the enemy, for they were certain
that a spiritual being had come to help him.
The young marshal promptly sent a man to the enemy camp to take the Miao-ya-wan
to Tsen-po. At length he set his own army on the march until they arrived at Tai-shan,
where the defile was so narrow that a single rider could barely pass through it. They
passed along the bank of the stream, clinging to the base of the cliff for many miles,
before they found a place where there was room to pitch camp and rest the men. The
soldiers were exhausted and parched, so they looked for drinking water, but could not
find any. Below the mountain there was a large lake, toward which they struggled, but
when they drank water from it their faces turned green and they were struck dumb.
They began gasping for breath and it looked as though they would die.
Shao-yu was very distressed to hear of this and went himself to see what was
happening. The water was dark green in color, too deep to measure, and as cold as

133
autumn frost. Suddenly he remembered: This must be the Pan-she valley that Shen
Niao-yen was speaking about. He persuaded the remaining soldiers to dig wells, but
although they dug deeply in a great many places they could find no fresh springs
anywhere.
He was growing very anxious and ordered the camp to be removed to some other
place, when suddenly the sound of drums shook the hills like thunder: the Tibetan
troops had massed in the narrow defile and cut off the escape of the Tang army.

Shao-yus men were dying of thirst and hemmed in at front and rear, and he was
sitting in his tent trying to think of a ruse to send the enemy off and get out of the
impasse. He was very tired, and leaning on the table began to doze. Suddenly the tent
was filled with a strange fragrance, and two little girls stood before him. Their faces
were fairylike and spiritual. They said to him: We have come with a message from
our mistress to your excellency. Please condescend to visit her.
He asked: Who is your mistress and where does she live?
The girls replied: She is the younger daughter of the Dragon King of Tung-ting
Lake. Recently she left the palace for a little while and has come to live near here.
He said: The Dragon King lives under the water. I am a human being. What magic
can I use to go there?
The girls replied: There is a fairy horse tied up outside the gate. If you will ride it,
you can easily go there.
Shao-yu followed the girls to the gate of the camp. The retinue was waiting there
dressed in fantastic uniforms, holding a dappled horse with a gold-mounted saddle.
They helped him on to the horse, which glided through the air, its hoofs never touching
the dust, and almost immediately they arrived at the Water Palace. The water-city, the
palace of pearls, was beautiful and strong, worthy of a king. All the guards had heads

134
like fish and beards like shrimps. Several girls came out to open the door, and led
Shao-yu inside. In the middle of the throne hall there was a throne of white jade set up
facing south, which the waiting-women asked Shao-yu to sit on. They put a silk
cushion on the floor before the steps of the throne and withdrew. Very soon a dozen or
so attendants appeared, accompanying a young lady from one of the chambers on the
left side of the audience hall. It would be impossible to describe her beauty and her
resplendent clothes.
One of the ladies-in-waiting came forward and announced: The daughter of the
Dragon King of Tung-ting begs audience of the marshal.
Shao-yu was amazed and wanted to escape, but the ladies-in-waiting prevented him
from leaving the dais. The Dragon Princess stood before him and kowtowed four
times. The jade ornaments hanging from her girdle tinkled together prettily and a
wonderful fragrance came to his nostrils. He bowed in return and asked her to come
up and sit beside him, but she declined and sat on the small cushion spread on the
floor. Shao-yu said: I am an ordinary human being and you are a Dragon Princess of
the water world. Why are you receiving me with such excessive respect?
She replied: I am Po Ling-po, White Sea-foam, the youngest daughter of the Dragon
King of Tung-ting. When I was born, my father went to the court of Heaven, and there
he asked the clairvoyant Chang about my horoscope. Chang said that I had previously
been a fairy, but had committed some sin and been banished from heaven to become
the king's daughter, and that I should later become human and marry a great personage,
enjoying riches and honor, until in the end I went to the Buddha and became a famous
nun. We dragon-folk are the noblest of the water-creatures and we deem it a great
honor to become human; we yearn even more for the chance to achieve Taoist
immortality or Buddhahood. My eldest sister became the daughter-in-law of the
Dragon King of Ching-shui, but she was unhappy with her husband, and our family and

135
his fell out, so she was married again, to Liu I, a human being. Her relations all honor
her and everybody in the house pays her more respect than they do her sisters, but I am
searching for my karma, which will be more splendid than hers. My father, having
heard what Chang said, took special care of me, and the palace women of all ranks
treated me as if I were a heavenly being. When I grew up, Wu-hsien, the son of the
Dragon King of the Southern Sea, heard that I was beautiful and asked my father if he
could marry me. The king of Tung-ting is subject to the king of the Southern Sea, so
my father did not dare to sit tight and refuse, but himself went to the Southern Sea king
and told him what Chang had said about me, to explain his refusal.
The Southern Sea king, for the sake of his proud son, told my father that he had
been deceitful, and rebuked him sternly. He was even more insistent about the
marriage. I thought to myself: If I stay with my parents I shall be disgraced. So I left
them and ran away. I cleared some brambles and built a house in a secluded place,
where I passed my time in poverty, but the Southern Sea kings persecution grew
stronger. My parents said: Our daughter does not want to get married, so she has run
away and hidden herself to live alone. Wu- hsien had no respect for my constancy
and came himself at the head of some troops to capture me. All nature was moved by
my misfortunes. The waters of the lake were changed: they became as cold as ice and
as black as hell. Wu-hsiens troops have not been able to enter the lake. I have been
preserved and so far have escaped with my life.
I dared to ask you to come here today, not only because I wanted to tell you my
story but also for the sake of the imperial army. They are in great trouble because there
is no water in the wells, and however much they dig they cannot find any, so they are
in no condition to fight. Originally this lake was called Ching-shui-tan, the Pool of
Clear Water, but since I came to live here the taste has turned brackish and anybody
who drinks it falls ill; so the name has been changed. It is now called Po-lung-tan, the

136
White Dragon Pool. Now you have come, and I have someone who will care for me. It
is like spring sunshine coming again to a shaded valley. I have already promised
myself to you. I will share your worries. I must do everything within my poor power to
help you in your campaign. From now on the taste of the water will be as sweet as it
used to be and your soldiers can safely drink it. The ones who were made ill by it will
get better.
Shao-yu said: Now I have heard what you have to say, I realize that this is the
karma of Providence. One must stake everything on the bonds of the old man of the
moonlight, whose thread binds those who are predestined to marry. I see things the
way you do.
The Dragon Princess answered: Although I have promised myself to you there are
three things that prevent me from marrying you: to begin with, I have not told my
parents; secondly, I cannot think of marrying you until I have changed my shapeI am
covered in scales and smell fishy, I cannot soil your bed with my fins; and thirdly,
Prince Wu-hsien is always sending his agents here to spy on me, and if he hears about
us he will certainly raise a great storm. I am afraid that if his anger is aroused he will
do us some harm. You had better go quickly back to the camp, get your soldiers into
good order, and destroy the enemy. Then you will be covered in glory, and can go back
victorious to the capital. I shall be able to pick up my skirts, fly across the water, and
follow you to your home there in Chang-an.
Shao-yu said: What you say is all very proper. It seems to me, however, that you
did not come here simply to get your own way, but also because your father told you to
wait until I came. So you cannot say that our meeting today is not according to your
parents wishesand since you were originally a fairy and have a spiritual nature, and
nowhere is there any objection to relationship between human beings and spirits, why
should I be disgusted by your scales and fins? Thirdly, I am not very clever, but in

137
obedience to the emperors orders I command thousands of soldiers; the wind-god
goes before me and the sea-god is at my back. That Dragon Prince is no more to me
than a mosquito or an ant. If he does not immediately think better of his absurd ways,
but continues in his resistance, I shall have no choice but to soil my sword with his
blood. Now, since we have so fortunately met here tonight, we cannot let the occasion
pass and fail to confirm our happy agreement.
So he took her by the hand to bed, and they did not know whether it was a dream or
reality, they had such joy together.
The next day before it was light there was a sound like continuous thunder. The
Water Palace trembled. The Dragon Princess got up in fright and one of the palace
women came in, breathlessly announcing: The Prince of the Southern Sea has lined up
his troops at the foot of the hill and is demanding to fight things out with Marshal
Yang.
The princess said: I was afraid of this. That is why I told you to go.
Shao-yu was very angry: How dare the crazy boy do such a thing?
Pulling his clothes together, he got up quickly and hurried to the waterside. Wu-
hsiens troops had already encircled the Po-lung Lake and were causing a great uproar
in their fierce eagerness for battle. The so-called Crown Prince came riding out on
horseback and shouted: What sort of a man are you, to steal another mans wife? I
swear I will no longer share the same world with you.
Shao-yu mounted his horse and laughed derisively: The Dragon Princesss destined
marriage with me was written in heaven from her former existence. The clairvoyant
Chang proclaimed it. I am only obeying the will of Heaven. You puny fish-spawn, how
dare you be so impertinent?
He formed up his troops and urged them to fight. Wu-hsien, stung to greater fury,
called up every kind of fish. His commander was a carp and his chief of staff was a

138
turtle. They led the charge with ruthless violence and great courage. Shao-yu led the
counter-attack, cutting off their heads and crushing thousands of the enemy with each
crack of his white jade whip. In a very short time the ground was covered with
crushed fish-scales and smashed turtle-shells. Wu-hsien was wounded several times
with lance-thrusts, and so was unable to metamorphose himself. Finally he was caught
and bound by Shao-yus men and brought up to the marshals horse. Greatly delighted,
Shao-yu struck the war-gong to call off his troops. The sentries then came along and
said: The Dragon Princess has come to the camp and wants to congratulate your
excellency and give some wine to the troops.
Shao-yu sent a man to conduct her. She congratulated him on his victory and gave
him a hundred barrels of wine and a hundred oxen for the troops to have a feast. The
soldiers ate till their belts burst, and danced and sang till their courage was a hundred
times greater than it had been before the battle. Shao-yu sat beside the princess and
had Wu-hsien brought before them. He spoke to him very sternly: I have the
emperors orders to suppress all rebels. The ten thousand devils dare not oppose the
imperial will, but you, silly child, do not understand heaven's decrees. You have dared
to withstand the imperial army. You have behaved suicidally. I have a jewelled sword
here. It is the very sword with which the Minister of State Wei Cheng beheaded the
dragon of the River Ching. I ought to behead you with it to encourage my troops, but
your realm of the Southern Sea is a peaceful realm and provides the rain which men
need, so it is held in honor throughout the world. Therefore I shall pardon you. From
now on, mend your ways and do not bother the princess any more.
He had his wounds dressed and then sent him away. Wu-hsien could hardly breathe.
He ran off like a mouse to its hole. Suddenly a mystic rosy glow shone from the
southeast. The clouds shimmered with opalescent light. A standard and halberd came
down from heaven and a divine messenger, dressed in crimson, appeared and said

139
respectfully: The Dragon King of Tung-ting has heard that you have destroyed the
armies of the Southern Sea and rescued the princess. He wanted to come to the camp
himself to congratulate you, but he is unable to leave his affairs, so he has prepared a
great feast in his summer palace, and invites you to come to it. Please deign to come.
His Majesty also instructed me to bring the princess with you.
Shao-yu replied: Although the Tibetans have withdrawn some way off, their camp
is still there and Tung-ting is a long way away. It will take several days to go there
and back. How can I desert my command to go so far?
The messenger said: Eight dragons are already yoked to the chariot. You can easily
be back in half a day.
Shao-yu and the princess got into the dragon car together and were borne off through
the air by a mysterious wind that turned the wheels. The clouds below them covered
the world like a sunshade. After a short while they came down to Tung-ting. The
Dragon King came out a long way to meet them, greeting them as honored guests and
treating Shao-yu as his son-in-law. He bowed to them and when he had led Shao-yu to
a seat of honor in the throne room a great banquet was prepared. The king himself,
raising a cup, toasted them: I am a man of small virtue, and was quite unable to make
my own daughter happy. Now your Excellencys surpassing ability has captured the
crazy boy of the Southern Sea and rescued my daughter. What you have done for me is
higher than the heaven and deeper than the earth.
Shao-yu replied: It was all due to the power of his Imperial Majesty. What merit
can I claim?
They drank till they were tipsy. The Dragon King called for musicians to sing and
play to them. The rhythm was unlike that of the music of men. There were a thousand
strong men down either side of the hall; each had a sword and a spear and beat a huge
drum. Six pairs of pretty girls, dressed in mauve lotus dresses with belts of moonlight

140
pearls, danced gracefully, waving their long sleeves, an entrancing sight.
Listening to the music, Shao-yu asked: What tune is that? I have never heard it
before.
The Dragon King answered: In the old days that tune was unknown here, but when
my daughter married the son of the Dragon King of Ching River, Liu Is writings
foretold that she would suffer the hardships of a shepherds life, and my younger
brother, the Prince of Chien-tang, fought the Ching River king and defeated him, and
brought my daughter back home. The palace musicians composed this music and
called it The Victory of the Prince of Ch'ien-tang. Sometimes they call it The Return
of the Princess. They often play it at palace banquets, but now since you have defeated
Wu-hsien and brought our daughter back again, which is very much like the story of
Chien-tang, we shall change its name to The Marshal's Victory.
Shao-yu asked him again: Where is Liu I? Can I meet him?
The king answered: The Master Liu lives among the immortals, and has a post
there which he cannot leave.
After the wine had been passed nine times, Shao-yu took his leave: I have many
things to see to in the camp, and cannot stay longer. I pray that you will live long in
health and peace.
Turning to the princess, he added: Do not forget our vows.
The king said: Do not worry, she will keep her promises.
They went out of the palace gates and were making their final farewells when Shao-
yu suddenly noticed a mountain with five peaks standing above the clouds in front of
him. It looked like scenery worth visiting. He asked the king: What mountain is that? I
have seen many of the famous mountains of China, but I have never yet seen Heng-shan
or Pa-shan.
The king said: Dont you know what mountain that is? That is the south peak of the

141
Heng-shan range. I cannot tell you what a strange and wonderful place it is.
Shao-yu asked eagerly: How does one get there?
The king replied: Its not very late yet. You have time to go for a short visit and
still get back before the sun sets.
Shao-yu said goodbye and, mounting his chariot, soon arrived at the foot of the
mountain. He found the track and crossed one shoulder and one valley. The mountain
looked even higher than it had before. The area was secluded and the beautiful views
were more than he could take in at one visit. He was reminded of the quotation: A
thousand peaks competed and ten thousand streams squabbled. As he looked round a
solemn thought came to him, and he sighed: My mind has been wasting for a long
while in the army, and my soul is tired. Why should the cares of the world be so
important to me? When I have won renown I will retire and become a man detached
from the world.
Suddenly he heard the sound of chimes coming through the trees. There must be a
Buddhist monastery not far away, he said, and went up the next rise. He soon found
the temple. Set in a sequestered place, the main hall was magnificently painted and of
great size. Several monks were gathered round an older monk who was sitting in a
high seat reciting a sutra and expounding it. His eyebrows were long and white, his
figure was gaunt and pale. He was obviously very old. When he saw Shao-yu coming
he gathered his disciples together and came down from the temple with them to meet
him: We who live in the mountains hear very little and so we knew nothing of your
Excellencys visit, or we should have gone outside the gate to meet you. Please
forgive us. This is not the time when you are to come here for good. Nevertheless, go
up to the sanctuary and reverence the Buddha before you go back.
Shao-yu went into the temple, burnt some incense and bowed to the Buddha, but as
he was coming down the steps afterward he suddenly tripped and awoke with a start

142
to find himself in the camp, sitting with his arms on the table. Dawn had already
broken. He was very surprised, and asked his aides : Have any of you been
dreaming?
They replied that they had all dreamt that they had followed him in a great battle
where they had defeated a horde of devils and taken its commander captive. They
were sure it was an omen that they would defeat and capture the Tibetans. Shao-yu
told them all about his own dream, and then went with them to the Po-lung Lake. There
were crushed fish-scales and cracked turtle-shells scattered all over the place, and so
much blood had been shed that it had flowed in streams. Shao-yu took a gourd and
dipped some water from the lake and drank it. Then he gave some to the sick soldiers.
They all got better and the whole army with its horses came to the water and drank
freely. Their happy shouts rang through the hills till the Tibetans heard them and were
so frightened that they promptly prepared to surrender.

CHIUNG-PEI BECOMES THE PRINCESS YING-YANG

Shao-yu had sent a whole series of victory dispatches since he set out to the war,
and the emperor was greatly delighted. One day when he was paying his respects to
the empress-dowager, he praised Shao-yu: Yang Shao-yu is as great a general as Kuo
Fen-yang, a military genius. As soon as he comes back I think he should be made
Prime Minister in recognition of his unique merits. However, we have not yet settled
the matter of the princesss marriage. If Marshal Yang has changed his mind and will
do as we wish, all will be well, but if he remains obstinate, we shall not be able to
punish a man to whom the state owes so much. I doubt whether we shall be able to
persuade him, and it is a very difficult problem to settlemost distressing!
The empress said: Minister Chengs daughter is truly very beautiful. Marshal Yang

143
and she have already met, and I do not see how he can be expected to cast her off.
However, if we issue an edict while he is away, ordering her to marry someone else,
his hopes will be ruined and he will have no reason not to follow your orders.
The emperor did not answer for a long time. Finally he went out without saying
anything. The Princess Lan-yang, who had been at the empresss side, said to her:
Mother, your instructions are seriously wrong. Decisions about the Cheng girls
marriage are her own familys affair, and the court ought not to interfere with them.
The empress said: This is a very important matter for you, and a major question of
state procedure. I must talk about it with you. Yang is Minister of the Board of War,
and in every way superior to anybody else in the Court. Moreover, the fact that he was
predestined for you was made quite clear when he played that tune on the jade flute.
You cannot possibly reject him and look for somebody else, and yet he cannot break
the engagement he has made with the Cheng family, nor will he forget that girl: so it is
a very complicated matter. My idea is to marry you to him soon after his return to
court, and then let him take the Cheng girl as a concubine. He can hardly refuse this,
but I hesitate a little because I do not know what you will think about it.
The princess replied: I have never known what jealousy was, and there is no
reason why I should be offended by this girl. But Yang has already sent the betrothal-
gifts to her family, so it is impossible for him now to take her as a concubine. Her
family have been ministers of state for many generations, and are very well known.
They could not possibly allow one of their daughters to be taken as a concubine.
Would it not be an unjust interference to compel them?
The empress said: Well then, what do you suggest that we should do?
The princess replied: The laws permit that all nobles should have three wives.
When Marshal Yang returns he may quite well be made a prince. At the very least he
will be made a duke or a viscount, so there is no reason why he should not have two

144
wives. Dont you think that he could have the Cheng girl for a wife as well as me?
The empress said: That would never do. You are the beloved daughter of the last
emperor, and the present emperor, your brother, dotes on you. You are a very important
person, and someone in your position cannot possibly be treated as the equal of a
commoner.
The princess answered: The great sages and princes of ancient times esteemed
virtue wherever they found it, and honored scholars without regard to their social
position. They loved their virtues, and the emperor of ten thousand chariots would take
the lowliest of men for his friend. How can we make an issue of rank? According to
what I have heard this Cheng girl has never been surpassed for looks or virtue by any
of the famous women of the past. In that case I should be happy to have her treated as
my equal. There would be no disgrace. But one should not trust hearsay, and I do not
know whether the reports are true. I ought to see her for myself, and if her looks and
qualities are better than mine I will gladly serve her, but otherwise it would be better
to think of taking her as a concubine or as a servant.
The empress sighed: The natural thing is for women to be jealous of one anothers
cleverness and beauty, but my daughter loves another girls intelligence as much as her
own and honors her virtues as though she were thirsting for water. What a happy
mother I am! I should like to see the Cheng girl once for myself, so tomorrow I will
have an edict sent to her father.
The princess said: Even if you yourself order her, I think she will pretend she is ill
and excuse herself from coming. You can hardly force a ministers daughter to be
brought here. Perhaps if you tell a Taoist priestess or a Buddhist nun to inform us of
the day when the Cheng girl goes to burn incense at the temple, we could be sure of
meeting her.
The empress agreed to this and at once sent a eunuch to ask at the local temples. A

145
nun at the Ting-hui-yuan told him: The Cheng family make their offerings to the
Buddha at this temple, but the daughter herself never comes. Three days ago she sent
her servant, Marshal Yangs concubine, Chia Chun-yn, to bring her prayers in
writing and offer them to the Buddha. Why dont you take this written prayer and show
it to the empress?
The eunuch took it, returned to the palace and explained what he had learned to the
empress. She took the prayer-paper, and said: It looks as if it is going to be very
difficult to see this girl. Then she and the princess read the prayer together. This is
what it said:

I, Cheng Chiung-pei, prostrate myself a hundred times and send my servant,

Chun-yn, who has bathed and fasted, to make my prayers before the
Buddhas. My sins are many, and I was reborn into the world as a girl with the
sins of my former life unexpiated. I have never known the happiness of
brothers or sisters. A short time ago I received betrothal gifts from Yang Shao-
yu, and I earnestly desired to marry him, but he was chosen to be the imperial
son-in-law. The imperial command cannot be refused, so how can I ever marry
him now? I can only bewail that the will of heaven does not accord with the
ways of men. I have no hope. Although I had not yet given him my body, my
heart was firmly fixed, so, since I have not yet left my parents, I wish to spend
the rest of my days with them. I have received much consolation through this
prayer in my distress, and presume to offer my devotion to the Buddhas,
pouring out what is in my heart. Vouchsafe to understand and extend your
compassion to me, granting that my parents may enjoy long life and that I may
delight them, free from sickness and other disasters, playing before them in
colored clothes, like Lao Lai-tzu. When my parents have left this world, I swear

146
 that I will return to Buddha, cutting myself off from the world and obeying all
the admonitions of the law, reciting the sutras with a purified heart, keeping
my body pure and worshipping for ever before the Buddha to repay his
manifold graces. Chun-yn is bound to me by karma, and although we are
called mistress and servant, we love one another like sisters. In obedience to
me she has already become Yang's concubine, but things have fallen out
differently from what she wished, and we cannot any longer preserve our
karma, so she too has parted from Yang and returned to her mistress. It is right
that we should share in life and death, in sorrow and joy. Merciful Buddhas,
look into our hearts and grant that we may never again be reborn as women,
but do away the sins of our former lives, give us blessings in the future so that
we may transmigrate to a good place and enjoy happiness for ever.

When the princess had finished reading this, she frowned and said: The problem of
one womans marriage has brought distress to two others. This will do great wrong to
our ancestors.
The empress heard her, but did not answer.

At this time Cheng Chiung-pei was waiting on her parents, outwardly happy and
showing no sign of distress, but whenever her mother saw her she felt sorry for her.
Chun-yn attended her faithfully and tried to make her forget her sorrow by forcing
her to pass the time in writing or needlework, but Chiung-peis heart was heavy and
she began to pine and waste away. On the one hand she was thinking of her parents, on
the other she was sorry for Chun-yn, so her mind became confused and she could
find no peace; but nobody else realized this. She tried all the ways she could think of
to comfort her mother, with music and other recreations that would delight her eyes

147
and ears.
One day a girl came to the house with two embroidered scrolls to sell. Chun-yn
unrolled them and found that one showed a peacock among flowers and the other one
was a partridge in a bamboo thicket. She was amazed at the quality of the embroidery,
and asked the girl to wait while she showed the scrolls to Chiung-pei and her mother.
She said: You are always praising my embroidery, but just look at these scrolls! If
they did not come from the hands of a fairy, they must have been done by a demon.
Chiung-pei looked at the scrolls with her mother, and exclaimed: Nobody in this
world could have such skill. The colors and style are so fresh. It is not old work, but it
is exquisite.
She made Chun-yn ask the girl where they had come from, and the girl replied:
My mistress did them. At present she is living away from home, and she has an urgent
need for some money, so I am to sell them without arguing about the price.
Chun-yn asked: What is your mistresss family, and why is she living alone away
from home?
The girl replied: She is the sister of the sub-prefect Li, and he has taken their
mother with him to Che-tung, where he holds office. My mistress was unable to go
with them because she was ill, so she stayed behind in the house of her maternal uncle,
the sub-prefect Chang. There was some little problem recently with the Chang
household, and she has moved to the cosmetic shop across the road here, where she
has borrowed the house of Hsieh San-niang, and she is waiting there till they send for
her from Che-tung.
Chun-yn went in and told all this to Chiung-pei, who gave her some bangles and
head ornaments, enough to pay for the pictures, which were hung up in the main hall of
the house. Chiung-pei sat all day admiring them and never stopped praising them.
After this the girl who had sold the pictures frequently visited the Cheng household

148
and became very friendly with the servants. Chiung-pei said to Chun-yn: If Miss
Lis embroidery is as good as this, she must be somebody quite out of the ordinary. I
shall send one of our maids after that girl to see what sort of person her mistress is.
She chose one of the more intelligent maids, who followed the other girl and
discovered that she went to one of the ordinary town houses. It was very small and
neat, with no outer quarters for men, and fitted well with the story they had been told.
When Miss Li heard that the maid came from the Cheng house, she gave her something
to eat before she sent her back. When she got home the maid reported that Miss Li was
as beautiful as her own mistress. Chun-yn refused to believe this, and said: One can
tell from her embroidery that she is by no means stupid, but why do you exaggerate so?
I cannot believe that anywhere in the world there is anybody as beautiful as our
mistress.
The girl replied: If you doubt my word, then send someone else. You will find I am
telling the truth.
So Chun-yn quietly sent another girl, but she came back saying: Beautiful, oh, she
is beautiful! She is like a fairy angel. What we heard yesterday is true. If you dont
believe me, you had better go and see for yourself.
Chun-yn said: You are both talking nonsense. You cannot see straight!
So they laughed together and parted, but a few days later Madame Hsieh from the
cosmetics shop came to call on the Chiung-peis mother and said: Recently a young
lady from sub-prefect Lis house has been living in my place, and I have never before
seen a girl so pretty and so clever. She has heard of your daughter and greatly admires
what she has heard, and would like to meet her and chat with her, but they have never
been introduced, so she is embarrassed, and did not like to ask for herself. She knows
that I often come to see you, so she begged me to ask you on her behalf.
Chiung-peis mother sent for her daughter and told her about this. Chiung-pei said:

149
I am different from other people and I do not wish to see anyone, but I have heard that
Miss Lis character is as lovely as her embroidery, so I would like to meet her just
once.
Madame Hsieh made no secret of her pleasure as she left, and the next day Miss Li
sent her servant to say that she was coming. Shortly afterward she arrived at the Cheng
house in a curtained sedan chair with several attendants. Chiung-pei received her in
her bedroom, and there they sat, hostess and guest, facing east and west, like the
Weaving Maid visiting the Moon Palace, or Lady Shang-yuan appearing before the
Lake of Gems, reflecting each other's beauty, and both amazed at what they saw.
Chiung-pei said: According to what the servants have been saying, you have been
living in the neighborhood, but because of my personal distress I have stopped visiting
my friends and so you have put yourself to the trouble of calling on me. I am very
touched, and dont know how to express my apologies.
Miss Li replied: I am a very stupid person. I lost my father when I was tiny, and my
mother spoiled me, so that I have never learned a thing, and have no skills. I often say
to myself regretfully: A boy can go where he likes, and make good friends; they can
learn from one another and correct one anothers faults. A girl has only her immediate
relations and the household servants to talk to, because she is shut up at home. But
from what I hear, you are as skillful at writing as Pan Chao, the woman who
completed her brothers writings; and as virtuous as Meng Kuang, the paragon of
womanhood. Even though you have never been outside your house, your reputation has
reached even to the palace, so I, taking no account of my own unworthiness, wanted to
come and meet you. Now that you have received me, I feel as though my lifes desire
has been granted.
Chiung-pei replied politely: You have said exactly what I feel. Confined to the
inner quarters of the house, I feel as though my eyes were blindfolded and my ears

150
muffled. I have never seen the sea, nor the clouds on the mountain-tops. My knowledge
is so limited that your praise is quite inappropriate. I am like the jade of Ching-shan,
which buries its beauty and is afraid of boasting, or the old oyster which hides the
sheen of the pearl and keeps its iridescent nacre inside. Indeed, a girl like myself is
very narrow-minded and I cannot bear that you should over-praise me.
Tea and sweetmeats were served, and in the course of their chat Miss Li said: I
have heard that you have a woman named Chia in your house. May I meet her?
Chiung-pei said: I know that she wants to see you too.
She sent for Chun-yn, and Miss Li rose to meet her. Chun-yn was surprised, and
sighed secretly, saying to herself: What the two maids said was perfectly true.
Heaven made our Chiung-pei and made Miss Li just as beautiful. The will of heaven
is hard to guess.
Miss Li thought to herself: I have heard plenty about this girl, but she is prettier
than they say. No wonder Chancellor Yang loved her. She would be a fitting partner
for the lady Chin. Perhaps if she could see Chin Tsai-feng......How can the
chancellor be expected to give up either of them, when they are both so beautiful and
so intelligent?
She chatted with Chun-yn, opening her heart to her, just as she had to Chiung-pei.
When it was time to go, she said: The sun is already low in the sky, and we must not
talk any longer. I am sorry I must go, but the house where I am staying is only across
one street, and when I have a chance I will come and continue our conversation.
Chiung-pei replied: It was presumptuous of me to let you come here, but I have
enjoyed meeting you, and I ought to come to the gate to see you go. But I am not like
other people and I dare not step outside the house. Please forgive me, and believe in
my affection.
They were very sad to part, and lingered holding one anothers hands before Miss

151
Li went. Chiung-pei turned to Chun-yn and said: Although the jewelled sword was
hidden in its scabbard, its light reached the seven stars, and although the old oyster
was sunk deep in the sea, the light of its pearl reached the tower on the terrace. It
amazes me that we have been living in the same city, but I had never heard of her
before.
Chun-yn said: I am suspicious. Minister Yang often said that he met the daughter
of a royal inspector named Chin at Hua-chou, where he saw her in a pavilion. Later
he received a letter from her while he was in the guest-house, and he made a marriage-
contract with her, but because the Chin family came to grief, the whole affair came to
nothing. He praised her beauty and her character, and I have seen the willow song she
wrote. She was certainly a remarkable woman. Perhaps she has changed her name and
is trying to restore her karma by contacting you.
Chiung-pei said: I, too, have heard of the beauty of Chins daughter, and she must
be very like this woman, but they say that after her family was ruined, she became a
palace lady-in-waiting; so how could she come here?
Then she went in to see her mother, and sang the praises of Miss Li until her mother
said: I must invite her to come again so that I can see her for myself.
A few days later she sent a servant asking Miss Li to call on her. Miss Li was
delighted to accept the invitation, and came. Chiung-peis mother received her in the
front court. Miss Li bowed to her as though she were one of her nieces. The older
woman was delighted and said: You came a few days ago to see my daughter, and you
were very kind to her. I was very grateful, but I was unwell that day and could not
entertain you. I have been feeling sorry about it ever since.
Miss Li bowed deeply and replied: I had wanted so much to see your fairylikc
daughter, and feared that I might be refused. But meeting her and being treated like a
sister, and now being treated by you as though I were your niece, was more than I

152
dared hope for. As long as I live I will visit you and serve you as though you were my
mother.
Chiung-peis mother insisted several times that this was too much, but her daughter
and Miss Li sat with her for half the day. Then Chiung-pei invited Miss Li and Chun-
yn into her bedroom, where they sat like the three legs of a cauldron, chatting and
laughing happily together, having become fast friends. They discussed literature old
and new, and the examples of famous women. They did not realize that the shadows of
the evening were slanting across the western window.
After Miss Li had gone, Chiung-peis mother spoke to her daughter and Chun-yn:
My own family and the Cheng family have so many relationsthere must be
thousands of them! Since my childhood I have seen many beautiful women, but none of
them could compare to Miss Li. She is as pretty as you are, Chiung-pei. I should be
pleased if you could become sworn sisters.
Chiung-pei mentioned what Chun-yn had said about the girl Chin: Chun-yn is
suspicious, but I dont agree with her. Quite apart from her beauty, her manner and
bearing are quite different from those of the ordinary women of the city. I dont think
the Chin girl would be like that, but I have heard that the Princess Lan-yang is
beautiful and gracious and I am afraid Miss Li may really be the princess.
Her mother said: I have never seen the princess, so I dare not guess, but even
though she has such high rank and belongs to the imperial family, do you think she
could be equal to Miss Li?
Her daughter said: I am very suspicious of Miss Li. After a few days I shall send
Chun-yn to find out more about her background.
The next day Chiung-pei and Chun-yn were talking this matter over when Miss
Lis servant came to the house with a message: My mistress has just found a boat
going to Che-tung and she will be leaving tomorrow. She wants to come here today to

153
say goodbye to you all.
Chiung-pei had the main room tidied, and waited until Miss Li came to say
goodbye to her and her mother. It was an affectionate farewell, as though they were
two sisters or a lover parting from his pretty sweetheart. At last Miss Li stood up,
bowed again and said: It is already a year since I saw my mother and my brother, and
I am very excited at the thought of seeing them again. I cannot linger, but your
ladyships kindness and your daughters affection have bound my heart so that I shall
never be able to forget you. There is one thing I want to say, and one thing I want to
ask from your daughter,but I am afraid she may not grant it, so I am speaking to you
first.
She hesitated and the mother said: What do you want to ask us?
Miss Li replied: I have nearly finished embroidering a picture of the Bodhisattva
of Mercy in memory of my dead father. My brother is now in the Prefecture of Che-
tung and I am a woman, so I cannot ask any of the other literati to write an inscription
on my work, but without an inscription it will be meaningless. This is such a shame; I
wish that your daughter would write a few lines of verse on it for me. The picture is
very large and difficult to fold up; and in any case I am afraid it will get damaged, so I
did not bring it with me. I can only ask that she should compose and write for me now
so that I can fulfil my filial duty and be comforted in the sadness of parting. But since I
do not know what she will think, I dare not ask her directly, and I am opening my heart
to you.
Chiung-peis mother said to her daughter: Though you have not been in the habit of
visiting even your closest relatives, this young ladys request comes from devotion to
her father. Besides, the house where she lives is quite close and it is not very difficult
for you to go for a short while.
At first Chiung-pei looked troubled, but she soon thought better of it and

154
considered: She is in a great hurry to go, so I cannot send Chun-yn. I will take this
opportunity to have a look at her place. So she said to her mother: If Miss Lis
request had been a frivolous one, I would not have dreamt of doing it, but nobody can
fail to be impressed by filial devotion, so how can I refuse? All the same, I would
prefer to go after dark.
Miss Li was very pleased and thanked her: If it is dark, it will be hard for you to
write. If you are worried about the crowds in the street, you can ride in my sedan
chair. It is not very elegant, but there is enough room in it for both of us. How would it
be if you went with me in it now, and came back this evening?
Chiung-pei replied: That would suit me very well.
She bowed to her mother, pressed Chun-yns hand to say goodbye, and got into
the chair with Miss Li. Several of the Cheng servants followed them. When they
arrived in Miss Lis bedroom, Chiung-pei discovered that although there were not
many things displayed in it, they were of superb quality, and the food which was
served, although it was simple, was delicious. Looking around inquisitively, she
became more perplexed, and for a long time Miss Li said nothing about the writing,
although it was growing dark. So she asked: Where have you set the picture of the
Bodhisattva? I should like to venerate it.
Miss Li replied: I will show it to you.
She had barely said this when there was a sound of horses and chariots outside the
door, and the street was filled with banners. The servants from the Cheng house came
in in great fear and said that a company of soldiers had surrounded the house. My
lady, my lady, what shall we do?
Chiung-pei had already guessed what was afoot and sat quite still. Miss Li said to
her: Please dont worry. I am really the Princess Lan-yang. My name in the household
is Hsiao-ho. I came to see you by order of the empress-dowager.

155
 Chiung-pei stood up and said: Although I am an uneducated commoner and know
nothing, I realized that your features were quite different from those of ordinary
people, but a visit from your highness was beyond my wildest dreams. I have failed in
all the proper forms and committed numberless offenses against your rank, and I beg
you to prescribe my punishment.
Before the princess could reply, a servant-girl came in and said: The dowager-
empress has sent the palace ladies, Hsueh, Wang and Ho, to inquire for your highness.
The princess asked Chiung-pei to wait for a moment and went out into the main
hall where she sat down and the three palace women came in in order and bowed to
her, then prostrated themselves and said: It is several days since your highness left the
palace. Her imperial majesty is very anxious to see you. The emperor too has sent
maids to ask about you and today is the time appointed for your return. The carriages
are all waiting outside. The emperor has sent the major-domo, Chao, to accompany
you.
They also said: Her majesty informs you that the young lady Cheng is to ride with
you in the same palanquin and come into the palace.
The princess left the three women outside and returned to Chiung-pei and said: I
will explain everything to you when there is a quiet opportunity, but the empress-
dowager wants to see you and is waiting in her throne room. Please come with me at
once and we will go to her together.
Chiung-pei realized that she could do nothing about it, and said: I know how much
you love me, but I am an ordinary commoner and have never been presented at court. I
am afraid I shall make some terrible mistake.
The princess said: Do you think the reason why she wants to see you is any
different from the reason that makes me love you? You have nothing at all to worry
about.

156
 Chiung-pei said: If you will go to the palace first, I will go back home and tell my
mother what has happened, and then straightway follow after you.
The princess was firm: Her imperial majesty has issued her command and told me
to ride with you in the same palanquin. Her wishes are very clear. Please do not make
a fuss.
Chiung-pei apologized: I am a low-born subject. How can I share a palanquin
with your highness?
The princess said: Chiang Tai-kung was only a fisherman from the River Wei, but
he rode in the same chariot as King Wu. Hou Ying was one of the palace gatekeepers,
but he held the bridle of Prince Hsin-lings horse. People of good character ought to
be treated well. Why do you worry about rank? In any case, you are the daughter of a
minister of state from one of the noble families. Why should you be reluctant to ride
with me?
So she led her by the hand to the palanquin and they got in together. Chiung-pei sent
one of the servants back home to tell her mother, and took another with her to the
palace.
The princess and Chiung-pei rode together to the east gate of the palace, passing
through each of the nine gates until they came to the Chang-hsin-kung, where the
empress-dowager had her quarters. They alighted outside the building and the princess
said to the lady Wang: Wait here for a little with Lady Cheng.
Lady Wang said: Her majesty instructed me to have a place ready for Lady Cheng
to stay.
The princess was delighted and went in to see the empress. The empress had at first
not been very pleased about Chiung-pei, but since the princess had lived in disguise
near the Cheng house and become friendly with Chiung-pei through the pictures, and
come to appreciate her wisdom and virtue, and indeed become her bosom friend, and

157
understood why Shao-yu did not want to give her upindeed, wanted to become her
sworn sister and live together with her and share a husbandher constant letters about
all this had made the empress change her mind. Now she wanted to see Chiung-pei
for herself and had arranged the stratagem by which she was brought to the palace.
After Chiung-pei had rested for a while, two servants came from the inner palace
with a robe box. They reported the empresss instructions: Chiung-pei is the
daughter of a minister and has received her wedding gifts, but she is still wearing the
clothes of an unmarried girl. She cannot come before me dressed like that, so I am
sending her the ceremonial dress of a wife of the first rank, which she must wear when
she comes into my presence.
Chiung-pei bowed when she heard the message, and replied: How can an
unmarried girl dare to wear the robes of a ministers wife? The clothes I have on are
plain and ordinary, but they are what I wear in front of my parents. Since her Majesty
is the mother of the nation, I hope she will allow me to wear the clothes that I wear
before my own parents when I go in to her.
The women told the empress this, and she approved of it very much, and called
Chiung-pei into her room straight away. The ladies-in-waiting elbowed each other in
their eagerness to catch sight of her, and were amazed because they had thought that
nobody was more beautiful than the princess, and now they found that Chiung-pei was
equally lovely.
When Chiung-pei had finished her prostrations, one of the ladies-in-waiting led her
up to the dais, where the empress made her sit down, and said: When we issued an
edict a short time ago telling you to return your betrothal gifts to Chancellor Yang so
that he could marry the princess, that was a matter of state and had nothing to do with
my own feelings. The princess indeed urged that to break one engagement of marriage
in order to make a new one was against the principles which should govern the

158
conduct of kings, and suggested that both of you should marry the chancellor. I have
talked to the emperor about it and we approve her plan. When the chancellor returns to
the capital we shall have him send his gifts to you again so that he can make you his
wife. This dispensation is unique in history, which is why I am telling you myself.
Chiung-pei bowed deeply and thanked her: Your majestys generosity is boundless
and more than I dare have wished for. I am entirely unable to make any return for it.
Nevertheless I am only the daughter of a subject and how can I presume to take equal
status with her royal highness? Much as I wish to obey your command, my parents
would die rather than permit such presumption.
The empress said: Your humility is very becoming, but your family have been
marquises and viscounts for many generations. Your father was a minister and adviser
of the late emperor, and was specially honored by him. In your case we need not be
too concerned about your subject status.
Chiung-pei replied: A subject should obey the royal commands as nature follows
the course of the seasons. Whether you raise me to the rank of a lady-in-waiting or
degrade me to the place of a serving-girl, I dare not oppose the imperial will. But how
will the chancellor feel about your plan? He is unlikely to accept it. I have no brothers
or sisters, and my parents are aging. It is my heartfelt wish to live with them and look
after them for the remaining years of their lives.
The empress said: Your filial devotion is most praiseworthy, but why should you
stay in that unprofitable situation? You have many gifts and it is hard to find a fault in
you. Do you think Yang Shao-yu will readily forget you? And his destiny to marry the
princess has been made clear by the tune that was played on the flute. Simple men dare
not undo what Heaven has ordained. Yang is a great hero. His qualities have not been
seen for centuries. I can see no reason why he should not have two wives. Originally I
had two daughters, but the elder one died at the age of ten, and I have always worried

159
about Lan-yangs loneliness. You remind me of my dead child. I should like to make
you my adopted daughter. I shall talk to the emperor about it and choose an imperial
title for you. It will be a sign of love for my first child and make it possible for Lan-
yang to live with you as she wants to, and since you will marry Shao-yu with her,
everything will be solved. Now what do you think about this?
Chiung-pei bowed her head meekly and said: If you decide so, I shall be
overwhelmed and I think I shall die. Please reverse your decision and let me remain
quietly as I was.
But the empress said: I shall tell the emperor about this and he will make the final
decision. You must not be stubborn.
Then she sent for the princess to come and see Chiung-pei. The princess was
wearing her ceremonial robes, and sat down beside Chiung-pei. The empress laughed
and said: You wanted the Lady Cheng to be your sister, and now she really will be.
But who could say which of you is the elder? Are you happy now?
Then she took Chiung-pei by the hand as a sign of adoption. The delighted princess
said: Your action is the most wonderful thing that could happen. You have fulfilled all
my wishes; I cant tell you how happy I am.
The empress began to treat Chiung-pei in a more cordial and relaxed manner, and
while they were talking about classical poetry she said: I have heard from the
princess that you are very clever at composing poetry. It is very peaceful here in the
palace, and the spring air is very pleasant, so will you compose a poem to please me?
In olden days there was the custom of the seven-step poem. Can you do that?
Chiung-pei said: Since you command me I must do my best. I expect you will
laugh at the result.
The empress chose one of her ladies-in-waiting who was brisk in her movements,
and made her stand in front of the main hall, and was about to announce the subject of

160
the poem when the princess said: If you make her write a poem alone I shall be very
grieved. I want to try too.
The empress was very happy: Thats a good idea! When you have received a fresh
subject, thoughts will quickly come to your mind.
She thought of some classic poems. It was late springtime. The green-peach trees
were covered in blossom outside the balustrade of the pavilion, and suddenly a
cheerful magpie sat on one of the branches squawking. The empress pointed to it and
said: Just as I have settled your marriages, that magpie has announced the happy
occasion from the branches. It is a good omen. Let us make the subject On Hearing a
Happy Magpie in the Peach-blossoms. You must write one seven-syllable quatrain
each and it must contain a reference to the betrothal.
Then she ordered the ladies-in-waiting to set writing materials before each girl.
When the princess and Chiung-pei picked up their brushes, the girl who was standing
in front of the hall began to move. She was worried that they would not be able to
finish writing their poems before she had gone seven paces, so she looked back at
them to watch the flying brushes and took her steps rather slowly. The brushes moved
as quickly as the wind in a shower of rain, and both poems were handed in before the
girl had gone five paces. The empress read Chiung-peis poem first:

The peach blossoms sway in the palace yard in spring;

Why does that good bird come now calling out so loud?
The imperial musicians in the tower are singing a new song,
Of southern peach blossoms and a magpies nest.

Then she looked at the princesss poem:

161
 A hundred spring flowers bloom in the palace garden,
A happy magpie flies in with the good news.
He will do his best to bridge the Milky Way
So that two children of heaven may cross it and meet.

The empress sighed after reading them: My two daughters are poets like Li Po and
Tsao Chih. If women were allowed to take the state examinations, they would
certainly come out at the top of the list.
She showed them one another's compositions and they admired and praised each
other. The princess said to her mother: I have managed to compose a stanza, but
anybody could have written on that subject. However, Chiung-peis poem is really
very good and I cannot compete with her.
The empress said: Thats true, but yours is neatly turned and very charming.
An old palace-woman who was present said to the empress: I learned to write
when I was a child, but I am very stupid and I cannot grasp the meaning of the poems.
Will you please explain them to me? The other ladies-in-waiting also want to hear.
The empress laughed: The clues are in the last lines of each poem. In Chiung-peis
poem the peach blossom means Princess Lan-yang. One of the songs of Chao and the
South in the Book of Songs compares the wedding of a princess to peach blossoms,
and another of them describes a noble girls marriage as a magpies nestso the poem
refers to our betrothals. The singing-girls in the tower are also an obscure reference to
magpies, because they recall the Magpie Pavilion of Wu-ti of Han. It is a very
affecting poem.
Lan-yangs poem mentions the Magpie Bridge over the Milky Way which the
Weaving Maid crosses to meet her lover, but says that there are two Weaving Maids. I
was worried about this double marriage, but now I have seen these poems I realize

162
that the two girls are of one accord. They are most remarkable young ladies. They
have understood my intentions perfectly. They are brilliant.
The old lady-in-waiting was delighted, and all the other women cried out in
pleasure.

163
 VI. Duke of Wei

SHAO-YU BECOMES THE IMPERIAL SON-IN-LAW

At that moment the emperor came in to greet the empress, who sent the princess and
Chiung-pei into another room. She said: I arranged that Yang Shao-yus wedding
gifts should be returned so that he could marry the princess, but this has made a bad
impression. Now the Cheng family themselves would never accept that their daughter
should be made a wife of equal status with the princess, and it would be cruel to make
her become a concubine. I have had her here today and she is entirely worthy in looks
and ability to become the princesss sister. I want to make her my daughter and marry
her to Shao-yu along with the princess. What do you think about it?
The emperor was very pleased, and congratulated her. He said: There is nobody
like you. You are unbelievably wise.
The empress called Chiung-pei to meet the emperor, who made her come up to the
dais and, turning to the empress, said: Now that she is my sister, ought she to go on
wearing ordinary clothes?
The empress said: Since you have issued no edict on the matter, she has politely
declined ceremonial robes.
The emperor ordered the lady secretaries to bring a roll of crimson silk paper with
a phoenix pattern on it. It was fetched by Chin Tsai-feng. As the emperor raised his
brush and was about to start writing, he turned to the empress and asked: If she is to
be made a princess, ought I to give her our family name?
The empress replied: I should have liked to do that, but the Chengs are old people
and they have no other children. It would be a pity if there were nobody to carry on the
old ministers family name, so it would be a kindness to let her keep her own
164
surname.
The emperor wrote in large characters: ACCEDING TO THE WISH OF HER
MAJESTY THE EMPRESS-DOWAGER, I HEREBY CREATE CHENG CHIUNG-
PEI THE ADOPTED DAUGHTER OF HER IMPERIAL MAJESTY AND DECREE
THAT SHE SHALL HENCEFORTH BE KNOWN AS THE PRINCESS YING-
YANG.
When he had finished writing it, he sealed it with the imperial seal and gave it to
Chiung-pei, and ordered the ladies-in-waiting to dress her in her royal robes.
Chiung-pei descended from the dais and offered her thanks. The emperor then
decided the order of precedence between the two princesses. Ying-yang was a year
older than Lan-yang, but refused to take precedence. The empress said: Ying-yang is
now my daughter. There can be no argument about their ages, and we cannot change
the order of their birth.
Ying-yang bowed her head low, and said: Todays order of precedence cannot be
changed later. Should we not be very careful about it?
The Princess Lan-yang said: In the time of the Spring and Autumn Annals the wife
of Chao Shuai, although she was the daughter of Duke Wen of Chin, gave up the first
place to the first wife to be chosen. How much more should I give place to my elder
sister? I cannot see that there is any question.
But Ying-yang persisted in declining. In the end the empress ordered that it would
be settled according to age, and from that time onward, she was known as Princess
Ying-yang to everybody in the palace. The empress showed the two princesses poems
to the emperor. He praised them and said: They are both good, but Ying-yangs poem
is inspired by the Songs of Chao and the South in the Book of Songs, where the peach-
flowers and magpies are bridal symbols, and she gives the honor to Lan-yang, which
is very courteous of her.

165
 The empress said: How right you are.
Then the emperor said: You love Ying-yang so much, I never saw anything like it
before. Now, I have a favor to ask of you too.
Then he told her about the lady secretary, Chin Tsai-feng: Although her father
was executed for a crime, her ancestors were all loyal subjects and I should like to
treat her kindly and let her become a secondary wife to the chancellor when the
princesses are married. Will you be kind to her too, and allow this?
The empress looked at the two princesses, and Lan-yang said: She told me her
story some time ago. We are now close friends and do not want to be parted. Even
though you have not ordered it, this is what I want.
The empress called Chin Ts'ai-feng and said to her: The princess wants you to
stay with her for the rest of your lives, so I am appointing you as a secondary wife to
Chancellor Yang. In the future you must be even more assiduous in repaying the
princesss kindness.
Tsai-feng was overcome and burst into tears. When she had managed to express her
thanks, the empress said: The marriage of the two princesses has been decided on and
a happy magpie has come as a good omen for the occasion. Both the princesses have
written poems about it. Now you must write one for me too. Tsai-feng immediately
wrote a poem and handed it to the empress:

The happy magpie chatters within the inner palace;

Spring breezes brush the peach blossoms.
She comes peacefully to nest, and will not migrate again:
A few stars are twinkling in the East.

The empress read the verses with the emperor. She was very pleased with them,

166
and said: Even Hsieh Tao-yn, when she wrote about the snow, could not do so well
as this, and this poem also has the feeling of the Songs of Chao in the Book of Songs,
and distinguishes the duties of wife and concubine, because in the Songs of Chao the
magpies nest is the bridal bed and the few stars in the east are the contented
concubines. It is a very clever poem.
Princess Lan-yang said: The subject-matter given for this poem is very limiting,
and we two had already practically exhausted it. There was nothing to get to work on;
as Tsao Tsao said in his poem on stars and magpies, where he tells of migrating:
Three trees stand around, but not a branch to rest on. This is not a very happy saying,
and it would be difficult to be inspired by it, but Tsai-fengs poem has drawn on
Tsao Tsao and Tu Fu and the Songs of Chou all at once, yet there is nothing wrong
with it. It is almost as though the old poets wrote for her sake.
The empress said: From olden days there were only four great poetesses: the
imperial concubine Pan Chieh-y, Tsai Yen, Cho Wen-chn, and Hsieh Tao-yn; and
yet here we have three brilliant poetesses gathered together in one place. It is most
auspicious.
Lan-yang said: Ying-yangs servant Chia Chun-yn is also a clever poetess.
But it was growing late, and the emperor withdrew to his apartments. The two
princesses also retired to sleep in their rooms.
As soon as the first cock crowed next morning, Ying-yang went in to the empress-
dowager and requested permission to visit her old home: When I came to the palace,
my parents must have been surprised and frightened. Please allow me to go back and
see them today and tell my family of your graciousness and my good fortune.
The empress said: My dear, do you think you can slip away so quickly? However, I
have something to speak to your mother about. And she sent for Madame Tsui to
come to court.

167
 The previous day Cheng and his wife had been much relieved to hear what the
messenger came to tell them about their daughter going to the palace; now they
suddenly received the empresss command. Madame Tsui went to the palace and was
received by the empress, who said: We stole your daughter for the sake of Princess
Lan-yangs marriage, but when once I had seen her I was so taken by her beauty that I
have adopted her as Lan-yangs elder sister. I suspect that she was probably my
daughter in a former existence, but was reborn in your family. Now that she has
become the Princess Ying-yang, she ought really to bear the imperial family name, but
I thought of your having no son, so we have not given her a new surname. See how
deeply I care about you.
Madame Tsui bowed her head and said: I had one daughter, born late in life. The
arrangements for her marriage went wrong and we returned the bridegrooms presents,
and I had no more desire to live. Then the princess began to visit our house and
became friendly with my daughter and brought her to the palace. Now you have given
us undreamed-of honors, and however devotedly we try to serve you, we shall never
be able to repay one part in ten thousand. My husband is an old man and his health is
poor. He has resigned from office and I am too old to be useful even as a sweeper in
the palace garden. What can we do to show our gratitude? I can only weep for joy.
She got up, bowed again, then prostrated herself, soaking her sleeves with tears.
The empress was deeply touched, and said: Ying-yang is my daughter now, and you
cannot take her away again.
Madame Tsui, still bowing, replied: I am only sorry that I cannot meet with her to
speak the praises of your kindness.
The empress smiled and said: After the wedding I shall put Lan-yang in your care
too, and you must think of her as I think of Ying-yang.
She sent for Lan-yang to come and see them and Madame Tsui several times

168
excused herself for the impropriety with which she had received the princess when
she visited the Cheng household. The empress said: I hear there is a maid in your
house named Chia Chun- yn. I should like to see her.
Madame Tsui sent for Chun-yn, who presented herself in front of the pavilion
where they were. The empress thought she was very beautiful, and told her to come
forward. She said to her: Lan-yang says that you write good poetry. Will you write a
poem now?
Chun-yn bowed and said: How dare I presume to write a poem in front of your
majesty? However, I will try. What is the subject?
The empress showed her the three girls verses and said: Will you write something
on the same subject?
Chun-yn composed a poem at once and handed it to the empress:

I alone know my joy at this happy news:

Into the palace court I follow the phoenixes.
Spring's thousand blossom-trees fill the royal garden:
I circle thrice; can I not borrow a twig?

The empress read it and showed it to the two princesses, saying: I had no idea she
was as good as this.
Princess Lan-yang said: In this poem she compares herself to the magpie and us
sisters to the phoenixes. She has distinguished our roles. In the last verse, where she
asks for a twig to nest on, she has taken ideas from Ts'ao Tsaos poem and the Book
of Songs and blended them very beautifully: The birds of the air depend upon man, and
man pities the birds is an old saying which seems to apply to her.
She then took Chun-yn away to meet Tsai-feng. Princess Lan-yang said: This

169
secretary is the daughter of Inspector Chin of Hua-yin and she will be spending the
rest of her life with you.
Chun-yn replied: Then she must be the one who wrote the Willow Song.
Tsai-feng was startled: Whoever told you about my Willow Song? she asked.
Chun-yn replied: Minister Yang often thinks of you, and when he does he recites
it, and that is how I heard it.
Tsai-feng looked very moved, and said: Then he hasnt forgotten me.
Chun-yn said: How can you suggest such a thing? He carries the poem with him
everywhere and when he looks at it he cries. He sighs when he recites it.
Tsai-feng said: If he still loves me, even though I never see him again, I shall die
happy.
Then she told them how she had received the poem he had written on the silk fan,
and Chun-yn said: The jewels and ornaments I am wearing are what he won that
day.
They were going to talk of this further, but a eunuch came in and announced that
Madame Tsui was preparing to leave. The two princesses went to attend on her and
seated themselves while the empress said to Madame Tsui: Before long Yang Shao-
yu will return to the capital and the wedding gifts will be sent back again to your
house, but Ying-yang is my daughter and I want my two daughters to have a double
wedding. Will you agree to this?
Madame Tsui bowed profoundly and said: I shall follow your decisions.
The empress laughed and said: Chancellor Yang has three times resisted me for the
sake of Ying-yang, and now I want to tease him. They say that bad omens are lucky.
When he comes back, tell him that your daughter has been taken ill and died. In his
memorial to the throne, he wrote that he had met her. I want to see whether he
recognizes her on the day of the wedding.

170
 Madame Tsui, having received this order, took her leave and went home. Ying-
yang accompanied her outside the palace gate, and bowed to her as she left. Then
Ying-yang called Chun-yn and told her secretly of the plan to fool the chancellor.
Chun-yn said: I have already pretended to be a fairy and a ghost to fool him; isnt it
going too far to do it again?
Ying-yang replied: This is not our idea. The empress wants it.
Chun-yn went off stifling her giggles.

At this time Marshal Yang was giving his troops the waters of the Po-lung Lake to
drink, and they were getting better and eager for battle again. He called his officers
together, gave them their orders, and set out at the sound of the drum. At the same time
the Tibetan king, Tsen-po, received the jewel which had been sent by Shen Niao-yen.
Because he knew that the marshals troops had marched out of the Pan-she valley, he
came to the camp in great fear intending to seek terms, but his own generals seized
him, bound him, took him to the Tang camp and surrendered. Yang formed up his
troops again and they went into the Tibetan city, where he forbade plundering and
pacified the citizens before he went up to the Koulkun mountains and set up a
memorial stone with an inscription lauding the power of Tang. After that he turned his
army about and started them toward the capital singing songs of victory. By the time
they reached the Chen-chou region, it was already autumn. The landscape was
desolate, the sky was grey, the flowers were drooping sadly and the mournful honking
of the wild geese made the men feel more homesick. The marshal spent the night in the
guest-house, but he could not sleep and the night seemed long. As he lay awake he
thought to himself: It is now three years since I left home. My mothers health cannot
be as good as it was. Who will look after her if she is sick? and when shall I be able
to greet her again at night and morning? The invasion has been repulsed and I have

171
done what I set out to do, but I have not yet succeeded in fulfilling my wish to look
after my mother. This is a serious failure. For several years I have been busy with
state affairs, but I have not married, and it has been very difficult to maintain my
engagement with Cheng Chiung-pei. Now I have brought five thousand leagues of
territory back under control, and pacified a million rebels. The emperor will surely
give me a high appointment as a reward for all that I have done. If I decline the honors
and ask instead to be allowed to marry Chengs daughter, I wonder if he will agree?
He was a little comforted by this thought, and turned his head on the pillow and
dozed. In a dream his body was borne up into the air to the Palace of the Seven
Treasures that shone in many colors among opalescent clouds. Two ladies-in-waiting
came out to meet him and said: Miss Cheng is asking for your excellency.
He followed them into a wide court full of flowers in bloom. Three fairies dressed
like imperial concubines were sitting in a white jade pavilion, surrounded by a glow
like pink jade. They leaned on the balustrade, playing with sprays of blossom. When
they saw him coming they left their seats and came to meet him. When he was seated
the chief of them asked him: Have you been well since we said goodbye?
He looked at her closely and saw that she was Chiung-pei who had talked to him
about the lute tunes. In amazement and delight he tried to speak, but the words refused
to come. The fairy said: I have now left the world of men and am experiencing the
joys of heaven. It makes me sad to think of bygone days, and even if you meet my
parents you will hear no news of me.
Then she pointed to the two fairies beside her and said: This is the fairy princess,
the Weaving Maid, and that is the Jade Fairy of the incense. In a previous life they
were linked with you. Please do well by them, and I shall ask no more of you.
He looked at them, but although he knew the two on the lower seats, he could not
remember who they were. Suddenly the drum sounded, and he woke with a start to

172
find that it was all a dream. When he thought it over he realized it was not a happy
omen. He sighed: Chiung-pei must have died. Kuei Chan-yehs recommendation
and my aunts mediation were not providential after all. I have not been able to get
married. We have been parted by death. Is this really Heavens decree? They say that a
bad omen can be lucky. I wonder if that applies to my dream?

Some time later the advance columns reached the capital, and the emperor himself
came out as far as the bridge on the Wei to meet him. Yang was wearing a gilded
helmet engraved with phoenixes, and golden armor. He rode a magnificent charger,
and waving round him were the white yak-tail on the golden spear, conferred on him
by the emperor, and the phoenix and dragon banners. Tsen-po, the King of Tibet, was
in a cage on a cart at the front of the troops, and the princes of the thirty-six regions of
Tibet, each carrying his tribute gifts, came behind. Nothing like it had been seen
before. The marshal dismounted and bowed low, while the emperor raised him with
his own hand and spoke kindly to him about his meritorious services. Immediately an
edict was published in imitation of what had been done in earlier times in the case of
Kuo Fen-yang, granting him a parcel of land and making him prince over it. The
marshal tried to decline all these honors, and finally the emperor consented and issued
an edict making him simply First Minister of State and Duke of Wei, giving him more
presents than can be recorded here. Yang followed the imperial car into the palace,
where he formally expressed his thanks. The emperor gave a great victory banquet,
and ordered that Yangs portrait should be placed in the Gryphon Pavilion where the
likenesses of famous men were hung.
Afterward Shao-yu left the palace and went to the Cheng house. The household,
except for the two old people, were all gathered in the outer court, where they greeted
him with bows and offered their congratulations. When he had inquired after the health

173
of old Cheng and his wife, Shih-san replied: My uncle and aunt were keeping well
until my cousins death. They grieved so. much after that that they became ill, and are
now very frail. They were unable to come to the outer court to meet you. Please come
with me to the inner quarters.
When Yang heard this he looked as though he were either drunk or crazy and was
unable to speak. When he had pulled himself together, he asked: Which of your
cousins is dead?
Shih-san replied: My uncle never had a son and only had one daughter. Heaven has
been very hard with him. Isnt it pitiful? But when you go in, please try not to look
sad.
Shao-yu was weeping bitter tears, and his sleeves were soaked. Shih-san comforted
him: Even if your marriage contract had been as firm as a rock, this familys luck is
so bad that the engagement could not have been fulfilled. Please think of your duty and
try to comfort the old people.
Shao-yu wiped his tears and thanked him. Then they went in together to see Cheng
and his wife, who seemed very happy and congratulated him, but never mentioned the
death of their daughter, so Shao-yu said: I have the good fortune to have received
favor at court, and I have been given many rewards which I wanted to decline, asking
the emperor to change his mind and let me fulfil my marriage contract, but the dew of
morning has already dried up and the colors of spring have faded. How can I enjoy
life now?
The old man frowned and looked very serious: Today everybody is congratulating
you. Please dont cast a shadow on it.
Shih-san caught Shao-yus eye and he dropped the subject and went out into the
garden. Chun-yn came down the steps to meet him, and when he saw her she
reminded him so much of Chiung-pei that he began to weep again. Chun-yn knelt

174
down in front of him and tried to comfort him: My lord, you must not be sad today.
Dry your tears and listen to me. My mistress was a heavenly spirit who spent a little
time among men, and the day that she went back to heaven she said to me: You must
break off with Chancellor Yang and come with me. When I have left the world, if you
go back to Yang you will have to part from me. He will soon come back to the city,
and if he is sad thinking about me you must tell him that when the wedding gifts were
sent back I became like a homeless person, and I was even more distressed over the
incident of the lute. If he is too miserable about me, he will be disobeying the emperor
and insulting a departed soul. If he offers sacrifices or wails at my grave, that would
proclaim me a shameless woman and my rest in the underworld would be disturbed.
The emperor is awaiting his return to discuss again the question of his marrying the
princess. In the Book of Songs the devotion of the osprey is compared to the virtue of
a royal bride. Tell him to obey the royal command and avoid the sin of presumption.
That is what I want him to do.
When Shao-yu heard this he felt sadder than ever and said: Even though she left
that message I cannot help being sad. If I die ten times I can never repay such
generosity of mind.
Then he told Chun-yn about the dream he had had on the way home. She wept and
said: There is no doubt that she is in the heavenly city, and later you will meet her
there. Do not mourn or you will make yourself ill.
He asked her: Did she say anything else?
Chun-yn replied: Yes, she did, but it would not be right for me to tell you what it
was.
He urged her: You should not hide it from me. You must tell me what it was.
Chun-yn said: She said to me: You and I are one person. If he cannot forget
me and thinks of you as he thinks of me, and does not cast you off, even though I have

175
gone to the underworld I shall reckon I have been blessed by him.
Shao-yu was even more troubled and said: How could I cast you off? But now I
know that she wanted it, even though I were to marry the Weaving Girl of the sky, or
have Fu-fei, the spirit of the Lo River for my concubine, I swear I would never cast
you off.

The next day the emperor called Shao-yu and said to him: About this matter of the
princesss marriage, the empress issued a strict edict and I was very worried, but now
the Cheng girl is dead and so the complications have disappeared. We have been
waiting for your return so that we can celebrate the princesss wedding. You are still
very young, you are of very high rank and you ought to be married. As Duke of Wei
you need a wife in order to perform the ancestral sacrifices correctly. I have already
prepared a place for you to live in the palace after your wedding, and am simply
waiting for the day to be fixed. Now will you agree?
Shao-yu kowtowed and said: My obstinacy deserves ten thousand deaths, but since
your majesty has so graciously given me another chance, I am bold enough to agree,
although I am entirely unfitted by birth or attainments to become the imperial son-in-
law.
The emperor was very pleased. He immediately told the royal astronomer to select
an auspicious day for the wedding which the calendar office later announced would
take place on the fifteenth day of the ninth moon, only a few weeks ahead. The
emperor then said to Shao-yu: I did not tell you earlier on, because the question of the
wedding was not settled, but I have two sisters. They are both remarkable young
women in every way, and I would like to find another bridegroom like you for the
second one, but I know it is impossible. So I am going to do what the empress-
dowager wants and marry them both to you.

176
 Shao-yu suddenly remembered the dream he had had in the guest-house at Chen-
chou, and was alarmed at the coincidence. He bowed low and said: Since you chose
me as the imperial son-in-law I have done my best to avoid the honor, but now you
propose marrying both the princesses to me. Such a thing has never been heard of
before. How can I possibly accept?
The emperor said: You have served the state as no one else has ever done. It is
impossible for me to reward you adequately, but at least I can marry both my sisters to
you. Also, they love one another so deeply and are so closely bound to one another
that they could not bear to be separated and want to share one husband. The empress
wants it too. You must not refuse. Then there is the lady secretary, Chin Tsai-feng, a
girl from a most distinguished family, who is both beautiful and clever. The Princess
Lan-yang treats her like the apple of her eye and when she gets married herself wants
to take Tsai-feng with her as your concubine. I have to tell you this in advance.
Shao-yu arose and thanked the emperor before he withdrew.

Ying-yang had been in the palace for several months. She served the empress
faithfully and treated Lan-yang and Tsai-feng like sisters, which pleased the empress
very much. When the day set for the marriage was drawing near, she said privately to
the empress: On the day when you first settled precedence for Lan-yang and me, it
was very presumptuous of me to have accepted the senior position, but if I had refused
I should have offended against your love for me. So I accepted, even though I did not
want to. When we get married to the Prime Minister, it will be quite wrong if Lan-
yang again refuses the first place. I hope that you and the emperor will think about the
proper order for us and straighten it out, so that I can be happy in my proper place and
there will be no disorder in our home.
Lan-yang, when she was with the empress, said: Ying-yang is superior to me in

177
both virtue and ability, and even though she is from the Cheng family I really ought to
do the same as the wife of Chao Shuai and yield precedence to her. Now that we are
sisters, you cannot say that there is any difference of rank between us, and even though
I am the second wife, I shall not lose the reality of being an emperors daughter. On the
other hand, if I become the first wife, what will be the point of your having adopted
Ying-yang?
The empress spoke to the emperor: What shall we do to settle this matter?
The emperor replied: Lan-yangs attitude is entirely sincere, but I have never heard
of a princess doing such a thing before. Nevertheless, I think you should recognize her
humility as a very beautiful thing and arrange things as she wishes.
The empress said: You are right.
And straightway she issued an edict making Ying-yang the left-hand, that is, the first
wife of the Duke of Wei, Lan-yang his right-hand or second wife and Tsai-feng,
because she was the daughter of a distinguished family, a concubine of the first rank.
According to tradition, the wedding of a princess had always been celebrated
outside the palace enclosure, but this time the empress ordered that it should be inside.
When the happy day arrived, Shao-yu, wearing a gryphon robe and jade-studded belt,
went through the ceremony with the two princesses. The splendor of the occasion
defied description. When the ceremony was over and they were relaxing, Tsai-feng
came to pay her respects to them all. Shao-yu made her sit down too. The three women
looked radiantly beautiful, like three fairies come down from heaven. Shao-yu
wondered whether they were not the three fairies he had seen in his dream. That night
he shared a pillow with the Princess Ying-yang, and early the next morning they arose
to pay their respects to the empress, who gave a banquet for them. She and the
emperor and the emperors consort passed the whole day rejoicing with them. The
next night he shared a quilt with the Princess Lan-yang. The third day he went to Tsai-

178
fengs room. She suddenly burst into tears. Shao-yu was very surprised, and
questioned her: Today you are supposed to be happy. You must not cry. But there must
be a reason for these tears; tell me what it is.
Tsai-feng replied: You do not remember me. You have forgotten who I am.
He suddenly realized who she was, took her delicate hand in his and said: You are
the daughter of Inspector Chin of Hua-yin. Waking or sleeping, I have never forgotten
you.
She choked and could not produce a reply. He said: I thought you were dead, but
you are alive in the palacehow wonderful! After we parted that time at Hua-chou I
could not bear to think of the disaster that came on your family, but since I fled from
the inn I have not been able to help thinking of you every single day. Today we are
fulfilling our old promises. I had given up hope that it would happen. You also must
have lost hope.
Then he took her poem out of his pocket and she produced the poem which he had
written, and it was like re-living the day when they had written them. Tsai-feng said:
You know only that the willow song sealed our contract. You did not know that this
destiny of ours was also shown by a silk fan.
Then she opened a box and took out the painted fan and showed it to him. When she
had told him all about it, he said: When I came back from my place of refuge in Lan-
tien-shan, I asked the landlord of the inn what had happened to you, and he said that
some people said you had been taken into the palace, some people said you had been
taken a long way off as a yamen slave, and others that you had been killed. I could get
no reliable news. So I lost all hope and was forced to look for another bride. Every
time I passed between Hua-shan and the River Wei, I felt like a wild goose that had
lost its mate, and my heart was like a fish caught on an anglers hook. Now, thanks to
the imperial favor, we meet again, but I have a regret about it because the contract I

179
made at the inn has been fulfilled by your becoming my concubine. It fills me with
shame to think that you were prepared to submit yourself to this situation.
Tsai-feng answered: I knew that my family was ill-fated and when I sent my nurse
to the inn I thought that I should be happy to become your concubine, but now I am next
to the princesses, and this is the greatest of good fortunes. If I should complain, heaven
would forsake me.
Old memories and renewed affection made that night much more ecstatic than the
two previous ones.

SHAO-YU CONTROLS HIS WIVES

The following day Shao-yu and Princess Lan-yang met and drank wine together in
Princess Ying-yangs room. In the course of the conversation, Ying-yang lowered her
voice to send a maid to fetch Tsai-feng. When he heard her speak this time, he
suddenly felt very sad, and it showed on his face. This was because when he had gone
to the Cheng household dressed as a woman and played the lute for Chiung-pei, he
had heard her voice when she discussed the tunes and he clearly remembered the
expression of her face. Now it suddenly struck him that Ying-yang spoke like Chiung-
pei and looked like her. He thought to himself: There are cases of remarkable likeness.
When I made my contract with Chiung-pei, I intended to share my life with her for
ever, but now I am happily married to someone else. I wonder what has become of her
lonely soul ? In order to avoid jealousy I have not offered a single cup of wine at her
grave, nor wailed once before her tablet. I have behaved very badly to her. And he
felt like weeping.
Princess Ying-yang could not fail to guess what was in his mind, so gathering up the
edge of her skirts, she asked: It is your turn to drink, but suddenly you look sad.

180
Whats the matter?
He replied: I have no reason to hide it from you. I once went to the Cheng
household and saw the daughter, and your voice and expression are so much like hers
that I was reminded of her and felt sad, but please dont worry about it.
When Ying-yang heard this, her cheeks turned crimson. She got up hurriedly and
dashed into the inner room. Some time later she had still not come out, so Shao-yu sent
a maid to fetch her, but the maid did not return. Lan-yang said: Ying-yang has been
spoiled by mother and she is very haughty, unlike me, who have always had to take
second place. I am afraid she is furious with you for comparing her to the Cheng girl.
Shao-yu immediately sent Tsai-feng to ask her forgiveness: Tell her to imprison
me like Duke Wen of Chin.
After a while Tsai-feng came back, but had nothing to report. Shao-yu said: What
did she say?
Tsai-feng replied: She is extremely angry. I dare not tell you the things she is
saying.
He said: Its not your fault what she says. Why dont you tell me?
Tsai-feng replied: She says, I may not be anybody very much, but I am the
empresss favorite daughter. That Cheng girl, although she was so wonderful, was only
a commoner. In the Book of Rites it says: The king's horse is to be reverenced, for the
sake of the king, not the horse. Then what about the kings daughter? and what is more,
this Cheng girl was utterly immodest. She was proud of her good looks, and chatted
with him, and talked to him about lute-tunes. And because she fretted about the delay
over her wedding, she became melancholic and died. How dare he compare me to
such an unlucky person? They say that in olden days when Chiu Hu of the state of Lu
tried to seduce a girl who was picking mulberries by offering her gold, his wife
jumped into the river and died. Does he think I am shameless? He remembers her after

181
she is dead, and thinks he can recall her voice after all this time. This is like Szu-ma
Hsiang-ju playing the lute in the outer court to seduce Cho Wen-chn or the daughter of
Chia stealing incense for her paramour in the days of Chin. I swear that from now on I
will not come out of the door. I shall stay in here till I die. Lan-yang is tolerant. Let
him live the rest of his life with her.
Shao-yu was extremely angry: I did not think that anybody could be so proud of her
position. Now I begin to understand the lot of an imperial son-in-law.
Then he said to Lan-yang: My meeting with Chiung-pei was a complicated affair,
but now Ying-yang is accusing me of improper intentions. The whole affair is not very
important, but it is a shame to insult the dead like this.
Lan-yang said: I had better go in and see if I can calm her down.
So she went in. By sunset she had not come back. The lights were lit by the time
Lan-yang sent a maid to say, I have done my best, but my sister will not change her
mind. She made me swear to do the same as she is doing. If she is shutting herself
away in the inner palace, I must do the same. You should go and spend the night with
Tsai-feng.
Shao-yu flared up at this, but he controlled himself and did not let his anger show.
The empty room and cold screens felt desolate. He lolled on the bed looking at Tsai-
feng, who picked up a candle and led him into her room, where she threw some
ambergris into a golden brazier and spread silk coverlets on the ivory bed, saying:
Although I am rather stupid, I have learned something of good manners, and in the
Book of Rites it says: A concubine must not share the bed at night when the wife is
away. The two princesses have retired to the inner rooms, and how can I think of
staying with you tonight? I hope you sleep peacefully. And she quietly withdrew.
Shao-yu did not detain her. The prospect for the night was a chilly one. At length he
drew the curtains and laid his head on the pillow, but he could not sleep, because he

182
was unsettled. He thought: They have put their heads together to fool me, their lord
and master. I cannot go down on my knees to them. When I was staying in the garden
house of the Chengs, I enjoyed myself drinking with Shih-san in the daytime, and at
night I drank with Chun-yn by candlelight. Nothing spoiled the days. Now after three
days as imperial son-in-law, I am thoroughly miserable.
Raising his hand he opened the gauze window and saw the Milky Way slanting
across the sky. The court was flooded with moonlight. Slipping on his shoes, he went
outside. Keeping in the shadow of the eaves, he looked over to Princess Ying-yangs
room. Many lights were burning behind the gauze windows. He thought to himself:
Its very late; why arent they asleep? Ying-yang is supposed to have dismissed me in
a rage and gone to her bedroom.
Taking care to make no noise with his shoes, he walked quietly up to the window.
He could hear the two princesses talking and laughing as they played backgammon.
Peeping through a chink in the blind, he could see Tsai-feng sitting in front of the two
princesses with another girl by the dicing-board, calling out the numbers. When the
other girl turned to attend to the candle, he saw that it was Chun-yn. Chun-yn had
come into the palace on the day of the wedding, but she had kept herself hidden so that
Shao-yu had not seen her and had no idea that she was there. He was very surprised,
and suspected something: The princesses must have sent for Chun-yn to have a look
at her.
Tsai-feng arranged the dicing-board for another game and said: Youre not staking
anything; you seem to be losing interest, so I will make a bet with Chun-yn.
Chun-yn replied: I am so poor that I should be glad to win a dish of sweetmeats.
You live beside the princess and have as much silk and satin and jade and gems as you
could wish for. What can I offer to you as a stake?
Tsai-feng said: If I do not win, you can choose whatever you like from the trinkets

183
and jewels I am wearing, but if I win you must do whatever I ask, as a forfeit. I
promise you it will cost you nothing.
Chun-yn replied: I want to know first what it is you are going to ask me to do.
Tsai-feng said: I have heard from the princesses that you once pretended to be a
fairy and once a ghost to fool the chancellor, but I have never heard the story properly,
so if you lose you must tell me all about it.
Chun-yn pushed the backgammon board away from her, and said to Princess Ying-
yang: Sister, sister, sister! You used to love me so much, but now you have told the
princess this story, and Tsai-feng knows about it already. The whole palace will have
heard it. How shall I dare to show my face?
Tsai-feng said: Really, Chun-yn, be careful! How can you call the princess your
sister? She is the marshals wife, and Duchess of Wei; she may be young, but her rank
is very high indeed. You must not call her sister.
Chun-yn excused herself: It is hard to train my lips to new habits. It is not long
since we fought one another with flowers. I do not stand in awe of hershe will
forgive me.
At this they all laughed together and Lan-yang asked Ying-yang: I myself have
never heard the whole of Chun-yns story. Did she really make a fool of him?
Ying-yang replied: Many times. There is no smoke without fire. She only wanted to
startle him, but he was so taken in that he wasnt even afraid. It says in the Book of
Rites: The sensual man is possessed by a demon of hunger for women; this must be
true. His hungry demon was not afraid of a ghost.
And they all laughed loudly.
Shao-yu now realized for certain that Princess Ying-yang was Chiung-pei.
Surprised and delighted, he was about to open the window and burst into the room, but
he changed his mind and said to himself: Theyre trying to fool me, so I will make

184
fools of them. Then he went quietly back to Tsai-fengs room and slept soundly.
Early the next morning Tsai-feng came back and asked the maid: Is the master up
yet?
The maid replied: Not yet.
Tsai-feng waited outside for a long time, until the sun was up and it was time for
breakfast, but Shao-yu still had not got up. From time to time she could hear him
moaning, and at last she went in and said: Are you not feeling well?
He opened his eyes and stared at her as though he could not see her, mumbling every
now and then as though he were still half asleep. She asked him again: Are you
dreaming?
He seemed dazed, and did not answer. After a while, he suddenly blurted out: Who
are you?
She replied: Dont you know me? I am Tsai-feng.
But he only nodded. He closed his eyes and murmured: Tsai-feng, Tsai-feng?
Who is Tsai-feng?
Greatly alarmed, she put her hand on his forehead, and said: Youre hot; Im sure
youre ill. But whatever can have happened to you overnight?
He opened his eyes and spoke quite clearly: How strange. All night long Chiung-
pei has been troubling me. What shall I do?
She asked him to tell her all about it, but he became confused again. He did not
answer, and turned over to go to sleep. Tsai-feng, in great anxiety, sent a maid to tell
the princesses that he was ill, asking them to come quickly. Princess Ying-yang said:
He was drinking all right last night; how can he be ill today? This is a ruse to make us
go to see him.
But Tsai-feng herself came in quickly and said : He is in a stupor and does not
recognize people. His speech is rambling. We should tell his majesty and send for the

185
court physician.
The empress-dowager heard about it and reprimanded the princesses: You have
gone too far with him. You have heard that he is very ill, and are not going to see him.
Go at once, and if it is a serious illness, have the best of the court physicians examine
him at once.
So the two princesses went to the room where Shao-yu was. Ying-yang waited
outside the door and made Lan-yang and Tsai-feng go in first. Shao-yu clutched at the
air with his hands and stared with bulging eyes. He did not seem to hear what Lan-
yang said to him, but whispered: I am dying; I want to see Ying-yang. Where is she?
Lan-yang said: Why are you talking like that?
He said, very sadly, Last night I had a bad dream. Chiung-pei came to me and
said: Why have you broken your promise? She was very angry and gave me a
handful of pearls. I took them and I swallowed them. Its a terrible omen. When I close
my eyes, she presses on me; when I open them she stands in front of me. I shall die.
He looked as if he would faint away before he could finish speaking; then he turned
his face to the wall and began mumbling again. Lan-yang was very distressed at this
and went out to Ying-yang: His sickness is due to overwork and worry. You are the
only one who can do anything for him.
She told her how he seemed. Ying-yang, half believing and half doubting, hesitated
to go in, but Lan-yang took her by the hand and led her in. Shao-yu seemed to be
dreaming and talking to Chiung-pei. Lan-yang said in a loud voice: My lord, Ying-
yang is here. Open your eyes and look at her.
He lifted his head for a moment and waved his hand as though he wanted to get up.
Tsai-feng helped him into a sitting position and he said to the two princesses: I have
received extraordinary favor from the emperor and been married to you two
princesses, but there is another one who is coming to fetch me, and I shall not be able

186
to stay in this world much longer. I am sorry.
Ying-yang said: How can an intelligent man like you talk like this? Chiung-pei
may indeed be a ghost, but how could she get into the inner palace and disturb such a
person as you?
He shouted: She was here just now! What do you mean, she cant get in?
Lan-yang said: You know the story of the man who thought that he had drunk a
snake in his wine, but afterward realized that it was the reflection of the bow that was
hanging on the wall behind him, and so recovered from his fright? Your illness is like
that; you will soon get better.
Shao-yu showed no reaction, but just waved his hands in the air. Ying-yang saw that
he was getting worse, and went and sat down beside him, saying: You are thinking
only of the dead Chiung-pei. Dont you want to look at the living Chiung-pei? Look
at me; I am Chiung-pei.
He pretended not to understand, and said: What do you mean? There was only one
Cheng Chiung-pei, and she has been dead for a long time. Her ghost has been with
me; how can she be alive? She is either dead or alive. Dead people cannot come back.
I do not know what you are talking about.
Lan-yang said: The empress has made Chiung-pei her adopted daughter and called
her Princess Ying-yang, and married us both to you. Princess Ying-yang is the
Chiung-pei who heard you play the lute; that is why she looks exactly like her.
He did not answer, but gave a little moan. Suddenly he raised his head and gasped
for breath and said: When I was at the Cheng house Chiung-peis maid, Chun-yn,
looked after me. There is something I want to ask her. Where is she? I want to see her,
but how can I? O dear, what a wretched business!
Lan-yang said: Chun-yn has just come to the palace to see Ying-yang. She knows
you are ill and is anxiously waiting outside hoping to see you.

187
 At this point Chun-yn came in and said: My lord, how are you?
Shao-yu said: All go out, and leave Chun-yn alone with me. So the princesses
and Tsai-feng went out and stood by the balustrade outside. Shao-yu at once got up,
washed and dressed, and told Chun-yn to bring the other three back.
Suppressing her laughter, she went out and said to them: He wants you to come in
again. So they went back in.
He was sitting very solemnly in a chair, wearing a ceremonial silk robe and a
formal cap, and holding a white jade rod. His expression was as fresh as a spring
breeze, and there was no trace of his illness. Ying-yang realized that she had been
fooled, and laughed. She bowed, and did not ask him about his health, but Lan-yang
said: How are you feeling now?
He looked very solemn and answered seriously: Things have been going very
wrong here. You women have been trying to fool your lord and master. What has
happened to proper womanly behavior? Here am I, in the highest rank, doing my best
to find a way to bring you to your senses, till I made myself ill. But I am better again
now, so dont worry.
Lan-yang and Tsai-feng did nothing but giggle. Ying-yang said: Truly it was not
our idea. If you really want to know what made you ill, you must think it out for
yourself and remember your own deceitfulness, and then go and ask the empress. And
then she told him how she had come to court with the princess.
Shao-yu could not keep it up any longer, and burst out laughing: I am not such a
fool that I do not know all about womens ways; but a woman should be respectful to
her husband. However, I rejoice in the favor that the empress shows me, treating me as
her own son, and the emperors sincere concern for me, and the love of you two
princesses. Such blessings will ensure that we live together happily.
The three women looked thoroughly ashamed and said nothing.

188
 When the empress found out from the palace women how Shao-yu had feigned
sickness she laughed heartily and said: I had my doubts about it. Then she sent for
Shao-yu and the two princesses and said: is this true that I hear? That the marshal has
renewed his broken contract with the dead Chiung-pei?
Shao-yu bowed and replied: The imperial grace is as wide as creation, and if I
live till I wear myself out I can never repay it.
The empress said: Dont talk such high-flown nonsense. The whole thing was only
a joke.

SHAO-YU FETCHES HIS MOTHER TO COURT

The same day the emperor received his ministers in audience at the Hall of
Government, and they reported to him: Recently a brilliant star has been shining; a
sweet dew has fallen; the waters of the Yellow River have become clear; the harvest
promises to be a rich one; three commanderies have offered lands as tribute and
restored relations with the court; and the powerful Tibetans have surrendered. This is
all due to your Majestys virtues.
The emperor disclaimed any merit and attributed everything to his ministers. But
they said: The prime minister, Yang Shao-yu, has been a long time inside the palace,
and many state matters are awaiting his attention.
The emperor laughed loudly, and said: Her Majesty the empress- dowager has kept
him busy for several days, and he has not been able to come out. I will speak to him
myself and see that he gets back to work.
The next day Shao-yu went to his office and after he had attended to the government
business, he composed a memorial to the throne asking that he might send for his
mother. The memorial read:

189
 Yang Shao-yu, Prime Minister, Duke of Wei, Imperial Son-in-law, etc.,
humbly memorializes the Imperial Majesty. I am of lowly birth, from the land
of Ch'u. Unable to provide adequately for my aging mother, I thought it my
duty to make use of my small intelligence by entering the service of the State,
and so be able to support her. I set at nought the pain of parting from her. I
was favored with success, and after passing the national examinations have
served at court for several years. I received an imperial appointment, I
subdued strong enemies, making rebels bow the knee; when commanded
further, I pacified the West and subjugated the Tibetans. None of this is to my
credit; it is all due to the imperial prestige. All my officers were willing to die
in battle, but your imperial majesty generously encouraged our puny efforts
and rewarded me with such honors that it is presumptuous even to thank you
for them. Beyond all this, your majesty insisted on choosing me as the imperial
son-in-law: unworthy though I was of the imperial munificence, I was unable
to decline it, and forced reluctantly to accept. My mother hoped for no more
than a handful of grain, and I dreamt of nothing higher than the post of a clerk
in the least significant of government offices, but I find myself promoted to the
highest position of the nobility, and in my anxiety to serve the Throne with the
utmost loyalty I have had no time to fetch my aging mother. My house and my
food are the antithesis of hers. I live in riches and honor, while she remains in
poverty. This is contrary to the fundamental rules of human conduct. My
mother, too, is old and although her health is failing she has no other children
to look after her. Her home is far away and news is scarce. It makes me sad to
think of her. Now that the borders are at peace and internal affairs are quiet, I
humbly beg your majesty to grant my request and give me leave for two or

190
 three months to go and visit the graves of my ancestors and bring my mother
back, so that we may both pay our respects before the throne and I can perform
all the duties of a filial son. So I shall continue to serve you, repaying the
imperial favor with the utmost devotion. Look graciously on this and grant me
a favorable answer.

When the emperor had finished reading this, he sighed and said: This is real filial
piety, Shao-yu.
He gave him a thousand gold ingots and eight hundred rolls of silk to give to his
mother, and told him to bring her back quickly. Shao-yu thanked him and went to take
leave of the empress-dowager, who gave him more gold and silk. Shao-yu thanked her,
took leave of the two princesses and his two concubines, and set out.
When he arrived at the Tien-chin bridge at Lo-yang, the two dancing girls, Kuei
Chan-yeh and Ti Ching-hung, having been informed by the governor that he was
coming, were waiting to see him at the guest-house. Shao-yu smiled when he met them,
and said: I am on a purely private journey, which has nothing to do with state affairs;
how did you know I was coming?
They replied: When the Prime Minister, Duke of Wei and imperial son-in-law goes
on a journey, the news reaches the remotest mountain valleys very quickly, and so we
heard about it. A few days ago the governor, who respects us next after yourself,
naturally told us of your coming. Last year when you passed this way in state, our
connection with you brought us high esteem. Now you have risen even higher and are
even more renowned, our reputation will be advanced a hundredfold. We hear that you
have married the two princesses and we wonder whether they will accept us.
Shao-yu replied: One of them is the emperors sister, and the other is Cheng
Chiung-pei, who has been adopted by the empress-dowager, the very girl whom you,

191
Chan-yeh, recommended to me. How could she now reject you? And the two
princesses share all their loves; they will certainly be pleased to have you.
The two girls looked at one another happily. Shao-yu spent the night with them, and
then started for his home village. He had been a lad of fifteen when he first left his
mother; now he returned riding in the splendid carriage of a Prime Minister, wearing
the robes of the Duke of Wei, and with the rank of the imperial son-in-law. It had all
happened within four short years. He went in to see his mother, who clasped his hands
and patted his shoulders saying: Is this really my little Shao-yu? I cant believe it!
When I think of your learning to count and read! We never dreamt of such glories.
She was so happy that she wept. Shao-yu told her about his fame and his marriage
and his concubines. She said: Your father always told me that you would bring honor
on us. I am sorry he did not wait to see it for himself.
Shao-yu visited the family tombs and burned incense to announce his successes to
his ancestors. Then, with the gold and silks, he provided a great feast for his mother, to
which their relatives and friends were invited. The rejoicing lasted for ten days. When
he left with his mother, all the people and local officials along the road welcomed
them and helped to make their progress more splendid.
As they passed through Lo-yang, he sent word to the governor that he wanted Ti
Ching-hung and Kuei Chan-yeh sent to him, but was told that they had left for the
capital several days before. He was sorry to have missed them, but went on to the
imperial city, where he set up his mother in his ministerial residence. When he took
her to visit the palace, she was received by both the emperor and the empress, who
bestowed on her ten carriage-loads more of gold and silver, silk and satin, and moved
her to a new house where the gardens were laid out with pavilions and kiosks and
lotus pools. The two princesses visited her to make their proper bows as new
daughters-in-law, and Tsai-feng and Chun-yn also fulfilled the appropriate

192
ceremonies. The old lady was radiant with happiness. Shao-yu used all the gifts he
had been told by the emperor to give to her, and provided three days of feasting again.
The emperor and empress sent the imperial orchestra to play for her, and food from the
imperial tables. The whole court attended. Shao-yu, wearing colored robes, and
accompanied by the two princesses, raised the jade cup and everyone toasted her in
turn. In the midst of the rejoicings, while the banquet was still in progress, the gate
guards came in and reported that two ladies were outside and were sending in their
visiting books to the minister and his mother. They were the books of Chan-yeh and
Ching-hung. He told his mother who they were and called them in. As the two girls
bowed below the dais, all the guests remarked that they had long been famous and
were of outstanding beauty. They would never have come for anybody but Yang Shao-
yu.
Shao-yu commanded the two girls to show their skills. They both rose, put on their
pearl-sewn shoes, and stepping on to the dais, danced with waving sleeves to the tune
of The Rainbow-feathered Robe. It was like the falling of blossoms and the swaying
of the boughs in a spring breeze. The silk awning seemed to reflect the light of shining
clouds and snowflakes. It was as though the dancer Fei-yen from the Han palace had
appeared again in Shao-yus garden, or Lu-chu, the beauty of Chin-ku, were standing
on the Duke of Weis stage. Shao-yus mother and the two princesses gave the girls
many presents of silk and brocades. Tsai-feng, who had known Chan-yeh long
before, talked to her about the past, sharing her inmost thoughts. The Princess Ying-
yang herself took a cup of wine and specially offered it to Chan-yeh to thank her for
her recommendation. Shao-yus mother said to him: You are all thanking Chan-yeh.
Have you forgotten my cousin, the priestess Tu?
Shao-yu answered: My happiness today is all due to your cousin, and now that you
have come to live in the capital, although no imperial order has been issued about the

193
matter, she must be invited here.
He sent messengers straight away to the Chu-ching Temple, but a priestess told
them that Shao-yus aunt had left for the province of Shu three years before. His
mother was very sorry to hear this news.

SHAO-YU AND PRINCE YEH HOLD A HUNTING PICNIC

Shao-yu arranged residences for each of his womenfolk within his palace. The main
hall was called Ching-fu-tang, the Hall of Great Felicity, after a phrase in the Book of
Songs. That was where his mother lived. In front of it was the Yen-hsi-tang, the Hall
of Feasting and Rejoicing, named from another verse in the Book of Songs which
refers to a good wife and an aged mother. Princess Ying-yang, his first wife, lived
there. Princess Lan-yang lived in the Feng-shao-kung, or Dancing Phoenix Palace, to
the west of his mothers home.
In front of the Yen-hsi-tang were two buildings called the Ning-hsiang-ko, Frozen
Fragrance Kiosk, and Ching-ho-lu, Pavilion of Clear Harmony. Shao-yu lived there
himself and sometimes gave banquets there, but in front of them again was the Yen-
hsien-tang, Hall for the Welcoming of the Virtuous, where he received guests and saw
to official business.
In front of Lan-yangs palace, that is to say, to the south of it, was the Hsin-hsing-
yan, the House of Renewed Delight, where Tsai-feng lived. It was balanced by the
Ying-chun-ko, the Kiosk for Welcoming Spring, which was on the east side of Shao-
yus own quarters. This name was appropriate to the east, which is the direction
appropriate to spring, and also to Chun-yn, who lived there, because her name meant
Spring Cloud.
On each side of Shao-yus quarters were two smaller pavilions, with blue tiles and

194
vermilion balustrades, balancing each other. They were surrounded by covered walks
which also linked them to Shao-yus two buildings. The one on the east of the Ning-
hsiang-ko was the Shang-hua-lu, the Flower-viewing Pavilion, where Chan-yeh
lived. The one on the west of the Ching-ho-lu was Ching-hungs home, the Wang-
yeh-lu, or Full Moon Pavilion.
Eighty of the most beautiful and talented musicians of the empire were divided into
East and West divisions. Chan-yeh had charge of the East forty and Ching-hung had
the West forty. They supervised their studies in singing, dancing and instrumental
music. Each month they met in the Ching-ho-lu for contests of skill between the two
divisions. Shao-yu, with his mother and the two princesses, presided and did the
judging. The winners were given three cups of wine each and crowned with flowers.
The losers had to drink a cup of cold water, and a spot of writing ink was painted on
their foreheads with a brush. This was such a disgrace that in their efforts to avoid it
they perfected their skills, and the girl musicians of the Duke of Weis house and
Prince Yehs palace became famous throughout the empire. Even the Musicians of the
Pear Orchard, the imperial opera, did not surpass them.
One day the two princesses and the other women were in attendance on Shao-yus
mother when he brought a letter to them and gave it to Lan-yang saying: I have had a
letter from Prince Yeh.
The princess unfolded it and read: May happiness be yours on this lovely spring
day! Until recently you were so busy with affairs of state that you have had no leisure.
No horses have been seen on the Lo-yu-yan, and there have been no boating parties
on the Kun-ming Lake. Weeds are growing on the dancing-ground. The old people of
the capital, talking of days gone by, say how things have changed, when they recall the
splendor of past reigns, and sometimes they weep. This is not right for times of peace
and prosperity. But now, owing to the Emperors grace and your excellencys ability,

195
the whole empire is at peace and the people are all contented. It is like the reign of
Hsan Tsung, when court life was full of gaiety. Spring is not yet past, the weather is
pleasant and the flowers and willow-trees are at their best. No time is better for
outdoor entertainments. I suggest that we meet on the Lo-yu-yan and enjoy ourselves
with some hunting and music, to foster the atmosphere of prosperity and peace. If you
agree to this, please choose a day and let me know, and I shall be delighted to join
you.
When the princess had finished reading it, she said to Shao-yu: Do you know what
he is really aiming at?
Shao-yu replied: I dont know that he has any other thought beyond an ordinary
outing among the flowers and willows. He is a man who enjoys his pleasures.
The princess replied: I see you do not understand it fully. That brother of mine
thinks of nothing but music and pretty girls. He has plenty of girls in his palace, but
recently he has a new concubine, the famous dancer Wan Y-yen from Wu-chang.
When she arrived, his palace women were astonished, and comparing themselves to
the ugly Wu-yen and Mo-mu, they have become quite downcast. So you can see how
beautiful she is. My brother has heard we have many pretty girls here, and he wants to
imitate Wang Kai and Shih Chung, who held a contest of skill and beauty.
Shao-yu laughed and said: I thought it was perfectly ordinary, but you know your
brother better than I do.
Ying-yang said: Even though it is only a game, we must see that we do not lose.
Beckoning to Ching-hung and Chan-yeh, she said: Some soldiers train for ten
years and fight in earnest for only half a day. Our victory is entirely in the hands of you
two instructors. You must do your best.
Chan-yeh replied: I am afraid we cannot beat them. Prince Yehs palace music
is famous everywhere, and the whole empire rings with the fame of Y-yen. Prince

196
Yeh, with such an orchestra and such a dancer, will be practically unbeatable. Our
little troupe has no discipline and has not been able to set up its standards. I am afraid
that they may run away before the battle begins. It doesnt matter if we two are laughed
at, but we must not bring disgrace on the household.
Shao-yu said: When I first met Chan-yeh at Lo-yang, she told me there was a
saying that there were three outstanding beauties in the world of dancing, and one of
them was Y-yen. This must be her. If there are only three outstanding dancers, I am
like the first Han emperor: I already have Chang Liang and Chen Ping on my side:
why should I worry about Fan Tseng on Hsiang Ys side?
Chan-yeh said: There are as many beautiful girls in Prince Yehs palace as
there are blades of grass on Pa-kung-shan. The only thing we can do is flee; we can
never withstand them. Please, your Highness, put Ching-hung in charge. I am so
nervous that just to hear about this affects my throat and I cannot sing a note.
Ching-hung was angry and said: Is that true? We traveled together through seventy
towns in Kuan-tung. Why should we bow our heads before Y-yen? We might be
ashamed if we had opponents who could destroy nations and cities with their beauty,
like the woman of Han or the fairy of Wu-shan, but why should we worry about this
Y-yen?
Chan-yeh said: Why do you make it sound so easy? It is true that when we were
in Kuan-tung we performed at big parties with the nobility, and little ones with the
local literati, but we never met strong opposition and so we were never eclipsed.
Now, Prince Yeh has been brought up in the palace among gems and jade. He has a
quick and critical eye. He will not mistake a handful of stones for a mountain. What is
more, Y-yens strategy works like Chang Liangs. He sat in the tent and planned his
victories a thousand leagues away. Ching-hung boasts like Chao-kuo, foretelling her
own defeat.

197
 Then she continued, speaking to Shao-yu: Ching-hung is boastful. I will tell you
more about her faults. In the first place, she stole one of the fine horses of the Prince of
Yen and rode it to follow you, pretending to be a boy from Ho-pei. Then she deceived
you by the roadside at Han-tan. If she is really so beautiful and graceful, how did you
ever take her for a boy? And on the first night she spent with you, she stole my place
under cover of darkness, yet after all this she boasts to you. Isnt it ridiculous?
Ching-hung laughed and said: Some people are very hard to understand. Before I
came to you she praised me as though I were the Moon-maiden; now she despises me.
She is doing it to make you love her more.
Chan-yeh and the others all laughed heartily, and Ying-yang said: If Ching-hung
is so delicate, and yet Shao-yu took her for a boy, he must have something wrong with
his eyes. Its no disgrace to Ching-hung. But Chan-yeh is right: it is very unladylike
to wear mans clothes and to deceive people, just as it would be unmanly for a man to
dress as a woman to deceive. People only behave like that to cover up their
weaknesses.
Now Shao-yu laughed and said: You are right; but if anybodys eyes were so weak
that although she could distinguish tunes played on a lute, she could not tell a man from
a woman, her ears would be all right, but her eyesight would be appallingly bad. If
one of the faculties is defective, we cannot call the person perfect. Although the
princess laughs me to scorn, everybody who sees my picture in the imperial portrait
gallery praises my dignity and imposing appearance.
They all hugely enjoyed these jokes against each other, but Chan-yeh said: Just
now we have to plan for our confrontation with a powerful enemy. It is no time for
joking. We two alone cannot manage it. Suppose that Chun-yn should help us? And
since Prince Yeh is not an outsider, Tsai-feng should have no objection to joining
us.

198
 Tsai-feng answered: If the two of you are to face the contest alone, I should like to
help, but what can I do when it comes to singing and dancing? I fear I should be no
help, and you would not succeed.
Chun-yn said: Even though my singing and dancing are laughable, I should like to
see what happens. But people will certainly point to me and say: She is the Duke of
Weis concubine; she is Princess Ying-yangs companion. And they will laugh. It
would bring contempt on his excellency and distress to the two princesses. There can
be no question of my taking part.
Princess Ying-yang said: Why ever should his excellency earn contempt because
you take part? And why should we be distressed?
Chun-yn answered: If we spread the silken cushions and set up the awning,
everybody will say: The Prime Ministers concubine is coming. They will rub
shoulders and tread on one anothers toes, trying to see me, fighting for a good view;
and when they see my frowzy hair and plain face they will be amazed and say: The
Prime Minister is suffering from Teng Tu-tzus disease of lechery. Of course he will
be disgraced. Prince Yeh has never seen an inferior performer, and if he sees me he
will certainly suffer from nausea and be sick; and wont that distress you?
Princess Lan-yang said: What astonishing modesty! There was a time when you
changed from a girl into a ghost, but now you want to change from an irresistible
charmer like Hsi into an ugly woman like Wu-yen. I cannot believe it.
And she asked Shao-yu: What day have you decided on?
He answered: We decided on tomorrow.
Ching-hung and Chan-yeh, in great distress, said: No orders have been given to
the two divisions of dancing girls yet. The time is very short.
Then they called the leading dancers together and instructed them: Tomorrow the
Duke of Wei and Prince Yeh have arranged a meeting at the Lo-yu-yan and you must

199
all be ready at dawn with your instruments and in new dresses to attend on the Duke.
The eighty girls, when they heard this command, soon set to work on their make-up,
drawing new eyebrows; and prepared for the morrow by practising with their
instruments.

The next day Shao-yu rose early, put on military dress with bow and arrows, and
mounted his snow-white thoroughbred. With three hundred huntsmen in attendance, he
made for the south side of the city. Ching-hung and Chan-yeh, dressed in garments
embroidered with a pattern of leaves and flowers, and bedecked with gold ornaments
and carved jade, were in charge of the dancers. They rode beautiful horses with
guilded saddles and coral whips. Lightly holding the beaded reins in their hands, they
followed closely behind Shao-yu, while the eighty dancers, all mounted on fine steeds,
rode in a bevy around them. On the way they met Prince Yeh, whose retinue of
huntsmen and dancers was as great as Shao-yus. The two young men rode bridle-to-
bridle. Prince Yeh asked Shao-yu: What breed of horse is that?
Shao-yu answered: It comes from Afghanistan. Doesnt yours also?
Prince Yeh replied: Yes, it does, and its name is Thousand-league Cloud. Last
year when we were hunting in the autumn with the emperor at Shang-lin, more than a
thousand horses from the imperial stables were there, all fast as the wind. But even
though my nephew Changs horse, Peach-blossom, and General Lis Black Brocade,
are said to be outstanding horses, they are hopeless when compared to this one of
mine.
Shao-yu said: Last year, when I was attacking the Tibetans, this horse went over
deep and dangerous waters and precipitous cliffs where a man could not possibly
have gone, taking them like level ground, and never slipped once. Any success I had
was really due to this animal. Tu Fu says: One in heart with man, he achieves great

200
merit, referring to such a horse. After I came back from the campaign and was raised
in rank, I became lazy and rode in a comfortable palanquin, slowly on level roads.
That way the health of both horse and man are undermined. Lets use the whips and
race our horses, and see if my horse and I can do as well as we did in the campaign.
Prince Yeh was very pleased and said: I should like nothing better.
They told the people with them to make the two bands of guests and dancers wait in
the tents, and were just about to raise their whips and start when suddenly a huge stag
that had been chased by the hunters dashed in front of Prince Yeh. He called to the
warriors in front of his horse to shoot it; but although several of them shot at the same
time, they all missed. The prince was disgusted. He spurred his horse and with one
arrow killed the stag by shooting it in the flank. All the soldiers raised a great hurrah,
and Shao-yu said: You are a better bowman than Prince Ju-yang.
The prince replied: That was nothing to make a song about. I am looking forward
to seeing you shoot.
As he spoke a pair of swans were seen flying between the clouds, and the soldiers
said: Those birds are the most difficult to hit. You need Hai-tung blue falcons.
Shao-yu said: Do not shoot yet. Then he took out an arrow and shot it upward,
piercing one of the birds through the eye, so that it fell down in front of his horse.
Prince Yeh applauded him, saying: Your archery is as skillful as that of Yang Yu-
chi.
The two young men raised their whips again, their horses dashed away like shooting
stars, moving like lightning or flashing demons. In a moment they had crossed the wide
plain and scudded up the hill. When they pulled on the reins, they came to a halt side
by side. Looking out over the landscape for a while, they talked of archery and
swordsmanship. Soon the grooms came sweating up behind them carrying the meat of
the deer and the swan on silver trays. The two young men dismounted and sat on the

201
grass. Drawing their swords, they cut some of the meat, and cooked and ate it, plying
one another with wine. Afar off they saw two officials in crimson robes, hurrying
toward them with a great many people following behind, all coming from the city. One
of the men came up to them and said: Their imperial majesties have sent wine out to
you.
Prince Yeh went back to the tent and ascended the dais and two butlers poured the
wine which the emperor and empress had sent. Two men were told to produce
decorated and ruled paper for writing poetry. Prince Yeh and Shao-yu washed their
hands, knelt down and unrolled the paper. The emperor had asked that the subject of
the poem should be: The Great Hunt in the Mountains. Both the young men bowed
their heads four times in reverence, then composed their poems and gave them to the
eunuch. This was Shao-yus poem:

At dawn the heroes gather and set off to the field,

Swords shine like autumn lotus, and arrows like the stars.
The ladies under the awnings are the loveliest in the land;
Before the horses heads the steel-blue falcons gleam.
We vie to praise the wine provided by the king
And, drunken, draw our swords to cut the new-killed meat.
I think of how last year beyond the western marches
We hunted in the snow at Ta-huang royal park.

Prince Yeh wrote:

Magnificent horses fly past like dragons and flashing lightning

With fine saddles and throbbing drums to their station on the hill.

202
 The bounding deer was struck and fell like a shooting star,
The white swan fell to earth like a feathery bright full moon.
The hunting spirit spurs the heart to feats of skill,
The royal wine makes all our faces glow with joy.
No need to talk of Ju-yangs fabled archery,
We shall bring home to court much splendid meat today.

The eunuch took the poems and returned to the city. The two groups of guests were
seated in order and the attendants served wine and food. Roast camel meat and tender
lips of orang-outan came out on silver chargers. Green jade platters were piled high
with lychee fruit from Tongking and tangerines from Ying-chia. One could only
compare it to the banquets given at the Lake of Gems by the Queen Mother of the West,
or the parties given by the Emperor Wu-ti of Han at the Terrace of Cypress Beams.
The dancers, several hundred strong, were ranged round on three sides under silken
awnings. The sound of their tinkling jade ornaments was like distant thunder, their
slender waists were supple as willow fronds, their faces as pretty as flowers, the
music of the instruments like the bubbling of the water of the River Ch, and the
massed singing made the whole mountain of Chung-nan-shan quiver.
As he was passing the wine, Prince Yeh said to Shao-yu: You have been so kind
to me. I should like to have some of my dancing-women perform for you. May I tell
them to?
Shao-yu thanked him: I ought not to dare look on the women of your household, but
since I am your younger brother-in-law there can be no harm in it. Some of my women
have also come hoping to enjoy the entertainment, and I should like to call on them to
take part with your girls.
Prince Yeh said: That will be splendid.

203
 Then Chan-yeh and Ching-hung and four of Prince Yehs dancers were told to
come forward. When they bowed before the tent, Shao-yu said: The Prince of Ning
had a beautiful dancing-girl called Fu-yung, the Lotus-flower; the poet Li Po begged
that he might hear her sing, but he never saw her face. Now I see these girls lovely
faces, so I am many times more favored than Li Po. Please tell me the names of these
four.
The four girls stood up and gave their names: Tu Yn-hsien, the Cloud Fairy of
Chin-ling; Su Tsai-o, the Painted Moth of Chen-liu; Wan Y-yen, the Jade Swallow of
Wu-chang; and Hu Ying-ying, the Lovely Blossom of Chang-an. Shao-yu remarked to
the Prince: When 1 traveled as a young scholar I often heard of Y-yen; now I see
that she is even more beautiful than she is reputed to be.
Prince Yeh also recognized the names of Chan-yeh and Ching- hung, and said:
These two girls are famous throughout the empire, but they are very lucky to have
joined your household. How did you come to meet them?
Shao-yu replied: Chan-yeh I met at Lo-yang when I was going up for the national
examinations, and she followed me of her own accord. Ching-hung was in the palace
of the Prince of Yen, and when I went there as an envoy she escaped and followed
me.
The prince clapped his hands and laughed: She is as brave as the famous Girl in
the Purple Dress who stole away from the house of Yang. All the same, when she
followed you everybody knew that you were a great man. But Shao-yu told him the
whole story: It is amusing to recall it all now. I was a country lad on a miniature
donkey, attended by a tiny boy servant. I had come a long way, and drunk more than
enough rough wine at the eating-house where I had lunch. As I crossed over the Tien-
chin Bridge in Lo-yang I noticed a dozen or so young gentlemen having a party with
singing-girls in a pavilion, drinking and versifying. In spite of my homespun clothes

204
and cap, I joined them. Chan-yeh was there. The servants were better dressed than I
was, but I was flushed with the wine and so excited that I brazenly dashed off some
doggerel. I cannot remember either its content or its style, but Chan-yeh chose it out
of the whole lot and sang it. They had agreed in advance that she should spend the
night with the boy whose verses she sang, so they could not argue about it. It was our
karma, anyway.
The prince laughed and said: You have come first twice over. How extraordinary!
Might I hear the poem that you wrote that day at Lo-yang?
Shao-yu answered: I cannot recall it now. After all, I was drunk when I wrote it.
The prince turned to Chan-yeh: His excellency may have forgotten it, but perhaps
you can still remember it?
She replied: Of course I remember it; when we get back, I will write it out for you.
Or should I sing it now?
The prince, very pleased, said: Do both; but let me hear it at once.
When she came forward and sang, everybody was amazed. The prince praised her
and the poem highly: Your verse and her limpid voice are both unsurpassed. The
lines:
The blossoms droop in shame at her beauty;
She has not sung, but her lips drop fragrance,
fit her exactly. They set even Li Po in second place. It would be presumptuous to
praise it.
He filled a golden cup with wine and presented it to Chan-yeh and Ching-hung.
Then he made his own four dancers dance and sing together. All the guests agreed that
it was a heavenly performance. The prince, thoroughly pleased with himself, now left
the tent with all the guests to watch the displays of swordsmanship by the soldiers.
During the displays, he said: The womens horsemanship and archery are also worth

205
seeing. Several of my girls are very skillful. You have some women from the north in
your household; why dont you have them shoot some pheasants or hares to entertain
us all?
Shao-yu was delighted with the idea and chose some of his girls to compete with
Prince Yehs girls for a wager. Then Ching-hung came forward and said: I am not
very good with a bow or a sword, but today I should like to try.
Shao-yu, smiling, took off his own bow and handed it to her. She took it and said to
the other girls: Now if I miss, you mustnt laugh at me.
She sprang on to the back of one of the best horses and galloped away from the
tents. Just at that moment a pheasant flew up out of the grass. Ching-hung leaned
backward in the saddle, drew the bow and sent the arrow singing through the air. The
many-colored bird fell under the horses nose. Shao-yu and the prince applauded
loudly. Ching-hung rode back to the tent and alighted in front of it. As she walked
slowly back to her place the other girls congratulated her: We have trained for ten
years, but we cannot beat that.
Furred and feathered game was now piled in great heaps. The girls had also killed
many pheasants and hares, which they offered to the prince and Shao-yu, who
rewarded them generously with gold pieces before sitting down to relax with lute
music played by a bevy of singing-girls.
Chan-yeh thought: Although we have not been beaten by Prince Yehs women,
there are four of them and only two of us. It is hard work; we ought to have brought
Chun-yn with us. Singing and dancing are not her strong suit, but her beauty and
clever talk would certainly outshine that of Tu Yn-hsien. She heaved a sigh, when
suddenly she saw in the distance two pretty girls coming into the field.
They were riding in a lacquered carriage and when they arrived at the entrance to
the tent, the guard asked whether they came from Prince Yehs palace. The groom

206
answered: These two ladies are concubines of the Duke of Wei. They have been
unavoidably delayed and could not get here with the others.
The guard reported this to Shao-yu, who said: It must be Chun-yn; she wanted to
see what was going on. She should not be so impulsive.
But when he had her, as he thought, brought in, two girls appeared. The first was
Shen Niao-yen, and the other was Po Ling-po, whom he had seen in his dream in the
camp, the daughter of the Dragon King of Tung-ting. They kowtowed before him and
he indicated the prince, saying: This is his royal highness Prince Yeh, you must pay
your respects to him too. When they had done so, he gave them places to sit beside
Ching-hung and Chan-yeh. Then he said to the prince: They are two girls I found
during the Tibetan campaign. I have been so busy lately that I never got round to
fetching them, and they have come of their own accord. They wanted to share the
enjoyment of our outing.
The prince had another look at them and saw that they were as beautiful as Ching-
hung and Chan-yeh, perhaps even more so. He was disturbed by this because by
comparison all his own girls seemed colorless. He asked: What are their names and
where do they come from?
They said they were Shen Niao-yen of Hsi-liang, and Po Ling-po who had
originally lived at the Hsiao-hsiang rivers, but had been forced to flee to the west and
take refuge with Shao-yu. The prince said: You do not look like ordinary mortals. I
have an idea you will be good at music.
Niao-yen answered: I come from the remote provinces and had no chance to hear
music when I was young, so I cannot possibly entertain you in that way; in my
childhood I learned the sword-dance, but that is an entertainment for the camp and
would not be appropriate on this occasion.
The prince was very excited and said to Shao-yu: In the reign of Hsan Tsung the

207
famous dancer Kung-sun Ta-niang was renowned for her sword-dance, but the art has
been lost. Since I read Tu Fus description of her I have always regretted that I never
saw it. Now this girl says she knows it; this is marvellous!
Then he and Shao-yu each drew their swords and gave them to Niao-yen, who
fastened up her sleeves, took off her sash and leapt into the dance. The swords flashed
around her till their silver glinting blended with the swirling red of her dress like late
snow-flakes flurrying among the peachblossom. The music grew faster, the blades
flashed more fiercely, the tent was filled with a frosty light, and her body could not be
distinguished in the dazzling fury of the dance. Suddenly a green rainbow stretched
across the sky, and a chill breeze passed between the cups and dishes. Everybodys
marrow froze and their hair stood on end. Niao-yen had intended to go through all the
movements she had learned, but fearing that Prince Yeh would be alarmed, she
stopped dancing, threw down the swords, bowed and withdrew. It took the prince
some time to get his breath back. At length he said to her: I dont know how anybody
can do it. I have heard that there is a wonderful sword-dancer among the immortals;
are you the one?
She replied: In the west, military dances are very popular, so I learned this when I
was a child. There is nothing mysterious about it.
The prince said: When I go back to the palace, I shall choose some of my best
dancing-women and send them to you to learn it.
Niao-yen bowed and promised. The prince then asked Ling-po what her special
accomplishment was. She replied: My home was above the Hsiao-hsiang rivers at
Huang-ling-miao, where O-Huang and N-ying, the wives of the great Emperor Shun,
used to play. The nights were quiet, the winds were clear and the moon was bright.
The sound of mandolines rippled through the clouds and there in my childhood I tried
to imitate them. I did it alone to please myself; I fear that I am not skillful enough to

208
play for you here.
The prince said: Although there is a tradition that O-huang and N-ying played the
mandoline, I have never heard that their tunes were passed on. If you know them, they
will be incomparably lovelier than our ordinary music.
Ling-po drew a small mandoline from her sleeve and played a tune. It was tender
and moving, like rock waterfalls in the mountains, and wild geese crying in the distant
sky. The guests were moved to tears and the trees and grasses trembled as though an
autumn breeze had suddenly arisen. A few leaves fluttered down. The prince,
mystified, said: I never believed that man could change the course of the seasons.
How can you bring autumn in spring, and make the leaves fall? Could any normal
person learn to play like this?
Ling-po replied: I am only passing on the dregs of ancient melodies. There is
nothing mysterious about my playing that anyone else could not learn.
Y-yen then said to the prince: I know I have no great skill, but I should like to
play for you the tune of The White Lotus, and picking up a Chin-style mandoline and
coming before the prince, she began to play the twenty-five strings. Her music was
delicate and sweet. Shao-yu and his two musicians Chan-yeh and Ching-hung
praised it highly, which pleased Prince Yeh very much.
The picnic could have gone on much longer, but day was already drawing to a
close, so they stopped feasting. Presents of gold and silver, silk and satin, were given
to the girls, and Shao-yu and the prince returned home in the moonlight. As they
entered the city gates, the sound of bells was heard. The musicians of each household
jostled each other in the streets, trying to get ahead. The air was full of the sound of
tinkling gems and redolent with perfumes. Fallen hair-ornaments and gems were
crushed under the horses hoofs, and the noise could be heard from far away. All the
people of the capital turned out to see the show, and aged men with tears in their eyes

209
were heard to say: When I was young and saw the Emperor Hsan Tsung making an
imperial progress to the Hua-ching palace, it was like this. And now I have lived to
see such things again.
Meanwhile the two princesses, with Tsai-feng and Chun-yn, were waiting at
home with Shao-yus mother for their masters return. When he came in he brought
Niao-yen and Ling-po to pay their respects. Princess Ying-yang said: You have often
said that it was due to these two girls that you won back two thousand leagues of land.
I was always sorry I had not met them; why have they come so late?
The two girls replied: We are low-born people from distant provinces. Although
his excellency has thought well of us, we were worried that your royal highnesses
would not want us, and so we dared not come. But everybody says that you are very
kind and gracious to everyone without respect to rank, so we have come in boldly to
greet you. When we arrived we found that his excellency was having a hunting-party at
the Lo-yu-yan, so we joined him there. Now we are very happy that you are so kind
to us.
The princess said to Shao-yu, laughing: The palace is full of flowers today. No
doubt you will want to take the credit, but it is really due to us, you see. Do you know
what I mean?
He laughed: Its the first time they have been to the palace, and they are scared of
princesses, so they have flattered you. Are we to put this to your credit?
Everybody laughed loudly. Then Tsai-feng and Chun-yn asked Chan-yeh: Who
won at the contest today?
Ching-hung told them: Chan-yeh laughed at my boasting, but with one word I
completely overcame the prince. Chu-ko Liang sailed to Chiang-tung in a little boat,
and with the briefest of admonitions silenced Chou Kung-chin and Lu Tzu-ching.
Prince Ping-yan went to the kingdom of Chu as a peace envoy, and although he had

210
nineteen people in his suite the one who brought peace for the kingdom of Chao was
Mao Sui alone. Because I am big-hearted, I sometimes say big things, but my boast
was solid. You ask Chan-yeh, and you will find that I am telling the truth.
Chan-yeh said: Her horsemanship and archery are wonderful when she is at a
hunting picnic, but if arrows and stones were raining about her on the battlefield I
dont think she could move a pace or shoot a single arrow. What overcame the prince
was the arrival of the two beautiful new girlsit was nothing to do with Ching-hung. I
want to remind her of something: in the Spring and Autumn Period, the Minister of
State Chia was very untidy and inefficient, and his wife did not smile once in three
years of marriage. One day they went out into the fields together and he shot a
pheasant. His wife laughed for the first time. Ching-hungs bagging a pheasant was that
sort of fluke.
Ching-hung retorted: Chia may have been inefficient, but by his skill with the bow
and his horsemanship he made his wife laugh. If he had been a beautiful and witty girl
and shot a pheasant, wouldnt he have been even more highly loved and praised?
Chan-yeh laughed and said: You get more boastful all the time. You are vain
because his excellency loves you so much.
Shao-yu laughed too: I knew long ago that Chan-yeh was clever, but I didnt
know she was well-read in classical history as well. Now I see she is an avid reader
of the Spring and Autumn Annals.
Chan-yehs reaction was: I only used to read the histories in my spare time. I
wouldnt say I was learned.

SHAO-YU RECEIVES THE WINE PUNISHMENT

The next morning Shao-yu went to the palace for an audience with the emperor.

211
Immediately afterward the empress-dowager sent for Shao-yu and Prince Yeh. The
two princesses were already with her. She said to the prince: I hear you had a contest
of pretty girls the other day; who won?
The prince replied: The Prime Minister has so many blessings that no one could
hope to beat him, but ask him whether the two princesses appreciate all these
blessings.
Shao-yu interrupted: His highnesss saying that he could not beat me is as
ridiculous as Li Po turning pale when he saw the inferior poems of Tsui Hao.
Whether the princesses appreciate my blessings or not, I cannot say. You must ask
them.
The empress laughed and looked at the princesses, who replied: A man and his
wives are one flesh in happiness or sorrow. You cannot distinguish between them.
What is a blessing for him is a blessing for us. If he is beaten, we are beaten. What
makes him happy makes us happy.
The prince said: They do not mean what they are saying; there has never been such
a profligate imperial son-in-law as he is. The old moral laws are weakening. You
should have him investigated by the Department of Justice and punish him for his
contempt for the Court and the laws of the Empire.
The empress thought this a great joke, and said: Of course he is a criminal, but if he
is committed for trial, that will cause endless worry to my daughters, and to me in my
old age. Lets bend the law a little, and deal with him privately.
The prince insisted: That is all very well, but it would never do to let him off
lightly. Let him be examined in your presence, and when we have seen the result you
can deal with him accordingly.
The empress rocked with laughter while the prince dashed off a writ of accusation
in her name:

212
 Since the earliest times no imperial son-in-law has dared to take
concubines, not because he did not wish for them, nor because he could not
support them, but solely for the sake of the imperial prestige and reverence for
the State. What is more, the two Princesses Ying-yang and Lan-yang are my
own daughters, as distinguished as Jen and Szu of old. But you, Yang Shao-yu,
have not borne this in mind. You have wantonly collected pretty girls, and with
insatiable hunger you have indulged your eyes with the beautiful women of Yen
and Chao and your ears with the sensuous music of Cheng and Wei. Girls
swarm over my daughters' pavilions and terraces like ants, and buzz in their
rooms like bees. Though the good breeding and generosity of the princesses
allow them to show no jealousy, how can you presume to behave in this way?
Your sin of pride and excess must be punished. Let us have no dissimulation,
but a straightforward confession before we give sentence.

Shao-yu stepped down from the dais and removed his headdress, like a man on
trial. Prince Yeh stepped outside the railing round the throne and read out the
accusation he had written. Shao-yu listened to it and then made his confession: I have
presumptuously accepted favors from their majesties and risen to the position of Prime
Minister, crowned with all manner of glory, and married the two princesses with all
their incomparable charms. Although I had gained all that a man could wish for, in my
brashness I had no fear of extravagance and collected many singing-girls. This was all
beyond what should have been done by one so loaded with honors and grace.
Nevertheless, as I understand the laws of the State, the imperial son-in-law may be
permitted to take concubines, provided they are taken before his marriage with the
princesses. Although I have concubines, I married Tsai-feng by order of the emperor,

213
concerning which there can be no question. My concubine Chun-yn waited on me
when I lived in the Cheng household. The four concubines Chan-yeh, Ching-hung,
Niao-yen and Ling-po were all taken either when I was a poor scholar or journeying
as an imperial envoy or campaigning in the field. All these were before my marriage
to the princesses, and their presence in the palace is by command of the princesses
themselves, and not by any decision of mine. Here there is no offence against the laws
of the state or the duties of a subject. I trust that you will deliver judgment in this
sense, and humbly await sentence.
The empress chuckled on hearing this, and said: I dont see anything wrong with
having a lot of concubines. Thats easy to forgive. What Im worried about is his
heavy drinking.
Prince Yeh, however, insisted: Shao-yu is trying to blame the princesses for his
having so many concubines in the palace, but he cannot avoid his own responsibility in
the matter. Please investigate it further.
Shao-yu hung his head in embarrassment and begged to be let off. The empress
laughed again and said: He is a very high minister of state; I cannot go on treating him
like a boy. And she made him put on his headdress and come up on the dais again.
Prince Yeh spoke again: Hes a very important person, and difficult to punish, but
the laws are very strict and you cannot let him go scot-free. I think he should be given
the wine punishment.
The empress grinned and consented. The maids brought in a white jade cup and the
prince said: His excellency has the capacity of a whale and his offence is very
serious. What use is a little cup like this?
Then they fetched a huge gold amphora and filled it with strong wine. Although he
had a good head for liquor, this could not fail to make Shao-yu drunk. When he had
drained it, he nodded and said: The herd-boy loved the weaving-girl too much, and

214
was scolded by his father-in-law. Now because I love so much, I am punished by my
mother-in-law. It is very hard to be son-in-law to the empress. I am very drunk. Please
let me go.
He tried to stand up, but fell over. The empress laughed heartily and told the palace
women to help him to the gate. Then she said to the princesses: He is very drunk and
will have an almighty headache; you must go and look after him.
They protested that he had plenty of people to undress him, but they did as they
were told.

Shao-yus mother had lit the candles and was waiting for him to come back. When
she saw him so drunk, she said: Ive seen you drink before, but Ive never seen you
drunk. Whatever has happened to you?
He only said: I am very sorry.
Then with an intoxicated gaze he stared angrily at the princesses. After a time he
said: Their brother, Prince Yeh, has made impertinent accusations against me to the
empress. He fabricated them all. I defended myself well, and might have got off, but he
insisted on my guilt and the empress punished me with strong wine. If I had not been
used to drinking, I might have died. It is all because of his chagrin at having been
defeated yesterday at the picnic. But Lan-yang too is jealous of my having so many
concubines, and she was in league with him to hurt me. I cannot believe in the
sincerity of all the nice things she has said to me. Mother, punish her with wine too,
and wipe out my disgrace.
His mother said: Im not at all sure that she is guilty, and she has never tasted wine
in all her life. But if you insist I should punish her by making her drink, it shall be with
a cup of tea.
Shao-yu said: I want her to be punished with wine.

215
 His mother smiled and said to Lan-yang: He is drunk, and if you dont drink a little
wine we shall never calm him down.
So she called a maid to give wine to Lan-yang. As the princess was putting it to her
lips, Shao-yu suddenly felt suspicious and tried to take the cup away from her, but
Lan-yang spilled the contents on the floor. Shao-yu wiped his finger in the lees
remaining in the cup, and licked it. It was honeyed water. He said: If the empress had
punished me with honeyed water, you could have punished her with it, but what I
drank was wine, and Lan-yang cannot get away without drinking wine too.
He told a maid to bring a wine-cup and filled it himself. Lan-yang had no
alternative, and drank it all. Then he said again to his mother: Lan-yang urged the
empress to punish me, but Ying-yang was in it too. She sat there and saw all my
humiliation but only winked at Lan-yang and laughed. She is not to be trusted. Please
punish her too.
His mother, laughing, had a cup of wine given to Ying-yang, who moved to another
place and drank it all. The old lady said to Shao-yu: The empress punished you
because you had so many concubines, and the two princesses have been punished with
you; what about the concubines?
He said: The princes idea in holding the picnic was simply to have a look at our
pretty girls, but for all his great numbers, he was defeated by four of my concubines. It
was because of this that he had me punished today; so those four are responsible and
must also be punished.
His mother said: Do you punish the victors? That is proper drunken talk.
All the same, she called the four girls and gave them a cup of wine apiece. When
they had all drunk it, Ching-hung and Chan-yeh knelt in front of her and said: The
empress punished him because he had so many wives, not because he won in the
contest. Although Niao-yen and Ling-po have not yet shared his bed, they have shared

216
his punishment. Isnt this unfair? But Chun-yn has been with him for a long time and
he has loved her excessively. Just because she wasnt at the picnic, she alone has
escaped the punishment. We feel this is unjust.
The old lady said: You are absolutely right, and punished Chun-yn with a big
cup. Chun-yn stifled her giggles as she swallowed the wine.
Now they had all drunk the wine and were very befuddled, especially Lan-yang,
who was quite drunk. Tsai-feng alone was sitting quietly in a corner, saying nothing,
not even smiling. Shao-yu said: Tsai-feng is the only one whos not drunk. Shes
laughing at us. She must be punished. So he filled a cup and gave it to her. She drank
it with a smile.
The mother asked Princess Lan-yang: You are not used to drinking? How do you
feel?
Lan-yang replied: I feel terrible.
The mother told Tsai-feng to help her to her bedroom, while Chun-yun filled
another cup of wine, which the old lady took, saying: The two princesses are of royal
blood; I am always afraid of losing my luck. Shao-yus intoxication has ended in their
being very upset. If the empress hears of it she will be very distressed. I have made a
bad job of bringing up my own son, which is why we have had this disgraceful scene
today. I cannot avoid responsibility for it, so I shall punish myself with this cup.
Much to Shao-yus alarm, she drained the cup. He knelt down in front of her and
said: Mother, you are punishing yourself for my wild behavior. I deserve more
punishment from you than the beating you gave me as a child.
He made Ching-hung fill another big cup, and still kneeling he said: I have not
lived up to my mothers teaching, but have caused her unnecessary worry, so I must
lake further punishment.
He drank it all and was so overcome that he could not sit up. He waved his hand in

217
the direction of his room, and his mother told Chun-yn to help him away, but Chun-
yn said: i cant do it. Chan-yeh and Ching-hung would be jealous.
So the old lady told those two girls to help him instead. But Chan-yeh said:
Ch'un-yn refuses because of what I said, so I wont do it either.
Ching-hung laughed and helped him up; and so they all went off to bed.

SHAO-YU RETIRES FROM OFFICE

Shao-yu already knew that Niao-yen and Ling-po were very fond of beautiful
scenery. In his park there was a lotus lake with beautiful clear water, and in the middle
of it a pavilion called the Ying-o-lu, the Pavilion of Shining Beauty. There he made a
home for Ling-po. To the south of the lake there was an artificial mound with
curiously-piled rocks on it. Ancient pines and slender bamboos gave abundant shade.
In the midst of them was a pavilion call the Ping-hseh-hsan, the Hall of Ice and
Snow (meaning, of the Pure Heart) where he made a house for Niao-yen. When all
the women came to the park for recreation, these two acted as hostesses.
The others asked Ling-po if she would show them how she metamorphosed herself.
She replied: That is part of my former existence. I have used the elemental forces and
the powers of nature to put off my former body and changed myself into human shape.
My old scales and skin were lumpy and ugly. I am like the sparrow that changed into
an oyster; how could it fly when it no longer had wings?
The ladies all accepted her refusal and said: Thats the way things are.
Niao-yen sometimes performed sword-dances to please Shao-yu and his wives and
mother, but she did not like to do it very often. She said: Although I met Shao-yu
because of my swordmanship, the sword is an instrument of death and we should not
play with it too often.

218
 From then on the two princesses and the six concubines lived happily together, like
fish playing in a stream, or birds flying among the clouds. They spent the time together
and trusted each other like real sisters, and Shao-yu loved every one of them equally.
The house was full of peace and happiness because of their wifely virtues, but even
more because of the karma that had brought the nine of them together in a former
existence.
One day the two princesses were talking to each other: We two wives and the six
concubines love one another more than people of one blood. This cannot be anything
but an ordinance of Heaven. Social rank is meaningless among us, and we are like true
sisters.
When they talked to the six concubines like this, they all protested. Chun-yn,
Ching-hung, and Chan-yeh were particularly emphatic. Princess Ying-yang said to
them: Liu Pei, Kuan Y and Chang Fei were all subjects, and they swore an oath of
brotherhood in the peach-orchard, an oath which they never broke. Chun-yn was my
close friend in my old home, so why should she not now be treated as my sister?
Sakyamunis wife and the courtesan Matangi were different in rank and virtue, but they
both became disciples of the Buddha and shared the same destiny. What is the
connection between high or low birth and final achievement?
In the end the two princesses went to a shrine in the palace where there was a
picture of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, where they burned incense and prostrated
themselves and offered a solemn oath which they had written out. It read as follows:

On such and such a year, such and such a month, such and such a day, the
disciples Cheng Chiung-pei, Li Hsiao-ho, Ch'in Tsai-feng, Chia Chun-yn,
Kuei Chan-yeh, Ti Ching-hung, Shen Niao-yen and Po Ling-po, having
bathed and cleansed their hearts, now bow before the merciful Bodhisattva.

219
 It is written that within the four seas all men are brothers. This is because
they all share the same desires and thoughts, and if there are some who treat
others as strangers, though heaven appointed them as brothers, this is only
because their desires and will do not accord together. We, although we were all
born in different places, and have been scattered throughout the world, are
now married to one husband, live in one place, share our desires and enjoy
mutual affection. It is as though the flowers of one branch, being scattered by
wind and rain, should fall, some in a rich garden, some on a roadside bank and
some into a mountain stream; yet all sprang from one root. So much the more,
men who are brothers, born of one blood, though they are separated, must in
the end come together again. The past is far behind us, yet we are united at one
time; the world is vast and great, yet we are living together in one house. This
is surely our karma from a former existence. We are the happiest of people.
Therefore we hereby swear together that we will live as sisters through good or
ill, through life or death, and if any of us should do otherwise or break this
vow, may heaven destroy her and spiritual light depart from her. May the
blessed one give us blessings, deliver us from disaster and help us so to live in
this life that we may at last enter the abode of eternal joy.

After this, the two princesses called the concubines sister. The concubines never
relaxed their manners, and never presumed to refer to the princesses in the same way,
but their affection for them grew much deeper. They all bore children: Tsai-feng and
Ling-po each had a daughter, and each of the others bore a son. None of the babies
dieda most unusual thing.

It was a time of peace and prosperity for the empire. There were no disturbances,

220
the people were contented, and harvests were plentiful. Shao-yu accompanied the
emperor in his hunting expeditions in the Shang-lin park, and on his return his mother
would have a banquet ready for him in the palace, where with music and dancing he
spent his days in happiness. But joy and sorrow alternate in life, and his mother fell ill
and died at the age of ninety-nine. Shao-yu grieved bitterly at the time of the funeral,
but the emperor and empress sent eunuchs to bring their condolences, and she was
buried with the honors due to a queen. Princess Ying-yangs parents also died at a
great age, and he mourned for them no less than their own daughter did.
Shao-yus six sons and two daughters were all as good-looking as their parents, the
boys like dragons and tigers and the girls like moon-maidens. The eldest boy, Ta-
ching, was Princess Ying-yangs son and became Minister of the Board of Civil
Affairs; next was Tzu-ching, Ching-hungs son, who became mayor of the capital; the
third was Shu-ching, Chun-yns son, who became Deputy Chief Imperial Censor;
the fourth was Chi-ching, son of Princess Lan-yang, who became Vice-Minister of the
Board of War; the fifth boy was Wu- ching, Chan-yehs son, who became Vice-
Chancellor of the Imperial Academy; the youngest was Chih-ching, son of Niao-yen.
By the time he was fifteen, he was stronger than a full-grown man and wiser than any
spirit. The emperor loved him greatly and made him Marshal of the Imperial
Household Guard, in command of the hundred thousand men who protected the
Imperial Palace. The eldest girl was Fu-tan, Tsai-fengs daughter, who later married
Prince Yehs son, Prince Lang-yeh; the younger girl was Ling-pos daughter, Ying-lo,
who became one of the concubines of the Prince Imperial.
One day Shao-yu thought to himself: Ripe fruit quickly rots, and a full jar soon
overflows. So he addressed a memorial to the emperor requesting that he might retire
from office.

221
 I, Yang Shao-yu, bow before the imperial throne, and respectfully submit: A
man wishes for rank and honor, and when he has attained the highest rank he
has nothing left to wish for. Parents pray for riches and honor for their
children, and when they are attained, desire nothing further. Fame and glory
are what all men seek, but how much pain comes in the striving for them! I am
a man of small abilities, yet I have risen to the highest rank; and though I have
few merits and gave no promise, I have long occupied important office. I have
received the utmost honor, and my mother has enjoyed its glory. My earliest
ambitions were not the ten thousandth part of what I have received. I was
chosen as the imperial son-in-law, and gifts and graces were bestowed upon
me beyond what were given to any other subject of your Majesty. I, who as a
child lived on weeds and offal, have been filled with court dainties; though I
was a peasant boy, I have lived in the palace. I fear this will prove a blot on
the imperial record, and has disturbed the due order of precedence in the state.
I wished to flee from honor, live in obscurity, and acknowledge to the spirits of
heaven and earth the presumption of over-reaching myself. However, your
Majestys grace was so abundant that I could not resist it: I failed in my
humble purpose, and since I have a sturdy frame, I have tried to repay some
small part of the imperial favor. Now I purpose to spend the remaining years of
my life in tending my ancestors tombs; I am unable to return the favor I have
received because I am growing old, and my hair is greying before I have been
able to fulfil my duties. Although, like a faithful horse or dog, I want to repay
you with fidelity as great as the mountains, I have no strength left with which
to do it.

Now the whole empire, blessed by Heaven, is at peace even in the remotest

222
 regions; there is no need for military force; the people are contented, and the
sound of drums does not disturb the countryside. Heaven blesses us as it did in
the happy days of the three great empires, Hsia, Yin and Chou. If you keep me
in office I shall do nothing but earn an unnecessary salary while I listen to
festive songs, since there is no need for plans or reforms.
King and subject are like father and son, and parents love even an undutiful
child, delighting in its presence and worrying while it is away from home. I
respectfully beg your majesty to remember that I am now an old man, and
although you may not wish me to retire, to treat me as a loving parent treats his
child. I have already received your favor in abundance; how can I bear to say
farewell and hide myself in the mountains, parted from a monarch who is as
beneficent a ruler as Yao or Shun? As no more can be poured into a vessel
when it is full, and a broken yoke cannot be used any further, I beg the
Imperial Majesty to consider that I can no longer bear the burden of state,
have regard for the fact that I do not wish to live in an exalted place, and let
me retire to my native province and finish my years there, praising the imperial
graciousness.

When the emperor saw this memorial, he wrote the reply in his own hand:

Your great work is renowned in the court and government, and all the people
have benefited from it. In fact you have been the corner-stone of the state and
my right-hand man. In former days the Dukes Chiang and Chao, although they
were nearly a hundred years old, continued to serve the Kingdom of Chou and
took part in the administration. You have not yet reached the age of seventy,
which the Book of Rites lays down as the proper age for retirement from office,

223
 and although you excuse yourself and beg to be allowed to retire in advance, I
cannot permit it. On the contrary, your strength seems to be renewed and in no
way diminished from what it was on the day when you first took up your post in
the Imperial Academy. You seem even stronger than when you crossed the Wei
Bridge to fight against the rebels. Though you say you are old, I cannot agree
with you. I hope you will change your attitude, even though it is as
praiseworthy as that of Chao-fu, who refused to rule when requested by the
Emperor Yao, and that you will continue to assist my administration.

Although Shao-yu was very old, he did not appear to have aged, and people
compared him to the immortals. That is why the emperor replied in this fashion. But
Shao-yu memorialized the throne again, this time so earnestly that the emperor
summoned him and said: I do not in the least want to grant your request. If you retire
to your feoff of Wei, I shall have no one with whom to discuss affairs of state. Also,
since the empress died, I cannot bear to be parted from my sisters, Ying-yang and Lan-
yang. Nevertheless, since you have been so insistent, there is a detached palace ten
miles south of the city called the Tsui- wei-kung, the Mountain Mist Palace, where the
Emperor Hsan Tsung used to spend the hot season; it is a quiet and secluded place
with spacious grounds where you could enjoy your years of retirement, and I will give
it to you.
The emperor shortly issued an edict appointing Shao-yu to the post of Grand
Preceptor, adding five thousand households to his feoff. He remained Duke of Wei, but
had to relinquish his seal of office as Prime Minister.
Shao-yu was deeply moved by this sign of imperial favor and presented his thanks
before the throne. He then moved with all his household to the Tsui-wei-kung, which
was in the Chung-nan mountains to the south of the city. The beauty of the pavilions

224
and the landscapes made him think of the beauty of the Peng-lai hills, where the
immortals live. Shao-yu enshrined the imperial edicts and rescripts in the main hall,
and appointed the other pavilions as residences for the two princesses and the six
concubines. Every day he dallied in the moonlight by the waterside, or explored the
valleys, searching for plum-blossom. When they discovered an attractive cliff they
composed verses; when they sat in the shade of the pines, they played the lute.
Everyone envied their peace and happiness. Shao-yu, jealous of his quiet life, stopped
receiving guests.

225
 VII. Back to the Buddha

SHAO-YU BECOMES HSING-CHEN

So several years passed by.

The sixteenth day of the eighth moon was Shao-yus birthday, and all his family
prepared a banquet in his honor. It lasted for more than ten days. The bustle and
business beggared description, but when it was over everybody returned to their own
homes and peace reigned once more.
Soon the ninth moon came, and the first buds of the chrysanthemums began to open,
and the dogwood berries appeared. Autumn was in full splendor. To the west of the
Tsui-wei-kung there was a high peak from the pavilion on top of which a two-
hundred-mile stretch of the Chin River could be seen like the palm of ones hand.
Shao-yu particularly liked this view, and on this occasion had gone up there with the
two princesses and the six concubines. Each one had stuck a spray of chrysanthemums
in her hair, and they drank wine together as they enjoyed the autumn landscape.
Gradually the setting sun made the shadows run down the mountain until they reached
the wide plain. The brilliant colors of autumn were like a scroll painting unrolled.
Shao-yu took out his jade flute and played a tune. It was very plaintive, as though
composed of sighs and yearnings, of tears and reproaches. The women were all
oppressed by sadness, and did not like it. The two princesses said: You have attained
every honor, you have enjoyed riches for a long time, and everybody acknowledges it.
Such a thing has hardly been seen before. Now in this lovely autumn weather, with a
beautiful landscape before you, and chrysanthemum petals floating in the cup, you are
surrounded by beautiful womenwhat man could be happier? Yet the tune of your
flute is so melancholy that it makes us all weep. You never played like this before;
226
what is the matter?
Shao-yu put the flute down, moved over to where they were and sat down by the
balustrade of the pavilion. He pointed through the moonlight and said: Look over
there to the north. In the midst of the flat plain stands a single rugged peak. You can
just see in the fading evening light where the ruined A-fang-kung, the vast palace of the
great Chin Shih-huang, stands among the weeds. Now look over to the west. A
mournful wind stirs the woods where the mountain mist hides Mou-ling, the tomb of
the Emperor Wu-ti of Han. Over to the east, a white-washed wall shines on the green
hills, where a red-tiled roof stands out against the sky and the bright moon comes and
goes between the clouds. Nobody leans now on the jade balustrade, because that is the
Hua-ching-kung where the Emperor Hsan Tsung dallied with his ill-fated concubine,
the famous Yang Kuei-fei. How sad: these three kings were all men of great renown in
their time, but where are they now?
I was a poor boy scholar from the land of Chu but I received the imperial favor
and rose to the highest rank in the empire. I have married you all, and we have lived
together in peace and harmony until our old age, when our affection continues to
increase. How could this have been were it not a matter of karma fixed from our
previous existence? After we have died these lofty terraces will crumble and the
lotus-pools will silt up. The palace where we sang and danced today will be
overgrown with weeds and wrapped in cold mists. Boys cutting wood and cowherds
will sing sad songs, saying: This is where the Grand Preceptor Yang sported with his
wives and concubines. All his honors and pleasures, all his wealth, and elegance, all
the pretty faces of his women have gone, have gone forever. Those woodcutters, and
cowherds will look on the place where we have played just as I look on the palaces
and tombs of the three emperors. Just think of it mans life is no more than a moment
of time.

227
 There are three ways on earth: the way of Confucius, the way of the Buddha, and
the way of the Taoists. Buddhism is the best of the three. Confucianism explains the
working of nature, exalts achievement, and is concerned with passing on names to
posterity. Taoism is close to meaninglessness, and even though it has many devotees,
there is no proof of its truth. Think of Chin Shih-huang and Han Wu-ti and the
Emperor Hsan Tsung. What happened to them is enough to make us understand. Since
I gave up office, every night I have dreamed that I was bowing before the Buddha.
This is clearly a matter of karma. I must do like Chang Liang, who followed the
immortal Master of the Red Pine to the abode of the blessed. I must go to seek the
Merciful Boddhisattva beyond the Southern Sea. I must ascend Wu-tai-shan and meet
Manjusri. I must put off the trammels of worldly life and obtain the way that has no
birth nor death. But because this means I must now say farewell to all of you, with
whom I have spent such long and happy years, I feel sad. My sadness showed in my
flute-playing.
The women were all deeply moved, and said: If you feel like this in the midst of
your prosperity, it must be due to heavenly inspiration. We shall retire to our inner
quarters and pray before the Buddha night and morning while waiting for your return.
We shall pray that you will meet a great teacher and generous friends, so that you can
attain to the way, and return to teach it to us.
Shao-yu, greatly delighted, said: Since we are all agreed, there is nothing to worry
about. I must leave tomorrow, so let us get tipsy tonight.
They all said: We shall each offer you a farewell cup.
The cups were brought, and they were about to fill them when suddenly the sound of
a staff striking the stone pavement was heard. Greatly surprised, they wondered
whoever had come up there, when all at once an old monk with long white eyebrows
and eyes as clear as the waves of the sea, a man of strange bearing, stepped on to the

228
terrace and greeted Shao-yu: An old monk craves audience.
Shao-yu realized that this was no ordinary person, so he rose quickly and replied:
Where have you come from?
The old man smiled as he answered: Dont you remember an old friend? I have
heard that people in high rank have short memories; it seems to be true.
Shao-yu looked more closely and thought he knew who it was, but was not quite
sure. Suddenly it came to him; glancing at Lin-po, he said to the old monk again: After
I had defeated the Tibetans, I had a dream in which I went to the banquet of the Dragon
King of Tung-ting, and on the way back I climbed Heng-shan, where I saw an old
monk lecturing on the scriptures to his disciples. Are you not that teacher whom I saw
in my dream?
The old monk clapped his hands and said with a great laugh: Right! Right! But you
only remember seeing me in your dream; you do not remember the ten years when we
lived together. And they say you have such a good memory! What a scholar!
Shao-yu was perplexed: Before I was fourteen or fifteen years old, I never left my
parents house. At sixteen I passed the government examinations, and ever since then I
have held office in the state continuously. I went east as an envoy to Yen, and west to
subdue the Tibetans; otherwise I have scarcely left the capital. When could I have
spent ten years with you?
The old monk said, still laughing: So you still have not woken from your dream.
Shao-yu asked: Do you know how to awaken me?
The old monk said: That is not difficult, and raising his metal staff he struck the
stone balustrade two or three times. A white mist arose, and enfolded the whole
terrace, obscuring everything from view.
After a time Shao-yu, bewildered as though he were in a drunken dream, called out:
Why dont you show me the true way, instead of playing tricks?

229
 He was not able to finish his question. The mist disappeared. The old monk had
gone. Shao-yu looked round, but the eight women had vanished. The whole terrace and
its pavilions had gone too. He was sitting in a little cell on a prayer mat. The fire in
the incense burner had died out. The setting moon was shining through the window. He
looked down at himself and saw a rosary of a hundred and eight beads around his
wrist. He felt his head; it was freshly shaven. He was no longer Yang the Grand
Preceptor, he was once more a young monk. His mind was confused, until at last he
realized that he was Hsing-chen, the novice at the Lotus Peak monastery. He
remembered: I was reprimanded by my teacher and was sent to hell. Then I
transmigrated and became a son of the Yang family. I came top in the national
examination, and became Vice-chancellor of the Imperial Academy. I rose through
various offices and finally retired. I married two princesses and was happy with them
and six concubines, but it was all a dream. My teacher knew of my wrong thoughts,
and made me dream this dream so that I should understand the emptiness of riches and
honor and the love between the sexes.
He washed himself quickly, straightened his robe and cap, and went to the main hall
of the temple, where the other disciples were already assembled. The master called
with a loud voice and asked: Hsing-chen, did you enjoy the pleasures of the world?
Hsing-chen opened his eyes and saw his master, Liu-kuan, standing sternly before
him. The lad bowed his head and wept as he said: My life was impure. No one else
can be blamed for the sins I committed myself. I should have suffered endless
transmigrations and pains in the vain world, but you have made me understand through
a dream of the night. Even in ten million kalpas I could never repay your kindness.
The master said: You went in search of pleasures, and came back having tasted
them all. What part have I played in this? And you say that the dream and the world
are two separate things, which proves that you have not yet woken from the dream.

230
Chuang Chou dreamed he was a butterfly, and the butterfly dreamed it was Chuang,
and which was real, Chuang or the butterfly, he could not tell. Now who is real, and
who is a dreamHsing-chen or Shao-yu?
Hsing-chen replied: I am confused: I cant tell whether the dream was not true, or
the truth was not a dream. Please teach me the truth, and make me understand.
The master said: I shall teach you the doctrine of the Diamond Sutra to awaken
your soul, but there will shortly be some new pupils arriving, and you must wait till
they come.
Before he had finished speaking, the monk who kept the gate came, saying that the
eight maids of the Lady Wei had arrived. The master allowed them to come in and they
at once entered and bowed before him, saying: Although we have been attending Lady
Wei, ws have learned nothing and are unable to control our wayward thoughts. Our
desires go after sinful things and we dream the dreams of mortality. There is no one to
waken us. Since you accepted us we have been to Lady Weis place and yesterday
took our leave of her. Now we have returned and beg you to forgive our misdemeanors
and enlighten us with your teaching.
The master answered: Your desires are good, but the law of the Buddha is deep
and difficult to learn. It requires steadfast and persistent effort before it can be
attained. Think carefully before you decide.
The eight girls withdrew and washed the powder from their faces and showed their
determination by cutting off their clouds of black hair. Then they returned and said:
We have changed our appearance and we swear that we will be diligent in obeying
you.
Liu-kuan said: Very good. I am deeply moved that you have made up your minds
like this.
Then he went up to the lecturers seat and began to expound the sutra. Once again

231
the light from the Buddhas brow shone forth on the world, and celestial flowers
descended like sprinkling rain. And he taught them the mantra from the Diamond Sutra:

All is dharma, illusion:

A dream, a phantasm, bubble, shadow,
Evanescent as dew, transient as lightning;
And must be seen as such.

Eventually he finished teaching. In due time Hsing-chen and the eight nuns all
together awakened to the truth of the way without birth and death. Liu-kuan, seeing the
faithfulness and spiritual maturity of Hsing-chen, called a general assembly of his
disciples and announced: I came to China in order to teach the way. Now there is
someone else who can hand on the Law, and I shall return whence I came.
He took up his rosary, his wooden rice-bowl, his water-bottle, his ringed staff, and
a volume of the Diamond Sutra, handed them all to Hsing-chen and set off toward the
west.
From this time onward, Hsing-chen governed the community at the Lotus Peak
monastery, and taught with great distinction. Immortals and dragons, men and spirits,
revered him as they had revered Liu-kuan. The eight nuns served him as their teacher,
till they all became Bodhisattvas, and all nine entered together into Paradise.

232
The True History of Queen Inhyn

233
 Introduction

Palace literature is a name given to a group of three Korean works: Kyechuk

ilgi, diary of the year of the Black Ox (1613), which is an account of the sufferings
of Queen Inmok and her little son Prince Yngchang at the hands of his half-brother,
Kwanghae-gun; Inhyn Wanghu chn, the history of Queen Inhyn, which describes
the trials of Queen Inhyn at the end of the seventeenth century; and Hanjung nok,
records made in distress, an autobiographical record by Lady Hong, wife of Crown
Prince Sado, the coffin king, who was killed by his father, King Yngjo, in 1762. All
three tell tales of tragedy within the palace, and all three are written in the Korean
vernacular script. Beyond these basic similarities they are very different. Kyechuk
ilgi has all the marks of description by an eyewitness without much literary ability.
Hanjung nok is also a memoir. Inhyn Wanghu chn is a deliberate artistic creation,
based on history, but written in a fluent and elegant style with enough skill for it to be
classed as an historical novel.
It describes the life and virtues of Queen Inhyn, a woman of the Yhng Min clan.
In 1681, when she was fourteen, she married nineteen-year-old King Sukchong after
the death of his first wife. Korean kings always married commoners, and the queens
families naturally gained political power. The Min family belonged to the sin, or
western faction, which came into ascendancy shortly before this marriage, displacing
the namin or southern party which had controlled affairs since Sukchong became king
in 1764. Eight years after her marriage, during the summer of 1689, the childless
queen was deposed. The ostensible reason was her childlessness, but the woman who
replaced her, the concubine Chang Hibin, represented the namin. Song Si-yl, the
learned old leader of the sin and one of Koreas sages, was among those executed
during the crisis.
234
 In the spring of 1694, in the dispute over the appointment of the crown prince,
Chang Hibin was deposed in her turn and Queen Min was reinstated. At the same
time the sin, who had taken advantage of the kings remorse for his treatment of
Queen Min, returned to political power, though they were no longer a united party. The
namin never regained power. The same story was the subject of Sa-ssi namjng ki, an
allegorical criticism of the kings treatment of Queen Min written by Kim Man-jung,
author of Kuunmong.
The novel, however, makes virtually no reference to the political background of the
palace drama and King Sukchongs marriage problems. It concentrates on the fate and
virtues of Queen Min, working the materials into a unified plot describing her
marriage, her fall and her reinstatement. The story of her fall is expanded by a detailed
account of the sufferings of Pak Tae-bo, one of the statesmen who presumed to defend
her when she was deposed. Both he and the queen are presented as moral exemplars.
This approach fitted well with the moral requirements of Confucian thought, but it did
not mean that the political significance of the events was underrated by the author.
Confucianism makes little or no distinction between ethics and politics. Political
enemies were not castigated and fought because their policies were politically unwise
or mistaken but because (although no Confucian would have recognized the
distinction) the men themselves were held to be immoral. By omitting reference to the
political implications of the story the author of lnhyn Wanghu chn was able to
impose literary unity on his work; but he had no thought of depriving his book of the
political dimension. For him, Queen Inhyns virtues vindicated the sin politically.
It is impossible to say who the author was. Because the book has been classified as
palace literature it has often been assumed that, like the other two works in that
category, it must have been written by one of the palace women. Professor Pak Yo-sun,
in a recent study of the work (1972) has shown that there are no good reasons for

235
asserting female authorship. On the contrary there are indications that the original
author was probably a man.
Professor Pak has classified the texts of the book into four groups: 1) short texts
containing only the story of Queen lnhyn and Chang Hibin, typical of which is Min
Chungjn tkhaeng nok, record of the virtues of Queen Min, commonly called the Ilsa
text because it was collected by Pang Chong-hyn (1905-52) whose pen name was
Ilsa; 2) a text amplified by the addition of the details of Pak Tae-bos torture; Min
Chungjn chn, story of Queen Min, known as the Namae text from the pen name of
its collector, An Chun-gn (b. 1926); 3) a text lacking the details of the Pak Tae-bo
story, but with an appendix about the reign of Kings Kyngjong (1720-24) and Yngjo
(1724-76), called Inhyn Sngmo Min-ssi tkhaeng nok, record of the virtues of
Inhyn, Queen Min, usually referred to as the Karam text from the pen-name of Yi
Pyng-gi (1891-1968) who collected it and published it in 1948; and 4) Inhyn
Wanghu sngdk hynhaeng nok, an expanded text nearly twice as long as the others,
now kept in the National Library in Seoul. Professor Pak believes that the Ilsa text is
the oldest, and was composed soon after Queen Inhyns death, though all surviving
manuscripts are of recent date; that the Namae and Karam texts represent a subsequent
expansion of the original text; and that the text in the National Library is a late
expansion of the Karam text, which is certainly not earlier than the end of the
eighteenth century. The proliferation of texts suggests that the work was widely read
both inside and outside the palace. The events described in the story have achieved the
status of folk tales and were certainly well-known and often recounted. Since the
namin never regained power there was no reason why the story should be suppressed.
The abbreviated title Inhyn Wanghu chn is a modern one, made by scholars for
convenience. This translation is based on both Ilsa and Karam texts, with constant
reference to the slightly modernized version of the National Library text that was

236
published by Himang Chulpan-sa in 1965. Professor Kim Chong-un has divided his
translation into five sections, following the logic of the story. The manuscripts have no
chapter divisions.
The story requires very little elucidation for the modern western reader. The
exaggerated virtuousness of Queen Inhyn re-echoes the determined propriety of some
of the female protagonists of Kuunmong, and it must be remembered that such
constancy to the point of obstinacy was genuinely admired during the Yi dynasty. The
contrasted exaggeration of Chang Hibins behavior, though emphasized for political
and artistic purposes, may well contain little by way of caricature. The sober annals of
the court of Queen Victoria of England describe characters with comparable
obsessiveness and violence. Changs recourse to shamanism is entirely credible, and
so is the kings reaction. The authors efforts to show the king in a favorable light are a
readily-understood convention.
A few details deserve comment.
Seoul was divided into small neighborhoods, many of which had rustic village
names. Some of these names survive today. The suffixes -dong or -kol mean hollow
or valley; in the countryside they mean village or hamlet, but in Seoul and other
cities they mean something rather smaller than a ward. i-dong, Queen Inhyns
childhood home, was north of Chongno near the fifth intersection; Anguk-tong is still
so called. Aeo-ri was outside the New Gate, the present Ahyn.
The palace was divided into outer and inner parts. The inner palace was the
province of the women, in effect the royal harem, where in theory no adult male but the
king could enter. The outer palace was where the king spent his daytime official hours,
with the queen and other palace women in attendance when specifically commanded.
The kings nights and his leisure were thus spent in entirely female companya fact
which complicated his emotional life and enhanced the role of women in politics.

237
 The names by which the kings and queens are now known, such as Sukchong,
Inhyn, Kyngjong, and Yngjo, are posthumous. During their lifetime they were
referred to by their titles and various honorific epithets. In this translation, however,
the posthumous titles are used, because this anachronism is a help to the reader of the
English text.

238
 The True History of Queen Inhyn

Queen-consort Inhyn, wife of King Sukchong, nineteenth king of the Yi dynasty,

was daughter of the Minister of Defence, Min Yu-jung, and granddaughter of the Chief
Minister of State, Song Chun-gil.
It was said that her mother, Lady Song, had a strange dream while pregnant, and at
last on the twenty-third day of the fourth moon of 1667 she gave birth. Auspicious
signs accompanied this birth, and the room in which the child was born was filled
with aromatic fragrance. The incident was so extraordinary that her parents forbade
the members and servants of the family ever to speak of it.
The child grew up to be an unusually talented and exceptionally beautiful young
lady. Her skill in weaving, her every movement, were aided, it seemed, by a host of
spirits, but she never took pride in her achievements. Her conduct and bearing were so
composed that no one could sense her emotional stresses.
In her retiring disposition, brilliant virtues, outstanding fidelity and modest nature,
she was a model young lady. Sitting serenely in her chamber, she emanated the warmth
of spring sunshine. Her graceful movements inspired such lofty and awesome feelings
that those who saw her were reminded of a spray of plum-blossom in the snow and
filled with the reverence experienced when suddenly finding oneself in a grove of
evergreens under a bleak sky. Thus the love of her parents was redoubled, and the
admiration of her kindred near and far grew till her fair name was gradually known to
the world.
Her father once observed rainbow-like shimmers over her washbowl. This so
convinced him that she was destined to become high and noble that he paid particular
239
attention to her upbringing and education. Her uncle, Min Chong-jung, a renowned
Confucian scholar, became extremely fond of her despite his austere personality and
was said to have remarked: She is endowed with unusual gifts, natural gifts that can
never deteriorate; but the excessively rare quality of such a person is apt to call forth
the envy of evil spirits. She is very, very beautiful and sagacious; but I fear that she
may have only a short life.
She lost her mother early, but during the whole of the long period of formal
mourning she punctiliously performed every filial duty that etiquette demanded of her;
and to the surprise and admiration of all around her, she was equally filial to her
stepmother, Lady Cho. When her maternal grandfather Song Chun-gil was very ill, he
used to enjoy her company. On these occasions he taught her the ways of saintly
scholars and the manners and conduct of a lady, saying that she already had the
makings of a royal consort such as Tai-jen or Tai-ssu. Such additional instruction,
provided by the foremost families in the country, greatly strengthened her innate
virtues.
In the winter of 1680 Queen Ingyng passed away. The lack of a royal consort
worried the queen mother and she ordered that arrangements be made for the selection
of a suitable successor. Kim U-myng, maternal grandfather of King Sukchong, had
heard of the virtuous Lady Min, and at this time spoke to the queen mother about her.
At the same time the Chief Minister of State, Song Chun-gil, gave his opinion to the
king: A queen consort is the mother of all her subjects. I, your faithful subject, know
that Your Majestys Defence Minister has a daughter of exceptional wisdom and
virtue. I pray that Your Majesty will choose her as the royal spouse and thereby avoid
the troublesome procedure of selection.
To the happiness of the queen mother, the king consented to this arrangement. At
once she sent a royal order to Minister Min describing the situation and urging him to

240
proceed with the necessary preparations. The awe-struck minister immediately
submitted a memorial declining the honor. The king, however, was quite resolved.
After three such memorials had been submitted, a strict royal order was issued
reproving the minister: his repeated refusals went beyond the bounds of normal
courtesy and any further refusal would be deemed insubordination. The king also
called Min Chong-jung, Second Minister of State, to the palace and through him
reprimanded the Min family for their disrespect. Thus it became impossible to decline
again, and at the ensuing family meeting the Min clan decided to accept the royal
directive. They were moved to loyal tears by the greatness of the royal benevolence
and favor.
A party of court ladies and eunuchs was sent to wait upon the future queen consort
at her home in i-dong, and the chief lady-in-waiting, in accordance with the kings
wish, begged for an audience with her. After the audience the court lady, filled with
admiration, reverently said to the girls stepmother: By the kings favor I have had the
honor of serving three generations of queens in the palace. I have also had the
opportunity of being in contact with more than eighty ladies of noble birth. But I
swear, Your Highness, that I have never met a lady of such holy and beautiful
countenance as our future queen. With your permission, I should like to say that she
will bring great good fortune to the state. It will be a privilege for me to serve her. I
have been amply rewarded in having lived so long.
To this the stepmother replied with such modesty, humility and dignity that the court
lady was deeply moved. On returning to the palace she related the scene to the queen
mother. The queen mother was pleased to hear all this, and it was said that she openly
showed her eagerness for the day of the royal nuptials.
Finally the day of the wedding came. Officiating at the grand ritual, in dignified and
stately attire, was Min Yu-jung, father of the new queen. The nineteen-year-old king,

241
attended by high civil and military officials, went to the i-dong mansion where the
bride was waiting. There he presented the geese, then urged the queens palanquin-
bearers to return to the palace for the second half of the ceremony. He himself saw to
sealing the door of the gold-adorned vehicle. Most royal weddings are of crown
princes, but this was the wedding of the king himself and accordingly the ceremony
was most magnificent. The royal colors with images of the dragon and phoenix, along
with banners, golden halberds and battle-axes, all signifying sovereign power,
fluttered in the air at the head of the procession; solemn-faced officials and court
ladies and ladies-in-waiting escorting the procession in colorfully ornate dresses
formed a line that extended several miles; burning incense and stately tunes of court
music filled the air. The grandeur of the wedding truly defied description. All who
lived in the capital turned out to rejoice and pray for the long life of the royal family.
The ceremony closed with the exchange of cups of wine in the palace. The new
queen consorts manners were exceedingly graceful. It was as if her whole being
radiated light, like the full moon in autumn, and this light, lucid and soft, filled the
royal palace, richly embossed in gold, and bedimmed its brilliance and that of all the
other precious treasures there displayed. Thus the hearts of all who witnessed the
ceremony swelled with rapturous admiration. Above all, immeasurable was the
delight of the queen mother and the queen dowager.
Another ceremony the same day enthroned her formally as queen consort. After that
she gave audience to the ladies and princesses of the royal family and the three
hundred ladies-in-waiting. The weather was exceptionally fine; refreshing breezes
carried auspicious cloudlets over the royal palace, to make a day truly in accord with
the blissful occasion. The official enthronement affected the people strangely, and their
jubilant voices chanting blessings of peace were heard throughout the length and
breadth of the land.

242
 After the accession, the queens performance of her filial duty to the queen mother
and queen dowager was impeccable. In managing the palace affairs, her guiding
principle was benevolence. In directing the ladies and maids in the palace, she
balanced dignity and lucidity with affection and grace, never allowing herself to
handle matters with partiality. Because of her love of mankind, peace and harmony
reigned over the palace and consequently extended over all the land.
Her solemn deportment and perfect decorum dazzled the court ladies. All in the
palace adored and respected her. By her example she caused the general manners in
the palace to improve greatly, and within three months a complete transformation of
the atmosphere could be felt. This pleased the queen mother and the queen dowager as
well as the king and everyone in and out of the court. The queen mother composed a
letter commending the merits of the queen consort and sent it to Song Si-yl, First Lord
of the Advisory Council. She also wrote letters graciously praising the kings mother-
in-law for raising such a virtuous daughter, and sent royal gifts to her. The Min family
were overwhelmed by these august favors.
During the winter of 1683 the king contracted smallpox, and at times his condition
was critical. The queen consort nursed him, denying herself food, sleep, change of
dress and all personal comforts. The queen mother also was distressed. Together they
bathed in cold water and, at a little shrine in a corner of the back garden of the palace,
prayed day and night for the swift recovery of the king. The queen consort,
apprehensive for the queen mothers health, implored that she be allowed to perform
the devotions alone, but the queen mother would not comply. Perhaps Heaven was
moved by their faith and devotion, for the king recovered. In and out of the palace,
happiness overflowed.
However, the queen mother by nursing him and performing acts of devotion had
exhausted herself during the kings illness. She herself fell ill. Now the king and queen

243
cared for her night and day, anxious to see her recover. They even prepared herb
medicines themselves, personally waiting on her in her sick-room, but despite their
efforts and devotion, her health deteriorated rapidly. In desperation the king sent a
prayer-party of cabinet ministers to the Chong-myo, the shrine of the royal ancestors,
and as a votive offering to Heaven he proclaimed an official amnesty for all prisoners
throughout the land. At the same time he brought all the best doctors to the palace to
tend the queen mother. All was in vain. It is impossible to describe the anxiety of the
royal family and the whole nation. Deep gloom covered the land.
Very early in the morning of the fifth day of the last moon, the queen mother passed
away in the Chsng Hall of the Changgyng Palace at the age of forty-one. Again the
people were deeply moved, and the sound of wailing rose to heaven. The king and
queen mourned with inconsolable grief, refusing all food, and earning the deep
admiration of the court for their exemplary filial piety. So they continued for three
years to carry out the ceremonies for the dead queen.

II

A lady named Chang who had at first been appointed as one of the court maids was
given the rank of a titled royal concubine, and became Chang Hibin. She was a crafty
girl, and did all she could to attract the kings attention and win his favor. When the
lunar year 1688 began, the kings age was approaching thirty by the traditional method
of counting, but he still had no son and was obviously worried. Queen lnhyn shared
his distress, and one day quietly suggested to him that he should select a good girl
from among the palace women and try to have a son by her to carry on the royal line.
At first the king refused; but the queen daily pressed him on the matter, hoping for a
suitable woman to be found, and it was clear from her earnest concern about the

244
succession that she was sincere in her request.
Eventually the king yielded and issued an edict requiring a suitable girl to be chosen
from among the palace women. This edict greatly shocked his sister, Princess
Myngan, who immediately went to the palace with her aunt, Princess Taejang, and
requested an audience with the king and queen.
By your leave, we think that Your Majesty will do well to wait and not to choose a
concubine at present. The queen is still young, said the princess.
Princess, I am truly grateful for your interest. But ever since I became the royal
consort, my one concern has been to repay this undeserved royal favor. Because of my
lack of virtue, I have not been able to bear His Majesty a child. The perpetuation of
the royal line must take precedence over all other considerations.
The queens countenance remained clear and serene as she spoke. Her manner
convinced the princess that she was truly concerned with the well-being of the royal
family. The queens firm and resolute attitude compelled them to give up any further
expostulation, and they left the palace with even deeper admiration for her unselfish
loyalty to the throne. They spoke to each other of how they now understood the late
queen mothers fondness for her.
Eventually Lady Kim was chosen to bear a royal child. The queen consort treated
her warmly and honorably, as she did any other lady of high position in the palace. For
her virtuous demeanor the queen was deeply respected; but alas, the wheel of fortune
seemed to turn unfavorably for her. The old saying that the beautiful and the saintly are
often visited by misfortune is appropriate, for the wheel of fortune turns independently
of what man may wish or do. Is this not why people often doubt or blame the way of
Heaven?
In the eighth moon of 1688, the queen dowager of the former King Injo passed away
in the Changgyng Palace at the age of sixty- three. So greatly did the king and queen

245
feel their loss that the ceremonies, morning and evening, appeared almost excessive.
Then, in the tenth moon, it was Lady Chang who bore a prince. The king was
overjoyed, and the queen loved the child as though he were her own. Because of the
queens love, if Lady Chang had realized her rightful place and behaved discreetly,
she could have enjoyed all the riches and glory properly due to the mother of a prince.
She began, however, to entertain the preposterous and impudent idea of usurping the
consortship. She was jealous of the high reputation for virtue and beauty the queen
enjoyed. Greed for power knows no end; once gripped by the idea of usurpation, her
mind was wholly preoccupied with evil scheming. Whenever she found an
opportunity, she falsely accused the queen. Thus, the king heard from her that the queen
and her hirelings had made attempts to poison the new-born prince. He heard that the
queen had hired shamanesses to curse Lady Chang with vile imprecations. In no time,
Lady Chang succeeded in soliciting assistance from some evil-minded court ladies.
Together, they spread more and more vicious rumors, even going so far as to plant
false evidence for the king to discover. The old saying that the evil one never lacks
friends must indeed be true, for this is exactly how it was in the royal palace.
In the beginning, the king lightly dismissed the accusations, but as time went on and
the reports of the queens alleged evil-doings increased, he began to wonder, to
suspect, and then to denounce and hate her. Lady Chang ruthlessly pursued her goal,
weakening the kings power of reason with her evil coquetry.
A powerful weapon in Lady Changs hands was her son, the prince, because the
kings love for Lady Chang and his first son made him an easy victim of her plotting.
He who had once possessed a lucid and sagacious mind was now unable to
discriminate between right and wrong. One by one, treacherous men replaced the
upright and virtuous high-ranking officials. This continued to such an extent that it
became a matter of serious concern for noteworthy persons at court. Already the queen

246
realized that some day Lady Chang would be the cause of some terrible catastrophe,
but because she was aware that the lady was the mother of a prince, she never allowed
her virtuous and sincere demeanor to be overcome by dismay.
The following year, 1689, the queens father, Min Yu-jung, passed away. She
mourned his death and abstained from meat and other delicacies. It was about this time
that the kings feelings against the queen intensified. Although he did not speak openly,
he seemed to have made up his mind; a rumor ran wild among the people that the king
was going to dethrone the queen consort.
The twenty-third day of the fourth moon was the queens birthday. It was customary
on this occasion for the various palaces in Seoul and the Royal Household Office to
submit lists of complimentary tribute to the royal family. However, the king brushed
the lists aside and commanded that all the food for the banquet be removed. Instead, he
gathered all the ministers and officials of rank above the second degree in the
audience hall and announced his decision to dethrone the queen consort.
Yi Si-man, the second royal secretary, immediately spoke against the kings
decision. This provoked the king to remove him from his post. Then Yi Man-wn,
sixth counsellor in the Office of Documents, argued further against the decision. The
king was angry and ordered that he be sent into exile. This continued until nearly forty
ministers and high officials had been sentenced to exile in remote places. The king
then issued an edict dethroning the queen. The court was shaken; high officials
gathered in the palace to present a petition to the king in the traditionally prescribed
form of protest. However, there were some who were not as unhappy about the event
as they pretended to be.
The queen consort came from a prominent family and many of her relatives were
men of high virtue and learning who held positions of importance at court. Since she
had entered the palace, however, they had tended to be less active, so as not to incur

247
public censure that would disgrace her and her family. As in any royal court, there
were many small-minded courtiers; they were jealous of the great fame of the Min
family, and lost no time in taking advantage of the change in the royal family. Slanders
against the Min clan spread unchecked within the court, and the kings wisdom was
betrayed by this malicious talk. What good could the pleas of loyal subjects effect
under such circumstances?
Pak Tae-bo, fourth-grade counsellor in the Office of Documents, felt compelled to
correct the situation. He had held office in the Board of Rites, but was no longer
entitled to present the matter before the king in the audience hall. He therefore sent out
a circular among the ministry officials urging them to join in submitting a memorial to
the throne. Pak himself composed the memorial, and those who supported it signed.
Ex-Minister O Tu-in, because of his high rank, acted as representative of this
petitioning group. They presented the memorial at court and waited kneeling before the
main gate of the palace for the kings reply. The king, roused to anger by their action,
immediately issued an order to form a special court of inquisition over which he
himself would preside. Orders were given to the ministers and other high-ranking
officials to assemble at the palace. Attended by royal guards, court ladies and
eunuchs, the king proceeded to the audience hall to take his place on the throne. Thus,
suddenly, uncommon agitation stirred within the palace. Flaming pine torches moved
confusedly in every direction.
Since it was already dark, many who had signed the memorial had gone home. O
Tu-in, the chief petitioner, ex-minister Yi Se-hwa, ex-vice-minister Sin Su-rang,
magistrate of Chinju county Yi Ton-gyng, Pak Tae-bo, ex-compilator Kim Chong-
sin, ex-clerk in the royal secretariat Yi In-yp and a few others remained in front of
the palace waiting for the kings reply. They surmised from the disturbance and noise
that came from the palace that a court of inquisition was being set up. One of them

248
said: This can only mean that we are going to be punished. All of them except Pak
Tae-bo silently trembled in fear.
Gentlemen, did we not expect death when we signed? If so, why should we worry
now? said Pak, undisturbed.
After Pak had spoken, ex-vice-minister Sin Su-rang stepped up to O Tu-in and
asked whether it would not be to their advantage to prepare answers to give should
they be called upon to speak. Pak, interrupting, said to O:
Sir, I presume they will call you in alone first, since you are the chief petitioner.
Should that happen, tell them the truth and say that I alone am responsible for writing
the memorial.
How can I tell them that? said the ex-minister.
We all know that it is the truth, and the first duty of a loyal subject is not to deceive
the king, declared Pak.
A little later, a group of royal guards, led by their commander, hastened toward
them, their way lit by four pine-torches.
The commander loudly demanded, Is the chief petitioner O Tu-in here?
I am here, replied the ex-minister.
As the guards put the ex-minister in a cangue and led him away, Pak once again
appealed to him. Nothing is better than truth. I wrote the memorial entirely by myself.
Tell them so. Otherwise, sir, too many of us may be hurt.
The guards returned later and called next for Yi Se-hwa and Yu Hyn. Yi was led
away in a cangue, but Yu Hyn was sick, and was arrested at his house.
After a while, the guards came running out again and asked, Which of you wrote
the memorial?
I did, answered Pak Tae-bo calmly. He removed his horse-hair headgear and
handed it to his servant, together with his bamboo tobacco-pipe, saying, Give these to

249
my mother. He was put in a cangue and, as the guards were about to lead him away,
Yi In-yp and the others held him by the sleeve and said: Why are you trying to take
all the blame on yourself without consulting us?
I have already made up my mind, and there is no need to discuss it, replied Pak
Tae-bo with a spirited smile.
You did not write that memorial entirely by yourself, contended Yi In-yp. We all
took part in it.
It is not so. I alone conceived and composed it. Why should you or anyone else
share the punishment when I alone am responsible? Should the penalty be death, I will
meet it alone, said Pak Tae-bo, and again smiled bravely. He quickened his steps,
urging the guards to hurry. From behind him, Yi Ton-gyng called out:
Why do you hurry as though going to a place of pleasure?
Turning back, Pak Tae-bo simply replied, My mind is made up. What should I
gain by tarrying? Then he quickly made his way into the palace.
When Pak found himself outside the audience hall, which was now the place of
trial, only Yi Se-hwa was kneeling there outside on the ground. O Tu-in had already
been called inside. As Pak knelt down, Yi Se-hwa said to him:
Listen well. Minister O and I are old men, and thanks to His Majestys grace we
have enjoyed both rank and honor. So should we die now we have nothing to regret.
But you are still young, and have a wife and children as well as parents to look after.
And because of your relatively low official position, one can say that you are less
indebted than we are to the country and His Majesty. If you go in and tell them what I
think you are planning to say, the penalty will surely be death. Therefore I urge you to
reconsider things, and let us who are old take the blame.
How can you say such things, sir? replied Pak Tae-bo, holding the cangue with
one hand; Are you trying to tell me what to say? Even though the price of being a

250
loyal subject may be death, I cannot go against the truth.
At last it was Paks turn to be called into the place of trial. As he lay prostrate
before the throne, the king spoke out angrily:
I have long been as fond of you as if you were my own offspring. How do you dare
do this to me now? What good do you see in allying yourself with this wicked woman?
You must know it can lead only to your death.
Your Majesty, I cannot comprehend your words. It is said that the relationship
between a king and his subject is like that between father and son. Should the father of
a family wish to turn the mother out of the home without good reason, what must the
feelings of the son be? Now Your Majesty is going to sever relationship with Her
Majesty the queen consort without proper reason. Thus I, your humble subject, have
made up my mind to submit this memorial to the throne, and die. Far from wishing to
be treasonable, I was prompted to write the memorial out of concern for the welfare of
the state and the royal household. Is not loyalty to Her Majesty the queen also a way of
giving allegiance to the king?
Paks words incensed the king. Tie up the prisoner! How dare you insult me thus?
Flog him first, and in the meantime, executioners, have the knee-crushing implement
and the branding-irons made ready.
Your Majesty, if I am to be punished for the memorial I composed, please grant me
leave to speak to you about it first, said Pak. Then he recited the first two paragraphs
of the memorial by heart and gave a phrase-by-phrase explanation. Even in a
commoners household, peace within the family is broken if the husband favors the
concubine. There has been a rumor that Your Majesty has been unwisely swayed by a
royal concubine. Now I see that it is true, for the recent royal decision to dethrone the
queen proves it.
Do you still defy me? Do you imply that I am so indiscreet as to judge matters of

251
state by what a concubine says? Do you accuse me of being a lunatic? raged the king.
He commanded the chief executioner to flog the prisoner. Paks knees were bound
with an iron chain, and the flogging began. As it continued, the cruel shouting of the
kings secretaries: Flog him harder! and the sound of the executioners relaying and
repeating the royal commands echoed in the dark sky above the palace walls.
Blood from Paks torn flesh spattered on the ground, but he never uttered so much as
a groan nor lost his composure. Seeing that it was like flogging a piece of wood, the
king became still more angry:
Will you persist in hiding the names of those who share this guilt with you by
insisting that you alone wrote this document? You know that the clerk Hong Chi-sang
has just been hanged because he refused to disclose the names of those who took part
in his crime, do you not?
Your Majesty, how is it that my true intention is not yet understood? Hong Chi-
sang was pursuing only his own interests. In my memorial, on the contrary, I tried to
reflect public opinion, and the two things are not comparable.
How can a man be so obstinate for the sake of an evil and cunning woman? cried
the king.
Clearing his throat, Pak replied: The ancient sages have written that the greatest of
all human relationships is that between a man and his wife. That is why even the lowly
consider faith and justice the two most important principles where man and wife are
concerned. Your Majesty, I beg that you will be reasonable and heed the words of the
sages of old.
Impudence and insolence, roared the king. Stop preaching and confess your
crime. Relate what part you played in this conspiracy!
I understand that Your Majesty has recently devoted many hours of study to the
Book of Changes. How is it then that Your Majesty does not yet understand the laws of

252
the universe? Never did I hear a critical word said against Her Majesty the queen
consort before the late queen mother passed away. On the contrary, I remember only
words of praise and eulogy. Great changes have taken place since the birth of the
prince. Your actions that violate the moral lawunjust persecution of a good person
will be subject to censure.
In his fury, the king was unable at first to speak coherently. How dare you? Limit
your words and speak only of the conspiracy! Executioners, apply the knee-crusher
and brand the prisoner. Begin by branding his mouth that speaks with such impudence.
However, even the executioners could not carry out this last command. Holding the
iron to the side, they pretended to brand his mouth. Meanwhile the harsh royal
command, Harder! could be ceaselessly heard.
Pak never groaned, though his whole body was soon mangled and his clothes so
bloody that one could wring the blood out like water. As the king ordered more weight
to be applied to the knee-crusher, Pak spoke:
Nothing, Your Majesty, would make any difference now, for I am resolved to die; I
am only sorry that because of me, men will one day call Your Majesty a cruel tyrant.
Even if they do, why should you care?
How can Your Majesty ask that? A loyal subject is a firm pillar of the state. He
must identify himself with the state. That is why I grieve.
Save your breath! Crush the prisoners knees! Why have you stopped? And he said
to the scribe, Do not record what Pak Tae-bo has just said.
The knee-crushing went on. Two large bags full of rocks went into the instrument,
and three soldiers added their weight. The night air carried the roars of the soldiers
marking time and the voices of the investigators demanding that the crime be
confessed. Pak, calm, never uttered a cry of pain.
He is tough as well as wicked, said the king. It is no wonder he has contemplated

253
such evil, and plotted against me. Pak Tae-bo, are you never going to confess your
wrong-doings and give the names of your co-conspirators? I noticed that in your
writing you referred to the queens dream. What do you know about that?
I wrote sincerely of what has been my deepest concern, Pak replied. And I have
nothing to confess, for I have plotted with no one. As for the queens dream, it is true
that I wrote of it in the memorial. Where could I hear of such things? I read of it
nowhere but in Your Majestys own royal writ.
Do you now insinuate that I am a liar?
I am not well-acquainted with the life of the royal family, Your Majesty, Pak
continued, but dreams are dreams and have no fundamental relationship with reality.
Therefore, to persecute Her Majesty the queen for having related a dream to Your
Majesty is utterly unreasonable. Talking about a dream is no crime. I have often heard
you speak of your own dreams.
You call me a liar? Are you saying all this because that evil woman and the
members of her family belong to the same political faction as you do? stormed the
king.
Twelve years have passed since I entered government service. I have never curried
favor with anybody, nor sought higher office by joining a political faction. The
memorial I wrote reflects the opinion, not of a group, but of the whole country. That is
why I have protested, though at the risk of my life. I pray you to reconsider what is
happening. If a father proposed to turn out the mother of his family without good
reasons, would not the son do what I am doing now? It is all so very clear. How is it
that Your Majesty will not see?
O wicked and vicious fellow! Brand him! cried the king.
A large charcoal fire was then built beside Pak Tae-bo, and the soldiers fanned it
with the skirts of their robes. Soon the branding with red-hot irons began.

254
 Do you still feign ignorance? demanded the investigators.
In answer to this, Pak sat upright and asked, How can I confess when there is no
conspiracy and no conspirators?
Wicked and treasonous! Hang the prisoner upside down on a tree and brand his
whole body from the knees up! commanded the king. The order was carried out and
Pak hung, his head about a foot off the ground. Most people could not have endured
even the mention of such a torture, but Pak Tae-bo, undismayed, said:
I believe knee-crushing and branding are the punishments prescribed for criminals
guilty of treason. Am I guilty of treason?
You are worse than a traitor! Tear off the prisoners clothes and brand him!
When the executioner picked up a branding-iron and tested it on a piece of wood,
clouds of black smoke arose. The spectacle was ghastly. They branded him thirteen
times with two branding irons, and when the executioners had finished, there was little
flesh left untorn above his knees. Pak remained composed, and his speech became
increasingly articulate.
Will you still say nothing of the conspiracy? asked the king.
How can I confess what is not true?
You deserve severe branding because you admit only writing the memorial, and
deny the rest.
The duty of a loyal subject is to die for justice. Therefore I have nothing to regret,
Your Majesty. After twelve years of faithful service to you, my one sorrow is that I
should have caused you to commit such atrocities today.
Do not record what Tae-bo said, the king ordered the scribe. He now calls me
atrocious! He is more vicious than a tiger.
The king was said to have repeated these last words more than ten times. Brand
him more, and spare no part of his body.

255
 At this the second minister of state, Kim Tg-wn, hesitantly ventured to say, With
your permission, Your Majesty, the state penal code specifically prescribes the places
to be branded. If Your Majesty wishes us to carry out this order, we shall need a new
law.
Then, cried the king, treat him as accused of treason!
So the executioners branded the prisoners heels.
Why only the heels? Do his soles and calves as well! shouted the king. The skin of
Paks whole body was soon dark and charred, but this brought about no change in his
resolute attitude.
Not give in? resounded the impatient voice of the king. Yu Hyn says that he
knew nothing of what was contained in the memorial. Is that true?
He knew there was to be a memorial, but he knew nothing of its contents because
he was confined to his sick-bed and his son signed in his place.
Yi Se-hwa has admitted that he composed the memorial with you. Is that correct?
That is not correct, Your Majesty. I did it alone. He said that in an endeavor to
lessen my punishment.
Then you will not yield and disclose the facts of the conspiracy? questioned the
king.
If you wish to kill me, why not have me slain now? Anger is not good for one, and I
fear that to continue like this will endanger Your Majestys health. However hard Your
Majesty may press, I will not deceive my king by making a false confession.
After a pause, he continued. My mother is over seventy and my father is sixty. If I
die today without seeing them, it will be a matter for lasting regret. Nevertheless, what
is private sentiment compared with a matter of state? Slay me now, Your Majesty.
For the last time, I entreat Your Majesty to look at what is happening, to recognize
that Your Majestys recent decision harms the welfare of the state and the dynasty. It

256
was the queen herself who first recommended Your Majesty to take a royal concubine
because she was not able to conceive a child, was it not? Then, there is no reason to
doubt her sincerity, to believe that she is jealous of the concubine because of the birth
of the prince. I can only believe that aspersions and falsehoods have dimmed Your
Majestys vision. Life is of no value to me if I cannot right this wrong.
I have said everything that is in my heart. I am content. I ask Your Majesty to have
me slain without delay. Then he sat stolidly with his eyes closed and would not budge
nor utter a word.
The king directed his fury at the attending officials: Chief Justice Yi Son-jo, why
do you just stand by? Go down there and make the prisoner confess.
Trembling, Yi Son-jo hurried down to where Pak sat, and said: Confess, prisoner.
Opening his eyes, Pak Tae-bo looked sharply at the Chief Justice and reprimanded
him: What do you want me to confess? You cunning ones get fat on state salaries and
never take the trouble to counsel His Majesty to act righteously. You sit and do
nothing, though the mother of the country is about to be driven out of the palace.
Instead, you accuse me with false charges. If I die, my soul will join the just in heaven.
You are the enemy of the state; bear in mind the law of retribution. A lasting curse will
prevail upon your descendants.
The Chief Justice gave up, appalled, and approached the throne saying: Your
Majesty, it seems that the prisoner is unlikely to submit.
In a last attempt the king resorted to a new stratagem, and remarked as if to himself,
What stupidity! He would be released if only he would confess.
Pak, in answer to this remark, said; Your Majesty, what can you gain by trying to
induce me in this manner?
As a result of the branding and other tortures, Pak Tae-bos appearance was
gruesome. The king decided to retire. He ordered that the prisoner be thrown into the

257
palace jail for the night, and departed saying, I knew he was wicked, but this is
unbelievable.
All the guards and executioners gathered around Pak Tae-bo, unchaining him and
untying the rope that bound him. At last he was able to breathe freely, but not until one
of the palace clerks on duty had run out and fetched a bowl of cold water was he able
to ease his parched throat and speak. His first words were to ask the name of the kind-
hearted clerk.
Following the inquisition, Pak was removed to the palace jail and there the guards
looked for something that could be used to cover his wounds. Pak's friends, Kim
Chong-sin, Yi In-yp and others tore their garments and offered them to the guards.
The next day Pak was formally imprisoned, and a detachment of guards armed with
spears and muskets escorted him from the palace jail to th prisone. On his way his
nephew, Pak Chil-sun, approached the litter on which he lay, and holding his hand
said: Uncle, we are so proud of you. No one knows how this is going to end, so
please beware.
Have no fear. Nothing can harm me now, replied Pak Tae-bo.
Paks father, who had been out of Seoul, heard of the inquisition and hurried back to
the capital. He waited in a hut outside the prison, and sent a message to his son asking
him to write if he needed anything. Pak replied that he could not do so while he was
still a prisoner accused of a serious crime.
The inquisition was to convene for another session the following day, but the chief
minister of state, Kwn Tae-un, ventured to appease the king: Pak Tae-bo most
certainly deserves death, Your Majesty, but in view of his condition, I presume to
advise that he be spared further torture.
Exile him to a remote island, was the kings command.
This being decided, Pak wrote a letter to his father for the first time:

258
 Dear Father: by divine protection I have survived severe and repeated tortures. I
ask you to stop worrying, because I am still capable of taking food, although my legs
and other parts of my body are swollen. The place of exile, it seems, will be Chin
Island.
It was noted by many who saw this letter that his calligraphy had not deteriorated in
any way. No other man could have survived such tortures. Heaven must have been
moved by his loyalty. Such words were said to have been exchanged by the prison
guards.
In the afternoon of the seventeenth day of the fourth moon he was let out of prison to
start for the place of exile. The street leading away from the prison was so full of
people of all ages and conditions who had come to see this brave man that his
palanquin could hardly move. Many of them were in tears to see him start on this long
journey in spite of his appalling physical state. Whenever he noticed familiar faces
among the crowd, he waved a hand in gratitude.
On the hill near Myngy-dong he stopped the palanquin to rest a little, and spoke
to his father who was waiting there.
Please do not worry about me. How is mother?
Then his friends gathered around him and, holding his sleeves, tried to persuade him
to spend the night in the city, as it was already growing dark and he looked so weak.
My condition is serious, but the charge brought against me is more serious. The
kings order is for me to leave, so I must go, was his reply.
As it grew darker the party passed through the Great South Gate. Many citizens
offered to carry his palanquin on their shoulders, saying that it was an honor to serve
him.
Outside the South Gate he was reunited with his family. His old mother fainted with
grief and horror when she saw what had been done to her son.

259
 Mother, I thank His Majesty for allowing me to see you again, said Pak Tae-bo in
an effort to comfort her. I have no regrets, even if I should now die. Lament not so,
Mother, for that will only make me feel how unfilial a son I have been.
These words attested to his power of thinking and reasoning, but the injuries he had
suffered from the burning and flogging were so severe that he could not take even a
bowl of the thinnest gruel. Everyone knew that this journey to a far place of exile
meant death.
Pak said, Perhaps I shall die soon. All the same, I cannot contravene the kings
command. I must leave. But then, I may survive and get well on the way. I wish to take
some books to read.
Thinking he would not have the chance to read them, his father said, Do not bother
about books.
He was so critically weak that he could not leave that night, and friends advised
him to stay outside the city gate for a few days before setting out. His condition,
however, did not improve; and several times messengers from the palace came to
inquire about the cause of the delay. The party crossed the Han River and, pausing
again there for several days in a hut, submitted a petition begging permission to stop
long enough to give him proper medical attention. The reply from the palace was,
Request refused.
Although seriously ill, Pak Tae-bo sat up all day and conversed with his friends in
order to assure his parents that he was feeling stronger. It was while he was in this hut
that he heard the news of the queens formal dethronement, and shed tears. While all
his friends wished to help him recoveir, many knew in their hearts that he would be
lucky if he managed to survive and be an invalid for the rest of his life.
He suffered, but never once did he voice bitter words against the king. Everybody
admired his devotion and loyalty to the state and the throne. In an effort to encourage

260
him, one of his friends once said to him with feigned laughter: If you survive this, you
survive everything. Since most of the burns are on the lower half of your body, there is
a good chance that you will recover.
His Majesty released me, sparing my life, and it is my fault that I am not strong
enough to make use of the opportunity. As things are, even hoping to survive seems
absurd, was his reply. The gangrene started to spread, and his health deteriorated
rapidly.
On the fifth day of the fifth moon, knowing death was near, he said to the friends
who were at his sick-bed: I knew from the first that I had no chance. To please my
parents I have taken medicine and accepted medical care. I know for certain that there
is no hope; though I am hungry, I cannot eat. There is no sense in pretending that
medicine will help. Remove the bandages.
When his bandages had been taken off, he asked for clean bed- linen. Then he asked
his father to come in and said: Father, so that what has happened may be accurately
recorded, I am going to give you a detailed account of the inquisition.
Spare yourself. Enough people witnessed the proceedings, his father objected.
Very well, father, said Pak. I have a few other matters to speak to you about. The
first is your epitaph. The more I think about it, the better I like the draft done by first
counsellor Pak, but the two characters we discussed ought to be changed as I
suggested.
Now a word about my heir. Since I have no son, you may decide later on one of my
brother Tae-yus sons.
One last thingI have already chosen a spot where I wish to be buried. It is in the
Kmno district, not far from where my father by adoption is buried. The authorities
may wish to restrict the choice of my grave-site to certain areas, but please use your
influence to secure the plot I desire. Even in the grave one likes, I think, to be near

261
somebody one loves.
Then he asked his mother by adoption to come into the room with his wife. Dear
mother, he said, please pardon me for preceding you in death; if this is the way of
divine providence, what can we do but submit? I have already talked to father about
my heir.
At this, his mother sobbed aloud and, unable to endure the sight of her adopted son,
withdrew from the room. His friends asked if he had anything to say to them.
No, I cannot think of anything, he said.
He paused then and closed his eyes. Presently he asked, Is my brother-in-law
here? He meant the husband of his eldest sister.
Che-min, his brother-in-law, came in and said, Tae-bo, your life has been spotless
and you have done nothing shameful.
Pak responded calmly: It would be presumptuous if I agreed, but I have been
fortunate in never having made a grave mistake.
One of his nephews, Chin Si-hak, said: On my way here from Tongjin, I met a man
who was present during the inquisition, and he described the cruelty and torture that
took place. He said that in spite of the fact that the memorial was the fruit of
collaboration, only you suffered so much. Is that true?
Closing his eyes, Pak considered what his nephew had asked, and then spoke. Who
was the fellow who said that? Did he make any other stupid remarks? Does he mean I
should have sold my friends, Choe Sk-chng, Yi Ton and the others? Besides, though
it is true that they all originally contributed, I gave the final touches, revising their
draft extensively to make all the phrases clear. How can I put the blame on others?
Although he tried not to strain himself in these conversations, it was increasingly
difficult for him to speak, so great was the pain. His nephew persuaded him not to talk.
The following day his mother by adoption came out to the hut to see him again.

262
Opening his eyes he said, Mother, I have nothing more to say except that I wish you a
long and peaceful life.
His wife, standing by his mother, began to weep. Now he said to his wife: Mother
will have nobody but you to turn to when I am gone. The question of my heir will be
decided by father, and whoever he chooses, you will have to help look after. You have
the responsibility of caring for the whole family. So do not grieve too much at my
death; it will harm your health. Now leave the room. I think my last hour is near.
When his wife, still sobbing, hesitated to comply, he said sternly: Leave, I say,
woman! A wife should not be present at her husbands deathbed. Dear nephew, please
lead her out of the room.
When his father asked if he wished to say anything else, he answered: Mu-jun is
quite grown up, but he still seems to be neglecting his studies. He will do well if you
make him apply himself a little more.
I have prayed and prayed to Heaven for your recovery, said his father, but it
seems not to be Heavens will. Death is the fate of all mortals; meet it like a man.
I will, father.
Pak spoke again: About my funeral; I have lived simply all my life, and in the eyes
of the world I am a banished criminal. So make my burial very simple.
The final moment seemed to be approaching. Ah! why is it so painful? he
murmured in tears. On the fifth day of the fifth moon, to everyones great sorrow, he
died.
Many loyal subjects have been unjustly put to death, but none have surpassed Pak
T'ae-bo in devotion and fidelity; so his name will not die, but will live for ever.
Because he died before his aged parents in such tragic circumstances, all the people of
the capital were moved to tears, the nobility as well as the masses.
At this time the queen, who had been grieving for the death of her father, had

263
become physically frail. One of the court ladies in her personal service heard of Paks
death and hurried to her room in tears to tell the news. The queen, with a sorrowful
sigh, said: If it is the will of Heaven, whom can we reproach? Be careful not to
neglect your duties because of this.
Although a multitude of agonizing feelings must have been tearing her heart, it was
observed that her outward appearance was placid.
When Princess Myngan and her aunt, Princess Taejang, realized the queens
plight, they hastened to the palace and requested an audience with the king. Princess
Myngan shed tears and expostulated at length, drawing the kings attention to the
queens virtues and to Lady Changs base and cunning ways. The tone of her voice and
her choice of words were severe as well as sincere, but they were unavailing. Finally
she had to take her leave, and departed with a heavy sigh.
She then went to see the queen. Holding the hem of the queens robe in her hands,
she burst into tears, not knowing what to say. Thus, strangely, it was the queen who
consoled and soothed the princess. With sighs of resignation she said: Fortune and
misfortune are dealt out by the will of Heaven, and my lack of virtue has brought
todays misfortune. I blame nobody and I will submit to His Majestys will. But I am
truly grateful for your sympathy.
Admiring the queens goodness, the princess said that a dark cloud had temporarily
deprived His Majesty of his wisdom, but that with the passage of time, that wisdom
would be restored. She began to cry again without restraint, and moved the other court
ladies to tears. At last, fearing that the commotion might incur the kings displeasure,
she left the palace.
The following day the inspector and the chief lady-in-waiting came to the queens
quarters in the palace to deliver the kings message. Before walking down the front
steps to receive the decree, the queen calmly took off her royal robe and removed her

264
ornamental hairpin. The decree ordered her to leave the palace at once. While she
obediently made the necessary preparations, her room was filled with the wailing of
court ladies and maids.
The king showed his displeasure over the noise of weeping by bidding the queen
depart immediately, and formally reprimanding the court ladies. No one knew the
proper etiquette for addressing a dethroned queen, because there had been no
precedent since the foundation of the dynasty; and when it came to her departure, the
ladies-in-waiting had to send to her family for a palanquin, because the palace
officials refused to provide one for her. Also, as is true today, human nature is weak
and selfish; many court ladies openly showed their contempt for her. Even those who
had attended on her daily dared not show their sympathy for fear of displeasing the
king. They shed tears silently in corners where they could not be seen by the hostile
members of the inner palace.
One of the court ladies, instructed by Lady Chang, accosted the departing queen and
demanded that she open the wardrobe for inspection. The queen complied with a
smile, and her clear and innocent eyes caused the woman to withdraw abashed.
Meanwhile, repeated orders for the queen to hasten her departure arrived from the
angry king. The messenger who had been sent to the queens family house for a
palanquin returned without one, and reported that he had found only a few women
servants there. The ladies-in-waiting then managed to improvise a decent vehicle by
covering the top of a city palanquin with a silk cloth. As they hastened into the palace
with the hired palanquin, the queen was already passing by the Kyngmuk Hall on
foot. Riding in the hastily-prepared palanquin, she left the palace by the Yogm Gate.
Seven or eight maids and ladies-in-waiting followed the palanquin, wailing loudly.
How miserable and shabby the procession was compared with the pomp and
stateliness of the procession that had first brought her into the palace! Heaven seemed

265
to sympathize with her misfortune, for dark clouds covered the sky as the palanquin
left.
About threescore scholars were drawn up in front of the Yogm Gate, and another
hundred or so were submitting a memorial and, loudly lamenting, had prostrated
themselves in front of the Tonhwa Gate. When word of the queens departure reached
them, they all hurried together after her palanquin. Nearly two hundred scholars
escorted her to the Min family mansion in Anguk-tong, and the sound of their wailing
seemed to reach heaven. Shops were closed and all the citizens, young and old alike,
stood outside to watch the procession and grieve for the queen. The whole world was
in sorrow, and gloom reigned over the entire nation.
The king was infuriated to learn of the response of the citizens, and another
inquisition sent into exile several leading scholars who had signed the memorial.
On reaching the family house in Anguk-tong, the queen was met by her stepmother,
who held the queens hands, unable to control her tears. This reunion with her
stepmother revived her sorrow for her deceased father, and she said sadly: Mother, I
have incurred the kings displeasure, and I think it wise for you to retire to our family
estate lest you should be seen living under the same roof with me.
Her stepmother and the other ladies packed their belongings and retired to the estate
at Aeo-ri. After they had gone the queen ordered all the gates of the house to be closed
and sealed to cut off the outside world. Then she shut down the main wing of the house
and settled in what used to be the servants quarters, with only those ladies-in-waiting
and maids who had accompanied her from the palace. All but three were the same
ladies whom she had originally taken with her into the palace. To the three who had
been assigned to her since her wedding she said: You have not been in my personal
employment; you belong to the palace. I am a dethroned queen and have no right to
retain your services. Pray return to the palace.

266
 Weeping, they replied, When we left the palace in your company, we made up our
minds not to fear death. Even death could not repay the favors you have bestowed
upon us. We beg you to let us stay.
Moved by their sincerity and devotion, she allowed them to remain. The large house
with many of its rooms sealed off and unused, inhabited by only a handful of women,
seemed desolate to those who had been accustomed to the pomp and splendor of the
palace, but they never betrayed their loneliness in the queens presence.
The queens uncle, second minister of state Min Chong-jung, and all her cousins had
been exiled. Only the female members of the family lived in the resort estate at Aeo-ri,
where they prepared meals for the queen and delivered them daily to the Anguk-tong
house. After about a week, the queen had her meals cooked at the Anguk-tong house,
saying that transporting the food involved too much work for the servants. She herself
had only one meal a day, insisting that abstinence was necessary for one who had
incurred the kings displeasure. When her relatives visited the house to pay their
respects, she declined to see them.
By and by it was autumn, and the queens family sent her mushrooms. When she saw
them, she began to shed silent tears. One of the ladies-in-waiting asked: It is unusual
to see you so sad. Tell me what distresses you so?
Although the king sees me as a sinner, I know I am innocent. But as I have said
many times, my present misfortune is the will of Heaven. Therefore I do not blame
anybody, nor grieve over what has happened. It is only the mushrooms. They were the
favorites of the late queen mother and queen dowager. I used to get my family to send
some to the court to serve at their table, and I remember how pleased they were. These
thoughts make the sight of these mushrooms a sad one. Tears accompanied these
words, and all the ladies-in-waiting were moved to tears also.
The queen forbade the house to be decorated, or the grass in the garden to be cut. In

267
time the house took on a dilapidated look, and the grass grew man-high. At night the
house was visited by ghosts and evil spirits, and the ladies were frightened. Then one
day a stray dog wandered into the garden. The ladies tried to chase it away, but in
spite of their repeated efforts it would not leave. Finally the queen said: Its behavior
is very strange. Let it stay, and see what happens.
About ten days later the dog gave birth to three strong puppies. They and their
mother became perfect watch-dogs and protectors. No ghosts or evil spirits dared to
haunt the nearly-deserted mansion. Thus animals knew how to assist the just. Were not
the many wicked people in the palace who welcomed the queens dethronement less
worthy than these beasts?

III

To alleviate the tedium in that lonely house, the queen took in her brothers seven-
year-old daughter and taught her weaving and the classical Chinese literature suitable
for her age. She never blamed anyone for her misfortunes.
As the end of the three-year mourning period for her father drew near, her sorrow
over his death was renewed, and her excessive grief weakened her health. When the
mourning period officially ended, her stepmother sent her a wardrobe of colored
dresses, which she could now wear. However, she declined these gifts, saying:
Though the mourning period for my father is over, I am still a sinner and cannot wear
colored dresses.
She not only continued to wear simple white cotton garments, but refused personal
ornaments and jewellery, and delicacies in food.
After the queens dethronement the king had formally enthroned Lady Chang as
queen consort. When Queen Chang gave her first audience to the court, the wise and

268
good were saddened by the adverse situation. Her cunning and cruelty angered them,
but alas, the court was controlled by evil men and nothing could be done.
After the formalities, Queen Chang wasted no time in getting the title of Oksan
Puwngun conferred on her father. Her brother, Chang Hi-jae, became commander
of the capital garrison. Such irresponsible actions brought about general laxity of
discipline in the government and loss of trust by the people. Even the wisest ruler once
in his life may become prey to slander, but no one expected it of King Sukchong. It
was distressing that a wise and benevolent king, equally distinguished in both literary
and military accomplishments, should be deceived by someone like Lady Chang and
thereby damage the reputation of his kingdom.
In the following year, 1690, the child born of Lady Chang was formally installed as
crown prince. This event merely heightened Lady Changs arrogance and haughtiness.
She dominated the whole palace with her outrageous insolence; and in the office of her
greedy brother, General Chang, corruption knew no end.
Three or four years elapsed with Lady Chang and her clan enjoying great power.
Old sayings observe that tragedy follows excessive revelry, and that virtue is its own
reward; and by and by the dark cloud that had veiled the kings intelligence drifted
away, and he came to realize how unjustly Queen Min had suffered, and to suspect
Lady Chang of treachery. He was now a changed person. In spite of repeated
proposals made by Lady Chang and her followers at court that Queen Mins uncle and
cousins should be put to death, the king did not accede to their demands. Thus the Min
family escaped complete destruction.
Lady Chang sensed this change of heart in the king and trembled. She conspired
with her brother, General Chang Hi-jae, and engineered the famous plot of 1694.
They aimed at killing Queen Min by poison. The king, however, saw clearly what evil
plots were being contemplated by his wicked subjects, took drastic measures and

269
reversed the outcome of the conspiracy. He removed all treacherous courtiers, and
reinstated many loyal subjects who had been demoted from office or exiled.
In the third moon of the same year, an officer in the palace administration came to
the Min mansion in Anguk-tong three times. At last, on the ninth of the fourth moon,
the king officially cleared the queen of all faults and accusations. He issued an order
for her and her party to move to one of the minor palaces, and wrote a personal letter
to her, to be delivered by the chief lady-in-waiting and a eunuch.
The queen, however, declined to receive the kings emissaries or his letter, saying:
It would be irreverent for a person in my position to receive visitors, and, even more,
a royal epistle.
The emissaries in front of the firmly-closed gate begged in vain all that night to be
received. In the morning they returned to the palace and reported in detail.
Embarrassed and in low spirits, the king sent another group of envoys composed of his
personal secretaries and a high official in the Board of Rites. They again earnestly
requested to be received, explaining the response that royal prestige and decorum
demanded, but it was of no avail. At last the king issued a strict order to the Min
family stating that her obstinate refusal might be construed as an act of defiance and a
personal reproach to the king. With due respect, the Min family begged the queen to
receive the kings emissaries and accede to the royal wish, but still she would not
open the gate. Again a few days later the king sent another high-ranking official who
elaborated on proper decorum in his attempt to persuade her. In response she had one
of the ladies-in-waiting answer: I have been allowed to preserve my life solely by
virtue of the royal favor, and it would be irreverence on my part to dare to receive
visitors, especially the august emissaries of His Majesty. These repeated requests are
very embarrassing for me.
Twice more the king sent emissaries and twice more issued orders to the Min

270
family. Deeply troubled, the queens brother, ex-minister Min Chin-hu, visited her and
implored her to think again. At last she acquiesced and said: Open the front gate only,
not the inner gate that leads to my quarters.
The gate was finally opened, and for the first time those outside saw the garden full
of rank weeds. At the kings orders, workers cut the grass and the emissaries advanced
into the garden. The stepping stones were hidden by thick green moss; the building
was so thickly covered with dust that the windows were indistinguishable from the
walls. The emissaries shed tears to see the desolate state of the queens dwelling.
The grass-cutting, cleaning and repairs to the building went ahead immediately.
Officials and a detachment of the palace guard moved into the mansion to provide
protection. Life inside the mansion became livelier, and a thousand emotions crowded
the minds of the ladies-in-waiting and the maids as they peeped out through the
narrowly opened door. The queen alone did not show any sign of joy, and sat in silent
perturbation.
Now that the outer gate was opened, a line of family palanquins carrying members
of the Min family streamed into the house to pay their respects to the queen. When the
emissaries reported to the king that the front gate had been unlocked, he sent a
personal letter to the queen by the hands of four court ladies. When they arrived at the
house, the inner gate was still tightly closed, and they waited outside all day begging
to be let in.
Meanwhile, royal messengers came to the Min house following one on anothers
heels, to urge the queen to accept the kings letter. Repeated appeals by her brother
induced her to concede, and she ordered the door to be opened. The court ladies
prostrated themselves at the foot of the steps, and when they humbly looked up they
were so struck by the queens emaciated look and lowly attire that they wept aloud.
Gracefully, she bowed four times, facing north toward the kings palace. Then she let a

271
space of time elapse before opening his letter. The letter, written on a scroll seven
inches wide and three feet long, was filled with remorse and apology for his past
injustice, and it begged her to return to the palace.
She put the letter away in a box and sat in silence. The chief lady- in-waiting,
prostrating herself before the queen, said: His Majesty bade us take back your letter
of reply to the palace. With respect, I beg that you favor us with an epistle to our king.
A long pause was followed by this answer: Return to the palace and simply report
that for the sake of propriety I am unable to submit a letter.
The court ladies, helpless, had to return to the palace without a letter from her. The
king heard the queens words from the women, and was deeply touched by her
virtuous response. The following morning he sent another letter with clothing, robes,
bedding and table ware. The ladies-in-waiting reminisced about old times and wept,
but the queen neither displayed indiscreet pleasure nor behaved with undue coldness.
She was like the calm surface of a secluded pond.
The chief lady-in-waiting then imparted the kings wish: His Majesty gave us an
audience yesterday and asked us if you had proper clothes, bedding and tableware. We
answered truthfully that you had not. He evinced extreme displeasure and said: I
admit I was in the wrong, but it must have been obvious to everyone that it was the
anger of the moment that caused my mistake. I am unable to comprehend the
circumstances that have reduced a royal personage to such destitution.
And he at once sent word to the royal household office to prepare these presents.
When the office reported that though the clothes and bedding could be prepared
overnight, the tableware could not be made in time, the king ordered them to send the
set that had been prepared for the royal visit to the ancestral tombs. Last night His
Majesty made a most unusual visit to the workrooms of the household office to ask the
needlewomen about their progress. He directed that the embroidery on the pillow be

272
changed to a phoenix, and one dress was remade because His Majesty thought the
color too sober.
This detailed account of what was happening in the palace was the result of a
gallant attempt on the part of the chief lady-in-waiting to impress the queen with the
kings deep remorse.
The queen broke her long silence and said with a slight bow: I am deeply moved
by the breadth and depth of the royal favor. Normally I would not dare refuse these
presents; but these are most precious things, and belong only in the palace. It is not
proper to keep them in a private house. Therefore, with respect, I must decline and ask
you to take them back to the palace.
With a feeling of helplessness, the court ladies returned to the palace and recounted
to the king what had taken place. He was again moved by the queens fidelity to
decorum, and wrote another letter full of words of comfort. He wrote also that
excessive politeness sometimes results in discourtesy. If overdone, her present
conduct for the sake of propriety would be misinterpreted as an act of reproach to him
and also an attempt on her part to expose his wrong-doing. As a postscript he added
that should the presents be returned again, he would have no choice but to punish the
chief lady-in-waiting for failing in her mission. Knowing already what the king would
have to say, the queen put the letter away unopened and unanswered. However, at the
repeated entreaties of her family that she should answer it, she read it and wrote a
reply of five or six lines. In high spirits the chief lady-in-waiting hurried back to the
palace with the sealed letter, and the king, in equally high spirits, opened and read it.
Although brief, it was full of apologies; she blamed only herself for what had
happened.
The following day was the twenty-third of the fourth moon and the queens birthday.
The king, remembering this anniversary, sent delicacies with a letter of greeting, and

273
issued an order to all the palaces in the capital to send tribute to her. The people of
Seoul rejoiced on hearing of this order, and the members of the Min family shed
joyous tears. When the tributes from each palace reached the Min house, the queen
again declined to accept them, saying that it was not proper to receive tribute in a
private house. Despite the efforts of the king and the high officials to persuade her to
accept them, she remained firm, to the admiration of the court and the people of the
city.
The Min family decided that the situation would now permit the queens stepmother
to move back into the house. With her return, a line of palanquins gathered at the house
to pay respects to both the queen and her stepmother. The house was now guarded day
and night by a detachment of palace guards, and the degree of care taken in
interrogating each visitor was as great as at the palace. When the queen heard of this,
she ordered the guards to admit all the members of her family who came to pay their
respects. For the first time since her dethronement, she freely saw and conversed with
her family and relatives. As before, she did not discriminate against the less
prosperous ones.
The twenty-seventh day of the fourth moon had been appointed by the palace as the
day for the queens return, and a eunuch official was sent to the Min house to notify
them of this. Greatly alarmed, the queen declined: By special favor of the most high I
have been enabled to preserve my humble life; now I can even enjoy meeting my
family. All this is more than I had ever hoped for. I dare not enter the palace and
present myself before His Majesty.
The king sent letters to her four or five times a day by the hands of officials of high
ministerial rank, urging her to think again. He also sent a stern order to the Min family
to comply with his decision. When the appointed day came the queen, knowing that she
could not resist, reluctantly put on her royal robes and bade farewell to her family. It

274
was especially hard for her to part from her twelve-year-old niece, her brothers
daughter, whom she had taken in five years before. The queen wept, holding her
nieces hands, and the little girl could not control her sobbing. Saddened by this
parting, all those who were present wept bitterly.
The richly-decorated royal palanquin waited in front of the Min house, but the
queen refused to ride in it and asked for a less stately vehicle. The kings emissary and
her family were so insistent, however, that she reluctantly stepped into it and the
procession began to move, led by gaily-dressed court ladies adorned with flowers.
Several thousand soldiers of the royal guard, ministers and other high-ranking officials
escorted the procession. The day was blessed with fair weather; the warm air was
mingled with auspicious cloudlets and pleasant breezes. The road to the palace was
crowded, for all had turned out to celebrate the occasion. Along the road ladies of
noble families waited under temporary awnings to pay their respects. The procession
was even more magnificent and stately than that which had first taken her into the
palace. Who could have imagined, after seeing her leave the palace in an improvised
palanquin followed by wailing attendants and scholars, that this day of splendor
would come? Only Queen Inhyns virtues and discreet behavior could have made it
possible. Perhaps Heaven was moved. There were many who wept as the procession
passed, recalling her former misfortunes; but many more laughed joyously at seeing
her happiness restored.

IV

On the morning of the day when the queen returned to the palace the king kept
himself busy touring the inner palace area, inspecting the buildings that had been
constructed since her departure. After looking around her room, he asked the lady-in-

275
waiting: How is it that there is no hairdressing set?
The lady in charge of hairdressing deferentially admitted that it was an oversight.
The king was much displeased, and ordered a set to be brought in immediately. When
the comb-chest was ready, he personally opened the drawers and inspected the
contents. Finding one comb broken, he angrily ordered it to be replaced, and recorded
an official reprimand against the lady in charge of hairdressing. Those who were
present were impressed by the kings tender care for the queen.
As the procession made its way through the palace gate, the king, who had been
waiting for the queens arrival on the balcony of a high building, was pleased to see
the jubilation of the people. He told a court lady to ask the queen to dismount beneath
the balcony so that he might see her face without delay. The court lady hastened
toward the approaching palanquin and delivered the kings message. The queen
hesitated to comply, saying, I, a sinner, dare not face the royal countenance.
But by this time the king himself had come down from the balcony and was
approaching the palanquin. When he saw the queens hesitation he opened the door of
the vehicle himself, lifted the beaded screen and used his fan to waft a gentle breeze
into the palanquin. Awestruck, the queen dismounted at once and prostrated herself
before him. The king, in high spirits, ordered the ladies-in-waiting to lead the queen to
her chambers immediately.
All the ladies-in-waiting flocked around the queen, leading her into the chamber
assigned to her in the new building. For the sake of propriety and decorum, the queen
refused to sit on the royal cushion. A thousand emotions crowded her mind as she
looked around the room with its magnificent decorations and thought how different her
present fortune was from yesterday. Though she was usually so self-controlled and
imperturbable, tears welled into her brilliant eyes. The king, who had followed her
into the room, also shed tears of mingled joy and remorse, so that the sleeves of his

276
royal robe were soon wet. Nobody present dared look up into the royal countenance.
The crown prince came in to pay his respects. He was seven years old, but was
already so sturdy that he seemed almost like a young adult. As he bowed and sat
deferentially before her, the queen was pleased to see how much he had grown.
Thinking of the change in the course of events, she held his hands in hers and breathed
a heavy, heart-rending sigh.
The king sat close to the queen and apologized to her for his past injustice, in words
sincere and earnest enough to move even a hardened heart. The queen, far from being
haughty or complacent, insisted that such apologies were not deserved. The king
admired her all the more.
The physical and emotional fatigue that followed her return to the palace hurt the
queens health, and she touched no food. This worried the lady-in-waiting who was
taking special care in preparing the royal table. The king ate but the queen did not.
When the king asked the lady-in-waiting how the queen was doing, she answered that
Her Majesty had been in poor health since her return to the palace and had eaten little.
The king was alarmed, and himself put a spoon into her hand and urged her to try to
eat. The queen was touched by his kindness and tried to comply, but she was too weak
to eat more than two spoonfuls.
Meanwhile Queen Chang, who had never thought for a moment that her power could
be threatened, was amazed by what had happened: the change struck her like lightning
and enraged her. Wrathful, she bade one of the ladies-in-waiting deliver a message to
Queen Min: Officially I am still queen consort. It is a serious breach of decorum for a
dethroned queen not to pay her respects to me on entering the palace.
Queen Min was speechless when she heard the message and ignored it. The king,
who happened to be present when it was delivered, was infuriated by Lady Changs
outrageous audacity, and the incident moved him to repent even more deeply of his

277
past injustice. He quickly withdrew from the womens quarters and made the royal
secretary draw up several writs to effect the immediate reinstatement of Queen Min,
the posthumous reinstatement of her father and of her uncle, Min Chong-jung, second
minister of state, who had died in exile. He also reinstated and promoted the banished
members of the Min family and took away the titles and offices of Lady Changs father
and brother. After he had destroyed the royal eulogy presented to Lady Chang when
she had become queen consort, the king ordered her to be evicted from the royal living
quarters immediately and moved into one of the smaller buildings used by the court
ladies. The eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting delivered the kings orders to Lady Chang
as she was about to sit down at the dinner table with her son, the crown prince.
I am still the mother of the nation and of the crown prince. I am determined to
receive the bow of the dethroned woman, she screamed. In her fury she abused and
beat the little crown prince. The attendants were alarmed and reported this to the king,
who hastened to the inner palace as Lady Chang was sitting down to dinner. The
moment she saw him her face turned blue and she began to expostulate with him: As
long as I am queen consort, Your Majesty, I am entitled to be respected as such by the
dethroned queen. Furthermore, what have I done to be ordered to leave the inner
palace?
How dare you speak in that manner? How dare you hope to retain your position?
shouted the king.
Queen Chang, screaming hysterically, overturned the dinner-table. Remember I am
the crown princes mother, and that alone justifies my retaining my position. Even if I
am forced to leave the inner palace, I insist that the dethroned woman pay her respects
to me before I leave.
The food flew all over the room. The king bellowed: Drag this woman out of here.
Now!

278
 Encouraged by this royal command, the attendants, who hated the unfeeling queen
but had hesitated to disobey her because of her position, acted swiftly and removed
the screaming woman to a smaller building. Hearing her cursing and abusing Queen
Min in a hoarse voice as she was being carried away, the king wanted to expel her
from the palace on the spot, but he decided to be discreet for the sake of the crown
prince.
A favorable day was chosen for re-enthroning Queen Min. Three times she tried in
vain to refuse this honor. Finally she put on the ceremonial robes and formally
acceded to queen-consortship. The ceremony completed, she bowed to the king to
express her gratitude. The dignity and brilliance of her effortless performance on this
occasion were far greater than at her former enthronement. The kings face was radiant
with pleasure as he stepped down to lead her personally to the throne to sit side by
side with him. Then all the high-ranking government officials and members of the
royal family came to pay homage to them both. Fair weather blessed the day; peaceful
breezes gathered auspicious cloudlets over and around the palace, within which all
rejoiced and celebrated. Jubilation spread over the entire nation.
Princess Taejang and Princess Myngan came in to pay their respects.
Overwhelmed by a thousand emotions, they said: We knew this day would come, for
we trusted His Majestys wisdom and knew that Her Majestys virtues would be
rewarded.
Never once referring to the hardships of the past six years, the queen reiterated the
magnitude of the royal grace. The king persuaded the princesses to stay in the palace
for a while, and to celebrate the occasion he held for the female members of the royal
family a series of feasts that lasted four or five days.
When the gay commotion of celebration subsided, the king began to single out the
court ladies who had behaved badly and had sided with Lady Chang. He had them

279
exiled to remote places and in their place promoted those who had been faithful to
queen Min. Now they could spend the remainder of their lives in peace and comfort, to
the envy of everyone in the palace. The officials who had been banished and exiled
because they resisted the kings decision to dethrone Queen Min were recalled to the
palace by courier, reinstated and promoted in recognition of their loyalty. Those who
had died in exile were likewise posthumously honored, and the panegyrics read at
memorial services, composed by the king himself in memory of the deceased, were
presented to their families. In addition, the king treated the bereaved generously by
giving offices to their sons and grandsons and providing pensions for life for their
parents.
Although Lady Chang was detestable, the king let her remain a royal concubine with
privileges second only to the queen so that the crown prince should not suffer
humiliation. She was reassigned to Chwisong Hall in Yngsuk Palace. Had she been
capable of normal decency, she would have been grateful for this royal consideration;
but she was not. She blamed all her misfortunes on the queen and abused her in
offensive language. In her fits of anger she beat her own son so often that he became a
permanent invalid. Finally the king was forced to forbid the crown prince to visit Lady
Changs quarters. Sometimes the boy asked the king tearfully: Why am I not allowed
to see my own mother?
The king comforted him and arranged for him to live with Queen Min in the inner
palace. The queen was so fond of the prince that he soon forgot his loneliness.
Lady Chang had been using the crown prince for her advantage, but now she lost
even him. The king never visited her quarters, and very few in the palace would
associate with her. Thus, although she was allowed to remain in the palace, her
predicament was much worse than that of Queen Min when she was sent outside.
Queen Min had suffered severe bodily hardship when dethroned, but the whole nation

280
had grieved for her, and misfortune had only increased the honor and respect they felt
for her. On her reaccession the entire nation rejoiced, and the members of the Min
family enjoyed royal favor as well as the respect of the people. By contrast, no one
seemed to sympathize with Lady Chang nor with her brother, who was exiled to the
distant island of Cheju. When Lady Chang wandered at night around the inner palace
where Queen Min dwelt, she heard through the windows the happy sounds of family
life. As she stood outside listening to the queen, the king and the crown prince, she
was obsessed with thoughts of vengeance.
Finally, in an attempt to bribe the ladies-in-waiting to poison Queen Min, she began
to squander the wealth she had hoarded while she was queen. Queen Min had been
cautious enough to assign to the royal kitchen only those she could trust, so Lady
Changs repeated attempts were foiled. Lady Chang then resorted to sorcery Her
malicious scheming knew no end. If only she had realized the depth of the king and
queens magnanimity and accepted the change in the situation, she could have enjoyed
all the comfort and splendor a royal palace could offer. After all, she was the mother
of the crown prince and could look forward to her son becoming the sovereign. Not
Lady Chang. Her impatience and greed for power were such that she entertained even
more heinous and atrocious ideas.
During these years the country was suffering hard times. To alleviate the national
distress, the royal couple set an example of frugality by closing down unnecessary
buildings in the palace and reducing the scale of the royal sustenance by half. These
measures impressed the whole nation.
In 1696 the crown prince turned eight years old. An initiation ceremony was held,
and arrangements were made for the choice of his bride. The king and queen
personally screened the candidates and chose a daughter of Sim So of Chngsong.
The wedding ceremony was held, and Lady Sim became crown princess. At the fair

281
age of ten, she was a person of noted beauty and virtue. The king and queen grew very
fond of her. Whenever the king could spare the time to leave his daytime quarters, he
came into the inner palace to enjoy the company of the queen and the young couple.
Another prince, born of Lady Choe, was now two years old and the king and queen
loved him dearly too. Thus, although she had no child of her own, the queen enjoyed a
happy family life.
Another royal concubine, Lady Kim, was a woman of modesty devoted to the queen,
but she too bore the king no children. Taking pity on her, the queen treated her kindly
and took measures to ensure her comfort. So the days passed, in peace and harmony.
Only Lady Chang was malcontent, reasoning that even though she had given birth to the
crown prince, Queen Min continued to enjoy the glory.
The shamans and shamanesses summoned by Lady Chang set up a shrine in her
quarters and enshrined there an image of an evil spirit made of silk cloth in various
colors. Queen Mins name and her date of birth were written on a piece of paper, and
the shamans and shamanesses prayed for her death morning and night. Lady Chang also
had a portrait of the queen painted and hung on the wall of her living- room; she made
her maids shoot arrows at it three times a day. When the portrait was much perforated
and damaged, it was replaced by a new one. The old one was shrouded in silk and
buried secretly at night near a pond in the palace grounds. These activities persisted
for three years, but the unrelenting sorceries did not produce the desired effect; the
queen enjoyed good health as never before.
Lady Chang, desperate, solicited the assistance of her brothers wife, Sukchng,
who had been a lowly prostitute before she became his concubine and eventually his
wife by poisoning his legitimate spouse. True to the proverb that birds of a feather
flock together, she complied gladly and moved into the palace to help in scheming
evil. They procured a human skeleton, wrapped it in pieces of cloth of the five colors,

282
and buried it outside the northern wall of the inner palace where Queen Min resided,
confident that this would bring down curses on her. They pulverized another skeleton,
dusted the lining of a costume with the powder and tried to present it to the queen.
Suspecting nothing, she declined to accept the present out of propriety. Thwarted, they
hung it in their private shrine beside the paper on which the queens name was written.
It is said that evil cannot violate the just and that vileness cannot outdo virtue. Such
brutal and intense imprecations as those practised by Lady Chang, however, were
bound to have some effect; in the fall of 1700, the queen was abruptly taken ill with a
strange sickness. She could formulate no specific complaint, for it was a general
physical debility aggravated by chills and fever with occasional pains in the joints.
The whole palace was upset by the mysterious nature of the queens illness. The
king was particularly anguished over her ill-health and personally saw that the best
doctors in the country were gathered to examine her. Strangely enough, no one could
diagnose her sickness, and despite all their efforts, medicine was totally ineffective. In
spring the following year her pure white skin became ulcerated for no discernible
reason. The king was tormented by the thought that the hardships she had endured
during her exile, for which he was responsible, might be the cause of her illness. To
ease his conscience, she pretended to feel well. Only Lady Chang and her followers
rejoiced secretly over the queens poor health, and, believing that Heaven was at last
responding to their prayers, persisted in their evil with renewed intensity.
In the fourth moon, about the time of the queens birthday, the king issued orders to
prepare a great feast in her honor and invite all the women of the Min family. He
insisted on these celebrations in spite of the queens reluctance, because she was
gravely ill and he was afraid this might well be the last chance. The crown prince and
princess joined him in persuading the queen, and finally she gave in.
On her birthday all the woman of the Min family came to the palace as invited, and

283
blessed the king for honoring them as they enjoyed the royal feast; but secretly they
were all startled to see how ill the queen looked. When they were ready to leave, one
of them spoke to the queen about her health and cautioned her to take better care of
herself. To these kind words she replied in tears: I was not able to repay the royal
favor by bearing His Majesty a child. Recently I am strangely troubled by a nameless
fatigue, and I feel as though I were in the midst of a thick fog. I suspect that the end of
my days in this world is approaching. My only regret is that I have failed to repay the
profound favors which the king has bestowed upon me. And since I shall probably not
see you again, dear sisters, I beg you to bring up your children with care and virtue so
that they may perpetuate the family tradition.
The queen gave way to tears when she had finished speaking, and, overcome by her
pathetic words, all the court ladies who were present wept together. The lady who had
first spoken of the queens health said with feigned confidence: Your Highness is still
young, and will surely recover from this temporary illness. So please do not speak in
that way.
Then they left the palace. The queen drew a long sigh as she saw them off; and once
they were out of sight of the queen, the ladies of the Min family wept in their
palanquins.
Princess Taejang and the other women of the royal family presented dresses to the
queen on her birthday. Though she declined at first, their insistence made it impossible
for her to refuse without hurting their feelings. When Lady Chang presented a dress,
however, the queen was firm though polite in her refusal. The crown prince, who
happened to be present on this occasion, earnestly besought her to accept his mothers
gift. Had he known its true nature and the evil purpose behind it, he would never have
made such an appeal; he believed his mother was trying to make amends for her past
misdeeds, and thought this occasion might serve to restore harmony. In order to please

284
him the queen accepted the accursed gift, to which had been attached the most
powerful of all spells.
The queen never wore the dress Lady Chang had given her, but she kept it in her
wardrobe, where it spread evil influences throughout the inner palace. In the fifth
moon her illness became worse, and she was no longer able to leave her bed. The best
doctors in the country, gathered by royal command, tended her. This was of no avail
because her illness was not physical. The poison of evil imprecations had penetrated
to the marrow of her bones, and for this the essence of all the medicinal herbs in the
world was useless. During the day she looked fairly well, but every night she ran a
fever and talked in delirium. No one could identify her illness from these strange
symptoms.
In the seventh moon her condition became critical. Gloom reigned over the palace,
and the king prayed morning and night for her recovery. The crown prince also prayed.
However, the queens health continued to decline. In spite of her ill-health, she tried to
dissuade the king from performing these devotions, because anxiety and abstinence
from food and sleep during the devotional period became a threat to his health.
Having a premonition of death, the queen stopped taking medicine. When word of
this reached the king, he hurried in alarm to the sick-room to persuade her to continue:
A sick person should take remedies. Take your medicine and get well soon, to please
me if for no other reason.
Since I am not yet advanced in years and my life is happy, I have no reason to wish
to die, Your Majesty; but so far the medicine has not relieved my pain, and sometimes
I feel it would be better to be dead just to be free from pain. In obedience to your wish
I have so far taken the medicine, but it makes my pains worse. Now I know there is no
hope of getting well, so please do not urge me any more, answered the queen.
Tears fell on the sleeves of the royal robe as the king spoke: Such sombre words

285
trouble me deeply. If taking the medicine distresses you so much, you may discontinue
it for a few days.
He remained in the sick-room day and night, caring for her and trying to induce her
to take rice water and broth. To the relief of everyone in the palace, she seemed to feel
a little better without the medicine. Then one day she asked all the ladies-in-waiting
and maids in her service to come to her room.
I know I shall not live much longer and do not know how to repay you all for your
loyal service. When the official mourning period of three years is over, you will all
return home to live happily with your families. Let us promise to meet again in the next
world, many, many years hence, when all of us are ready.
Hearing these words of farewell, they all covered their faces and broke down. The
queen ordered them to clean the whole of the inner palace and burn incense; and when
this had been done she took a bath, changed into new clothes and sent for the king.
Alarmed to see that she had put on special clothes and was surrounded by weeping
women, he asked: What is the meaning of this?
By your favor I have enjoyed the august position and glory of consortship, Your
Majesty, and do not consider it a misfortune to die now. However, I have not given
you an heir, nor have I repaid even a thousandth of the favors you have bestowed upon
me; these are my regrets at this moment when death seems so near, and I shall not be
able to forget them even in the other world. Do not grieve because of my early death,
Your Majesty; enjoy a long and happy life.
Why do you say such dreadful things? The kings speech faltered. He wept, and
could not continue.
The queen, her eyes also filled with tears, said: To grieve overmuch damages ones
health. I pray you not to be too sorrowful. Then I can die peacefully and the nation will
be relieved of additional anxiety.

286
 Then she called the crown prince, the crown princess, the younger prince and the
royal concubines into her room. To them she said: By His Majestys favor I have had
the honor of being enthroned as queen again after five years of disgrace. I hoped to
tend the king and the princes for many years, but today I have to make a long journey. I
wish you all to live long and devote your lives to His Majestys service. She held
Prince Ynings hand, I have been fond of this child. He is very dear to me, but now I
shall not be able to see him grow up. He was six years old at the time.
Next the members of the Min family came to see the queen. Her brother and
nephews were called into the palace. Overwhelmed by sorrow, they could not speak.
Is it possible to imagine how the king felt? He was present throughout and witnessed
all these proceedings.
He personally poured out rice water for the queen, and she took two or three sips,
breathing heavily. The king gently raised her, adjusted her pillow and made her
comfortable. A little later she passed tranquilly away. She was thirty-four years old,
and it was the fourteenth day of the eighth moon of 1701, the seventh year after her
return to consortship. Loud weeping could be heard throughout the palace. Many of the
ladies-in-waiting, overcome by grief, beat their foreheads, vowing to follow their
queen into the other world.
Pounding the railing of the balustrade with his hands, the king looked up at the sky
and mourned aloud, tears streaming down his face to wet the sleeves of his royal robe.
The whole nation was plunged into grief, lamenting as if its own mother had died. Was
this not all due to the virtues of the departed queen?
Her remains were embalmed and placed in a royal coffin, according to the
prescribed rituals. The king was present at all the ceremonies, bewailing his loss. His
grief intensified with the passage of time, so that it became a matter of serious concern
for the officials of the court.

287
 V

On the fourth day of the ninth moon there was another ceremony for the deceased
queen, and on this occasion the king himself composed a lament to be read by an
official. In substance the lament said:
With simple offerings we address the soul of the deceased Queen Min.
Alas! Is it true that you have passed away, or is this merely a dream? We are still
troubled and unable to determine its certainty, though days have passed and the moon
has changed. It must be true that you are dead, for we can no longer hear your sweet
voice nor see your beautiful face. From ancient times it has been said that the sorrow
of a widower is the most pitiable of all sorrows; but alas! our pain and agony have no
equal in history.
You were born to a family of noble lineage and disciplined by sagacious parents.
Although you were endowed with exceptional gifts and rare virtues, owing to a whim
of fate and our indiscretion, you suffered five long years in exile. In time of difficulty
you behaved virtuously and with discretion in order to make our faults less manifest.
Through your example of filial devotion and virtuous actions, you filled the palace
with an atmosphere of courtesy and warmth. It was our desire to enjoy the blessings of
peace with you, but alas! Heaven took you away from us prematurely.
Now you rest in peace oblivious of everything, but how shall we endure our
sorrow and remorse throughout this long, hard life?
Alas! In spite of your exceptional virtues, you did not enjoy the blessings of
children or long life. Such is the heartless way of Heaven; it may be the way
Providence chooses to punish us for our faults and wrong-doing, so that we are
burdened with regret for the rest of our life. In the distance stands Tongmyng Hall,
and beholding it we are under the illusion that we see your virtuous image and hear
288
your gentle voice; but there is an unbridgeable gulf between you and us. Even if we
had done you no wrong, your sudden death would have filled us with equal sorrow.
How then can we reproach ourselves enough for having been solely responsible for
causing you to suffer the hardships of banishment for five years?
Here we end, lest the lament be too long.
When the official finished reading this encomium, the king began to mourn aloud.
His tears and lamentations were enough to move Heaven. All the officials present also
wept in company, and no one dared to look up at the king.
The posthumous title of Queen Consort Inhyn was then conferred upon her, and a
site for the royal tomb was chosen in the county of Koyang and designated Myngnng.
The king issued a royal order for a memorial hall called Kyngyn Hall to be built
within the precincts of the tomb, and commissioned an official of ministerial rank to
supervise its construction. He also manifested his wish to be buried beside her and
directed that this wish be reflected in the construction plans.
The funeral date was finally fixed for the eighth of the twelfth moon. The span of
earthly life is beyond the control of human beings, and the queens life, characterized
by childlessness, premature death and the evil schemings of wicked persons, was by
no means a happy one. When the life of a good and virtuous person can be visited by
such misfortunes, how can the life of an evil person be expected to flourish? The
retribution of Heaven may sometimes be slow in working, but Heaven certainly did
not forget the name of Lady Chang.
While the queen was still suffering in her sick-room, Lady Chang visited her twice
only, on the pretext that she herself was sick. The queen was aware that this was a
deliberate incivility but, knowing Lady Chang, she pretended not to notice it. Lady
Chang, on her part, never uttered the rightful title of Her Majesty the Queen Consort.
She always referred to the queen by the title of Lady. When the queens health took a

289
turn for the worse, Lady Chang triumphantly intensified her evil imprecations in the
hope of hastening her death.
As soon as the queen died Lady Chang, overjoyed, wanted to remove the shrine
from her quarters, because the purpose for which it had been built was accomplished.
However, her shamans and shamanesses feared that such an abrupt removal after years
of supplication might provoke the spirits into harming the crown princess or Lady
Chang, and advised her that a proper ritual be held first. This ritual was arranged for
the seventh of the ninth moon. The delay in removing the shrine was to be the cause of
her undoing, but there was no means by which the triumphant woman could know that.
Since the queens demise the king had never visited the quarters of the royal
concubines; instead, he continued daily to grieve for his loss. When his ministers
counselled him against excessive mourning, he drew a long sigh and said: My sorrow
is not merely that of a man who has lost his spouse; I am much sadder when I think of
her noble virtues and fair character.
On the seventh evening of the ninth moon, the king felt a particular sadness. The
signs of autumn were already in the air, the waxing moon looked lonely in the cold
night sky, and he could hear the chirping of the crickets. Leaning against a cushion, he
shed silent tears as he watched the candles slowly burn away. For a brief moment he
dozed off in that position. In his dream a eunuch who had died some time ago
appeared and said to him: Your Majesty, wicked and detestable spirits have filled
and plagued the palace. The death of the queen was their doing. They will breed more
calamities in the future unless immediate action is taken to exorcise them.
The eunuch pointed toward Chwisn Hall and motioned the king to follow him. He
also wished the king to visit the place where the queens remains were lying in state
until her funeral. The eunuch opened the door to a hall where the pallid queen was
sitting with her ladies-in-waiting. She broke into sobs as the king entered, and said:

290
Your Majesty, I might have had a short life even without the workings of evil spirits.
My death, however, was unnatural, and the evil imprecations employed by Lady Chang
were its direct cause. Since she was my mortal enemy, I have the power to destroy her
life, but I would rather you should examine this and do justice so that the palace can be
restored to its former peace and blessedness.
The king tried to grasp the queens hands, but she disappeared, and he awoke from
his dream.
Eunuchs waiting in an adjoining room full of autumn moonlight heard the king
wailing aloud for a while before he arose. He then ordered them to prepare a
palanquin to take him to Lady Changs quarters, adding that he wished to make an
unannounced visit. This command aroused great surprise, for it was his first visit to
Lady Changs quarters in seven or eight years.
That day also happened to be Lady Changs birthday. Sukchng, Lady Changs evil
sister-in-law, and her other followers were all present to celebrate her birthday as
well as the queens death, and each of them claimed credit for the role she had played.
A group of shamans and shamanesses was chanting in the shrine. The kings
unexpected appearance created confusion and consternation among them. He had
overheard their conversation, and stood in silent anger, but they quickly found a
favorable interpretation, because the queen was dead and it was Lady Changs
birthday. They thought this sudden visit meant the restoration of Lady Chang to favor.
Lady Chang hastily ordered food, but the king spurned it and looked sharply round for
evidence of evil-doing. He noticed that the shrine in the yard, which had been bright
with candles a moment ago, was now dark and quiet. This roused his suspicions, and
he stepped outside to it. He found a folding screen placed in an unlikely spot. He
ordered it to be removed: the women hesitated, but then were obliged to remove it and
reveal a portrait pasted on the wall. Careful examination of the portrait, which was

291
badly tattered by the countless arrow-holes in it, confirmed that it was a picture of
Queen Min.
Can anyone explain this to me? asked the king.
When no one dared answer, Lady Chang ventured a reply: It is a portrait of the
deceased queen. I had it put up so that I could admire her virtues day and night, Your
Majesty.
Then how do you explain the arrow-holes? pressed the king, and to this Lady
Chang had no ready answer.
The indignant king ordered a eunuch to light the way, proceeded to the shrine in the
yard and found it was a place for cursing. Aghast, he called the palace guards and
made them arrest all who worked for Lady Chang.
I have suspected all along, said the king, that you might be plotting evil in this
building. Now that I have evidence before me, you shall die immediately unless you
confess all you know of this heinous plot.
Even with this trenchant warning, none of them confessed the truth. When the guards
began beating them, they broke down and recounted the details of their wicked
practices. The horror of the story made the kings hair stand on end, and he said: This
proves the truth of the saying that if one nurtures a snake one is preparing trouble. I
should have removed Lady Chang from the palace entirely, for that would have
prevented the misfortunes from which I suffer now.
After committing all those who had taken part in the plot to the palace prison and
ordering an inquisition to be set up the following day, the king went to the outer palace
and was unable to sleep all night. In the morning he issued a royal writ in which he
made known all the facts of the plot undertaken by Lady Chang and her followers.
Then he ordered that all, including Lady Chang, be duly punished according to the law
relating to treason. Chang Hi-jae, Lady Changs brother, was arrested and brought

292
back from his exile in Cheju Island to Seoul for the royal inquisition. Sukchng, Chang
Hi-jaes concubine, was also brought under investigation as an accomplice. Finally,
the king ordered the royal household office to fetch the court ladies Chunsang,
Chrhyang and others from the palace prison and question them at the Injng Gate.
Yun In-ji, the royal secretary, ventured to suggest that Lady Changs punishment be
mitigated, for though her treason was grave, her position as mother of the crown
prince should be taken into consideration.
The king replied angrily: In spite of her cunning attitude and rudeness toward the
queen, I let Lady Chang remain in the palace for the sake of the crown prince. Then
what happened? Unmoved by this unprecedented favor, she constructed an evil shrine
in the palace and plotted against the queen, casting deadly spells. Now that I intend to
make a personal inquiry into this matter and do justice to appease the dead queens
soul, is it proper for a subject to try to shield the criminal who plotted his queens
death? Officers! Strip Yun of all his titles and honors and banish him from the capital!
In the course of the inquisition, Chrhyang confessed that the shamans and
shamanesses had been called and the construction of the shrine begun in 1695, and that
the shooting and burying of the queens portrait had started at about the same time. She
also gave a detailed account of the imprecations. She said that was all she knew,
because Sihyang and others were responsible for the other activities. Accordingly,
Sihyang, a 22-year-old court maid, was called to speak.
At first, I acted as a messenger between Lady Chang and Sukchng, her brothers
concubine. The only thing I noticed then was Lady Chang's pleasure in receiving
letters from Sukchng. Then Sukchng moved into the palace to live with Lady Chang.
They often ordered me and Chrhyang to follow them at night with a basketful of
somethingI did not know whatto the palace ponds and the courtyard behind the
building where the queen resided. They buried what we had carried in the basket

293
beside the pond, under the north wall of the queens residence. Once I overheard
Chwiyng reporting to Lady Chang that the work was finished. To this Lady Chang
said: Do Siyng and Chrhyang know what we have been doing? To this Chwiyng
replied: We did everything together, so they must know. They are faithful, and it is
better not to deceive them. I was never let in on the secret, but I am sure there was
some secret plot between the two women.
Then Siyng, a woman of forty, was questioned. She was crafty, but she was forced
to tell the truth.
We wrapped a skeleton in silk cloth of the five colors and buried it with pieces of
paper on which the name and birth date of the queen were written. We also prepared a
dress with a cotton lining dusted with pulverized human bones as a present for the
queen on her birthday. The queen declined the present the first year. The following
year she declined again, but at the repeated entreaties of the crown prince, finally
accepted it. The actual wording of the imprecations was prepared by Sukchng.
Thus it was Sukchngs turn to be interrogated, with the shamans and shamanesses.
We were originally in the service of Chang Hi-jae while he was in office, said a
shamaness. And when he was exiled he gave us a large quantity of silver, asking us to
help Lady Chang when the need arose. Thus out of ignorance and greed we came to be
involved in this treasonous crime.
Sukchng said: Lady Chang often asked me to make childrens clothes for her and
sent precious gifts in return, so it became my habit to comply. Once she sent me a letter
saying that she was not feeling well. She said the building where she resided often
rocked and swayed at night and for that reason she felt the need to have a shamanistic
rite performed to exorcize its evil spirits. That is how I came to move into the palace
with the shamanesses. Once I moved in, Lady Chang confided to me her secret wish to
kill the queen by imprecations, and I was forced to take part. I prepared the cursed

294
dress, but the skeleton was obtained by my husbands former steward, Chlmyong.
Arrangements were at once made to arrest Chlmyong. He had already fled from
the capital, but because of his distinctive appearance, he was caught within a few
days. He confessed that there was a blood pledge between himself and Hi-jae. When
Hi-jae was exiled, Chlmyong was asked to help Lady Chang. He added that for the
sake of his promise to Chang Hi-jae, he had searched all the provinces to obtain
skeletons.
These stories horrified the interrogators. When they excavated the spots pointed out
to them, the gruesome skeleton was found; the cotton lining ripped out of the queens
dress gave out greyish powder when shaken. With a deep sigh the king remarked: I
cannot blame anyone, for the seed was sown by me. How shall I be able to face the
queen when we meet in the next world?
Nearly a dozen of the evil-doers were beheaded at the armory that very day, and
about the same number of ladies-in-waiting and maids were exiled to distant places.
The king said: Murdering a queen by calling down evil upon her is a grave and
treasonous crime. Perhaps even more serious is the crime of those among the high-
ranking officials who have in the name of propriety counselled me against presiding
over this inquisition. I have decided to punish them, for their presence in my court will
surely invite graver calamities.
Accordingly, some of them were exiled and all of them were deprived of rank and
title and relieved of their offices.
Meanwhile, Lady Chang had been confined to her room, and the kings blood boiled
with rage against her. Had it not been for his feelings for the crown prince, he would
have had her slain instantly. Instead, he said: She deserves the severest form of
execution, but I will mitigate her punishment to save the crown prince from
humiliation. Let her die by taking poison; that way her body will not be scarred at

295
death.
Thereupon a lady-in-waiting went to the room where Lady Chang was imprisoned.
She took a bowl of poison and a message from the king: The magnitude of your crime
demands a violent death. One would think that since your crime has been fully
disclosed, you would choose death of your own accord. However, trusting to luck, you
have not done so. This makes you even more loathsome. In order to save the crown
prince from disgrace, I will diminish your punishment and let you die peacefully. Take
this poison and remove yourself swiftly from this world.
Lady Chang had shown no sign of repentance, though her wicked plot had been
uncovered; rather, she had savored the queens death and trusted in her power as
mother of the crown prince. Now the bowl of poison made her fly into a rage, and she
screamed wildly: What have I done to deserve poison? If you must kill me, kill the
crown prince first! And she threw the bowl into a corner of the room.
The panic-stricken lady-in-waiting fled back to the outer palace and reported to the
king what had happened. The infuriated king said: Although I wanted to see her die, I
did not think I could bear the sight of her evil face, so I sent the bowl of poison. She
should not have resisted; now she is making more trouble and trying to shelter behind
the crown prince. She is only making her crime graver. Now go with another bowl of
poison and tell her to drink it, knowing that it is the last favor I shall grant her.
When she heard the royal command, Lady Chang stamped on the ground, screaming:
Lady Min died young because she was destined to do so. By uniting against me, you
may perhaps kill me now, but do you expect to be safe when my son succeeds to the
throne? She continued to utter abuse, and again dashed the bowl of poison to the
ground.
Hearing of this the king ordered a palanquin and went to Lady Changs residence.
He made her sit on the ground and shouted at her: Your treasonous murder warrants

296
the most violent form of execution. I ought to have you slain and your body cut into
pieces and exposed to public view, but for the sake of the crown prince I decided to
favor you with the mildest form of death; after all this consideration, how dare you
disobey my command and multiply your wrongdoings?
Impudently looking straight into the kings eyes, Lady Chang protested in a shrill
voice: Lady Mins untimely death was nothing but just retribution for the wrongs she
had done to me. In what way am I responsible for her death? You misuse the power
given to you as king by doing this.
Turning back his sleeves, the king raged: What a wicked woman! Make her drink
the poison!
Lady Chang pushed and kicked the ladies-in-waiting who came to her with the
bowl, screaming: I am innocent. If I must die, I will die with the crown prince!
The enraged king commanded that force be used to make her drink the poison. When
the ladies-in-waiting tried to subdue her, she went wild like a madwoman, pushing,
kicking and scratching them. In a fit of passion, the king ordered the ladies-in-waiting
to pour the poison down her throat. The ladies-in-waiting tried to obey by prizing her
mouth open with the handle of a spoon. Lady Changs attitude then changed suddenly;
in panic, she began to entreat the king for mercy.
Think not only of my crime, Your Majesty, but of the love that once existed
between us. That and the crown princeare they not reasons enough to spare my
life?
The king refused to listen. With tears streaming down her face, she implored him: I
will drink the poison if you insist, but before I die, grant me as a final favor an
audience with the crown prince.
These words were spoken in a tone so pitiful that the onlookers were touched in
spite of themselves. The king, however, remained firm and repeated: Make her

297
drink!
Finally, three bowls of poison were poured into her mouth. She screamed and fell
down at the foot of the steps, vomiting blood. One bowl is potent enough to cause
death; the three bowls she had taken killed her instantly, and she lay dead in a pool of
dark blood. She had begun as a lowly maid in the court, and risen to a prominent
position with honor and glory; but, reaching far above her station, her insatiable greed
drove her into plotting the murder of the queen. This in turn resulted in the execution of
many people. In view of her life, her death can be seen only as a natural and righteous
retribution by Heaven.
Glancing at the body as he rode away to the outer palace, the king said: Remove it
instantly from the palace.
The body was salted and quickly carried out of the palace. The following day,
however, the king sent these orders: Her crime was wicked and treasonous, but give
her a proper funeral to save the crown prince from disgrace.
Who would ever mourn the death of Lady Chang? Her body strangely decayed
overnight and gave forth an offensive odor that everybody interpreted as a sign of
heavenly justice.
About the same time, Chang Hi-jae, Lady Changs brother, was executed and his
body torn to pieces and exposed around the execution ground. The citizens of the
capital came to see this sight and believed that he had at last been given his due. He
had risen from being a mere laborer in the palace and had enjoyed the power of high
office. He could have retained his power and glory had he acted within the limits of
his means and station. Greed and ambition were the causes of his fall. Is not his end a
lesson for all of us?

VI
298
 Having personally settled all matters connected with the plot and the inquisition, on
the thirteenth day of the tenth moon the king attended another rite for the late queen at
the place where her remains were enshrined. Part of the lament he composed for this
occasion said:
Many days and months have elapsed since you passed away, and our sorrow only
deepens with the passage of time. We are tormented more and more by repentance for
the suffering we inflicted upon you.
But who would have suspected that you were killed through the plotting of evil and
wicked ones in the palace? Our heart pains to recall your suffering during your illness.
How could such a virtuous and fair person fall victim to heinous treason? How is it
that the Min familys reputation for benevolence did not induce Heaven to intervene
and aid you? The responsibility for the consequences is solely ours; our
shortsightedness barred us from perceiving those evil schemes and allowed the
tragedy to occur.
Alas! Even if you now reproach us from the other world, we cannot blame you.
Alas! who can say that the dead have no awareness? Your soul still shines over us
clear and bright, and has instructed us through a dream. Who can say you are dead and
gone?
Suddenly recognizing the foul plot, we purged the palace of evil spirits and
arrested and executed the equally evil conspirators. We were motivated to act in this
manner to avenge you. But alas! no amount of vengeance can bring you back to us.
When you were alive you, who were an exceptional judge of character, more than
once advised us against having cunning officials at court. Our lack of wisdom
prevented us from listening to your valuable advice. Even after your death, you
revealed the evil plot to us in a dream; it was only through you that we came to know
of it and were able to purge the palace of evil spirits and save ourself from further
299
disgrace. The entire state was illuminated by your virtue and benevolence when you
were alive. This same virtue and benevolence still assist the state to act upon those
guilty of high treason.
Thus, it must be true that your soul still exists; will you then not hear of our great
sorrow?
When the reading was finished, the king lamented aloud, lying prone before the
altar. All those present shed tears.
The person now suffering the greatest embarrassment was the gentle-hearted crown
prince, who had loved and respected the dead queen so much. After the sudden turn of
events he repeatedly submitted memorials to the king, insisting that he wished to resign
his position as crown prince. The king said: The crime of the mother has no relation
to the son. I see no reason for you to abdicate.
Nevertheless the crown prince confined himself to his quarters and, believing
himself to be a sinner, avoided public appearances. At last the king summoned him,
bade him sit down and held his hand as he said: Your mothers disgrace has left a
deep scar on you, and you do not know what to do. She amply deserved to die, but it
pains us to hear you speak in this manner. The guilt of the mother cannot sever the
bond between father and son. Know once and for all that it is my wish that you remain
crown prince. A son should not go against his fathers wishes. Never speak of this
again.
The prince shed tears of gratitude and allowed himself to be persuaded, but he
continued to suffer to the end of his life.
In the twelfth moon of the same year Queen Mins funeral took place. The king
composed another lament for this occasion:
Alas! You were a gifted daughter of a noble family, educated by sagacious scholars.
When you became our consort, you pleased the late queen mother, and received the

300
blessing of all in the palace. Your wisdom assisted us in no small degree to order
affairs of state. It is a national misfortune that despite your virtue and wisdom you
could not enjoy a long life, and we painfully recognize that this misfortune is due to
our own lack of wisdom. Alas! Where now can we find your noble face? While we
have frequented this shrine where your coffin lies in state, you have seemed to be with
us still; when the funeral is over your coffin will have left the palace for ever. Then
where shall we discharge this great sorrow? O soul of our queen, can you share our
bitterness? You have passed away, but you live for ever in our memories, for your
whole life was virtuous, beautiful as a flower. How can we live on, bearing this
burden of remorse and sorrow? How shall we ever repay your favors or express our
sorrow for past wrongs? The royal tomb has been planned so that another grave can be
made on its right, where we may join you one day. Thus lying side by side we shall
share eternal peace, though not in this world.
After the burial the kings grief increased. He manifested his sorrow by frequent and
extraordinary favors bestowed upon the bereaved members of the Min family, who
respectfully and repeatedly declined such favors, renewing their pledges of loyalty to
the throne.
The ministers strongly urged the king to find a new consort. Although he would not
hear of it at first, at last he reluctantly agreed, and in 1702 the daughter of Kim Chu-sin
was chosen. At the audience marking this event, the kings tears streamed down his
face and soaked the sleeves of his robe. The princesses, royal concubines and court
ladies could not restrain their own tears. The official mourning period of three years
passed quickly, but the kings sorrow did not cease. In accordance with Queen Mins
last wish, he generously rewarded the ladies-in-waiting who had attended her during
her five years of disgrace, so that they could return to their homes and spend the rest of
their days in comfort. They were all overwhelmed by the greatness of the royal favor,

301
and found it hard to leave.
In 1718 the crown princes consort, Lady Sim, died childless in the Changchun hall
of the Changgyng Palace. Later the same year Lady of Hamjong was installed as
the crown princes consort, but she also was childless. On the eighth of the sixth moon,
1720, about seven oclock in the morning, King Sukchong passed away in the Yungbok
Hall of the Kynghi Palace; it was the forty-sixth year of his reign, and he was fifty-
nine years old. The whole nation mourned his death, for during his long reign he had
proved himself a wise and benevolent ruler. Many rulers have been deceived by
cunning slanders; King Sukchong recognized falsehood early enough and took just
measures to correct the ills of the state.
The crown prince succeeded to the throne and Lady became queen consort. The
new king was heirless because of impotence, so his younger brother Prince Yning
was named heir to the throne in 1721. His wife, Lady S of Talsng, was made crown
princess. The two brothers loved each other warmly until the king died in 1724 in the
Hwan-chwi Hall of the Changgyng Palace. It was the fifth year of his reign and he
was thirty-five years old. He was buried at Yangju and canonized as Kyngjong.
Prince Yning succeeded to the throne in the same year and was eventually known
as Yngjo. His rule was characterized by his exceptional filial piety. For over fifty
years he ruled the nation with virtue and benevolence, in peace and harmony. More
than any one else he realized the extent of his debt to Sukchong. Above all he never
forgot the affection he received as a child from Queen lnhyn, and her memory was
constantly present in his mind. Soon after his coronation he visited the mansion in
Anguk-tong where she had borne the five years of hardship, and cried aloud in grief.
At the same time he put up a plaque inscribed with his own calligraphy Kamgo-dang,
hall of reminiscence, which became the new name of the building. He also visited
Min Yu-jungs brothers house in Sure-gol, where she was born, and honored the Min

302
family with exceptional favors. To this day the family has not sold this house, and has
been a pillar of the state.
The virtues of the queens Tai-jen and Tai-ssu of ancient Chou shine for ever in the
history of China. In the history of Korea we have Queen Inhyn of the Yi dynasty.

303
The Song of a Faithful Wife,
Ch'un-hyang

304
 Introduction

Ch'unhyang ka is Koreas favorite story. No one knows when it was first told or
who told it, but every Korean alive knows both the plot and the characters intimately.
The tale had been told thousands of times: in Korean and Chinese, in verse and in
prose, as opera, drama, film and musical comedy; in cartoons, and in elegant
embroidery on screens and scrolls. It has become part of Koreas folk heritage.
Namwn, the town in Chlla province where the tale is set, thrives on the tourist trade
attracted by Chun-hyang. There is no proof that she ever existed, but in Namwn there
is a shrine to her where sacrifices are offered. Nothing could demonstrate more
effectively the importance of the story in Korean tradition.
The tale is simple. An aristocrats son falls in love with the daughter of a kisaeng.
They marry secretly, and are parted when the boys father is transferred to a new post
in the capital. Another governor is appointed in the town who tries to take the girl into
his household, but she refuses, despite cruel beatings, and is imprisoned. Meanwhile
the boy attains government rank as an inspector and returns to punish the lecherous
governor and deliver his faithful wife. It is a tale which blends eroticism and sadism
under the twin banners of justice and morality. Popular literature knows no surer
recipe for success.
The history of the text is so entangled that, although every important collection of
Korean books has significant versions in woodblock or manuscript, the relations
between them are barely clear. The consensus of opinion is that Chun-hyang was first
heard of in a story sung by the wandering players of old Korea, the kwangdae, reciting
a form of rhythmic chanted narrative now called pansori. The oldest version which is
reliably datable is Chunhyang ka (Song of Chun-hyang) written as a long poem in
Chinese by Yu Chin-han in 1754. How long the story had been in existence before that
305
is sheer guesswork.
No other text can be certainly dated earlier than the nineteenth century, and most of
them belong to a date later than 1860. Different traditions are discernible in the
woodblock texts printed in Seoul (with related editions from Ansng, a town in the
capital province) and those printed at Chnju, an important town in Chlla province.
Two famous versions for singing were written by the well-known music teacher Sin
Chae-hyo between 1866 and 1884. These and the many manuscripts show differences
which have been compared with great diligence by Professor Kim Tong-uk
(Ch'unhyang-jn yn gu. 1965) but their chronological relationships resist definitive
clarification.
There have been several English versions of Chunhyang. The only one which is a
translation is that published in the Korea Magazine in eleven instalments from
September 1917 to July 1918. It was the work of Dr. James Gale, the distinguished
Canadian missionary and lexicographer. He made a faithful rendering of Yi Hae-jos
Okchunghwa, published in 1911. Others have translated modern rewritings of the tale,
or used older texts but departed widely from them.
I have here made a new and complete translation of the Chnju woodblock edition.
It is usually referred to as the Wanpan, printed in Wanju (Wanju is a literary name
for Chnju). In recent years this text has attracted most attention from Korean scholars.
It is the longest and fullest of the old versions. There is a convenient modern facsimile
reprint of the woodblock edition (Seoul, Ehwa University, 1958) and several modern
annotated editions, of which that by Professor Yi Ka-wn (1957) is perhaps the best.
The title of the Wanpan edition is Ylly Ch'unhyang sujl ka (Song of the
Constancy of the Faithful Wife, Chun-hyang). Other versions have such titles as
Chunhyang chn (Story of Chunhyangthe most widely-used in common
parlance), Honam akpu (Song of Chlla), and Okchunghwa (The flower in the

306
prisonhousea twentieth-century invention). All these titles emphasize either the
local setting of the story, or the heroine and the center of the romance. Calling Chun-
hyang a faithful wife puts the story into an acceptable category of improving tales that
the orthodox Confucianism of Korea could happily accept; but this high moral tone has
less emotive effect than the elemental story of romance, separation, suffering and
deliverance, which is the real artistic and psychological power of the Chunhyang
legend. It is a classic expression of the love and redemption theme, and its spiritual
roots go far deeper into human experience than Confucianism ever reaches.
Some writers pay great attention to the social criticism implied in the story: the
problem of marriage across class boundaries, the plight of the countryfolk under a bad
governor, the cheekiness of the servants, and other points showing sympathy for the
oppressed rural population. This interpretation is a reading back into last centurys
Korea of preoccupations that did not develop until later. There were the nineteenth-
century peasant revolts in Korea, and there were even older satires against the
aristocracy; Chunhyang ka shows concern about social injustice; but this concern is
incidental to its main purpose. Marriage across class boundaries is a necessary device
of the plot, and the remarks about the plight of the farmers come naturally from the fact
that the hero is a government inspector. The book is remarkably free of true social
satire, in strong contrast to the virulent satire of the Korean mask plays.
The literary style is not scholarly, but it presupposes education. Many of the jokes
depend on a knowledge of Chinese characters, and it is packed with Chinese literary
allusions and poetic quotations which would be meaningless to real peasants.
Nevertheless it is not a book to be read, but a text for a storyteller or reciter, or for
performance by a small group of entertainers. Even in English translation it is clear
that the style of composition differs in various sections of the work. Especially in the
earlier parts there are long sections of lyrical descriptive writing, much of it heavily

307
Chinese in style. These are designed for chanted or recitative performance. At various
points there are songs in a more purely Korean stylethe love-songs, Chunhyangs
songs and the farmers songswhich are also texts for singing. The thread of the story
is kept up in swift and lucid prose, but is interspersed with long monologues in
rhythmic prose and dramatic conversations which, especially in the closing pages,
sometimes move with impressionistic speed and lightness of touch. Chunhyang ka is
in the strict sense of the word a melodrama, a drama with singing.
The structure of the work in some respects resembles a film scenario. (One recent
film used the text almost as it stands, and with great success.) It falls naturally into
four sections. In many forms of entertainment the acts get shorter as the play
progresses, and in Chunhyang ka the first section is by far the longest: the story of the
meeting and marriage of the hero and heroine. It has the most ornate prose and the
tenderest love passages, full of frank eroticism which uses imagery to create an effect
at once sensuous and playful, tinged with innocence and genuine love. The second
section tells of their parting, the third of Chun-hyang's sufferings and constancy under
the new governor; here are the passages least likely to appeal to Western taste in their
melodramatic pathos and sadistic violence. The last section describes the heroines
deliverance by her husband, bringing the tale to a close with brisk narrative and
dialogue. The whole has the pattern of a sonata with movements marked Allegretto
amoroso, Largo lacrimoso, and Allegro vivace. This structure is simple and episodic.
It shows no true development, no complications of plot which have to be solved: all
moves in a single line. Interest is sustained by elaboration of themes and by the
insertion of purple passages and songs.
Many of these descriptions and songs are in that favorite traditional Korean form,
the list or litany, part of whose ancestry is the Chinese fu. The litanies may be built
round puns, which are abundant in Korean because of the immense vocabulary based

308
on Chinese homonyms: for instance, the songs on the puns for love, palace and
farewell. The lists are usually opulentthe heros clothes, the food and wine on a
table, a roll of beautiful women, lists of Korean beauty spots, even an exciting list of
the towns passed through on a long journey. These compositions have a joy and zest
which are paralleled in many Korean folk songs. Narrative ballads are less important
in Korea than counting songs, alphabet songs (the heros explanation of the primer in
Chun-hyang ka is essentially an alphabet song) topographical catalogues and
commented lists of people and things.
The episodic structure makes for a loosely-knit work. Whole sections could be
omitted without damaging its unity; and the time scheme of the story is sketchy, even at
some points confused and contradictory. There are two different accounts of Chun-
hyangs birth, two different dates (springtime and Tano, which is summer) for the
beginning of the love affair; the honeymoon cottage of the early section is suddenly
given a proper name only in the last few pages. Clearly the book was not composed by
a single author, and for that reason, if for no other, it is misleading to call it a novel.
The western reader who expects the intellectual texture and development of
character that are essential aspects of the western novel will not find them in
Chunhyang ka. Instead he will find the qualities of the romance: simply-defined
issues, broadly-drawn characters, exciting incident relieved by comic interludes.
Chun-hyang herself is an uncomplicated person: we know only that she is stubborn,
beautiful, and truthfulall that a well-bred girl would wish to be. Her lover, Yi
Mong-nyong, is no more clearly individuated: he is a model son and lover, handsome
and clever and good. They each have a servant, much as Shakespeares heroes and
heroines have corresponding attendants of a lower class, but Chun-hyangs maid and
Mong-nyongs valet are not developed into a sub-plot; their purpose is purely
dramatic, to give the leading characters someone to talk to. Chun-hyangs mother

309
says, or sings, a great deal, but does not emerge as anything more than a shrewd old
woman. Mong-nyongs father appears only in one ironical scene such as is otherwise
provided by lower-class characters from the yamen offices. The villain, Pyn Hak-to,
is a tyrant and no more. The minor characters are all more or less humorous, from the
corrupt secretaries to the pathetic soothsayer and the venal guards.
Yet this simplicity builds up into the strong effect that Chunhyang ka has on its
Korean audience. Especially when recited with music, the repetition of images, the
inner consistency of each of the characters, the insistence on the elemental emotions of
each incidentthe beauty of the spring landscape, the love of the two youngsters, the
bitterness of parting, the agonies of torture and waiting, the turmoil of the scene of
deliverance and the peacefulness of the endingall combine and fuse to create one of
those works of popular art whose inspiration is derived less from the skill of the artist
than from the demands of the audience. From its beginning in spring to its end in the
harvest of another autumn, Chunhyang-ga is an intense and unified experience.

NOTES

This translation has been made to be read and enjoyed, to give the pleasure intended
by the original. The following notes are intended to help the reader find the flavor of
Korean literature without being cloyed and hampered by too much detail.

SOCIAL BACKGROUND

The political setting

During the Yi dynasty (fifteenth to nineteenth century) Korea had a strictly
Confucian polity. The king was supreme and sole ruler, but the country was

310
administered by an elite of scholar-officials. These held all executive posts in capital
and countryside, and were frequently transferred from one post to another to ensure
that they did not become entrenched. Yi Mong-nyongs father and Pyn Hak-to are
members of this class. Lower ranks in the administration were not moved from post to
post, but served the changing governors and magistrates, forming a stable local
bureaucracy. Government was often corrupt: the governors milked their districts for
all they were worth, and the underlings were experts in bribery and squeeze. These
were the staff of the local government offices, or yamen, who play such an important
role in Chunhyang ka.
The king occasionally appointed secret inspectors (amhaeng sa) to travel incognito
and detect misgovernment. The inspectors insignia were a heavy round brass plaque
with a design of horses on it, and a brass yardstick. Yi Mong-nyong is made a secret
inspector in Chunhyang ka, and the description of the office is realistic.
Social classes were clearly delineated. There was no hereditary nobility, but there
was an hereditary aristocratic class (yangban) which alone could aspire to government
service above the level of clerks.

Korean living
Most of the references to Korean life are self-explanatory. Koreans still use little
furniture. Chairs were practically unknown in the times of Chunhyang ka; people sat
on the floor, and the wealthier ones used cushions. Bedding was laid out on the floor,
which was warmed by flues underneath in cold weather. Meals were arranged in the
kitchen on low tables and the food-laden table carried in and set before the diner.
Long distances were measured in li. Ten li approximated to one hours walking
distance.
The yang was the Chinese or Korean dollar, the largest silver coin that was used.

311
 Kisaeng
Kisaeng were lower-class women trained in literature, music and dancing as
entertainers for men of the upper classes. They were often but not always courtesans.
The ambivalence of Chun-hyangs social position as the daughter of an aristocrat and
a kisaeng is crucial to her story. The version translated here lays more stress than
some others do on her aristocratic parentage and gentle upbringing.

Names of the characters

Koreans avoid the use of names and prefer to substitute titles or relationship-terms
for them. It seems that in the earliest version Chun-hyang was the only character to be
named. Chun-hyang means spring fragrance, and is a highly romantic invention. It is
the type of name given to kisaengthere is a list of such names in the middle of the
story and her mothers name, Wl-mae, moonlit plumblossom, is another example.
The maids name, Hyang-dan, fragrant cinnabar, is of the same kind.
The hero was originally called Yi Toryng. This is still the popular way of referring
to him. Toryng was a respectful form of address and title for an unmarried youth of
good family, but is untranslatable in modern English. In some versions of the story he
is called Yng, and in others Chun-dk. The name Mong-nyong, dream dragon, and
the incident of Wl-maes dream about it are late additions, but are now firmly
established in the popular mind.
His servant is described in Korean as a pangja. A pangja was a servant attached to
a provincial yamen. I have called him a valet, even though this is not an accurate
translation, in order to distinguish him from other servants and boys. Pangja has
disappeared from the vocabulary of modern Korean, and many Koreans are now
mistakenly convinced that the word is a proper name, but it is unquestionably a title.

312
Modern feeling about the story has magnified the pangjas role, often excluding other
servants. It has not only made him a wit who outshines his master, but has also given
him a romance of his own, so that he ends up marrying Chun-hyangs maid, Hyang-
dan. The Wanpan version makes less of the pangja than some of the other texts do, but
in the traditional story he is a necessary minor character and no more. The modern
enlargement of his part in films and rewritings of the story is a legitimate development
from his pertness in the older versions, and an interesting demonstration of the ability
of such a story to keep its place in the Korean mind by changing with the times.

The age of the protagonists

Ipal chngchun, Twice eight green spring-time, is the conventional phrase used
to describe the age of Mong-nyong and Chun-hyang at the time of their meeting. This
is literally sixteen, but making allowance for the Oriental method of reckoning age, I
have translated it as fifteen. It is the same age as that of Pao-yeh, the hero of the
Dream of the Red Chamber, and of Shao-yu in the Nine Cloud Dream. It compares
favorably with the age of Shakespeares Juliet. In nineteenth-century Korea it would
not have been considered an early age for marriage. Many boys were married at
twelve.

The punishment
The punishment scene has some obscurities.
The executioner deliberately chooses a paddle that will break easily so that he can
break it and pretend to beat Chun-hyang much harder than he really does. He loudly
declares that he will be merciless, but quietly tells her he will make the beating as
light as possible so long as she screams and reacts violentlyjoining him in a
pretence of fierce torture. This vignette of another kind of corruption does not fit well

313
with the ensuing songs of exquisite pain; but the audience would want to feel that the
executioner was soft while at the same time it would not want to be spared any of the
possible agonies of the torture.
The cangue was a large and heavy board with a hole near one end, through which
the prisoners neck was inserted. The opening was sealed behind the prisoners head.
While it was being worn the prisoner was forced to sit or squat, because the cangue
made walking impossible, unless someone else took the weight of it; and of course the
prisoner could not lie down.

LITERARY BACKGROUND

The place of Chinese literature

In Korea at the time of Chunhyang ka the only education given to anyone was in
Chinese grammar and literature, much as Latin grammar was the staple of medieval
European education. So great was Koreans reverence for the Ming dynasty that they
even produced the legend, referred to near the beginning of Chunhyang ka, that the
first Ming emperor had been born while his parents were living in Korea. Hence when
Yi Mong-nyong goes home to read books he reads the Chinese classics, eventually
spending most time on the Chnja-mun (T'ien-tzu-wen) or Thousand Character
Classic, which was the traditional primer of all Korean boys. It consists of 250 four-
character lines of Chinese verse, in which no character is ever repeated. His long
explanation of the opening verses, character by character, begins in high style but
deteriorates into erotic fantasy. The whole episode illuminates the place of the book in
Korean education in a pleasantly humorous way. Because it is a primer Chnja-mun
is the only book the pangja claims to know anything about.
The peak of Chinese study was reading and writing poetry in Chinese, according to

314
the rules of Chinese prosody. It was a favorite pastime for all the members of a party
to write verses on the same subject with the same rhyming words, in a kind of poetic
contest. This is done at the governors birthday feast in Chunhyang ka, though we are
given the text of Yi Mong-nyongs verses only.
Such poems were usually written in conscious imitation of Tang and Sung poets. Li
Po, Tu Fu, Su Tung-po and Po Chu-i were for Koreans the poets par excellence. Most
of the verse quoted in Ch'unhyang ka is from Li Po or some other of the Tang poets. A
notable exception is the first stanza of the first song in the ancient Shih ching (Book of
Songs). This marriage song, undoubtedly because it is the first in the book, was the
best-known poem in the Shih ching and widely quoted. In Chunhyang ka the verse
fitting partner for a lord is quoted so frequently that it becomes a refrain. Mong-
nyongs restlessness when waiting to see Chun-hyang again (longing, longing, he
tossed and fidgeted) and Wl-maes remark about a happy marriage (with lutes and
guitars) are from the same poem.
References to Chinese stories are so numerous in Ch'unhyang ka that full annotation
of them in a translation would only be pedantic. Fortunately the purpose of most of the
allusions is self-evident, so that annotations are not necessary for the general reader.
Though they appear rich and varied to the Westerner who approaches them for the first
time they in fact represent a limited and romantic repertoire. Most of them can be
reduced to a few categories:
1) FAMOUS BEAUTIES. Yang Kuei-fei, the plump and extravagant concubine of
the Emperor Hsan Tsung of Tang. Because of her pathetic end, executed at the
roadside, and in spite of her profligacy, she has become East Asias paramount symbol
of beauty and pathos.
Wang Chao-chn was a concubine in the harem of the Han Emperor Yan-ti. She
earned the hatred of a minister, Mao, who by skillful use of a false portait succeeded

315
in keeping her from the emperor. Eventually she was used as a bribe to persuade a
barbarian Khan to withdraw from Chinese soil. When she reached the boundary at the
Amur River she plunged in and was drowned. Her tomb there is called the Verdant
Tomb. There are several versions of this legend.
The fairy of Wu-shan occurs in the very old story of a prince who was enticed into
spending a night with a fairy in the mountains of Wu-shan. On departing she said:
At dawn I marshal the morning clouds,
And at night I summon the rain.
From this legend the phrase clouds and rain became a sobriquet for sexual
intercourse.
2) CHARACTERS AND INCIDENTS FROM THE SAN-KUO-CHI YEN-I
(Romance of the Three Kingdoms). It is not often recognized that the Romance of the
Three Kingdoms is Koreas most popular work of literature, even today. There are
many more editions of it on sale than there are of Chunhyang ka. It tells of the wars
between Wei, Wu and Shu in the third century AD. The heroes of the book, Kuan
Y(later canonized as the god of war), Liu Pei and Chang Fei swore the famous Oath
of the Peach Orchard. Tsao Tsao is the great villain of the piece, and Chu-ko Liang is
the greatest magician-sage in Chinese story.
3) LEGENDS OF THE HSIAO-HSIANG RIVERS AND THE TUNGT-ING LAKE
AREA Central China are fundamental in traditional Korean literature, in There the
legendary sage-emperor Shun died and his wives O-huang and N-ying, weeping for
him, shed tears on the bamboo stems, thus giving rise to the dappled bamboo whose
stems are blotched to this day. Here is the Huang-ling shrine, famous in many poems,
and nearby is the sacred mountain of Heng-shan.
4) THE LEGENDARY PRIMEVAL RULERS belong to the traditional Chinese
accounts of pre-history, which tell of the three first imperial houses of Heaven, Earth,

316
and Man; followed by Fu-I, who discovered divination, Shen-nung, who invented
agriculture and medicine, and the Yellow Emperor. Then came Yao and Shun, the ideal
rulers whom Confucius himself revered, to whom are attributed the principles of
morality.
Y of Hsia drained China of floods by nine years labors. The Hsia dynasty ended
in disgrace, but the Emperor Tang appeared to restore peace and prosperity by
founding the Shang (or Yin) dynasty. Shang also deteriorated and was replaced by the
state of Chou under King Wen and his son Wu. This was the state into which Confucius
was born.
Two loyalists of the fall of the Shang dynasty, Po-I and Shu-chI, are constantly
referred to by Korean writers. They refused to eat the grain of Chou, the usurping
dynasty, so refusing to eat millet became a phrase typifying constancy.
5) THE FAIRIES of THE WESTERN PARADISE. An ancient group of legends
tells of the Queen Mother of the Western Paradise, putatively located over the
mountains of Tibet. She holds court by the Lake of Gems, where the peach of
immortality grows, and she uses blue birds for messengers. Her legends are related to
those of the Sky God who lives in the Jade City of the Heavens. In China they have
blended with popular Taoism, but in Korea they were the stock material of fairy
stories.

Beyond these five categories of literary allusion there are few in Chunhyang ka.
The mighty and wise minister Chiang Tai-kung is often referred toonce with his
mortar made in the year, month, day and hour which all had the same designation in the
cycle of sixty character combinations which were used for measuring time. (In this
case it was keng-shen.)

317
 All such references are simply literary; more tiresome for the translator, because
they hinder the foreign reader in enjoying the wit of Chunhyang ka, are the Chinese
and Korean puns. Many of these are comparable to the English schoolboys reading of
Caesar adsum iam forte as Caesar ad some jam for tea. Different readings can be
obtained from a Chinese phrase by writing it with different characters of the same
sound, or interpreting the sounds as if they were pure Korean words. Mong-nyong
enjoys a couplet which can be taken as referring either to local government or to local
amours: he has an involved punning game with suktk (secret virtue or steamed rice
cakes flavored with herbs) and moktk (virtue of the element wood or steamed
cakes made of woodan absurdity).
Other puns are simpler, as when the secretary Mok deliberately puns on chngsng
(minister of state) and changsng (devil post), and the cawing of the rooks is
interpreted as Chinese by the soothsayer. The puns of the punning songs fall
somewhere between the two categories.
There are two points where understanding depends on knowing the written forms of
Chinese. One occurs in Mong-nyongs love song where he describes the character for
good, or to like, which is composed of two simpler characters for woman and
son. The other is the reference to the torn inscription where the character for
loyalty has lost its top part (central) so that only the bottom half (heart) remains.
Such games with Chinese logograms were an unfailing source of pleasure to Koreans.
In this translation all Chinese names referring to Chinese places and people have
been transliterated as Chinese; but Chinese words used in Korean names and phrases,
or as Korean puns, have been transliterated according to their Korean sounds.

Stock imagery
Much of the imagery of Chunhyang ka is repeated many times in the course of the

318
work. This would not strike the Korean audience as monotonous because the symbols
were replete with meaning. Some of the most frequently repeated ones are:
The phoenix and the phoenix tree (often called the paulownia). The Chinese
legendary phoenix is entirely unrelated to the Egyptian and Arabian phoenix which
rises again from its ashes. The Chinese phoenix, probably really derived from a
Himalayan pheasant or other beautiful gallinaceous bird, is a symbol of conjugal love
and fidelity. It eats only bamboo fruit and roosts only in the phoenix tree. It dances
when great men appear. It is a commonplace symbol of romantic love.
The peng is another mythical bird, the Chinese equivalent of the roc, symbol of
great size and strength, rising rapidly to great heights.
The mandarin duck mates for life and so becomes another symbol of married love
and fidelity.
The wild goose is a symbol for a letter-carrying messenger, because of the story of
the exile who tied the news of his survival to the leg of a wild goose which was shot
by the emperor, thus who received the message. The goose is also a symbol of
conjugal fidelity.
The cuckoo is the mourning spirit of an unfortunate dead person; there are several
legends about this bird.
Cranes are mystic birds, the heavenly steeds of the immortals.
Sea-roses, the dark red rugosa, grow by the white sands of the east coast. Their
beauty is one of the clichs of Korean poetry.
The moon dominates the whole of old Korean literature. The Kwanghal-lu is a
pavilion deriving its name from the Kwanghan Palace of the moon maiden Heng-o.
Moonlight suggests love and peace, but is usually tinged with sadness. In the moon
there is also a cinnamon tree whose leaves confer immortality; and the Old Man of the
Moonlight is responsible for fixing everybodys marriage destiny.

319
 Willow trees are frequent in poems of love and lovers partings.
The Herdboy and the Weaving Maid are two stars on either side of the Milky Way.
They love one another but are divided by the waters of the Silver River (i.e., the
Milky Way). Every year on the seventh night of the seventh moon the magpies form a
living bridge over which the two can pass to meet. The Magpie Bridge outside
Namwn is named from this legend, which is quoted by Mong-nyong at the bridge.
The Peach Blossom Valley, discovered by a fisherman who noticed peach-blossoms
floating on the water, is a favorite sobriquet for fairyland or for beautiful scenery. The
story comes from a prose fragment written by T'ao Chien in the fourth century.

Korean literary references

The text of Chunhyang ka is sprinkled with Korean proverbs and quotations from
sijo (short Korean lyrics). In some cases the quotation is direct, but often a half-
quotation is dovetailed into the sentence. There are fewer Korean allusions than there
are Chinese references, but enough to form a striking feature of the work.
There is also a reference to sasl, a longer and more colloquial form of Korean-
language poetry. The sasl, like the sijo, are intended to be sung.
There are a few allusions to Korean writings and legends. Nongae, the patriotic
kisaeng of Chinju in the sixteenth century, who lured a Japanese officer over a
riverside cliff to his death but herself died in the act, and several other famous kisaeng
are mentioned. King Sejo was a mid-fifteenth century king of Korea, a devout
Buddhist.
Kuunmong is alluded to twice: once when Mong-nyong in his love-song speaks of
Hsing-chen and the eight fairies, and once when he is talking to the washer-girls by the
bridge at Namwn, and lists the same nine characters under other names taken from the
novel.

320
 The Song of a Faithful Wife, Chun-hyang

When King Sukchong first ascended the throne, virtue flowed out from him over all
the land; the king had sons and grandsons, so the succession was assured; the times
were secure and seasons harmonious as in the days of Yao and Shun; administration
and culture were as efficient and flourishing as in the days of Y and Tang. The
ministers of the crown were strong pillars of the state and the generals and marshals
were faithful warriors. The good influence of the court reached the remotest
countryside, peace and security reigned within the four seas. There were faithful
subjects in the palace and filial sons and virtuous wives in the homes of the people. It
was wonderful time! The weather was favorable, the people were well-fed and happy,
and everywhere could be heard the happy songs of the fanners at work.
At this time, in Chlla province in the city of Namwn, there lived a kisaeng named
Wl-mae. She was famous throughout the three southern provinces, but she had retired
early and was living with a gentleman named Song. Time passed, and she was over
forty years of age, but she had no children. She worried so much about this that she
became ill. Then one day she suddenly remembered some stories of people of former
times, and asked to see her husband. She spoke to him very respectfully, like this:
I think I must have committed some very serious sin in a former existence. In this
life I have given up singing and entertaining, become a married woman, observed all
the rites and worked hard to do all that a woman should; nevertheless, I must have
some great guilt, because I have not had any children. When I am dead, who will burn
incense or offer sacrifices in my memory and who will look after my funeral? But if I
go to pray at some famous shrine and am able to bear at least one child, the greatest

321
sorrow of my life will be at an end. Will you let me go?
Sng replied: It is true: you are very unfortunate. But if children could be had by
praying, would there be any childless women?
Wl-mae answered: Confucius was the greatest sage in the world, and he went to
pray at the mountain of Ni-chiu; Cheng Tzu-chan of the kingdom of Cheng prayed at
the mountain of Yu-ching; and both were answered. Have we no famous mountains
here in Korea? When Chu Tien-i of Ungchn, in Kyngsang Province, was old but
had no children, he went to pray at the highest peak there and as a result a son was
born who became the first Ming emperor. If such things can happen for the imperial
house, let us see what prayer can do for us. Dont knock down your own pagoda or
trample on your own saplings.
From that day onward she began to purify herself with baths and fasting, and made
pilgrimages to holy mountain places.

The Magpie Bridge stood out among the hills and streams on either side, protected
on the northwest by Kyoryng mountain; to the east the temple roofs of Snwn-sa
could be seen among the thick woods of Changnim; the noble peak of Chiri arose in
the south; and in the middle distance flowed the Yochn stream, a long curve of green
water sweeping round to the southeast. It was the most beautiful place imaginable. The
green of the forests covered the landscape as far as Chiri. Wl-mae climbed to the top
of Panya Peak and looked around to see famous mountains and great rivers on all
sides. She built an altar on the top of the peak, set out the sacrificial dishes, chose a
spot before the altar by divination and prayed there about her troubles. Perhaps the
mountain spirit himself had arranged that this should be the fifth day of the fifth moon,
and also the first day of a sixty-day cyclea most auspicious day. Wl-mae dreamed
that a fairy woman shining with all the colors of the rainbow came flying to her

322
through the air, riding on a blue crane. The fairy was crowned with flowers and
dressed in iridescent colors. Her girdle ornaments tinkled sweetly and she carried a
branch of cinnamon flowers, as she came up to the altar, raised her hands respectfully
in greeting and said:
I am the daughter of the Lo River. I went to the jade city of Heaven to present the
peach of immortality and while I was there I met Chih Sung-tzu at the Kwanghan
Palace and fell deeply in love with him. Because I dallied there, God was very angry
with me and cast me down to the world; but I did not know where to go, and the
mountain spirit of Turyu directed me to you. Please be kind to me.
And she entered into Wl-maes bosom. The crane cries loud because its neck is
long they say, and its cry woke Wl-mae up. It had all been only a dream. When she
had regained her shattered senses, she talked to her husband about it. She believed that
heaven was giving her a son, and indeed she conceived at that time. One day ten
moons later, the room was filled with fragrance and tinted clouds when she lay in a
stupor as her child was born. It was a girl. Wl-mae had yearned long and deeply for
a son, but she was delighted with the baby. What words can describe her love? She
called the child Chun-hyang, and treasured her like a piece of precious jade in the
palm of her hand. The child had no equal in filial devotion and was as gentle as the
chi-lin itself, the mythical unicorn. She took to book-learning at the age of seven, and
the whole town praised her beauty and her virtues.

At this time there was a gentleman in Seoul, a civil official named Yi, who lived in
Samchng-dong. He was descended from a famous family, and many of his ancestors
had been loyal subjects. One day when the king was reviewing the list of meritorious
subjects for new appointments, he promoted Yi from his post at Kwachn, near
Seoul, to be prefect of Kmsan in Chlla province. Soon afterward he transferred him

323
to higher office as governor of the city of Namwn. Yi presented himself before the
king to offer thanks for his new appointment and take his leave, and set out for
Namwn to take up his new post. He governed his district wisely and well. There
were no disturbances or complaints, and everywhere the people rejoiced that at last
they had a just governor. Life was like a fairy-tale: there was peace and plenty, the
people did their duty; it was like the days of Yao and Shun all over again.

What time of year was it? It was springtime, the cheerful season. The swifts and
swallows and all the other birds had found their mates and flew hither and thither in
pairs, twittering. Spring was in the air. Flowers covered the south mountain, and the
north mountain too was pink with flowers; the golden orioles called to each other
among the myriad fronds of the weeping willows. All the trees were in full leaf and
the cuckoos were calling; it was the loveliest time of the year.
The governors son, young master Yi, was now fifteen years old. He was as
handsome as Tu Mu, he was as generous as the ocean is wide, and wonderfully clever:
a Li Po for composing verses and a Wang Hsi-chih for calligraphy. One day he called
his valet and said: Where are the local beauty-spots? Poetry and spring-time go
together; tell me where the most beautiful places are.
The valet replied: The young master is supposed to be studying, not going out to
look at beauty-spots.
The boy said: That just shows how ignorant you are. From ancient times great
writers have always gone to beautiful places for inspiration. They are the basis of
lyric poetry. The fairy spirits also travel round from place to place. How dare you say
going out is wrong? Szu-ma Chiang, when he was traveling southward by boat on the
Yangtze and Hui Rivers, was sailing against the stream; a cold wind was howling, and
from this experience he wrote about the continual changing of all created things,

324
always surprising, sometimes delightful, sometimes gentle, always material for poetry.
Li Po was the greatest genius among poets, and went for pleasure outings on the Tsai-
shih River; Su Tung-po delighted in moonlit nights at the Red Cliff; Po Ch-i sang of
the moon shining at night on the Hsin-yang River; King Sejo liked to visit Munjang-dae
in Songni-san, near Pon.
The valet caught the boys mood and began to list the beauty-spots of the whole
country: If you go to Seoul, outside the Purple Mist Gate there are the Seven Stars
Hermitage, the Green Lotus Hermitage, and the Sword-washing Pavilion; at Pyng
yang are the Pavilion of Martial Glory, the Taedong River Pavilion, and the Peony
Peak; Yangyang has Naksan Temple; Songni-san at Pon has Munjang-dae, the Library
Rocks; Ani has the Fair View Terrace; Chinju the Piled Rocks Pavilion; Miryang, the
Yngnam Pavilion. I have no idea what any of them are like, but here in Chlla
province we have the Arbor of Diffused Fragrance at Taein, the Cold Winds Pavilion
at Muju, and the Cold Jade Pavilion at Chnju. They are all beautiful, but listen to the
glories of Namwn: you can go out of the East Gate, and there in the woods of
Changnim is Snwn Temple; you can go out of the West Gate to the temple of Kwan
Y, the god of war, where the fierce and terrible spirit of the ancient heroes seems to
linger still; you can go out of the South Gate, to Kwanghal-lu, the Pavilion of Paradise,
where the Magpie Bridge and the Sea Islands Kiosk are marvellous to see; or you can
go out of the North Gate, where the fortress on Kyoryng Mountain stands out above
the strange shapes of the rocks like a golden lotus piercing the azure sky. Where would
you like to go?
The boy said: Come on! Everybody says that Kwanghal-lu and the Magpie Bridge
are wonderful; lets go and see.
See what the lad does. He goes in before his father, the governor, bows politely and
says: The weather is warm and sunny today, and I should like to go out and try to

325
compose some verses. May I go outside the city walls?
The governor was greatly delighted, and gave his permission. He said: You may go
out and see the places to the south, but make sure you bring back a poem.
The boy answered: I will do as you say.
He left the room and called to the valet: Boy, saddle the donkey.
The valet heard the order and saddled the donkey. He rigged it out with
Scarlet-tasselled purple reins and a coral whip;
Jade saddle, broidered seat and straps of gold.
The pretty blue and scarlet reins were hung with red bobbles: silver stirrups hung
on either side of the tiger-skin under the saddle, and little bells before and behind
tinkled like a Buddhist monk telling his rosary.
The donkey is ready, sir.
See what the lad does. He carefully combs every hair into place above his
handsome fine-boned face, smooths it with beeswax oil, plaits it elegantly with silk
ribbons dyed in orpiment, puts on beautifully made trousers of flowered silk from
Sngchn lined with fine white linen, ties them with ankle-ribbons of indigo
flowered-silk over the finest of cotton socks; puts on a magnificent sleeveless silk
waistcoat with pendant amber buttons; ties his leggings neatly below his knees; fastens
a girdle of Chinese silk and suspends from it a round purse of heavy satin; dons a long
coat of the very thinnest Chinese silk gauze with broad sleeves and an elegant long
collar-strip; settles a black silk belt round his chest, and draws on a pair of thick-
soled shoes with snub toes.
Hold the donkey for me.
He put his foot in the stirrup, sprang lightly into the saddle, and turned the donkey
about. As he came out of the court a servant fell in behind him, and after they came
through the main gate into the street the servant held a large Chinese fan on a metal

326
handle to keep the sun off the young masters face. As he rode along
The mandarins way to the south city gate,
gaily down the wide road, for all the world like Tu Mu coming tipsy to Yang-chou,
the way the people turned to watch him go by was like Chou Y, who turned his head
when he heard a wrong note.
The streets were bright and fragrant with blossom;
No one who saw it but was filled with delight.

He ran nimbly up to the Kwanghal-lu and gazed around in all directions. The
scenery was magnificent. A late morning mist was lingering round the Chksng
school, and the place was surrounded with balmy air and late spring foliage.
The red pillars of the pavilion were bathed in sunlight:
The loveliest palace rooms were not more beautiful,
said Wang Po in his poem Climbing the High Terrace,
How comes this elegant pavilion to stand up here so high?
He might have been singing of the Kwanghal-lu. It was as though one could see the
Yeh-yang Pavilion and the Ku-su Terrace, where the rivers from Wu and Chu flow
down into Lake Tung-ting, and the Swallow Pavilion at Peng-tse is clearly visible.
Among the riotous pink and white blossoms parrots and peacocks were flying, and in
the landscape all around, the twisted pines and conifers and the leaves of the overcup
oaks were dancing wantonly in the spring breeze. Beside the tumbling streams the
blossoms were laughing, the spreading pine-trees were thick. It was
The season of green shade, of grass and flowers.
The air was intoxicated by cassia trees, red sandalwood, peonies, and green
peaches; and the long river Yochn was flowing full.
Some way off a pretty girl, as unable as the singing birds to resist the spring feeling,

327
had plucked a spray of azaleas, and put them in her hair. She had picked a white peony
and put it in her mouth. She lifted her petticoat and bent to rinse her pretty hands in the
stream on the green hillside; she washed her feet, then took a mouthful of water and
rinsed her mouth; she picked up a pebble and threw it at the orioles in the willow-
trees. Was this not
making the orioles fly away
in the old Chinese spring poem? She scattered willow-leaves to float on the water.
Snow-white butterflies danced in fluttering pairs and sipped at the hearts of the
flowers, while the golden orioles flew hither and thither among the trees.
The Kwanghal-lu was beautiful, but the Magpie Bridge was better. There is nothing
lovelier in all Chlla. But if the Magpie Bridge was there, where were the Herdboy
and the Weaving-Maid? In such a place a man could not help but sing. The boy
composed two couplets:
I am looking around for the magpie fairies
In the heavenly world of Kwanghal-lu.
I wonder who is the celestial Weaving-Maid?
For see, here I am, the Herdboy.
One of the yamen servants brought him a table with food on it. When he had drunk a
cup of wine he told his servant to remove the table. Pleasantly stimulated by the wine,
he lit his pipe and put it in his mouth, walking to and fro, delighting in the scenery.
Kom-san, Suyng and Poryn-am, in Chungchng province, were famous, but could
they be as beautiful as this place? Glowing red, glistening green, pure white, deepest
crimson were the ever-moving colors. The golden orioles calling to each other in the
willow-trees enhanced the spring feeling. Golden bees, white butterflies and
swallowtails were busy seeking the fragrance of the blossoms, flying hither, flying
thither, in the spring landscape. It was as though the three fairy mountains of Ying-

328
chou, Fang-shan and Peng-lai-shan were there before his eyes. He looked down at the
water, and it was like the Milky Way. The whole scene was transformed into a vision
of the heavenly world. But if it was the heavenly world, should there not have been
Heng-o, the beautiful princess, in her moon-palace?

It was indeed springtime, it was Tano, the fifth day of the fifth moon, the festival of
the beginning of summer. Wl-maes daughter Chun-hyang also knew her poetry;
could she fail to know what day it was? With Hyang-dan, her maid, ahead of her, she
had come out to play on the swings. Her hair, lovely as orchids, was combed over her
ears, neatly plaited, and fixed with a golden hairpin shaped like a phoenix. When she
walked through the woods of Changnim, swaying her body gently as she went, her
waist in its gauze skirt seemed as frail as the slender willows of Wei-yang. She made
her way through the thick shade of the green leaves to a place where the turf was
bright and the pairs of orioles flashed gold, flying hither and thither. There a swing
hung from a tall luxuriant willow-tree. She took off her long coat of green brocade and
her indigo silk skirt, and hung them up. Slipping off her shoes of embroidered Chinese
silk she threw them aside. Pulling up her brand-new white petticoat under her chin,
she grasped the two thick hempen ropes of the swing in her pretty little hands and
climbed on to it with her white-stockinged feet, setting the swing in motion. Her little
body, slender as a willow-bough, swung rhythmically, and the jade and silver
ornaments in the back of her hair and the jade and coral ornaments on her breast
gleamed against the full-moon pattern of her bodice with its fluttering ribbons.
Hyang-dan, push me!
One push and away she went; another push and she went higher, flying through the
air like fine dust underfoot, far forward and far back; the leaves above her swept in
the same rhythm and her red skirt billowed brightly in the green shade, like a flash of

329
lightning among the white clouds of the sky. 'I looked at what was before me, and
suddenly it was behind me, say the Analects. She flew forward like a little swallow
darting to seize a branch of peach-blossom; and then swung backward like a butterfly
that has lost its mate, buffeted against a stone by a gust of wind. Like the fairy of Wu-
shan riding on the cloud to arrive at Yang-tai, she had a spray of leaves in her lips
and a flower stuck enchantingly in her hair.
Oh, Hyang-dan! Im dizzy with swinging! Catch the rope for me.
The swing went back and forth many times before they could stop it, and her jade
hairpin fell into the pebbles of the stream with a tinkling sound.
Oh, my hairpin, my hairpin!'
Chun-hyangs voice was like a coral pin shattering on a jade salver, and she was
so lovely that she seemed not to belong to this world.

Like the swallows that fly pointlessly back and forth in spring, Yi Mong-nyong felt
lonely and depressed. He could not concentrate. He murmured to himself: The
beautiful Hsi-shih followed Fan Hsiao-pai in a little boat through the Five Lakes, but
she wont come here; the lovely maiden of Y sang her sad song of parting to Hsiang
Y in the moonlight at Kai-hsia, but she wont come here; Wang Chao-chn left the
Tan-feng Palace and went beyond the Amur River, where now she lies in the Verdant
Tomb; the imperial concubine Pan shut herself deep in the Chang-hsin Palace, where
she sang her sad song, and she wont come; Chao Fei-yen left the Chao-yang Palace
one morning and became an empress: and she wont come. But the fairy of Lo River or
the fairy of Wu-shan, what of them?
His soul flew off into heaven and his body was left sad and lonely. He was still
unmarried.
Boy!

330
 Here, master.
Look over there among the willow-trees. Who is that swinging back and forth so
lightly and prettily?
The servant looked carefully and replied: I know who that is. That girl is called
Chun-hyang. She is the daughter of a kisaeng in the town.
Mong-nyong replied at once: She looks marvellous. She is wonderful.
The servant went on: Although her mother is a kisaeng, Chun-hyang is very proud
and says: I am no kisaeng. She spends all her time thinking of flowery poetry and
embroidery and writing. She is just like a girl of good family.
The boy chuckled, called his valet, and said to him: I hear shes a kisaengs
daughter. Go and fetch her here at once.
The valet replied: Her snow-white skin and blossom-like face are famous
throughout the south. Civil officials, military officials, prefects, magistrates, local
officers, every last two-and-a-half-inch high gentleman has tried to meet her. She is as
beautiful as Chuang Chiang but as virtuous as Tai-jen or Tai-szu. She writes like Li
Po or Tu Fu; shes as gentle as Tai-szu and as chaste as the two consorts of the
Emperor Shun; she is without match in the world for beauty, the noblest woman in a
thousand years. I am daunted by the thought of inviting her.
The boy laughed aloud: Come on, lad, dont you know that everything has its
master? They say that even the white jade of Ching-shan and the yellow gold of Li-sui
have their owners. Stop arguing and go at once to fetch her.
The valet listened to his master and then ran across the bridge to fetch Chun-hyang.
He was as neat and nimble as the blue bird that carried a message to the Queen Mother
of the West as she sat at a banquet by the Lake of Gems.
Hey! Chun-hyang!
Chun-hyang was startled when she heard him call: What do you mean by shouting

331
like that? You gave me a shock.
Oh, stop chattering; this is important!
What is it?
The young master, the governors son, has come out to the Kwanghal-lu and he has
seen you swinging. He told me to fetch you.
Chun-hyang was indignant: You must be mad. How can he have known that it was
me, to call me? You must have been chattering about me like a sparrow cracking
hemp-seeds.
Not at all. Theres no need for me to talk about you. Its your fault, not mine. Just
listen. When a girl wants to play on a swing, the proper thing for her to do is to rig up
a swing in her own back yard and play where nobody can see her. Here we are, close
to the Kwanghal-lu, in a favorite beauty-spot. The grass is fresh and green and the
willow-trees by the stream make an emerald curtain, like a screen around the place.
Some of the fronds are yellow and some are waving in the breeze as though they were
dancing. You have hung your swing in a popular place, and when you swing up there
on your little white melon-seed feet, with your red skirt billowing against the clouds
and the edge of your petticoat fluttering in the southeast wind, your white skin shows
like the flesh of a melon against the sky. The young master saw you and sent for you;
there was no need for me to tell him anything about you. Stop arguing and come with
me.
Chun-hyang answered: I see what you mean, but today is Tano. Am I the only
person outside? Plenty of other girls have been here swinging. And thats not all;
granting what you say is true, I am not a girl to be ordered about. Decent girls are not
to be sent for in this way, and even if they are, they have no reason to go. You have no
right to talk to me like this.
The valet gave up and went back to the pavilion. When the boy heard his report, he

332
said: What a wonderful girl! She is quite right, but go back again and try another
approach.
When the valet went back to take his message to Chun-hyang, he discovered that
she had gone home in the meantime. So he went to her house and found the girl and her
mother sitting down to lunch together. As he went in, Chun-hyang said: Why have
you come back?
I beg your pardon. The young master sent me back again. He said that the reason
why he wants you to come and see him is not that he thinks you are a kisaeng, but that
he has heard that you write very good poetry. He knows it is unusual to ask a girl from
a good family to come to him, but he begs you to trust his good intentions, and come to
see him for a short time.
Chun-hyang asked herself whether this might not be a pre-ordained meeting, and
suddenly found that she would like to go, but she wondered what her mother would
think about it, so she sat silent for a while. Her mother broke the silence, sitting up
straight and speaking distractedly: Dreams arent all pointless. Last night I dreamt
that a fantastic green dragon was swimming in a lake surrounded by green-peach trees.
I knew it meant something good, and there was nothing of chance about it. I have heard
that the young masters name is Mong-nyong. Now I understand; it all fitsMong
means Dream, and Nyong means Dragon. In any case, when such a gentleman sends for
you, how can you refuse? Go and see him.
Chun-hyang, pretending to be reluctant, rose and went out to the Kwanghal-lu. She
walked like a swallow on a roof-beam in the Tae-myng-jn, like a hen picking up
grain in a sunny yard, like a golden turtle walking on the white sands; lovely as a
flower in the moonlight, her slow swimming gait was like Hsi-shih walking to Tu-
cheng. As she came over to the pavilion the boy stood half leaning on the balustrade,
eagerly looking out for her. When she drew close and he could see her clearly, he was

333
delighted. She was fresh and pretty. There was no one to compare with her for
loveliness. Her complexion was clear, like a crane white as snow, playing in the
moonlight on a clear stream. Her rosy lips were parted to show her white teeth, like
stars, like jade. She was beautifully dressed, with a purple gauze skirt enveloping her
like twilight mist, a kingfisher-green underskirt glimmering underneath, its pattern
rippling like the waves of the Milky Way. Gracefully and sedately she went up into the
pavilion and stood there waiting shyly till he said to one of the servants: Tell her to
sit down.
Now he could take in the whole of her beauty. He noticed her modest expression
and the dignified way in which she sat, like a white pebble in a green stream, a pebble
newly washed by the rain; like a roosting swallow surprised by the sight of a man.
Although she was not richly dressed, she had outstanding natural beauty. Now that he
sat facing her, her face was like the bright moon seen between the clouds, her half-
opened pink lips like a lotus flower amid the waters.
'I have never seen a fairy, but surely a fairy from Ying-chou has been exiled to
Namwn, or else the fairies of the moon have lost one of their companions. Your face
and your grace do not belong to this world.
At the same time Chun-hyang lifted her eyelids for a moment and looked at the boy.
He was a handsome lad, remarkably good-looking. His high forehead showed promise
of early success; the fine bones of his face showed that he would become a
distinguished statesman. She was filled with admiration, but she lowered her
eyebrows and remained kneeling before him. The boy said: The sages have said that
one should not marry someone with the same surname. Tell me what your surname is
and how old you are.
My name is Sng, and I am fifteen years old.
See what the boy does:

334
 Thats good news. You were born in the same year as me; we are both fifteen, and
now I know your surname I am sure this is heavens destiny for us. Marriage is called
yi-sng-ji-hap, the union of two surnames, a pun on Yi and Sng. This is a good omen
that we shall be happy for the rest of our lives. Are your parents still alive?
I live with my widowed mother.
How many brothers have you?
My mother is sixty years old; she has no sons, and I am her only daughter.
So you are a very precious child. We two have met by a special decree of heaven.
We shall be happy for ever.
See what Chun-hyang does: she knits her eyebrows, half-opens her lips, and gently
murmurs: A loyal subject cannot serve two kings, and a faithful wife cannot honor
two husbands. I have read this in an old book. You are from a noble family, but I am a
woman of the people. After we have plighted our troth, if you put me away because of
my low birth, I shall nevertheless be bound to remain faithful to you, and have to
spend the rest of my life grieving in a lonely room, and there will be no one to help
me. Do not make me do this.
The boy said: You have every reason to speak like that, but I am making you a
promise strong as adamant. Where is your house?
Chun-hyang answered: Ask your valet.
The boy laughed: I see its no good asking you. Boy!
Yes, master?
Tell me where Chun-hyangs house is.
The valet pointed with his hand: Over there is a garden full of trees with a clear
lotus pond in it, where fish are leaping. The flowers look like fairyland and the birds
fly happily. Above the rocks a twisted pine looks like an old dragon hunched up where
clear winds blow. Outside the gate a willow-tree stands with waving fronds. There

335
are blueberries, junipers and fir-trees. In the middle there stands a pair of gingko
trees. In front of the door of the house are paulownia trees, jujube trees, and an ash
tree from the deep mountains; grape vines, actinidia and clematis twine together and
pour over the outside of the wall. There between the pine pavilion and the bamboo
grove you can just see Chun-hyangs house.
The boy said: It is neat and tidy, and a place where pines and bamboos grow is for
sure a place where the women are faithful.
Chun-hyang got up and said shyly: People can easily get the wrong impression. I
must not stay any longer.
When the boy heard this, he said: You are right. We must be careful. But tonight,
when the yamen servants have all gone home, I shall come to your house. Please do
not be unkind to me.
Chun-hyang answered: I cannot promise.
If you cannot, who will? Goodbye. Well meet again tonight.
She went down from the pavilion.
When she got home, her mother came out to meet her: Oh, youve come back, my
dear. What did he say to you?
What do you think he said? I sat there for a little while, and when I got up to go he
said that he will come to our house this evening.
How did you answer that?
I said I couldnt make any promise.
That was good.

After Chun-hyang had left him so abruptly, Mong-nyong found it hard to collect his
thoughts. He went back to his room, but he could not interest himself in anything. All
his thoughts were about Chun-hyang. Her pretty voice sounded in his ears, her pretty

336
face appeared before his eyes. He was waiting for the sun to go down.
He called his valet: What time does the sun say?
Its just coming up!
The boy was very angry: You insolent fellow! How can the afternoon sun start to
rise? Go and look again.
This time the valet answered:
The sun dips into the water at twilight,
The moon rises over the eastern ridge.
Mong-nyongs supper was tasteless.
Longing, longing,
He tossed and fidgeted.
He was longing for the yamen to close. He set out his books on the table and looked
them over one by one: The Doctrine of the Mean. The Great Learning, the Analects,
Mencius, the Book of Songs, the Book of History, the Book of Changes, the Treasury
of Ancient Writings, the Comprehensive Mirror of Government, the Compendium of
History, the Poems of Li Po and Tu Fu, and the Thousand Character Classic.
Here is the first poem of the Book of Songs:
Kuan-kuan, called the water-birds
On the islets in the stream;
Chaste and modest maiden,
Fit partner for a lord.
Oh, stop! I cant read such stuff.
He picked up the Great Learning: The principles of higher education consist in
refining mans clear character, in giving new life to the people... in Chun-hyang.... I
cant read this either.
He picked up the Book of Changes: The creative principle, sublime and

337
successful, persistence.. and Chun-hyangs nose, the tip of her nose, its pretty,
thats all. I cant stand this stuff... Here is Wang Pos poem Teng-wangs Pavilion:
Nan-ch'ang is an old town,
Hung-tu is a new city
Read that a little differently, and the women say it means a girl from the south makes
a good bride. Thats the sort of thing I want to read.
Then he picked up Mencius: Mencius went to see King Hui of Liang, and the king
said: Sir, since you have not counted it far to come here, a distance of a thousand
li.....he must have gone to see Chun-hyang.
He picked up the Compendium of History: At the beginning of time, the heavenly
emperor by his gentle power set up kings, regulated times and seasons and effortlessly
guided the people. Each of his eleven brothers lived for eighteen thousand generations.

The valet said: Just a minute, sir. I have heard that the heavenly emperor ruled by
virtue of the element of wood. Gentle power makes it sound as though he ruled with
herbs. Ive never heard that before.
You idiot! you know nothing. The heavenly emperor lived for eighteen thousand
years. His teeth were so strong that he could eat bread made with wood, but do you
think his statesmen could do the same? Confucius himself, thinking of future
generations, appeared in a dream in the Myngnyun-dang, and said: Since the old
mens teeth are weak, they must not eat wood bread any more, but bread made with
herbs. This was published through all the schools of the land, and this text was
changed to gentle power.
The valet thought for a moment, and then said: Listen! That is the sort of thing that
the Almighty himself would be surprised to hear.
Then Mong-nyong picked up the Chih-pi fu: On the sixteenth day of the seventh

338
moon in autumn of the year jen-hs, Su Tung-po and his friend were sailing on the
Chih-pi River, a clear breeze was blowing gently and the water was smooth. Oh,
thats enough! Ive no heart for that sort of thing.
He started to read the Thousand Character Classic: The sky is ch'n, the earth is
chi.' The valet heard him: Here, sir! Whats a man of your age doing, reading a
primer?
The character chn is the basis of all the classics. Chou Hsing-szu, an official of
Liang, wrote this book in the course of one night, and the effort turned his hair white.
Thats why its called The white-headed classic. If I explain it all word by word it
will be enough to give you constipation.
But I know the meaning of the Thousand Character Classic.
What! You think you know what it means?
Do you think I would just say so if I didnt?
Well, if you know it, read it to me.
All right, listen: High and wide the heavens, chn; deep, so deep, the earth, chi;
round and round, tightly wound, hyn; burnt in the fire, scorched, hwang.
Here, stop it! That proves you know nothing. You silly fellow, youve been
listening to some minstrel in the marketplace. Listen while I read it to you: The
heavens open at midnight to reproduce themselves, the heavens wide as creation,
ch'n. The earth appears at dawn, the earth made of the five elements and the eight
trigrams, chi. The thirty-three heavens are empty and void, and the heart of man
regards them as black, hyn. The twenty-eight constellations belong to metal, wood,
water, fire and earth, whose proper color is yellow, hwang. The universe is lit by the
sun and moon in double splendor, and is the Jade Emperors high dwelling, u. The
rise, prosperity and decline of nations throughout history from the beginning until now
is the story of the world, chu. Y controlled the great floods and Kija wrote the nine

339
laws of the Hung fan, the great laws, hong. The three sovereigns and the five
emperors, they passed away, and rebellious subjects and thieves increased, that was
trouble, hwang. Then, rising in the east to illuminate the world, bright and red on the
edge of the sky, the shining sun of the dawning day, il. The moon that shines so
peacefully on the crowded world, where millions of people are tamping their house-
sites, wl. The sad little moon that starts to wane on the fifteenth night, thats yng.
When you think of all the worlds troubles, they are like the moonlight, like the bright
full moon that begins to decrease, chaek. The principle of the twenty-eight
constellations, the diagrams of the Book of Changes: sun, moon, planets and stars,
chin. On this fine night I lodge in her house, with mandarin ducks on the quilt, thats
sleeping, suk. Passing the time making music with a beautiful woman, thats yl. In the
soft moonlight of the silent hours, expressing all thats in my heart, thats chang. Today
a cold wind is blowing; lets retire to the bedroom; thats cold, han. The pillows too
high, so use my arm; come on then, nae. Holding you tightly and entwining our legs,
warm in spite of snow and gales; thats s. When the bedroom grows too hot, we move
about to fan the air; thats wang. Neither too cold nor too hot, when is that? Autumn,
when the paulownia leaves fall, chu. White hairs will come soon enough, so gather
the fruits of youth, su. Trees fall down in the cold wind which freezes the landscape
with white snow in winter, tong. Sleeping or waking, Ill never forget our love hidden
in the inner room, chang. The glistening sheen on the lotus in last nights drizzling rain,
yun. This beauty is such that when life is over it will still remain, yo. The solemn oath
of the marriage contract will be fulfilled in the storms of the world, song. While we
are playing thus together we shall not know the passage of time, se. The code of laws
says that a wife taken in days of poverty cannot be put away, that she must not be ill-
treated, yul. Fit partner for a lord is she not? When Chun-hyangs lips are pressed to
mine, and we are kissing eagerly, will that not be ywritten like two mouths

340
together? Oh, how I long to see her!
His father, the governor, who had felt pangs of indigestion while sitting at supper,
had risen from table, and was on his way to lie down. When the cry Oh! how I long to
see her! startled him.
Come here!
Here, master.
Is someone having acupuncture in the study? Or has he got pins-and-needles in his
leg? Go and find out.
The servant went to see.
Young master, why did you shout like that? The governor was startled by the noise,
and sent me to find out what it was. What shall I tell him?
The boy was very worried. You tell him this: I was reading the Analects, and when
I came to the passage How utterly badly things have gone for me! It is long since I
dreamed that I saw the Duke of Chou, I was so moved, I wondered what it would be
like if I saw the Duke of Chou, and I cried aloud. Just tell him that.
The servant went in and told this story. The governor was delighted that his son was
so studious: Good. Go to the study and tell Mok the secretary to come here quietly.
When the secretary came into the room you could see from the way he hurried,
anxious to find out what was the matter, what a petty-minded man he was.
Is your Excellency feeling lonely?
Ah, sit down a minute. I have something to say. Weve been friends for a long time.
We learned our letters together. Do you remember how we hated reading? But this son
of mine shows an astonishing gift for poetry.
The secretary, much mystified, replied: What is more hateful than learning to read
Chinese characters as a child?
To get out of reading youngsters fall asleep and think of all sorts of tricks. But once

341
this boy starts reading, he doesnt know the difference between day and night.
Yes, Ive heard that said.
Hes hardly been taught at all, but his calligraphy is first-class.
Thats a fact.
When he writes a dot, its like a stone dropped from a high peak; when he draws a
straight line, its like a thousand-li cloud; he writes the top of a character as neatly as
can be. His style is like waves and lightning. When he makes a slanting stroke, it is
like an old pine bending from a cliff. He writes the character for spear like a
spreading wisteria vine, and he draws a hook like a taut bow. Even if some of the
strokes lack strength, they all have perfect form.
I have noticed that his strokes have perfect form.
Yes, but listen! when he was eight years old, there was an old blossoming plum
tree in the garden of my house in Seoul, and I told him to write a poem about it. He
wrote it very quickly, but it was so full of feeling and so good in technique that seeing
it once was enough to remember it. Hes bound to bring glory to his family. He looks
round once and straightway produces a classic poem.
He will become a great minister of state.
The governor was growing excited: A minister of state! How dare I boast of it?
Hell easily pass the state examination before I die, and then hell get a government
appointment, for certain.
Youve no need to talk like that. If he doesnt become a Chng-sng, minister of
state, hell become a Changsng, devil-post.
The governor exclaimed: Where did you learn to answer like that?
I answered like that, but I dont know where I learned it. So he said, but it was not
true.

342
 Mong-nyong was still waiting for the yamen to close for the night.
Boy!
Here I am.
See if the yamen has closed yet for the night.
No, not yet.
A little later they heard the call closing the yamen: Time to withdraw!
Good. Now we can get ready. Boy, light the lantern.
One servant followed behind as they went out stealthily to go to Chun-hyangs
house.
Boy, theres a light in my fathers room. Hold the lantern on the other side and
shield it.
They went out through the main gate, through the narrow lanes in the white
moonlight, through the flowers. Now and then they broke off a spray of the green
willows. The young men of the town had gone to spend the night at the kisaeng houses,
so there was nothing to delay them. In the still quietness of the night they made their
way through a moonlit world. How could the fisherman not know the way to the
Peach-blossom Valley? When they reached Chun-hyangs gate the neighborhood was
still, the night air was silent and the moon shone bright at midnight. The leaping fish
were popping in and out of the water, plump golden carp opening their mouths as
though they were pleased, and the excited cranes were calling in the moonlight.
Chun-hyang had been sitting with her seven-stringed lute aslant her knees, playing
the Southern Breeze Song of the Emperor Shun, but now she had fallen asleep on her
bed. The valet was afraid that the dog would bark as he went in, so he crept quietly up
to Chun-hyangs window and whispered outside it: Hey! Chun-hyang! Are you
asleep?
Chun-hyang sat up, startled: Why have you come?

343
 The young master is here.
When Chun-hyang heard this, her heart began to thump. Unable to disguise her
excitement, she opened the door and ran out. She went over to her mothers room and
woke her.
Mother, mother! Why are you sleeping so soundly?
Her mother woke up: What are you calling me for?
Whos calling you for anything?
Then why are you calling?
Chun-hyang burst out: Young master Yi and his valet are here.
Her mother got up and opened the door and called to the valet: Who is there?
The valet answered: The young master, the governors son, has come.
When Chun-hyangs mother heard this, she called out: Hyang-dan!
Yes?
Go and put some cushions out in the guest-room, and light the candles. Chun-
hyangs mother came out as she gave the order. Any-body could see she was Chun-
hyangs mother: it is an old saying that people take after their mothers side, and
Chun-hyangs was obviously her daughter. See how she moves: her hair is more
white than black, but she is still graceful. Her movements are neat, her skin still
smooth and clear. She is a fortunate woman. She moves with dignity, dragging her feet
a little, as she quietly approaches the valet.
Meanwhile Mong-nyong stood looking around listlessly, till the valet came out and
said: This is Chun-hyangs mother coming now.
She came and stood in front of him politely, with the palms of her hands together:
Has all been well with you, young sir?
The boy smiled: So youre her mother. How are you?
Thank you, all goes well. We did not know you were coming, so we are not ready

344
to welcome you.
Yes. Have you ever heard of such a thing?
She led them through the main gate, past the second court to the inner garden, where
there was an old thatched guest-house with candles alight inside. The dangling sprays
of the willows were silhouetted against the candlelight like the strands of a beaded
curtain; to the right a phoenix tree was dripping with clear dew, like a crane startled in
a dream; to the left an umbrella pine was rustled by the clear breeze, like an old and
dreaming dragon; on the big plantain by the window, the first tender leaves of the
season were springing like phoenixs tail-feathers. The new lotus-flowers, like jewels
from the heart of the water, were barely above the surface of the pond, catching the
drops of dew; the plump golden carp wear trying to change from fish to dragon, leap-
ing about in and out of the water in their play, slapping the young lotus-leaves with
their flanks. The peaks of the ornamental rocks stood still and silent. The cranes
standing by the steps, surprised by the people, spread their wings, stretched their legs,
and called; the little shaggy dog barked under the cinnamon tree. A pair of ducks were
floating on the pond like a happy omen, as though waiting for the guest to arrive.
When they arrived under the eaves, Chun-hyangs, following her mothers
instructions, half opened the gauze screen and came out, beautiful as the shining moon
emerging from the clouds. Her beauty was beyond description; her shy look as she
came down the steps and stood for a moment in front of them was enough to melt any
mans heart. Mong-nyong smiled and asked her: Were you tired when you got home
today?
Chun-hyang was too shy to answer, and she stood silent. Her mother led the way up
the steps into the room and arranged cushions for the boy to sit down. She had tea
brought in for him and lit a pipe. The boy sat and puffed. He had come because he
wanted Chun-hyang, not because he wanted her property, but this was the first time he

345
had come to such a house. Before he came in, he thought he knew what he was going to
say, but now he was inside he could think of no words at all. He was suddenly short of
breath, and coughed nervously; he felt chilly and, think as hard as he would, had no
idea what to say next. As he looked round the room, he saw a number of paintings and
curios on the walls: wardrobes carved with dragons and phoenixes, cosmetic boxes
scattered around, many of them ornamented with paintings. Chun-hyang had no
husband, and she was a studious girl, so why should she have so many things of this
kind? It was because her mother was a well-known kisaeng, and was preparing to give
all these things to her daughter. There was some calligraphy by famous Korean
calligraphers, and several notable paintings, including pictures of the Eight Fairies,
which had such inscriptions as:
The Emperor gives audience to the dancing-girls.
Li Po reads the Huang-ting-ching at the Yellow Crane Pavilion.
Li Ho is invited to write the roof-beam inscription for the white Jade Tower in
Heaven.
The meeting of the Weaving-Maid and the Herdboy on the Magpie Bridge on the
seventh night of the seventh moon.
Heng-o compounding simples in the moonlight at Kwanghal-lu.'
He was dazzled at the bright array. Looking to one side, he saw a vividly-drawn
picture of Yen Tzu-ling of Fu-chun-shan, having declined office at court, living with
the seagulls for friends, and monkeys and cranes for neighbors, dressed in sheepskin
and casting his fishing-line in the Chi-li stream of the Tung River.
The room was like some place in fairyland. Fit partner for a lord.. would its owner
be. Chun-hyang had written a poem which showed how she intended to be faithful to
her husband and had naively put it up over the writing-desk:
Rustling bamboos in the gentle winds of spring;

346
 Reading books while incense burns at night.
Wonderful! That couplet shows the faithfulness of a girl like the paragon Mu-lan,
said the boy.
Hearing such praise, the girls mother said: I am overwhelmed that you should do
us the honor of visiting this humble place.
This remark was enough to loosen Mong-nyongs tongue: You have no reason to
speak like that. I saw Chun-hyang by chance at the Kwanghal-lu and I was enchanted
by her. Like the butterfly that is enthralled by the flower, I have come tonight to meet
you, her mother. I want to be betrothed to her. Will you permit it?
The mother replied: You do us too great an honor; but please consider; Governor
Sng, who lived outside the Purple Mist Gate of Seoul, when he was posted for a time
to Namwn, mistook a kite for a falcon and called me to serve him. After I had been
with him three months, he returned to the capital; but I found I was pregnant and this
child of mine was born. When I told him about her, he said: When she is weaned,
bring her to me. Unhappily, he died soon after, and I could not send her to him. She
was difficult to rear, because she was delicate. By the time she was seven she had
read the Lesser Learning and she grew stronger, a willing and gentle child, quick to
learn everything, and such a little lady that no one would think her the child of a
kisaeng. I had so little money that I could not send her to be prepared for marriage in a
noble house, and I have been worried that she will be slow in finding a spouse
because it will be difficult to decide on the right rank of husband for her. So dont
speak so readily of a betrothal-contract. Just enjoy yourself for a little while as our
guest.
However, she did not mean what she was saying. When the boy said he wanted to
marry Chun-hyang, though she was not sure what that would mean for the future, she
hoped they could now make a break with the past. Mong-nyong, perplexed, said:

347
Every good plan meets hindrances. Neither Chun-hyang nor I are married. Now we
have got this far there is nothing to prevent us marrying. I am a gentlemans son, and I
would not deceive you.
When Chun-hyangs mother heard this, she said: 'It says in an old book, No one
knows a subject better than his king; no one knows a son better than his father. Who
should know a daughter better than her mother? I know the sort of girl my daughter is.
From the time she was a child she has been strong-willed, and she has worried lest
she should do anything in the least improper. She is determined to be faithful to her
husband, and her iron will is as unchanging as the pine, bamboo and fir, which stay
green through the four seasons. Even though the world were turned upside down and
the mulberry orchards became oceans, she would never change her mind. If gold and
silver, jade and silks from Wu and Shu were piled up like mountains, they would not
move her. Her heart is as clear as the finest jade, and as pure as the clear breeze. Her
sole desire is to live according to the ancient ideals. Your lordship has been tempted
by desire to form a tie with her, and if without the knowledge of your parents you fall
deeply in love, but later decide to give her up because of gossip, my poor daughter
will be cast off like a broken trinket of finely mottled tortoiseshell or pretty pearl. She
will be like a mandarin duck that has lost the drake she played with so happily in
sunnier days. If your intentions are really sincere, think very carefully before you act.
Mong-nyong felt more frustrated than ever: Please stop worrying about that at once.
My mind is completely made up and my heart is firm. Even though we have different
social obligations, when she and I are betrothed, whether or not we go through the full
formalitiesthe presentation of the goose and the red and blue silksmy love for her
is as deep as the sea.
He was more in earnest saying this than he would have been if he had gone through
the ceremonies of the red and blue cords and the rest of the six rites of a wedding: I

348
will treat her as my first wife, so do not worry that I shall put her into a subordinate
position. Dont worry about the formalities of the wedding; would a gentleman such as
I treat her shabbily? Please give your consent.
Chun-hyangs mother listened to him and sat silent. She was thinking about the
dream she had had. She decided that this was a preordained match and suddenly gave
her consent: When a hen phoenix appears, a cock phoenix will follow; where there is
a general, there will also be a fine horseif there is a Spring Fragrance in Namwn,
it means that the plum trees are in bloom. Spring Fragrance is Chun-hyang, and your
family name means Plum.
Hyang-dan! Is the wine-tray ready?
Yes, came the reply.
These are the titbits piled high on the table: tripe, chitterlings, steamed ribs of beef,
boiled pork, bubbling fish soup, stewed quails; abalone from Tongnae and Ulsan, cut
with a tortoiseshell-handled knife, and set out like the eyelashes of Meng Shang-chn;
pieces of bullocks heart grilled on skewers, fried tripe, legs of spring pheasant;
arranged on dishes from Chkpyk and bowls from the Punwn potteries are chilled
noodles, raw chestnuts, roasted chestnuts, pine-nut cones, walnuts, jujubes,
pomegranates, pomeloes, persimmons, cherries, and early pears as big as soup-bowls.
The wine-bottles are wonderful, flawless white jade and coral from the blue seas,
paulownia bottles like golden autumn leaves falling into a well, bottles with long egret
necks, bottles shaped like turtles, Chinese painted bottles, gilded bottles, bottles of
bamboo from the Hsiao-hsiang rivers by Lake Tung-ting; and wine-kettles of the
finest silver, of red brass, of chased gold. The wines are the grape wine of Li Po, the
purple mist wine of An Chi-sheng, the pine-needle wine of the forest hermits, strong
summer wine with spirits in it, Pangmun flavored-wine, thousand-day wine, hundred-
day wine, golden dew, the fieriest spirits, medicinal wine, fragrant lotus-leaf wine. In

349
an oval kettle set on white ashes in a green brass stove, filled with water that is
neither too hot nor too cold, gold cups, jade cups, and mother-of-pearl cups shaped
like tiny parrots float like the lotus-leaf boat of the immortal of the Tai-i star among
the heavenly lotus flowers, like the plantain-leaf fan of the chief councillor of state.
They seem to be singing a drinking song: Take a cup, take a cup, take a cup more.
Mong-nyong said: When I see such food as this, I wonder how it can be produced
outside a noblemans house.
Chun-hyangs mother replied: My daughter has been carefully brought up as a
Chaste and modest maiden
Fit partner for a lord.
If she is going to live the rest of her days happily married,
With lutes and guitars as her friends,
then when her husbands guests, noblemen and heroes, great warriors and
distinguished scholars, call on him informally by day and night, if she as mistress of
the house has not learned how to supervise the servants in preparing a table of wine
and food, how will she be able to wait on her husband properly? If the wife is badly
taught, the master of the house loses face. All my life I have striven my hardest to give
her a good example, and when we could afford it have bought good things so that she
could learn by practice, training her eyes and her hands, never wasting the least
moment. Forgive its shortcomings; taste it and see how you like it.
She filled a parrot cup and handed it to the boy. He took it and sighed as he held it
in his hand: If things went as I should wish, we should have all the wedding
ceremonies. But that cannot be, and I am getting married like a dog in a hole. What a
pity! Here, Chun-hyang! We must drink this wine as the wine of the wedding rites.
He filled a cup and raised it: Listen to what I say: the first cup is for greeting, the
second is for mutual joy. This wine is the root and source of happiness. The Emperor

350
Shun, when he met O-huang and N-ying, fulfilled historys greatest destiny; but our
destiny too is made by the Old Man of the Moonlight, who arranges all marriages; our
destiny is a contract through three transmigrations of our souls; our destiny will not
change for ten million years; our destiny will last till our descendants become the first
three state-councillors with increasing numbers of grandsons, greatgrandsons and
great-great-grandsons, who will climb on our knees and beat their tiny fists in time to
nursery rhymes; and we shall live for a hundred years as no one lived so happily nor
will do ever afterward; by the time we die it will have been the most wonderful of all
destinies.
He drained the cup and said: Hyang-dan, fill the cup and give it to your mistress.
Mother, please drink one cup of wine for the sake of our happiness.
Chun-hyangs mother took the wine up with mingled joy and sorrow: Today the sorrows and joys of my
daughters life are decided for ever. I dont know why I feel so sad, but I brought her up alone, without her father,
and now we have come to this time I cannot help thinking of him. It makes me very sad.

But the boy said: Dont think about things gone by. Please drink some wine.
The girls mother drank several cups of wine. Then she called the boys servant and
told him to take the table away: You may eat something; and tell the valet to have
some too.
The servant and the valet took the table away and after they had eaten, the outer gate
and the inner gate were closed. Chun-hyangs mother called Hyang-dan and told her
to prepare the bedroom. The maid set out the quilt embroidered with mandarin ducks,
a pillow with pine-cone ruching, a round brass chamber-pot which shone like the
morning sun, and a large bowl of clean water.
Good night, sir. Sleep well.
Come along, Hyang-dan. Come and sleep in my room, said the mother, and the two
of them went over to the main house.

351
 Chun-hyang and Mong-nyong were left sitting facing each other. What will happen
now? Like a crane dancing with wings outstretched on the peak of Samgak-san in the
setting sun, the boy stretched out his hands and clasped Chun-hyangs pretty soft
fingers which were joined in her lap. He gently lifted her skirt and eagerly embraced
her waist: Take your skirt off.
Not only was it the first time that such a thing had happened to Chun-hyang, but she
was shy and nervous. She hung her head and her body swayed like a pink lotus in a
breeze over the green water. The boy removed her skirt and then her underclothes, and
she was terrified beyond reason. She wriggled like the blue dragon of the eastern seas:
Stop it! Let go! Stop it!
Come on, now, that's no way to talk! As they were struggling, she caught one of the
tapes of her dress underfoot, and they fell over, stretched out embracing one another.
With her clothes off, Ch'un-hyang was so white, she was fairer than the jade of Ching-
shan. When she was undressed, the boy let go of her so that he could look at her
properly.
Ah! Ive let go of her!
Chun-hyang slipped between the sheets. The boy quickly followed her, removed
her bodice and threw it on a pile with his own clothes in the corner. They lay clasping
each other. How could they sleep like that? As their bones melted in ecstasy, the heavy
quilt danced, the brass chamber-pot kept time with ringing sounds, the iron loop of the
doorhandle rattled, the flame of the candle flickered delightedly. It was the finest sort
of sleep. Could any joy be greater than this?
After the second night, because they were young, they renewed their joys and lost
their shyness. They began to tease each other, to joke with each other, and make
impromptu love-songs. Playing at love, they played like this:

352
Oh, love, my love, my love!
Love high as Wu-shan in the moonlight by the seven-hundred-li lake of Tung-ting;
Love boundless as the sky over the sea, and deep as the ocean;
Love like the moon shining on a thousand peaks of jade mountains in autumn;
Love that asks to play the flute for dancing;
Love like peach and plum blossom seen through the screen in the evening sunlight;
Love that abounds in the winsome smiles of a pretty girls face;
Love that brings us together in three successive lives,
bound by the Old Man of the Moonlight;
Love without reproach between husband and wife;
Love lovely as a full-blown peony in the garden in the rain;
Love like being caught in a drag-net in the sea off Yngpyng;
Love of many strands,
like the weaving of the Damsel of the Milky Way;
Love that is concealed like the seams in the quilt of a dancing-girl;
Love dense as the fronds of the weeping willows by the brook;
Love piled up like the grains in all the granaries of the land;
Love packed tight like clothes in wardrobes
inlaid with silver, inlaid with jade;
Love like golden bees and white butterflies sucking the flowers
and dancing in the colors of spring on Yngsan;
Love like a pair of mandarin ducks
bobbing on the clear water of a stream;
Love when the Herdboy meets the Weaving Maid
each seventh night of the seventh moon;
Love of Liu-kuans disciple Hsing-chen playing with the Eight Fairies;

353
 Love of Hsiang Y following the beauty of Y at Li-pa-shan,
Love of the Emperor Ming of Tang for Yang Kuei-fei,
Love like the sea-roses blooming by the long white sands.
Everything about you is lovely.
hwa-dung-dung, oh, my love,
hwa, my lovely one, my love!

Chun-hyang! Walk over there and let me watch you. Now come back! Let me see
how you come. Let me see you smile. Walk with little steps. Let me see you move.
The love of you and me together! Where else have the stars made such a destiny? If
we love like this in life, how can our wedding end in death?

When you die, Ill tell you what youll be:

When you die, youll be a Chinese character,
The character for earth, for female, for wife: the element of woman.
When I die, I shall be a Chinese character:
The character for heaven, character for male,
character for husband, character for man: the element of son
Put that by the element of woman
And we have the character for good!
Oh, love, my love, my love!

When you die, Ill tell you what youll be:

When you die youll be water:
Water of the Milky Way, water of the waterfalls,
water of the boundless seas,

354
Water of the clear streams, water of the jade valley brooks,
ending in winding rivers,
Grateful water from the skies,
that soaks the land after seven years drought.
When 1 die, Ill be a bird:
Ill not become a mournful cuckoo,
Nor even a bluebird at the Lake of Gems,
Nor a blue crane, nor a white gull.
Ill not even become a great p'eng
I shall become a mandarin duck, that never leaves its mate,
A mandarin duck swimming on the green waters.
hwa-dung-dung, swimming together!
You will know its me, hwa my lovely one, my love!

I dont want to be any such thing.

All right then, Ill tell you what youll be when you die:
When you die, you wont be the great bell of Kyngju,
You wont be the great bell of Chnju,
You wont be the great bell of Songdo,
Youll be the bell in the Bell-street of Seoul.
When I die, I shall be the clapper of the bell;
Counting the twenty-eight constellations and the thirty-three heavens,
When the beacon on Saddle Mountain flares three times,
When the beacon on South Mountain flares twice,
The first sound of the bell is struck.

355
 Every time it rings, other people will listen
And think it is only the bell;
But inside ourselves well know
That its Mong-nyong making love to Chun-hyang.
Lets see if Im right.
Oh love, my lovely one, my love!

I dont like that either.

Then, when you die, Ill tell you what youll be:
When you die, youll become a mortar;
When I die, Ill be a pestle;
The pestle and mortar made by Chiang Tai-kung
At the hour of the white monkey
Of the day of the white monkey
Of the month of the white monkey
Of the year of the white monkey;
And when I am pounding, youll know that its me
Oh love, my lovely one, my love!

Chun-hyang said: I dont like it; I dont want to be that either.

Why, whats the matter?
Why do you always say that I must be underneath, in this life and the next? I dont
like it at all.
All right then: when you die, lets put you on top:you become the upper
grindstone, and Ill become the nether grindstone. When two fresh young faces are
clasped by young hands, and move together like the spheres of heaven and earth, then

356
youll know it is me.
I dont like it. I wont be that either. What comes from on top is only exasperating,
because some wretched fate gives a person an extra orifice......I hate everything!
All right! When you die, Ill tell you what youll be:

When you die, youll be a sea-rose by the long white sands.

When I die, Ill be a butterfly.
I shall nibble your anthers
And you will nibble my beard.
When the spring breezes blow gently
Well dance a swaying dance together.
Oh love, my love, my love,
My love, my lovely one.

If I look here, I see my love;

If I look there, I see my love;
Everywhere I see my love!
Must I live caught up in love?
hwa-dung-dung, oh, my love,
My pretty one, my love!

When you smile so prettily,

The king of flowers, the peony
Seems half-way open after last nights showers.
Wherever I look, I see my love!
Oh! My lovely one.

357
 Now what shall I sing? Since you and I are deep in love, lets make a rhyme on
love. Lets make a rhyme with puns on love, all the words that end in chng.
Lets hear it.
Listen, my love;

Since you and I are deep in love,

What can we do with so much love, tajng?
Rippling water of long rivers carrying travelers worries, kaek-chng
I could not say goodbye to you at the bridge,
The riverside trees have gulped down my feelings, hamjng,
When I see you off to a southern port
I cannot overcome my feelings, sngjng,
With no one, when we part, to see my feelings, ajng.
The first Han emperors pavilion, Hyu-jng
Three generations of statesmen, officials to fill the court, chojong
Monastic quietness, ch'ngjng
The womens courtyard, chinjng
Friendships shared feelings, tongjng
The shattered world set at peace, p'yngjng
We two will have a thousand years of love, injng
The moon is bright and the stars are few
Over Hsiao-hsiang rivers and Lake Tung-ting, Tongjng
All created things in due order, chohwajng
Trials and worries, kkchng
Petitions and accusations, wnjng

358
Sharing love, injng
Grumbles about food, tujng
Bootless frivolity, pangjng
Court of claims, songjng
Government offices, kwanjng
Internal affairs, naejng
External affairs, oejng
The Pine-tree Pavilion, Aesong-jng
The Archery Pavilion, Chnyang-jng
Yang Kuei-feis fragrant arbor, Chimhyang-jng
The Emperor Shuns two wives Pavilion, Sosang-jng
The Cold Pine Pavilion at Kangnng, Hansong-jng
The Delights of Spring Pavilion,
where a hundred flowers bloom, Hochun-jng
The moon rising over Kirin Peak,
over the White Cloud Pavilion, Paegun-jng
The joy of our meeting, mannanjng
If we speak of one feeling, ilchng
The truth of the matter, silchng
My mind is as strong as the Book of Changes: wn, hyng, i, chng
Your mind is constant, ilpyntakchng
But if in all this affection, tajng
We should ever grow cool, p'ajng
How it would hurt to break off from each other, chlchng
And that in truth, chinjng
Is how I protest my feelings, wnjng

359
 Chun-hyang was delighted. She said: Thats a good song of love, but now how
about reciting a sutra for the peace and prosperity of our family?
Mong-nyong laughed: Do you think thats all Ill do? Ill do better than that. Listen
to my punning song about our palace, kung.
Oh dear, you are so funny! Whats your palace song?
Just listen; its full of good things:
Born into this little world from the womb, taegung
Making the lights of heaven shine blessedly in thunder, lightning and stormsthe
stellar mansions, changhapkung
The palace where the king of Yin ruled the people wisely and welcomed clouds of
guests round lakes of wine, Ta-t'ing-kung
The first Chin emperors A-fang-kung
The palace where the first Han emperor asked how to win the world, Hsien-yang-
kung
The palace beside it, Chang-le-kung
The palace of the imperial concubine Pan, Chang-hsin-kung
The palace of the Emperor Ming of Tang, Shang-chun-kung.
Come up here to the detached palace, igung
Go up there to the summer palace, pylgung
The crystal palace of the Dragon King, sujng-gung
The fairy palace in the moon, Kuang-han-kung
Since you and I have matching horoscopes, hapkung
Well live our whole lives free from want, mugung.
But lets stop talking of these palaces, kung-gung
For between your legs theres a water-palace, suryong-gmg

360
 Ill find my way there with my strong cudgel!

Chun-hyang suppressed a giggle: Dont joke like that!

Thats not a joke. Chun-hyang! Lets play at piggyback.
Oh dear, I feel such a fool. How do you play piggyback?
It sounded as though she had done it before.
Nothing could be easier. We take all our clothes off, ride each others backs, and
put our arms round each other. Thats all there is to it.
Oh dear, Im ashamed. I wont undress.
My word, what a girl! Thats no way to talk. Ill undress first.
He took off his socks, ankle-ribbons, sash, trousers and jacket, and threw them into
a corner. Then he stood up straight and naked. Chun-hyang looked at him and smiled,
turning her head away: You look just like a goblin in the daylight.
I like that. There is a mate for everything under the sun. Lets play like a pair of
goblins!
Then put the light out first.
Whats the fun with the light out? Come on, get those clothes off, get them off!
Oh dear, I hate it.
The boy took her clothes off, fondling her as he did so. Like an old tiger which has
picked up a fat bitch in his mouth but cannot eat it because he has no teeth; like a black
dragon from the north sea holding the mystic pearl in his mouth and playing with it
among the shining clouds; like the phoenix of Tan-shan carrying a bamboo fruit in its
beak and playing among the paulownia trees; like a blue crane of the nine marshes
carrying an orchid in its beak and playing among the ancient pines, his hands crept
round her narrow waist, trembling as they went. He caressed her ears and cheeks with
his lips, nibbled her red tongue, like the doves that bill and coo in pairs in the pure

361
gold decorations on colored wardrobes. He turned her round and gently cupped her
breasts in his hands, trembling still. He took off her blouse, her skirt, her underclothes;
and she, ashamed, ran and sat in a corner. The boys heart was beating fast and the
beads of sweat stood out upon his face as though he were being roasted.
Come here. Chun-hyang, let me put you on my back. Chun-hyang was still
reluctant.
What have you got to be ashamed of? We know one another completely now. Come
and let me carry you.
He hoisted her on to his back and fondled her: There you are, up now. Youre very
heavy for a girl. How do you like it when I carry you like this?
Its rather nice.
Do you like it?
Yes, I do.
I do too. Now I shall say nice things to you, and you must answer.
All right, go on then.
Are you gold?
You cant say Im gold. When Chu and Han had been fighting for eight years,
Chen Ping, who made the six decisive plans, used forty thousand pieces of gold to
catch Fan Ya-fu. How can there be any gold left?
All right. Then are you jade?
You cant say Im jade. The first Chin emperor, in ancient days, got jade from
Ching-shan and had Li Szu make an imperial seal with the inscription: I have received
the mandate of heaven, I have lived long, I shall flourish for ever. This is a well-
known old story; how can there be any more jade?
Well, then, what are you? Are you a sea-rose?
A sea-rose wont do either. Have you ever heard of a sea-rose without ten leagues

362
of white sand?
Then what are you? Are you clear amber, cloudy amber, mother-of-pearl, or real
pearl?
They wont do either. Those things have been used for the hat-string beads and hat-
pins of statesmen and all the mandarins and magistrates of the Eight Provinces. What
was left over has been made into hundreds of rings for the famous kisaeng of the land.
So amber and pearl wont do.
Then are you tortoiseshell or coral?
Im not those things either. The great tortoiseshell screens and the coral balustrades
were recorded as treasures of the palace in the roof-beam inscription of King Kuang-
li. So tortoiseshell and coral wont do.
Then you must be a half-moon.
Im not a half-moon. Tonight is not the first half of the month. How could I break
off a bit of that full moon shining in the sky?
Then whatever are you? Are you a red fairy fox, thats come to eat me? Your
mother has brought you up beautifully, but were you born specially to choose and eat
me? Oh love, my love, my lovely one! What do you want to eat? Raw chestnuts? Roast
chestnuts? A big round watermelon cut up with a tortoiseshell-handled knife and
soaked in white Kangnng honey to be eaten piece by red piece with a silver spoon?
No, I dont want that sort of thing.
Then what do you want to eat? Do you want a lip-shriveling wild apricot?
No, I dont want that either.
Then what will you eat? Shall I kill a pig for you? Shall I kill a puppy for you? Or
do you want to eat me up?
Come now, have you ever seen me eat a man?
Oh, what a lot of nonsense all this is! hwa-dung-dung, she is my love! Come on,

363
get down now. The whole of creation is subject to change: I have given you a
piggyback; now you must carry me.
Oh, you are strong and you can carry me around, but I am not strong enough to carry
you.
Of course you can carry me. Take me on your shoulders, and I will let my feet just
touch the floor. Do it like that.
She took the boy on her back and danced clumsily: Oh dear, this is terrible.
They swayed this way and that: What does it feel like to have me on your back?
When I was carrying you, I said nice things to you: now you are carrying me, you must
say nice things to me.
I will say nice things to you. Just listen: I am carrying Fu Yeh on my back; I am
carrying Chiang Tai-kung. He has great thoughts in his heart, he will be known
throughout the land. He will be a pillar of the state, counted with all the great men of
the country: the Six Martyred Loyalists of Tanjong, the Six Living Loyalists of
Tanjong, a master like the sun, a master like the moon. It is like carrying Choe Chi-
wn, it is like carrying Ko Kyng-myng, like carrying Kim Ung-ha, like carrying
Chng Chl, like carrying Admiral Yi Sun-sin, Song Si-yl, Yi Hwang, Kim Chang-
saeng, and Yun Kk; but he is my husband, my husband, the husband I love so much.
As soon as he has passed his degree in letters, he will become a state secretary.
Then he will be an academician. Then he will rise through the ranks of the government
till he reaches the top. When he has traveled as governor through all the Eight
Provinces, he will return to Court and will be chosen for his great qualities as rector
of the Confucian college, as Minister of State, Minister of the Left, Minister of the
Right, Prime Minister, Privy Counsellor, till he has filled all the three thousand
domestic posts and eight hundred external posts, a true pillar of the state. Oh, my
husband, the husband I love!

364
 Her hands were moist as she stroked him.
Chun-hyang! Lets play horses.
That sounds silly. What do you mean?
The boy made it sound as though he had often played: Its the easiest thing in the
world. We both have all our clothes off, and you crawl around the room on all fours. I
sit on your back with my knees gripping your waist, and when I slap your bottom and
say Gee-up! you neigh and bound away. If you prance well, I have a song about
riding:

Lets play riding, lets play riding!

Riding like the Yellow Emperor high in his southward-finding chariot
While the drums of victory roll
After he has invented weapons and made a smoke-screen
To vanquish Chih-yu on the field of Cho-lu-yeh;
Riding like the Emperor Y in his land-traversing chariot
When he ruled the nine-years flood;
Riding as Chih-sung-tzu rode the clouds;
Riding as L Tung-pin rode the white egret;
Riding as Li Po rode the dolphin;
Riding as Meng Hao-jan rode his donkey;
Riding as the Tai-yi fairy rode the crane;
Riding as the Chinese Emperor rides his elephant;
Riding as our own king rides his royal car;
Riding as the three prime ministers ride their chariots;
Riding as the six ministers ride their carriages;
Riding as the generals ride their war-cars;

365
 Riding as the prefects and magistrates ride their palanquins;
Riding as the governor of Namwn rides his own special chariot,
Riding like an old fisherman in a slip of a boat
as the sun goes down over the long river....

Riding, I have nothing to ride on

But tonight in the dead of darkness
I will ride on Chun-hyangs body for a boat,
Hoisting the sheet for a sail,
Using my instrument as an oar,
Dipping into the hidden spring,
As without effort I cross
The waters of life in a gentle breeze!
I will take her for a horse to ride
And will she not trot gently?
I will be the groom,
I will hold the reins so lightly,
I will pull the reins so firmly,
I will make you canter!
You will jump like a circus horse.

They played all sorts of games together. Was anything like it ever seen? The two
fifteen-year-olds played together to their hearts content and forgot the passage of time.

II

366
 The valet came unexpectedly: Your father is asking for you, sir.
The boy went in to his father, who said: I have just received orders from Seoul
appointing me to a post in the capital. I shall have to hand over the records before I go,
but you had better set off with the household tomorrow.
When the boy heard his fathers instructions, on the one hand he was pleased; but on
the other he thought of Chun-hyang and felt a tightening in his chest as though the
arteries in all his limbs were flooded and his insides were melting. Hot tears welled
up in his eyes and rolled down his handsome face. His father noticed them: Why are
you crying? Did you think I should stay in Namwn for the rest of my life? Start to get
ready straight away so that you can leave tomorrow morning.
The boy barely answered, but left and went to his mothers room. His mother was
one of the best of women, and he told her about Chun-hyang, but she only scolded
him. He went to Chun-hyangs house, sadder than he thought he could bear to be. He
had to check his tears on the way, but they forced themselves out of his eyes like
bubbles on bean-curd. When he reached her gate he could bear it no longer and his
grief broke forth in sobs and weeping.
Chun-hyang was startled and rushed outside: Oh dear! Whatever is the matter?
Have your parents been angry with you? Did something terrible happen on the way?
Have you had news of a death from Seoul? Whats the matter with you?
She fell on the boys neck and wiped the tears from his face with the edge of her
skirt: Stop crying; do stop crying.
The boy was so upset that her sympathy made him cry the more. She grew impatient:
Stop it! I dont like you crying like that, with your mouth open like a fireplace. Stop
crying and tell me what its all about.
My father has been posted to Seoul.
Chun-hyang was pleased: But thats good news for the family. What are you crying

367
for?
But it means Ive got to leave you. Dont you expect it to upset me?
Did you think you were going to live in Namwn for ever? Did you think that I
could go with you now? You will have to go first, and when I have sold the things that
have to be sold, I will soon follow you, so stop worrying. If you do as I say, we shall
have no trouble; but when I go to Seoul, I shall not be able to live in your fathers
house. If you can get a little place nearby, just a couple of rooms, that will be good
enough. See what you can do. Even if my whole family comes, you will not have to
feed us. We shall get along somehow or other. Just trust me. You will have to get
married sometime. They will choose you a chaste and modest maiden from a rich and
honored family of ministerial rank, but when you go with her to pay your respects to
your parents at morning and evening, dont forget me altogether. When you have
passed the state examinations and attained government rank, and first go out as a new
graduate, you will be able to take a secondary wife. Then everything will be settled.
Is that what you think? I darednt tell my father about you, and when I told my
mother she was angry beyond words. She said that if a gentlemans son comes to the
provinces with his father, then goes out and takes a mistress, and the fact gets known at
court, he never stands a chance of being accepted. There is nothing for it. We must be
parted.
When Chun-hyang heard this, her face suddenly lost its color. She looked around
this way and that, she frowned with flashing eyes, she contracted her brows, her
nostrils flared, she ground her teeth, her whole body curled up like a broom-corn leaf.
She came down like a hawk pouncing on a pheasant; What do you mean by that?
She stamped, tore her skirt, threw the pieces about, pulled her hair out in handfuls
and threw it at him; Why has all this happened? All these things are useless! She
picked up the big mirror and her coral hairpin and threw them out of the door, still

368
stamping her feet, and pounding her hands together, till she turned round and collapsed
on the floor. How she wailed in her distress!

Chun-hyang without a husband!

What need has she of household things?
Who will be pleased if she makes herself pretty?
This is a criminals destiny!
At the tender age of fifteen
How can I bear to be parted?
I count for nothing: lying words
Have laid up for me a life of grief.
Oh, oh, the pity of it!

Then she turned round and said calmly: Now look here: is it true what youve just
said? Or are you joking? When we two first met and married each other, did your
father and mother approve of it? Why are you trying to make excuses? We saw one
another for a little while at the Kwanghal-lu, then you came here to look for me, late at
night when no one was about. You sat there and I sat here, and you told me that you
would never break your promise. Last year at Tano, it was. You held my wrist and we
went outside, and as we stood in the court you pointed to the shimmering sky and
repeated your promise ten thousand times. I believed you entirely. Parting when we
grow old would be natural, but how can a girl of my age live without a husband? How
can I bear the long autumn nights alone in an empty room? Oh, the pity of it, the pity of
it! Its cruel, cruel! Its evil, you Seoul men are evil! You are hateful! High-born and
humble can never be matched! The love of husband and wife lets the man be the
master everywhere in the world, but where in the world is there such a cruel man as

369
you? Oh, oh, its all my fault! Dont think that you can throw me off and be done with
me because Im humbly born. Unhappy Chun-hyang will not be able to eat or sleep:
how long do you think shell stay alive? I shall soon pine away, wretched creature that
I am, and die. My wretched ghost will linger here and haunt you. Think what that will
do to you! You cant treat me like thishow can you even think of doing it? I want to
die, I want to die! Oh, what misery!
While she was wailing and weeping like this, her mother, who did not know what
was happening, heard her: Oh dear, those two are having another lovers quarrel. Im
fed up with them. I shall be seeing a lot of red eyes.
But as she listened, the crying sounded worse, so she put down her work and went
and stood quietly outside Chun-hyangs window. She soon understood that they were
parting: This is quite another matter.
She clapped her hands and said: Hear me, neighbors! Two people are dying in our
house today.
She ran quickly up on to the little verandah, beating on the door with her fists: You
little wretch, youd better die. Theres no point in living. At least hell see you to your
grave. If he goes, wholl look after you? You little idiot, listen to me. I always told you
you would regret it, told you to find someone of your own station to marry. Then you
could have stayed with me and we should both have been happy. But you were always
too high-minded, different from the rest of us, and now see whats happened!
Pounding her hands together, she rushed at the boy: Now talk to me a minute! Why
are you forsaking my daughter? What has she done wrong? Shes been with you for
nearly a year; what fault have you to find with her? Is it her manners? Is her sewing
bad? Has she been rude to you? Has she been unfaithful to you and been with other
boys? What has she done wrong? Why are you leaving her? Dont you know that there
are only seven faults for which a man may abandon his wife? When you loved my little

370
Chun-hyang, day and night, sitting, standing, lying, embracing, you said: We will
never live apart for a hundred years, for thirty-six thousand days. But now you are
going to cast her off. Where will the myriad willow-fronds be when the spring breeze
has passed? When the flowers have fallen and the leaves have dropped, what butterfly
will come again? Now she is as pretty as a piece of jade, but as time passes the
flowers in her cheeks will fade, and she will grow white-haired. Time goes, time
goes, and does not come again. She can never regain her youth.
What has she done wrong that you should condemn her to endless misery? After
you have gone, she will go on thinking of you, and when the moon is full her worries
will pile up on her in the middle of the night; she will think of her master and go
outside, walking up and down the garden paths, bearing the weight of the longings in
her breast. She will lift her hand to wipe her tears and sigh deeply as she points
toward the north and wonders whether her lord still loves her or has forgotten her,
because he never sends her a letter. Then she will go back into the house, her face and
dress stained with tears, and lie down without getting undressed. There will be
nothing but the bare wall to comfort her lonely pillow; she will weep day and night.
Sickness is nothing to this. If I cannot cure this wasting melancholy, and she dies, I
shall lose my daughter when I am nearly seventy. I shall have no son- in-law; I shall be
left alone like a crabs leg dropped from a jackdaws beak on Taebaek-san. Who
shall I be able to trust? Who will look after me? Dont do what no one else would do.
Oh, oh, its terrible! You cant do it! For the sake of a few peoples convenience, you
are leaving her behind, you two-faced monster! Oh, its awfulits bitterly hard!
She was throwing herself about. If the governor should get to hear of it, there would
be terrible trouble. The boy said: Mother-in-law, see here: will everything be all
right if I can take Chun-hyang with me?
Of course; your leaving her is what I cant endure.

371
 Dont shout like that. Sit down and listen to me. If I say I will take Chun-hyang,
she will have to ride in a palanquin or on a horse, and in that case everybody will
know about it, and that will never do. I have a plan for getting out of this dilemma, but
I cant tell you what it is because it will not only ruin me but it would be an offence to
my ancestors if it got out.
Whatever nonsense are you talking?
When the household sets out tomorrow, the palanquin with the ancestral tablets
will be at the end of the procession, and I shall be in charge of it.
And so.... ?
Havent I told you enough?
I dont understand at all.
I will take the tablets out and carry them in the sleeve of my robe. Then Chun-
hyang can ride in the palanquin. There is no other way. You must not worry about it.
When Chun-hyang heard this, she looked straight at him and said: Dont do it.
Mother, dont drive him too far. Our lifelong happiness is in his hands, and we must
leave it to him. It is clear that we shall have to part now, and if we must part, there is
no reason to keep on nagging at him. Its my destiny. Please go to your own room
now.
She turned to Mong-nyong: Tomorrow is the day we must part. Oh, oh, the pity of
it! How shall I say goodbye? Look at me.
Why?
Are we really going to part?
They lit the candle and sat facing one another thinking of the next days parting,
sighing and weeping, stroking each others faces.
How many more nights will you see me? Its unlucky to mention it, but tonight is
our last night together, so let me tell you how I feel. My mother is nearly sixty years

372
old, and she has no relations except me. She had looked forward to being honorably
cared-for by you, but some envious spirit has done us harm and brought us to this pass.
Oh dear, its all my fault! When you have gone to Seoul, who shall I be able to rely
on? How shall I bear the thousand pains and sorrows in my breast by day and night?
How shall I enjoy walking by the water when the plum and peach are in bloom? How
shall I relish the season when the golden chrysanthemums and the red maples are
fading? I shall toss and turn alone in the dark night in my empty bedroom. My rest will
be sighs, my work will be tears. How shall I bear the sound of the cuckoo crying under
the moonlight in the silent hills, or the cry of the wild goose calling its mate in the cold
and frosty skies? All the wonders of the four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and
winter, will be a burden to me. Everything I hear will bring me sorrow.
While she was crying the boy said: Chun-hyang, dont cry! The poet said:
The husband went on duty in the borders of Kansu
And the wife remained at home in Y,
and soldiers wives have to stay alone in the inner court far from their husbands and
longing to see them. Another poem says:
How far is it to the mountain borders
Where my husband is on guard?
These were the thoughts of newly-married women as they stayed at home cutting
lotus-roots in the lonely autumn moonlight. When I have gone to Seoul and the moon
shines bright through your window, please dont pine for me. Do you imagine I shant
be thinking of you a dozen times a day? Dont cry, dont cry.
Chun-hyang went on crying: But you are going where the spring wind ruffles the
apricot blossoms, and there are drinking songs in every street, and pretty girls in every
house, and music in every corner, and temptations everywhere. You like pretty things,
and day and night you will be restraining yourself. You will think no more of a humble

373
girl like me than you think of a fingernail clipping. Oh dear, its all my fault!
Chun-hyang, dont cry. There are lots of pretty girls all over the city of Seoul, but
you are the only one with whom I want to share the secrets of the inner rooms. Even
though I am a man, do you think I can ever forget you?
They loved one another so much that it seemed impossible that they should part.
Then the servants who were to accompany him to Seoul came hurrying in: Young
master, you must come at once. There is trouble at home. Your father is asking where
you are. I told him you had gone out to say goodbye to your friends. You must hurry!
Is the horse ready?
It is all ready now.
The white pony whinnies and strains to go
The pretty girl grieves, and clings to my coat.
Now the horse is pawing the ground and wants to go, but Chun-hyang runs down
the steps, and catches hold of the boys leg: Kill me and go. If you want me to live,
you must stay. The words were hardly out before she fell in a faint.
Her mother rushed out: Hyang-dan, bring some cold water quickly! Make some tea
and some medicine! Oh, this wicked girl of mine, how can she do such things to her
old mother?
Chun-hyang came round: Oh dear, Im stifling.
Her mother turned to the boy: See what you have done to a healthy young girl! If
this pure good girl should die, how shall I be able to live alone by myself?
The boy replied wildly: Chun-hyang! Why do you carry on like this? Are you
going to forget me?
The sun was sinking over the river bridge
When clouds of sorrow rose
was said of Su Tung-kuo, parting from his mother;

374
 How far it is to the mountain borders
Where my husband is on guard
was said by the women of Y and Yeh when parted from their husbands;
We all wore dogwood in our hair,
But one of us has gone,
referred to the parting of the brothers of Lung-shan;
When you pass the western frontier
You will meet no friends
was said when friends parted at Wei-cheng. Partings like these, with little news,
have been frequent, but there was always a day of reunion. Now when I go up to
Seoul, I shall pass out top in the examinations, and then I shall come to fetch you. Stop
crying and be good. If you cry too much your eyes will swell up and your throat will
grow hoarse and your head will ache. The pillar outside a tomb cannot turn itself into
the tablet inside the tomb in a thousand years; a tree of remembrance outside a
window cannot bud again once spring has passed; heartsickness sleeping and waking
will kill you in the end. You will see me again, so stop being miserable.
Chun-hyang resigned herself to the inevitable. All right. Let me give you some
wine and something to eat before you go. Or if you wont eat before you go, take the
nest of food-boxes which I will give you and when you stop to sleep, you can eat from
them and think of me. Hyang-dan! Bring the food-boxes and the wine-bottle.
She poured a cup of wine for him and her tears mingled with it as she gave it to him,
saying: When you are on the way to Seoul and you see the weeping green willows by
the water-side, think of me grieving far behind you. When fine rain falls in the
sunshine, remember that the people coming and going on the road all have their
sorrows. Im afraid you will get sick and sore with riding; please turn in before
sundown to find a place to sleep, and on rainy days set out late in the mornings. You

375
have no need to travel fast, so please take great care of yourself, because you are
precious to me. Travel gently, as though you were on the tree-lined roads to the capital
of Chin, and compose some poems as you go. Write me a letter now and then.
The boy said: Never fear, youll hear from me. When the Queen Mother of the West
wanted to meet King Mu of Chou, she sent a pair of bluebirds to take the news over
the thousand-league distance; when Su Wu was a prisoner of the Huns, he sent news of
his survival to the Han emperor Wu-ti at Shang-lin by tying the message to the leg of a
wild goose. We have neither bluebird nor white goose, but there must be somebody
who will carry a message to NamwWhat has she done n. Stop worrying; goodbye!
So he bade farewell and mounted his horse. Chun-hyang burst out again: He said
he was going, but I didnt believe him. Now hes on his horse, and I know its really
true.
She shouted to the groom: Groom! I cant go outside the gate; hold the horse and
make him wait a minute. I have something else to say to the master.

She ran after him: Tell me, when are you coming back?
Cut off without news for four seasons, chl
I am bidding you farewell for a long time, yngjl
Evergreen pine and bamboo, the ancient loyalty of Po-i and Shu-chi, chungjl
Splendor of flying birds among a thousand peaks, chobi-jl
Lying in sickness cut off from others, insa-jl
Joints of bamboo, chukchl
Joints of pine, songjl
Spring, summer, autumn, winter, four seasons, sijl
Breaking off, tanjl
Dividing, punjl

376
 Surrendering, hwejl
My husband leaving me remorselessly, pakchl
My hopeless constancy, chngjl
When I sleep alone in an empty room, faithful, sujl
Shall I ever think of breaking faith, pajl?
A womans misery is bitterness, kojl
Night and day my thoughts will never cease, mijl
I beg you do not leave me without news, tonjl.'
She threw herself down on the ground outside the gate, pounding the earth with her
white hands: Oh, oh, the pity of it! In that single cry:
The yellow dust was blown about in the mournful wind,
The banners and the sunshine lost their brilliance.
She lay there not knowing how long her sorrow would last.
The young masters horse was swift. He shed tears as he went, but he was already
thinking of his return as he whipped the horse and disappeared like a cloud borne on a
gale.

Chun-hyang could do nothing but return to her room: Hyang-dan! Pull down the
blind, lay the pillow and cushions out for me, and shut the door. I dont know whether
Ill ever see him again in this life, so Ill try to sleep and perhaps Ill see him in a
dream. Theres an old saying that a lover seen in dreams will be unfaithful, I know, but
if I dont see him in a dream how shall I see him? Come, my dreams, come to me. My
sorrows are piled up so deeply, what shall I do if I cannot dream? Oh dear, its all my
fault.
Mankind is born for partings, but how can I bear this empty room? Who can
understand how desperately I want to see him again? I am so distraught and

377
bewildered that whether I lie down to sleep, or wake and try to eat, I feel choked by
my longings. I yearn to see his handsome face and hear his voice ringing in my ears.
Oh, I want to see him again! I want to see him! I want to hear him again! I want to hear
him!
What enemy from a former life arranged that we should be bom like this, to love
one another, to vow that we should never forget one another but live together till death,
a vow more precious than gold or jewelswhy should the world come between us? A
spring should grow into a stream: how could I know that our love, piled high like
mountains upon mountains, would crumble like this? Some evil spirit has harmed us,
or creation envies us. When shall I see again the husband I parted from this morning? I
have plumbed the depths of a thousand griefs and ten thousand sorrows.
My face and hair will grow old and useless, and the sun and moon will give me no
joy. On autumn nights the moon will shine through the paulownia branches and make
me sad. The sunshine on the summer leaves will only make me miserable. Even if he
knows how much I love him, and he loves me too, I shall still be lying alone in this
empty room with no company save my sighs and tears wrung from my tortured heart. I
will collect my tears to make a sea, and my sighs to make a breeze, and sail a little
boat to Seoul to seek my love. In the sadness of the moonlit nights I will pray for him
with tearsand he will shine in my dreams.
The cuckoo crying in the moonlight may reach the ears of my beloved, but only I
shall know my sorrows. In the gloom of the night, the fireflies gleam outside the
windows; I sit up at midnight wondering whether he shall come. Even though I lie
down, shall I be able to sleep? Neither sleep nor my lover shall come. What can I do?
Fate is cruel.
After joy comes sorrow; after the bitter, the sweet, is an old saying, but there
seems no end to waiting, and who can unravel the sorrows of my heart except my own

378
beloved?
High heaven, look down kindly and let me see him soon. Let us meet again to
complete our love, and never part till the white hairs of old age fall in death. Green
waters and blue hills, I beg of you! I was suddenly deprived of my love, and no news
comes; he must be made of wood or stone. Oh dear, the pity of it!
She passed her time praying and grieving. Meanwhile the boy, as he stopped for the
night on his way to Seoul, could not sleep: I want to see her, I want to see my love.
Day and night the thought of her never leaves me. She is longing for me, let me see her
soon and satisfy her.
So the day and months passed, and he looked forward to his name appearing in the
list of examination successes.

III

After some months a new governor was appointed to Namwn, Pyn Hak-to, of
Chaha-dong, in Seoul. He was a famous author and a fine figure of a man, well-versed
in music and widely respected, but he had one fault: he sometimes behaved
irresponsibly, forgot his morals and made errors of judgment. So it was commonly
said of him that he was unusually stubborn.
The officials of his new post presented themselves:
The staff are all present, sir.
The chief clerk.
The steward.
The chamberlain.
Call the chief clerk forward.
Chief clerk here, sir.

379
 Is there anything to report from your district?
Everything is in good order, sir.
I hear that the men in your department are the best in the three southern provinces.
Yes, sir, they work well.
They say theres a very pretty girl there, called Chun-hyang.
Yes, sir.
Is she well?
She is very well, sir.
How far is Namwn from here?
Six hundred and thirty li, sir.
Pyn grew impatient: Lets get started quickly.
The staff withdrew, saying to each other: Things are going to happen when we get
home.
It was soon time for the new governors departure, and he set off in magnificent
array. He was surrounded by litters and palanquins; banners fluttered in the wind; the
yamen servants, dressed in brightly-colored coats with bandoliers of white cloth, and
wide-brimmed felt hats, decorated with tortoiseshell ornaments, worn low on their
brows, carried the banners: Make way, make way!
The bodyguard was formidable; on either side were servants leading bridled
horses. Two men in military felt hats carried whips, and followed behind the
cavalcade with the chamberlain, the steward, the officer of works and the chief clerk
of the new post. A pair of yamen slaves and two servants carried the great ceremonial
parasol, supporting it from before and behind, and sometimes from the sides. It was
made of white flowered silk, with a broad border of indigo brocade, and the metal
rings around the edge tinkled as it moved. The noise of the guard echoed through the
hills, and the shouts of the grooms resounded from the clouds. When they arrived at

380
Chnju, he reported at the Kynggi-jn of the official guest-house and paid his
respects to the garrison. He passed quickly through the hills to the south of the city,
crossed the pass at Manmagwan, passed the Nogu rock and did not stop as he went
through Imsil. At Osu he stopped for lunch. When he arrived at Namwn later in the
day all the men of the garrison and the servants of the local government came out to
meet him at the Ori pavilion. As he passed through the garnished streets there was a
great din from the two men who swept the path in front of him, two carriers of the Red
Gate banners, the two bearers of the Banner of the Scarlet Bird, made of red silk with
indigo flowers, the two bearers of the Azure Dragon banner of blue silk, the two
bearers of the black banner with red flowers of the Sable Tortoise, the two banners of
the watch, the two banners of the garrison, the two officers of the guard, two color-
sergeants, and twenty-four military slaves. The fanfares of the trumpeters shook the
city, and the air rang with the music of the band and the shouts of the grooms.
They stopped at the Kwanghal-lu to marshal the procession, while the governor
changed his clothes. He paid his respects at the guest-house and mounted an open
carriage so that all the people could see him. He rolled his eyes fiercely as he left the
guest-house and went to his official residence, where he sat down to his meal of
welcome. When it was over the officials came to greet him: the officers of the
garrison, the master of the rites, and the officials of the six departments. The governor
ordered them: Call the master of the slaves, and tell him to muster the kisaeng.
The chief secretary, when he received this command, brought out the register of
kisaeng and called their names in order, with a verse of poetry for each:
After the rain on the eastern hills: Full Moon!
Full Moon came in, her gauze skirts rustling as her slender form moved daintily to
report before the governor: I am here!
The fishermans boat follows the stream

381
 Through the flowering hills of spring: Peach Blossom!
Peach Blossom walked daintily in, clutching the edge of her crimson skirt, and
presented herself before the governor: I am here!
The phoenix of Tan-shan has lost its mate
And roosts in the paulownia tree:
A spirit of the hills,
A wraith among birds,
It starves, but cannot eat millet,
A bird of eternal loyalty: Painted Phoenix!
Painted Phoenix came in, her gauze skirt gracefully gathered around her slender
body, walking with mincing steps to present herself before the governor: I am here!
The purity of the lotus never changes,
Is not this the loveliest of flowers? Lotus Heart!
Lotus Heart came in trailing her gauze skirt and moving slowly in her embroidered
shoes as she walked before the governor: I am here!
Like a peerless moon over the sapphire sea
The white stone of Ching-shan, Bright Jade!
Bright Jade came in dressed in misty gauze, moving gracefully before the governor
to present herself: I am here!
The clouds are light, the breezes gentle,
No one is near,
Gold shines among the willows; Oriole!
Oriole came in trailing her crimson skirt as her slender form moved daintily to
report before the governor: I am here!
The governor said: Call them more quickly!
Yes, sir.

382
 The secretary, in response to this command, called each of them with brief couplets:
The fairy girl who offered peaches
In the palace of the moon: Cinnamon Fragrance!
Here I am.
Little boy under the pine-tree, tell me
What news of the master among the green hills: Misty Deep!
Here I am.
Going up to the moon-palace
To pluck a cinnamon flower: Love-token!
Here I am.
I ask where the wine-shop is;
The herdboy points to the Apricot Blossom!
Here I am.
Half-moon of autumn on O-mei Mountain;
The shadows follow the flowing stream, Water Fairy!
Here I am.
Playing on a lute of paulownia wood, Lutanist!
Here I am.
Noble lotus of the eighth moon,
Fill the autumn pool with color, Pink Lotus!
Here I am.
Knotted with cords of vermilion silk, Embroidered Purse!
Here I am.
The governor spoke again: Call a dozen or so at once.
The secretary began to call them more quickly: Sun-terrace Fairy, Moon Fairy,
Flower Fairy!

383
 Here we are.
Embroidered Fairy, Embroidered Jade, Embroidered Lotus!
Here we are.
Toy Jade, Orchid Jade, Crimson Jade!
Here we are.
The breezes fail in Fading Spring!
Here I am, Im coming!
When Fading Spring came in, it was clear that she thought she was very beautiful.
Because she had heard that she was pretty, she had plastered her hair away from her
forehead, well back behind her ears; and because she had heard about powder and
rouge she had bought four yang and seventy cents worth of coarse powder and spread
it all over her face as though she were plastering a wall. She was as tall and lanky as a
man, had gathered far too much of her skirt in her hand and was holding it so high that
it nearly touched her chin. She walked like a swan on dry land, waddling forward to
report before the governor: Here I am!
Many of the kisaeng were very pretty, but the governor had heard a great deal about
Chun-hyang, and was surprised that her name was not on the list. He called the master
of the slaves and asked him: The roll of kisaeng has been called, but Chun-hyang
was not called. Has she retired?
The man replied: Chun-hyangs mother was a kisaeng, but Chun-hyang herself is
not.
The governor asked him again: If she is not a kisaeng, but has been brought up at
home in the womens quarters, how has she become so well-known?
The man answered: She is a kisaengs daughter. She is so beautiful that when great
gentlemen and writers and such-like come this way, they ask to see her, but both
mother and daughter refuse. Not only the gentry, but even the men who live in the

384
household, have not seen her once in ten years, much less spoken to her. However, it
seems that by a strange dispensation of heaven your predecessors son met her and
was betrothed to her. When he left Namwn, he said that he would come to fetch her
after he had been appointed to public office, and Chun-hyang believes this and is
staying faithful to him.
The governor was very angry: You fool! What sort of a gentleman would he be if,
while he was still living under his fathers care, and before he was married, he took a
concubine from a kisaeng family? If you say such a thing again I will have you
punished. Do you think you will put me off by talking like that? Stop prevaricating and
fetch her.
When the yamen guards who were to fetch Chun-hyang appeared, the chief clerk
and the secretary said to the governor: Chun-hyang is not a kisaeng, but thats not all.
Her betrothal to the former governors son is a solemn matter. Although your ages are
very different, please summon her as though she were of the same social rank as
yourself. Otherwise we fear you may damage your reputation.
The governor flew into a rage: If you delay any longer in fetching Chun-hyang, I
will have every one of you demoted. Are you unable to fetch her?
There was consternation in the yamen offices. They all began to say to one another:
Sergeant Kim, Sergeant Yi, something dreadful is afoot. Poor Chun-hyang will find
it hard to stay faithful. The governor is in a rage. Go quickly.... Hasten!
The servants and the yamen slaves went in a body to Chun-hyangs house. Chun-
hyang knew nothing about their arrival; she was thinking night and day of nothing but
her husband. Her crying could be heard through the blinds. The voice of the deserted
girl was compulsively raised in sad moans and wails, and anybody who saw or heard
her was wounded in his own heart. Her longing for her husband took the taste from her
food, and robbed her rest of sleep; yearning for him drew her skin tightly over her

385
bones and made her weak. She sang a mournful dirge:

I want to go, I want to go,

I want to follow my love;
I will go a thousand li,
I will go ten thousand li,
I want to go to him.

I will go through storm and rains,

I will go over the high peaks,
Where sparrow-hawks and peregrines fly,
Beyond the Tongsl Pass.

If he will come to find me,

I will take off my shoes
And carry them in my hands,
To run to him faster.

My husband is in Seoul
And does he think of me?
Has he forgotten me completely?
Has he taken another love?

She was crying like this when the yamen servants heard her moaning. Since they
were not wood and stone, how could they not be moved? All the joints of their bodies
melted like spring ice on the Naktong River: How pitiful! What sort of men are we,

386
who can do nothing to help a girl like that!
Then one of the servants shouted: Come on out!
Chun-hyang was surprised by the noise and peeped through the crack of the door.
She saw the soldiers and servants gathering: Oh, I had forgotten! Today is three days
after the arrival of the new governor, and they are doing the third-day inspection. What
a row they are making!
She opened the sliding door: Hey, guards, come here, come here! We werent
expecting you. Arent you tired after your journey with the new governor? How is he
doing? Did none of you go to the old governors house, and bring me a letter from the
young master? When he was with me, I was very unwelcoming to you because I had to
respect his position, but I didnt forget you. Come in, come in!
She took Kim, Yi and several of the others by the hand, pulled them into the room
and made them sit down. Then she called Hyang-dan: Bring in a table of wine!
When they had drunk and were slightly tipsy, she opened a box and took out five
yang: Please take this and buy yourselves something to drink on the way, and dont
say anything about it afterward.
The men were fuddled with the wine. They said: You mustnt give us money. Do
you think we came for money? Put it away again.
Kim, you take it.
Its against the rules, but there are a lot of us.... He took the money; but as they
were turning to go, the chief kisaeng came along clapping her hands: Come on, Chun-
hyang, do as you are told! Im as constant as you are! Im as chaste as you are! Why
are you making such a fuss about being chaste and faithful? Just for the sake of your
virtue, you pretty little miss, the whole yamen is in trouble and everybody is likely to
lose his job. Come on quickly! Get along fast!
Chun-hyang came reluctantly out of the gate, leaving her retirement: Dont treat me

387
like this, madam. You have your position and I have mine. We must all die once, and
no one can die twice. So they hobbled along together to the yamen.
Chun-hyangs here.
When the governor saw her, he was delighted: This is Chun-hyang, for sure. Come
up on the dais.
She went up and sat down meekly. The governor, entirely bewitched, gave an order:
Go to the office and tell the treasurer to come here. The little treasurer was already
on his way in. The happy governor said: Look at her now. Thats Chun-hyang.
M-m... Shes a pretty little piece. Very well formed. When we were in Seoul you
kept talking about Chun-hyang. Shes worth looking at.
The governor laughed: Will you play the marriage-broker?
The treasurer sat down: Oh, you shouldnt have called her yourself first. It would
have been more proper to send a go-between. Things have been done a little
carelessly. But now you have gone so far, theres really nothing you can do but marry
her.
The governor enjoyed the joke, and then said to Chun-hyang: From today you must
dress yourself properly and start to attend on me in the yamen.
Your commands must be respected, but since I am married I cannot do as you say.
The governor laughed: A pretty girl, a pretty girl! And a virtuous woman too! Your
chastity is wonderful. You are quite right to reply like that. But young Yi is the eldest
son of a famous family in Seoul, and do you think he regards you as anything more than
a flower he plucked in passing? You are a faithful child and while you keep faith the
bloom will fade from your face, your hair will grow white and lose its lustre. As you
bewail the vain passing of the years, who will there be to blame but yourself?
However faithful you remain, who will recognize it? Forget all that. Is it better to
belong to your governor or to be tied to a child? Let me hear what you have to say.

388
 Chun-hyang replied: A subject cannot serve two kings, and a wife cannot belong
to two husbands; that is my principle. I would rather die than do as you say, however
many times you ask me. Please allow me to hold to my ideal: I cannot have more than
one husband.
The treasurer spoke to her then: Look here, now; that lad is fickle. Life is no more
than a mayfly, and men are all the same. Why should you take so much trouble? His
Excellency proposes to lift you up in the world. What do you singing girls know about
faithfulness and chastity? The old governor has gone and the new governor has
arrived: its proper for you to obey him. Stop talking strangely. What have loyalty and
faithfulness to do with people of your sort?
Chun-hyang was amazed. She relaxed her posture and said: A womans virtue is
the same for high ranks and low. If you listen I will explain. Lets speak of kisaeng.
There are no virtuous ones, you say; but I will tell them to you one by one: Nong-sn
of Haes died at Tongsn Pass; there was a child kisaeng of Snch n who learned all
about the Seven Reasons for divorce; Non-gae is so famous as a patriot that a
memorial was erected to her and sacrifices are offered there; Hwa-wl of Chngju
had a three-storied pavilion raised in her memory; Wl-sn of Pyngyang has a
memorial; Il-chi-hong of Andong had a memorial erected in her lifetime, and was
raised to the nobility; so do not belittle kisaeng.
Then she turned to the governor again; Even a mighty man like Meng Pen could not
wrest from me my determination to stay a faithful wife and keep the oath, high as the
mountains and deep as the sea, that I made to young master Yi. The eloquence of Su
Chin or Chang Yi could not move my heart. Chu-ko Liang was so clever that he
could restrain the southeast wind, but he could not change my heart. Hs Yu would not
bend his will to Yao; Po I and Shu Chi would not eat the grain of Chou. Were it not
for Hs Yu there would be no high-principled ministers; were it not for Po I and Shu

389
Chi there would be many more criminals and robbers. I may be of humble birth, but I
know these examples. If I forsook my husband and became a concubine, it would be
treason as much as it is for a minister to betray his king. But the decision is yours.
The governor was furious: Listen, girl: treason is a capital offence, and insulting
royal officers is equally serious. Refusing to obey a governor meets the same
punishment. Dont put yourself in danger of death.
Chun-hyang burst out: If the rape of a married woman is not a crime, what is?
The governor in his fury pounded the writing-desk with such force that his hat-band
snapped and his top-knot came undone. His voice grew harsh: Take this girl away; he
shouted. The yamen guards and servants answered: Yes, sir, and ran forward to catch
Chun-hyang by the hair and drag her away.
Slaves!
Yes, sir!
Take this girl away.
Chun-hyang trembled: Let go of me!
She had come halfway down the steps when the slaves rushed up: You stupid
woman, if you talk to the officers like that, youll never save your life.
They pulled her down to the ground of the courtyard. The fearsome soldiers and
yamen servants swarmed around her like bees and grabbed her hair, black as black
seaweed, coiled like a kite-string on its reel in springtime, like a lantern on Buddhas
birthday, coiled tightly. They threw her down on the ground. It was pitiful. Her white
jade body was crumpled up like a figure six; she was surrounded by grim soldiers
holding spears, clubs, paddles and red cudgels.
Call the executioner.
Bow your heads, the executioner comes!
The governor had recovered a little, but he was still trembling and panting:

390
Executioner, there is no need for any interrogation of this girl. Bind her to the frame
immediately. Break her shin-bones and prepare the writ of execution.
See what the jailers do while he binds her to the frame: the noise they make as they
pile the paddles and clubs in armfuls beside the frame makes Chun-hyang faint.
Watch the executioner: he tries the paddles one by one, tests them for strength and
suppleness, chooses one that will break easily and raises it over his right shoulder
waiting for the governors order.
Receive your orders: if you pretend to beat her harder than you do, because you
pity her, you will be punished on the spot. Beat her hard.
The executioner replied loudly: Your orders will be obeyed. Why should we pity
her? Now, girl, dont move your legs; if you do, your bones will break.
He yelled as he danced about her brandishing the paddle. Then he stood still and
said to her quietly: Just stand a couple of blows. I cant avoid it, but thrash your legs
about wildly, as though it were hurting more than it does.
Beat her hard.
Yes, sir, Ill beat her!
At the first stroke the broken pieces of the paddle flew through the air and fell in
front of the governor. Chun-hyang tried to bear the pain but ground her teeth and flung
her head back, screaming: What have I done?
During the practice strokes, the executioner stood alone, but from the time he took
the paddle to give the legal punishment, a servant stood facing him. Like a pair of
fighting-cocks, as one stooped to beat, the other stooped to mark the tally, in the same
way that ignorant penniless fellows in the wine-shop mark on the wall the number of
cups they have drunk. He drew a line for the first stroke. Chun-hyang cried
unrestrainedly:

391
 One heart undivided,
Faithful to one husband,
One punishment before one year is over,
But for one moment I will not change.

All the townsfolk of Namwn, old and young, were gathered to watch what was
going on: Its cruel! Our governor is cruel! Why should he punish a girl like that?
Why should she be beaten so? Look at the executioner! When he comes out, well kill
him!
Everybody who saw and heard was weeping. Then came the second stroke:

Two spouses are faithful,

Two husbands there cannot be;
Though my body is beaten,
Though I die for ever,
Ill never forget master Yi.

The third stroke came:

Three rules for a womans life,

Three principles of behavior, and five relationships:
Though I am punished three times,
I will never forget my husband,
Master Yi of Samchng-dong, the Three Springs Vale.

Then came the fourth stroke:

392
 The governor is father of the people,
But he ignores the four social classes;
He rules by force and power
And has no love for the people
In the forty-eight quarters of Namwn.
Though my four limbs are severed,
Alike in life and death
Ill never forget young master Yi,
My husband.

The fifth stroke came:

The five relationships remain unbroken:

Husband and wife both have their station;
Our fate was sealed by the five elements,
And, sleeping or waking, I cannot forget my husband.
When the autumn moon shines on the paulownia where he is,
Will he send a letter to me?
Will there be a message tomorrow?
My innocent body does not deserve death.
Dont convict me unjustly.
Oh, oh, the pity of it!

The sixth stroke came:

393
 Six times six is thirty-six,
And though I die sixty thousand times,
The body has six thousand joints,
All bound in love.
How can I change my heart?
The seventh stroke came:
If I have not broken one of the Seven Rules
Why should I receive seven punishments?
Take a seven-foot sword,
Cut me up and kill me quickly.
Executioner, do not spare me.
The seven jewels of my face must be destroyed.

The eighth stroke came:

The eight characters of my horoscope

Brought the governors of the Eight Provinces to meet me.
Are the governors of the Eight Provinces sent to rule the people well,
Or are they sent to do them evil?

The ninth stroke came:

In the nine organs of my body

My tears have made a nine-years flood.
The tall pine-trees of the nine hills
Are cut and loaded on a river-boat
To go quick to Seoul
394
 And lay my case before the King
In the ninefold palace.
When I leave the nine courts
I will go to the Vale of the Three Springs and meet my love,
To relieve my heart and refresh my soul.

The tenth stroke came:

Though I live the tenth time

After escaping death nine times,
My mind is made up for the rest of my days
And a hundred thousand deaths will not change it,
But I cannot escape.
Chun-hyang at six and ten,
Poor devil under the cudgels,
Is hardly alive.

Ten strokes were expected, but she was beaten fifteen times:

The moon shines bright on the fifteenth night,

But is hidden in the clouds.
My beloved now in Seoul is hidden in Samchng-dong.
Moon, bright moon, do you see him?
Why can I not see where he has gone?

Twenty strokes would have been enough, but they went on to twenty-five:

395
 Playing the lute of twenty-five strings,
In the moonlight I cannot restrain my sorrow.
Wild goose, where are you flying to?
If you go to Seoul,
Take a message to my beloved,
Who lives in Samchng-dong:
See what I look like now;
Take care you dont forget.

Her young mind craved to flee above the thirty-three heavens to the throne of the
heavenly emperor. Her jade-white body was covered with blood, and she was bathed
in tears. The blood and the tears flowed together, like peach-petals in the water when
the man of Wu-ling found the hidden vale.
Chun-hyang cried in her bitterness: Do not treat a girl like this. Better kill me
quickly, and when I am dead my soul will become a cuckoo like the bird of Chu,
crying in the empty hills on moonlit nights and breaking the dreams of young master Yi
after he has gone to sleep.
She could not finish her words before she fainted. The officers and servants turned
their heads and wiped their tears. The executioner who had beaten her also turned
away, wiping his eyes: No son of man should do such things.
All the onlookers and officials standing round also wiped their eyes and looked
away, unable to bear the sight. We shall never see anyone who takes a beating like
Chun-hyang. Oh, its cruel, its cruel! Her chastity is cruel; her virtue is from heaven.
Men and women, young and old, all alike were weeping, and the governor was
displeased: Now, girl, you have been beaten for insulting the governor. What good

396
has it done you? Will you persist in your disobedience?
Half dead and half alive, Chun-hyang answered proudly: Listen to me, governor;
dont you understand an oath that binds till death? A faithless woman brings frost in
summer weather. My soul will fly to the king and present its petitions. You will not
escape; please let me die.
The governor was exasperated: The girl is beyond reason. Put her in a cangue and
send her to the prison.
The big cangue was fastened round her neck and sealed. The jailer took the weight
of it and as they came out of the third gate the group of kisaeng saw it: Poor Chun-
hyang! Keep hold on your senses! Oh, how piteous! They stroked her limbs and
offered her soothing drugs. They wept to see her. Just then the tall and stupid Fading
Spring appeared: What on earth is going on? It looks as though the board for a
memorial gate is being brought in.
When she came closer and saw what it really was, she said: Poor Chun-hyang!
How awful!
While the commotion was going on, Chun-hyangs mother heard these words, and
rushed wildly forward to throw her arms round her daughter: Oh! Why should this
happen? What is her crime, and why was she beaten? Jailers! Chief clerk! What has
my daughter done wrong? Officers! Executioners! What enemy has ordered this? Oh
dear, its all my fault! Im nearly seventy, and Ive no support. I have no sons and I
brought up my only daughter so carefully and properly. I taught her to read and to study
the rules of propriety for women, and she said to me: Dont cry, mother, dont cry.
Dont be sad because you have no son. Cant my children offer sacrifices for you
when you die? Her great devotion to her mother was not surpassed even by Kuo Chu
or Meng Tsung. Does social class make any difference to love for ones children? My
soul will never rest. My sighs are wasting my heart away. Sergeant Kim! Sergeant Yi!

397
Even though your orders were strict, why did you beat her so cruelly? Look at my poor
daughters wounds! Her legs were as white as snow, and now they are red with blood.
If she had been the daughter of a well-born family, even a blind girl...! But she is only
the daughter of the kisaeng Wl-mae. How can such things happen? Chun-hyang, keep
hold on your senses! Oh dear, oh dear, the pity of it!
Hyang-dan, go outside the yamen and hire two runners. I am going to send them to
Seoul.
When Chun-hyang heard that the runners were being hired, she said: Mother, dont
do it. What are you thinking of? If the runners go to Seoul and Mong-nyong sees them
but does not know what to do about it, the worry will make him ill, which will make
matters worse. Dont send them; I will go to the jail.
She was carried on the jailers back to the prison house, with Hyang-dan bearing
the weight of the cangue. Her mother walked behind. When they got to the door of the
jail: Keeper, open the gate. Are the keepers asleep?
This is what the jail was like: the wooden bars were rotten, and a piercing wind
came through them; through the cracks in the crumbling walls lice and fleas came in
and attacked the whole of her body.
This is the lament of Chun-hyang in the prison-house:

What was my crime?

I have not stolen government grain.
Why was I beaten so fiercely?
I am not a murderer.
Why am I put in the cangue and the stocks?
I have not broken the laws.
Why have I been bound hand and foot?

398
 I have not committed adultery.
What is this punishment for?
I will take the waters of the rivers for ink
And the blue sky for my paper;
And protest my innocence,
A petition to the heavenly king.
My heart burns with longing for my husband,
My sighs are a wind that fans those flames,
I shall die with my love unrequited.
The chrysanthemum stands alone in the wind
In holy faithfulness.
The green pine amid the snow
Has kept faith for a thousand years.
The green pine is just as I am,
My husband is a gold chrysanthemum.
My sad thoughts and the tears I shed
Soak my sighs.
I will use my sighs as a wind,
My tears will turn to rain,
The wind will drive the rain before it,
Blown and splashed on my beloveds window to wake him.
Stars of the Herdboy and the Weaving Maid,
When they meet on the seventh night,
Though the Milky Way divides them,
Yet they never fail to meet.
What waters divide me

399
 From the place where my beloved is?
I never hear anything from him.
Rather than live in longing,
I would die and forget it all.
Better this body should die
And be a cuckoo in the empty hills,
When the moon shines on the pear-blossom at night,
To sing in my husbands ears;
Or become a mandarin duck on the river,
Calling in search of its mate.
I long to see the light of love
In my husbands eyes.
Shall I become a butterfly in spring
Gathering fragrance on my wings?
Glorying in the sunshine
And settling on his clothes?
I will be the bright moon in the sky.
When night comes, I will rise
And shed my bright beams
On my beloveds face.
I will draw blood from my veins
And paint a portrait of my lord,
Hang it as a scroll beside my door,
And see it when I go out and in.
Because I am chaste and faithful
I have been treated thus cruelly:

400
Like fine white jade of Ching-shan
Buried in the dust,
Like fragrant plants of Shang-shan
Buried in the weeds,
Like a phoenix that played in paulownias
Making its nest in a thorn-patch.....
In ancient days the virtuous sages
Lived free from fault,
Yao, Shun, Y and Tang were good kings,
Chieh and Chou were tyrants:
Tang was imprisoned at Hsia-tai;
But he became a holy king
Who ruled the people virtuously.
King Wen of Chou
Was hurt by Chou of Shang,
Imprisoned in the jail of Yu-li;
But he became a holy king.
The greatest of all sages, Confucius,
Because he resembled Yang-hou
Was imprisoned at Kuang-yeh;
But he became the light of China.
When I think of all these things
My innocence gives me hope
That I may live to see the world again.
Oh the stifling sorrow of it!
Who will come to rescue me?

401
 Will my husband, now in Seoul,
Come here as an officer?
Here I am now close to dying
Will he come and save my life?
The summer clouds flock round the peaks;
Do the high hills bar his way?
If the peaks of the Diamond Mountains
Could be flattened, would he come?
If the golden cockerel painted on the screen
Flaps his wings and crows at dawn,
Will my beloved come?
Alas, alas, the pity of it!

The bamboo slats let in the tranquil moonlight, and the girl, sitting there alone,
implored the moon: Bright moon, do you see us? Lend me your light, for I too want to
see the place where he is. Is he lying, is he sitting? Tell me what you see and relieve
my sorrows.

And so she cried herself to sleep. Whether it was a dream or whether it was true,
whether Chuang-tzu dreamt he was a butterfly or the butterfly dreamt it was Chuang-
tzuher soul was carried away like a breeze or a cloud. Spirits move like the wind
rising in the heavens, or they move through the earth, and
In a spring dream upon the pillow
She flew thousands of li to the south,
to a place where the sky was clear and the horizons were wide. Among beautiful
mountains and streams, in a quiet grove of bamboo, stood a sequestered temple,

402
painted in many colors. Over the front of the building in large golden letters was
written:
HUANG-LING, SHRINE OF ALL FAITHFUL WOMEN.
As she stood there amazed and perplexed, three lovely women appeared: Lu-chu,
the favorite wife of Shih Chung, carrying a lantern; Non-gae, the kisaeng of Chinju;
and Wl-sn, the kisaeng of P'yng-yang. They led Chun-hyang into the temple, where
two women in white robes took her hands and asked her to go on to the dais, but she
declined: How can a humble girl from the dusty world presume to go into the Huang-
ling shrine?
The women marvelled, but they asked her a second and a third time. She could
refuse no more, and went up and took a seat. They said: Are you Chun-hyang? How
wonderful! A little while ago when we went to attend the heavenly court at the Lake of
Gems, we heard so much about you that we dearly wished to see you. That is why we
asked you here; please do not take it amiss.
Chun-hyang bowed as she replied: Although I am ignorant, I have read in old
books that after death I might meet you; but I am anxious and puzzled to find myself
here now in the Huang-ling temple.
The two women, who were O-huang and N-ying, said: Our lord, the Emperor
Shun, was carrying out a tour of inspection in the south when he died in the Tsang-wu
mountains and we two useless women were left weeping for him in the bamboo
groves by the Hsiao-hsiang rivers. Our tears stained the bamboo stems and leaves as
an everlasting memorial of our sorrow:
When Tsang-wu-shan crumbles and the Hsiao-hsiang dry up
The tear-stains on the bamboo will still not fade away.
We had ho one to tell our sorrows to; so we understand your steadfastness. Has the
lute-song of the Southern Breeze not handed down the story of the bamboos for

403
thousands of years?
Then another woman said: Chun-hyang, I am the kisaeng Nung-yeh, who became
a fairy when the flutes played in the moonlight in the pavilion of Chin. I was the wife
of Hsiao Shin. After we parted at Tai-hua-shan- and he flew away on the dragon, I
was left sorrowing, and tried to consol myself by playing on the flute:
Where the tune fled to I do not know,
But the trees on the mountain budded like spring.
Then another woman spoke: I am Chao-chn. I was sent by mistake to marry a
barbarian, and nothing resulted but the Verdant Tomb. In the Song of the Mandolines on
Horseback it says:
The picture showed a beautiful face,
But only her jewels and her moonlit ghost remain.
Could anything be more pitiful?
As they spoke, a cold wind arose and made the candles flicker as something passed
by them. Chun-hyang, frightened, saw that it was neither a man nor a ghost, but
someone weeping bitterly.
Chun-hyang, you do not know me, but I am the wife of the Emperor Kao-tsu of
Han, the lady Chi. After my husband died, the Empress L cut off my hands and feet,
burned my ears, gouged out my eyes, forced me to drink poison, and threw me into a
cesspool. Nothing more wicked has ever been done.
As she wept, Queen O-huang said: This is an abode of spirits, and you should not
remain here too long.
The queen called a maid-servant as though to leave; a cricket cried in the inner
room, and a pair of butterflies fluttered away. Chun-hyang woke with a start. It had all
been a dream.

404
 A wild cherry seen through a window, a crack across a mirror, a corn-dolly hung
over a doorthese were the dreams of death. She passed the night in sorrow and
grief. She thought she heard a wild goose flying southward over the west river in the
moonlight. In the depth of the night it was raining miserably, the night-birds called like
goblins, the paper on the door-frames flapped in the wind and the spirits howled: the
spirits of those who had died fighting, the spirits of those who had been executed, the
spirits of those who had been hanged on gibbets, called from all directions. The night
was full of ghostly wailings. In the room, at the corners of the eaves, under the floor,
the groanings of the spirits made sleep impossible. At first Chun-hyang was terrified
by the noise, but after a time her fear left her and she took no more notice of it than she
would of the weird music played when a sorcerer raises spirits: You wicked spirits,
if you want to take me away, please stop pestering me.
Avaunt! avaunt! Begone, foul fiends!
She sat reciting charms, when a blind soothsayer passed by. He sounded as though
he came from Seoul: Ask your fortunes! But he was a simple country soothsayer.
Ask your fortunes, he cried as he went. Chun-hyang heard him: Mother, call that
soothsayer.
Her mother called him: You, blind soothsayer! Come here.
The man answered: Who is that? who are you?
I am Chun-hyangs mother.
Why do you want me?
Chun-hyang wants to see you, in the jail.
The soothsayer laughed: I never expected you to call me. All right, Ill come.
The mother took hold of his stick and guided him along the road to the jail-house:
Come this way; this is the stone bridge. Here is the ditch. Be careful as you cross.
The ditch was in front of them. He tried to jump with great care, but he could not

405
jump very far, and through trying too hard he fell with a splash in the middle of the
ditch. He crawled out, grabbing filth as he came. He swore as he came out: This
filthy stuff is dung! He raised his hands and smelt them; it was dung from a house
where the food was putrid. As he struggled, he hit his hand on a sharp stone, and it hurt
him so much that he put his hand in his mouth and cried, with the tears dripping from
his sightless eyes:
Oh dear, oh dear! What an evil fate is mine! I cannot cross a little ditch without a
mishap. Everything seems to be against me. My troubles come from my blindness. I
cant tell night from day. I guess at the seasons: in springtime I dont know whether the
blossoms are open; in autumn I dont know when the chrysanthemums are gold and the
maples are red; I dont know my parents; I dont know my wife; I dont know my
friends. I cannot tell the sun and moon and stars; I cannot distinguish thick or thin, long
or short. I live in eternal night, and now I have come to this. Rightly do they ask: Is it
the fault of the blind man or the ditch? Yes, indeed, the blind man or the ditch?
Chun-hyanes mother tried to console him: Come now, stop crying. She helped
him to get clean, and they went to the prison.
Chun-hyang welcomed him: Soothsayer, Im glad youve come.
The fortune-teller had heard of Chun-hyangs beauty, and he was delighted to hear
her voice: Chun-hyang, you sound like a young girl.
Yes, I am.
I ought to have come and seen you before, but a poor man has to work hard, so I
didnt come until you sent for me. Forgive my tardiness.
But you had no reason to come. You are blind and old. How is your health?
Dont lets talk about my affairs. Why did you send for me?
I want you to explain a bad dream I had last night and tell me when my husband
will come back for me. I want to know what the future holds.

406
 This was the soothsayers incantation:
Hear the faithful prayer of Taes when he prays: how will heaven speak, how will
the earth declare? If one knocks, it will be opened, and the spirits are already here.
Hear and speak, I beseech you. We cannot know whether good or evil comes, we
cannot escape uncertainty. Ye gods and spirits alone can know these things and tell us.
I beseech you now to tell me, to answer when I knock, and make clear both good and
bad. Descry and declare, O spirits of Fu-hsi, King Wen, King Wu, great Chiang Tai-
kung and the Duke of Chou: Confucius and the Five Great Sages and seventy-two
Disciples, Yen Hui, Tseng Tsan, Tzu-szu and Mencius; the Ten Great Philosophers,
Chu-ko Liang, Li Chun- feng, Shao Kang-chieh, Cheng Hao, Cheng I, Chu Tun-i,
Chu Hsi, Yen Chn-ping, and Ssu-ma Kuang; Kuei-ku, Sun Pin, Su Chin, Chang Yi,
Wang Pi, Emperor Tai-tsu of Ming, and all the great masters!
Teacher of the Hempen Robes, Dark Daughters of the Ninefold Heavens, Spirit
General Liu-ting, Spirits of the Sixty Periods that cause years, months, days and hours
to match their stars, Fairy Boy that arranges the divining-sticks, Fairy Boy that collects
the divining-sticks, you who perceive without senses! Descend to this our sacrifice
and the incense on our altar; bright spirits, accept this precious fragrance!
The faithful wife Sng Chun-hyang was born in 1672 and lives in upper Chlla
province at Namwn, by the stream; in what month on what day will she be released
from prison?
Yi Mong-nyong lives in Seoul in Samchng-dong; on what day at what hour will he
return to this place? With head bowed I pray the spirits to descry and announce these
things.
He shook the case of divining-rods noisily: Now lets see: one, two, three, four,
five, six, seven. Good! its a lucky number: the Seven Good Mountains:
The fish leapt out of the net;

407
 Many a mickle makes a muckle.
In ancient times, when King Wu of Chou received his rank, he drew this lot at the
time when he returned to his home in his embroidered robes. Its a magnificent fortune!
Knowing they are a thousand li apart,
The friends will see each other.
That means without doubt that your husband will come back within a month and
your lifes sorrows will be ended. Never fear; all is well.
Chun-hyang answered: All will be well, if it happens as you say. But please
explain my last nights dream.
Tell me about it.
I saw my dressing-mirror crack, I saw cherry-blossom falling outside my window,
I saw a corn-dolly hanging over the door, I saw a great mountain crumble, I saw the
sea dry up. Doesnt it mean I shall die?
The soothsayer thought for a while, and said: That dream is a very good one:
The flower falls so the fruit can form;
When the mirror breaks, the sound is loud;
A dolly over the door makes everyone look up;
When the sea dries, the dragons face shows;
When mountains fall, the ways are smooth.
Its a most auspicious dream. It foretells the greatest honors. Do not worry, it will
all happen soon.
Just as he was saying this, a crow flew on to the jail-house wall and cawed twice.
Chun-hyang raised her hands and frightened it away. Unlucky crow, if you have come
to fetch me, stop pestering me!
The soothsayer said: Just a moment. Doesnt the crow say: Kaok! Kaok!?
Why, yes, of course.

408
 Thats good. Ka is Chinese for good, and ok is Chinese for house; it will not be
long before things turn out well and all your lifes burdens will be loosened. Have no
fear at all. If you were to give me a fee of a thousand yang, I wouldnt take it. Wait and
see. When you gain riches and honor, dont forget me. Now I will take my leave.
Go in peace. One day we will meet again.
But Chun-hyang went on passing the days in bitterness and sorrow.

IV

Meanwhile Yi Mong-nyong was in Seoul studying poetry and composition night and
day. He made himself master of a hundred authors; he was comparable to Li Po in
poetry, and his calligraphy would compare with that of Wang Hsi-chih.
Soon there was an extraordinary examination, and he took his writing-materials to
the examination-ground. Looking around, he saw a great concourse of people, crowds
of scholars bowing before the king at one time. The royal orchestra was playing court
music, and the parrot dance was being performed. The rector of the Confucian college
announced the theme appointed by the king, and the chief secretary posted it on the
vermilion board. The subject for composition was: Springtime in the examination-
ground is the same today as yesteryear. Mong-nyong found the subject to his liking. He
spread out his paper and slowly ground his ink while he sought for inspiration. Then
dipping his golden weasel-hair writing-brush into the ink he began to write.
He wrote in the style of Wang Hsi-chih and according to the model of Chao Meng-
fu. His brush flew over the paper, and he was the first to finish. When the chief
examiner saw Mong-nyongs composition, every stroke was perfect and the couplets
were like jewels on a thread. His calligraphy was strong, like dragons flying through
the heavens. The verses had the rhythm of a flock of wild geese descending on the

409
sand-flats. He was the genius of his times. After the list of successful candidates had
been announced, and he had received three cups of wine from the king, he was
declared the top graduate of the examination. When he came out from the royal
presence, he had the winners sprays of pink paper flowers fixed on his hat, and he
was wearing the yellow silk robe of his new rank, with cranes embroidered on the
back and chest.
After the usual three days of celebration, with processions and games in the streets,
he paid his respects to the family graves and then presented himself before the king.
The king spoke to him personally: The hopes of the court are set on you.
Then he called a royal secretary and appointed Mong-nyong Royal Inspector of
Chlla province. It was the post he had always wanted. His embroidered robes of
office, his heavy brass warrants and his brass yardstick were delivered to him. He left
the royal presence and went to his own home. His official hat made him look awesome
as a tiger from the mountain valleys.
He said goodbye to his parents and set off for Chlla. Outside the South Gate of the
capital, at Chngpa post station, he mustered his scribes, agents and postmen, and
mounted his horse. He quickly passed the seventh and eighth markers and crossed the
bridge of boats at Noryang-jin. Soon he had left Papchn-gri and Tongjak-tong
behind him, crossed over Namtae Pass and come down to Kwachn, where he
stopped for lunch. He went on through Sagnnae, past the Maitreya Temple on the way
to Suwn, where he spent the night. He continued over the Taehwang Bridge, through
Pyngjm, Chingae and Chung-mi, arriving at Chinwi Prefecture for lunch. On
through Chirwn, across the fields of Sosa, over the Aego bridge to the post station at
Snghwan, where he spent the second night.
The next day they crossed the stream of the Yuchn twice, passed Saesulmak and
arrived at the town of Chnan for lunch. They went on by the fork in the road, over

410
the Tori pass to Kimje post station, where they changed horses, before speeding
through New Tkpyng and Old Tkpyng to spend the next night at Wngi. On the
way to Kongju they passed the Arbor of the Eight Winds, the archery school,
Kwangjng post station, and Morown. Crossing over the Km River into Kongju, he
paid his respects to the military governor of Chungchng province, and they had
lunch. Then they crossed over the high road to Sogaemun, and Ominl Pass, till they
reached Kyng-chn, where they stopped again for the night. Then by Nosng, Cho-
po, Sagyo and the magistracy of njin, they passed by Chakchi and the Hwanghwa
Pavilion, over the Chiami Pass to the town of Ysan, where they stayed for the fifth
night.
The next morning he summoned his scribes and agents and said: This is Ysan, our
first town in Chlla province. We are now in the territory for which we are
responsible, and if we fail in our duty we risk capital punishment.
His voice was stern as autumn frosts, when he ordered the scribes:
You will take the left-hand sector, travelling through the eight towns of Chinsan,
Kmsan, Muju, Yongdam, Chinan, Changsu, Unbong and Kurye, and on such and such a
day you will arrive at Namwn.
Now the agents and postmen will take the right-hand sector, through the towns of
Yongan, Hamyl, Impa, Okku, Kimje, Man-gyng, Kobu, Pusan, Hngdk,
Kochang, Changsng, Ynggwang, Mujang, Muan and Hampyng, and arrive at
Namwn on such and such a day.
The remainder will travel through Iksan, Kmgu, Taein, Chngp, Sunchang,
Okkwa, Kwangju, Naju, Changpyng, Tamyang, Tongbok, Hwasun, Kangjin,
Yngam, Changhng, Posng, Hng-yang, Nagan, Sunchn and Koksng, and present
yourselves at Namwn on such and such a day.

411
 When they had departed their several ways, the inspector prepared himself for his
journey. See what he looked like: no one would know him. His battered straw hat had
no crown and was bound with wisps of barley straw; its hat strings were of the
cheapest cord. The headband was all that remained of his topknot-cap. It had bone
buttons, and was fastened with string. He wore a deceptively shabby coat, tied round
the waist with a hank of yam. Nothing remained of his fan but the ribs, and the two
pine-cones hanging from its cords. It was his only protection against the sun.
He spent a night at Tongs-am, and another at Samnye. Then he went on toward
Chnju, to visit Hangye, Chuypchngi, Chuchn and Singmjng. He passed
rapidly by Supchngi, the Kongbuk Pavilion, and the West Gate of Chnju. He
climbed to the tower above the South Gate to look over the landscape. Southward
from here was the heartland of the province. He saw the Eight Views of Chnju: the
moon rising over Kirin Peak, the weather clearing at Hanbyk-tang, the evening bell at
Namgo Temple, the full moon over the peak of Kongji, the archery contests at Taga,
lotus-digging at Tkchin Lake, the wild geese settling by the Pibi Pavilion, and the
waterfall at Wibong. In every town, prefecture and magistracy he heard what was
going on and tried to catch the feeling of the people, investigating the things that had
been done by the authorities. All the yamens were in consternation. The minor
officials were afraid, and those who had charge of public money were prepared to
take flight, for it was known that the inspection teams were coming.
Eventually he came to Imsil, and in the fields at Kuhwa he found the farmers
working. They were singing a farmers song, and great was the din they made:

Oyro! Sangsadwiyo!
Peace and prosperity reign through the land,
High is the virtue of our king!

412
Once again the children sing
The songs that pleased the Emperor Yao
Oyro! Sangsadwiyo!

The emperor Shun with highest power

Invented the art of making brass dishes
And ploughed the fields of Li-shan
Oyro! Sangsadwiyo!

The Divine Husbandman made the hoe,

And it has lasted from then till now.
Wasnt that a mighty thing?
Oyro! Sangsadwiyo!

Y of Hsia, the gentle king,

Brought an end to nine years floods;
Oyro! Sangsadwiyo!

Tang of Yin, the gentle king,

Suffered seven years of drought;
Oyro! Sangsadwiyo!

We keep up the farmers skill,

Pay the king our tax in grain,
Keep whats left to feed ourselves,
Looking up to serve our parents,

413
 Looking down to wife and children.
Oyro! Sangsadwiyo!

So we set the hundred plants,

Tend them meetly in due season,
And they all bring forth their fuits
Oyro! Sangsadwiyo!

What hope have we of rank and office?

What is finer than a farmer?
Oyro! Sangsadwiyo!

Tilling dry fields, ploughing paddy,

We feed our mouths and fill our bellies.
Oyro! Sangsadwiyo!

Yi Mong-nyong stood leaning on his stick listening to them for a while:

It looks like a wonderful harvest this year.
But to one side there was a strange sight. Some wiry old men were banded together
at work in a stony field. They were wearing reed hats, and as they raked the soil they
sang the Song of the White-headed Men:

Lets send up a petition!

Lets send up a petition!
Send a petition up to God
And see what he will say.

414
 Let the old men never die,
Let the young men not grow old.
Lets send God a petition.
Oh how hateful, oh how hateful!
White hairs are our enemies.
We try to stop white hairs,
With an axe in one hand
And thorns in the other,
But white hairs come round behind.
They take away our ruddy cheeks,
Bind us in blue cords,
Bind us so we cant escape.
Rosy cheeks will fade away,
White hairs will surely come,
Wrinkles form beneath the ears,
All our black hair will turn white.
In the morning fresh and bright,
In the evening white as snow,
Time is heartless in its passing.
Youths a season full of pleasure,
But the days run swiftly by;
Times nature is to fly.
I want to ride a spanking pony,
Ride the highway up to Seoul,
I want to see the hills and valleys
Just once more before I die.

415
 I want to meet a pretty maid
And sit beside her at a feast.
Morning flowers, midnight moonlight,
All the glories of the seasons
Are things I cannot see or hear.
Because my eyes and ears are failing,
And there is no remedy.
Oh how sad, how sad, my friend,
Whither are you going now?
Like the falling leaves of autumn
Slowly, slowly youre declining,
Like the morning star at daylight,
You are ever growing weaker.
Wheres the path that you are taking?
Oyro! this work of tilling!
This life of ours is nothing
But the dream of a spring morning.

After a time one of the farmers straightened his back and said: Lets have a smoke,
lets have a smoke!
In their pointed reed hats, they walked along the baulks between the paddies,
proudly holding their soapstone pipes. They took their leather tobacco-pouches out of
the back of their belts, spat on the tobacco and rammed it into the pipes with their
thumbs. They lit a fire of chaff and stuck their pipes into the embers, drawing on them
with a noise like the squeaking of baby mice. That is the farmers way. Their cheeks
swelled, their nostrils flared, until the pipes began to draw. Then they stood up to

416
smoke.
Mong-nyong addressed them in familiar language: Let me have a few words with
you.
What is it?
Is it true that theres a girl in this county called Chun-hyang, who has entered the
governors household and takes so many bribes that the ordinary people suffer through
misgovernment?
A farmer grew heated: Where do you live?
Oh, here, there and anywhere.
Oh, you live anywhere! Have you no eyes and ears? Just because she wont go into
the governors household, Chun-hyang has been beaten. You dont see many kisaengs
daughters make such faithful wives. Because some filthy beggar like you lusted after
her white body, she cant eat and shes likely to starve. That young beggar Yi, who
went and left her, has never sent a word of news to her. I dont care what rank he has
risen to, he isnt worth the water in my chamber-pot.
Here, what do you think youre saying?
Why, what does it matter to you?
It doesnt matter, but youd better watch your language.
You dont know what youre talking about, you dont.
Mong-nyong broke off the conversation and turned away: Thats right; its only a
matter of disgrace and humiliation. You carry on with your work.
Yes, sir.

Mong-nyong had barely turned the next corner after leaving the farmers when a
youth came toward him dragging a stick and chanting a poem, half sijo and half sasl:

417
 Whats the date today?
How many days will it take
To cover the thousand li to Seoul?
If I had the fine grey steed
On which Chao Tzu-lung crossed the river,
I might get there today.
But, mores the pity, poor Chun-hyang,
Always thinking of young master Yi,
Shut up in prison,
Hovering on the point of death,
Never gets a word of news
From that wicked gentleman.
Theres the gentry for you!

When Mong-nyong heard this, he said: Boy, where do you live?

In Namwn.
Where are you going?
To Seoul.
What for?
To take Chun-hyangs letter to the old governors house.
Let me look at it.
Youre a fine gentleman! You dont know your manners.
Whats that?
Well, just think: its bad enough to want to look at a mans letter, but you are asking
to see a letter from somebody elses wife.
Now listen:

418
 The traveler set out on his way.
And then the letter was opened,
said the poet Chang Chi. Let me have a look. What does it matter?
You look bad, but your knowledge of books is extraordinary. Look at it quickly and
give it back.
You ill-mannered oaf!
Mong-nyong took the letter and unfolded it. This was what it said:
I have had no news of you since we parted, but I pray that you and your parents
are in good health. I have fallen foul of the governor and been beaten. Now I am
more dead than alive. I expect I shall die soon and my soul will pass into the
shades, but even if I were to die ten thousand times I could not serve more than one
husband. Whether I live or die, I do not know what will become of my poor mother.
Please be kind to her and look after her for me.
At the bottom of the letter was written a quatrain:
Some time last year he left me.
Winter has gone, and autumn has returned;
Midnight winds and rain like snow
How have I become a convict in Namwn?
The letter was written in blood. It was as regular as a flight of wild geese landing
on the sand-flats, but every letter cried in pain. When Mong-nyong saw it his eyes
filled with tears that dropped upon the paper. The youth said: Why do you cry at
somebody elses letter?
You silly boy, even somebody elses letter, if it is sad, will make a man weep.
Look what youve done!pretending to sympathize, youve messed the letter up
with your tears. That letter cost fifteen yangyou must repay it!
Listen. Young master Yi was one of my childhood friends, and he was coming

419
down to the country with me, but on the way he stopped in Chnju. He promised to
meet me tomorrow at Namwn. If you come with me, you will meet him.
The youth changed color: Do you think Seoul is just over there? He tried to grab
the letter: Give it to me!
Mong-nyong resisted him. The other caught the edge of his coat, and saw
underneath, that Mong-nyong was wearing a silk purse at his waist, containing
something that felt like a flat dishthe brass warrant. The youth stepped back:
Whats that youve got? Is that the way the wind blows?
You fool! If this matter gets out, I wont be answerable for your life.

Mong-nyong carried on toward Namwn. As he came over the Paksk Pass into the
town, he looked around and saw the familiar hills and streams. He came to the South
Gate: Kwanghal-lu, how have you been? Magpie Bridge, is all well?
The willows are green and fresh before the guest-house
(That was where I tied the donkey)
The clear stream falls like a blue mist of water
(That was where I washed my feet)
The green trees line the road to the Chin capital
(That was the road I came and went on).
A group of girls were washing clothes under the Magpie Bridge:
You know.....
What?
I feel very sorry for poor Chun-hyang. Hes a cruel man, our governor, a cruel
man. He tried to force her to serve him, but her faithfulness is beyond belief. Did he
really think that the fear of death would break her iron will? Oh, hes heartless, that
young master Yi, hes heartless!

420
 As they squatted over their washing, chattering away, they might have been the
Princess Ying-yang, the Princess Lan-yang, Ch'in Tsai- feng, Kuei Chan-yeh, Po
Ling-po, Ti Ching-hung, Shen Niao-yen, and Chia Chun-yn, all the girls of the Nine
Cloud Dream, but where was Yang Shao-yu, their hero?
Mong-nyong went up into the pavilion and looked around again. The sun was going
down in the west, and the birds were flying home to roost in the woods. Over there
was the willow tree where Chun-hyangs swing had hung: he fancied he could see it
flying to and fro again. To the east in the green shade of Changnim woods was Chun-
hyangs house. The garden would be the same as ever, but beyond that high stone wall
was the cruel prison where poor Chun-hyang was languishing. The sun was dipping
behind the hill and dusk was gathering when he arrived at the gate of her house. The
gate-lodge was dilapidated and the main building was losing its plaster. The phoenix
tree still stood in the grove, but looked sad and neglected in the wind. The white
cranes inside the walls must have been worried by the dogs as they walked about, for
their feathers were bedraggled and they were crying mournfully. The old dog lay
feebly in front of the gate. It did not even recognize an old friend, but got up to bark.
You silly dog, stop barking. Im as good as your master. Wheres your mistress
gone? Why are you the only one to meet me?
He looked up at the gate of the inner court where he had written and posted a
Chinese inscription. The character for loyalty had lost its top part, so that only the
bottom part, that means the heart, remained. The inscription he had written for the
name of the building, The House of the Crouching Dragon, and the spring mottoes had
been torn by the wind and were fluttering sadly.
He went slowly into the house. Everything was quiet. See what Chun-hyangs
mother does: she was cooking gruel: Oh dear, its all my fault! Hes cruel, hes cruel,
young Yi is cruel! My daughter will die, and he has forgotten her completely. He has

421
cut her off without news. What grief is ours!
Hyang-dan! Bring some more fuel.
She came out, washed her hair in the runnel in the corner of the yard, combed it, and
offered a bowl of clean water at the stone cairn in the garden, prostrating herself and
praying: Spirits of heaven and earth, sun, moon and stars, unite to hear my prayer! I
have nurtured my only daughter, Chun-hyang, like a golden nugget, so that her children
should remember me with sacrifices. Now she has been cruelly beaten and shut in the
jail although she is innocent. There is no hope for her life. Heavenly spirits, exert
yourselves, raise Yi Mong-nyong of Seoul to honor and glory, and save my daughter,
Chun-hyang!
When she had finished praying, she called: Hyang-dan! Light my pipe for me.
She took the pipe and puffed at it, sighing. When Mong-nyong saw her devotion, he
said to himself: I thought my success was due to my ancestors, but now I realize it
was due to my mother-in-law.
Then he said aloud: Is there anybody in?
Who is it?
Me.
Who do you mean, me?
He went inside: It is Yi.
Oh, young Yi! I seethe ward officers son.
Oh, mother! Dont you know me? Youre getting olddont you know me?
But who are you?
A son-in-law is a perpetual visitor, they say. Do you still not know me?
Wlmae was delighted: My dear, my dear! What has happened? Where have you
been? How have you come now? Have you been blown here by some great wind?
Have you been carried on the clouds? Have you heard about Chun-hyang? Have you

422
come to save her? Come in, come in quickly.
She took him by the hand and led him inside. They sat down in the candlelight, and
she looked at him closely, amazed to see that he looked like a beggar among beggars.
She exclaimed: What on earth has happened?
When a gentlemans fortunes change, the results are beyond description. I went up
to Seoul, but lost all hope of advancement. The family fortune vanished, my father is
teaching in a little school and my mother has gone back to her parents. We are all
scattered, so I came to see Chun-hyang in the hope of getting a little money, but it
looks as though both our families are ruined.
Chun-hyangs mother was astonished when she heard this tale: You heartless man!
After you left here you sent no news at all. What sort of manners are those? You were
going to do so well in the examinations, and now see whats become of you! Your bolt
is shot, you are like water poured out. I dont know who to blame. But what will
become of Chun-hyang?
She leapt forward in a fury, bit his nose, and beat him.
Is it my fault or my noses fault? You can send me away. Heaven is heartless, and
storms and thunder will always come.
She was sarcastic: When a gentleman gets into trouble, he can always make light of
it.
Mong-nyong, deliberately trying to find out how she would react, said: Im very
hungry. Give me a bowl of rice, please.
The woman answered: There isnt any rice.
Of course there was rice in the house, but she was very angry with him. Just then
Hyang-dan returned from the jail. She heard her mistress shouting and rushed in
without ceremony. She recognized Mong-nyong immediately, and greeted him
profusely: I am so glad to see you back! Is your father well? How is your mother?

423
You must be tired after your journey.
Hello! You have been having a hard time.
I am all right. Madam, please stop scolding him. Hes come all this way to see us.
You cant treat him like that. If Chun-hyang hears about it, she will be terribly upset.
Dont be so hard on him.
She went into the kitchen and put some green peppers and kimchi and soy sauce
with a little cold rice and a bowl of cold water on a table and brought it to him: Eat
this first, while I cook supper.
Mong-nyong said gratefully: O rice, its a long time since I saw you!
He mixed all the food together and, ignoring the spoon, ate it with his fingers. The
food disappeared as quickly as a crab draws its eyes in from the wind.
Chun-hyangs mother said: Yes, indeed! Hes obviously learned to eat like a
beggar.
Meanwhile, Hyang-dan was thinking about Chun-hyangs troubles. She could not
cry aloud, but wept quietly to herself: What can we do, what can we do? How can we
save my lovely mistress? What shall we do? What shall we do?
Mong-nyong saw her silently crying and said: Dont cry, Hyang-dan. Its hardly
likely that your mistress will die. Anyone as good as her is sure to be all right in the
end.
Chun-hyangs mother heard him: Youre still the proud aristocrat. Why do you
carry on like that?
Hyang-dan said: Dont take any notice of what she says; she is old and her mind is
feeble. Now all this has happened to us, and she gets so angry that she never speaks
without raging. Please eat some supper now.
Mong-nyong took the table of food. Suddenly he was overcome with anger and
could not face eating: Hyang-dan, take the table away.

424
 Knocking the ash out of his pipe, he said: Mother, shall we go and see chun-hyang
now?
Yes, of course. What sort of man would you be if you didnt go to see her?
Hyang-dan said: The gates are closed now. Lets wait until curfew rings.
At last they heard the curfew sounding. Hyang-dan carried a tray of gruel on her
head and held the lantern. Mong-nyong followed behind. When they arrived at the gate
of the jail there was no one about. All was quiet; not even the jailer could be found.
Chun-hyang, either dreaming or day-dreaming, thought she saw her husband
coming. He had a gilded cap on his head, and wore a red court robe. They fell upon
each others necks and began to talk of their love for each other. . . .
Chun-hyang!
She did not answer. Mong-nyong said: Try calling louder!
We cant do that: the garrison is nearby, and if we call too loudly the governor may
hear about it and start investigating. We must wait a little.
What do you mean? What sort of investigating? Wait while I call: Chun-hyang!
Chun-hyang heard him calling. She was startled: Is that voice real, or am I
dreaming? Its a strange voice.
Mong-nyong grew agitated: Tell her Ive come.
If she hears you are here, she may faint from shock. Keep quiet.
Chun-hyang heard her mothers voice. She was surprised: Mother, why have you
come? If you wander about after your daughter, you will fall over and hurt yourself.
Please stop coming.
Dont worry about me. Hes come.
Whos come?
He's come.
I cant stand it. Tell me what youre talking about. I just had a dream that I met my

425
husband and talked to him. Have you heard from him? Is there some news? Has he
been gazetted? Tell me quickly!
Whether its your husband or somebody elses, some beggar has come here.
What are you talking about? Has my husband come? I was dreaming of him. Has he
really come?
She grasped his hand between the bars. She could hardly believe it was true. Who
are you, really? It must be a dream. After all this time, have you come like this? I cant
take any more, I shall die. Why were you so heartless? Mother and I are ill-fated.
Since you left I have passed the days and nights, waking and sleeping, thinking of you.
I have been beaten till I was almost dead. Look at me now: have you come to save
me?
She was so glad to see him that she talked at length, but when she looked at him
closely, how could she fail to grieve afresh? I dont care whether I live or die, but
what has happened to you?
Chun-hyang, dont grieve. Mans fate is decided in heaven. I am sure you will not
die.
Chun-hyang spoke to her mother: When he was in Seoul, I longed for him as
people long for rain after seven years drought: did he also long for me? People dont
knock down their own pagoda or trample on their own saplings. I am beyond help
now.
Mother, when I am dead, let there be no regrets. The silk coat I used to wear is in
the inlaid wardrobe: take it out and exchange it for the best ramie cloth and make him
a decent set of clothes. Sell my best white silk skirt and buy him a hat and head-band,
and some shoes. You will find my silver hairpin, my amber-handled knife and my jade
ring in my jewel-box. Sell them too and make him clothes of hemp. I shall die soon, so
I dont need these things any more. Sell the wardrobes and the cedar chest for what

426
you can get and use the money to buy him proper food. When I am dead, look after him
as though I were still alive with him.
Then she turned to Mong-nyong: Tomorrow is the governors birthday. If he gets
drunk, he will probably send for me. I am already so badly beaten that I shall hardly
be able to stand. My head is dizzy and I shall stumble if I try to walk. I shall die of my
tortures. Pick up my body like a bearers load, and take it to the quiet Lotus Cottage
where we spent our first night together. Lay me out with your own hands and comfort
my soul. Dont remove my clothes, but bury me as I am in a sunny place. Then later,
when you have achieved high office, come back and re-bury me in a fine linen shroud;
have me carried in a decorated bier away from these hills and up to Seoul, so that I
can be buried near your ancestral graves. On my gravestone simply write the eight
characters: Grave of Ch'un-hyang, A Constant Wife, Unjustly Killed. That will be
enough for me. The sun that sets behind the western hills will rise again tomorrow, but
poor Chun-hyang, once she has gone, will never come again. Requite my wrongs! Oh,
the pity of it! My poor mother will lose me and all her belongings. She will become a
beggar, asking for food from house to house, sleeping here and there out of doors.
When her strength fails and she dies in some corner of the hills, the jackdaws will
come from Chiri-san, flapping their wings and cawing as they peck out her eyes, and
she will have no daughter to stand by and scare them away.
She wept bitterly. Mong-nyong spoke to her: Dont weep. Even though the sky
should fall, there will be a hole to creep into. What do you think of me, that you should
be so despairing?
They left her and went to her house. Chun-hyang, having seen her husband so
unexpectedly in the darkness, was now left alone lamenting: When God created men,
he made them all equal. What sin has brought my misfortune on me? I lost my husband
at sixteen and lived in lonely misery; I was tortured and beaten, and brought to jail.

427
Now for three or four months, day and night, I have waited for him to come back. At
last I have seen his face again, but it has increased my sorrow. When I die and go to
the Yellow Springs, what shall I be able to say to the kings who sit in judgment there?
She wailed bitterly, exhausting her strength, more dead than alive.

Yi Mong-nyong came out of Chun-hyangs house intending to spend the night in

spying out the situation in the city. He went to the yamen and heard the chief clerk
saying to one of the despatch-carriers: I have heard that Yi, who lives outside the
West Gate of Seoul, has been appointed an Inspector, and a few minutes ago a
suspicious character in ragged clothes and a battered hat was seen with Chun-hyangs
mother, carrying a lighted lantern. Tomorrow at the governors birthday banquet we
must have a special place prepared in case he comes. Make absolutely sure that
nothing goes wrong.
When Mong-nyong heard this he thought to himself: So they have guessed whats
going on.
Then he went on to the courts of justice. See what the commandant of the soldiers
was doing: he was speaking to the guards: Just now there was a strange beggar
hanging about near the jail. He may have been a secret inspector. Make a careful
record of what he looked like.
Mong-nyong said to himself: These devils know everything.
He went on to the Office of Supply, where he heard the same sort of thing. After he
had visited all six offices of the yamen he returned to Chun-hyangs house.
The next day, after morning muster in the yamen, the officials from the nearby towns
began to come in: the commandant of Unbong and the magistrates from Kurye,
Koksng, Sunchang, Okkwa, Chinan and Changsu each arrived in turn. The military
and civil officials were lined up on either side and the governor sat in the middle as

428
host. He called an underling and said: Tell the butler to send in the refreshments. Tell
the butcher to kill a big ox, and the secretary of the Office of Rites to send the band;
and get a servant to hang out the big canopy. See that the guards keep uninvited people
out.
It was an animated scene. Flags and banners were waving, the air was full of the
sound of music, and the kisaeng in their brightly-colored dresses danced before him,
their white hands and billowing gauze skirts moving to the rhythm of the music:
Chi-ya-ja, tung-dong-sil!
The sound was deafening and Yi Mong-nyong was dazed by it all.
Guard! Go and tell your officer that I am a beggar who has come a long way for
this fine banquet. Ask him to give me some tit-bits!
See what the guard does:
I dont care who you are, the captain says no beggars are to be admitted. Theres
no point in asking. He pushed Mong-nyong away; obviously he was hoping for
promotion. The commandant from Unbong saw what was happening and said to the
governor: That beggar looks shabby enough, but he has a gentlemanly air. What about
giving him a place at the bottom there and letting him have a cup of wine?
The governor said: Do as you like, but....
The but.. sounded reluctant. Mong-nyong thought: Ah! you think I may steal
something, but it is you who will be caught today.
The commandant ordered the guard: Let that man come in.
Mong-nyong came in and sat down quietly. He looked around him and saw all the
local magistrates sitting there with tables of wine and dainties in front of them. While
they were performing the music of Chinyang-jo, he looked at the table that had been
put in front of him, and how could he but be angry? It was a broken little table with
coarse wooden chopsticks; on it were plain boiled bean-sprouts, pickled radish, and a

429
bowl of cloudy rice-beer. He kicked the table over and pointed to the commandants
dish of beef-ribs: I should like one of those ribs.
Help yourself, said the commandant, and then went on: On an occasion like this,
music alone is not enough; we should have a verse competition. How if we were to
compose a verse of poetry each?
A good idea!
The commandant set the rhyme-words: ko, meaning louder, and ko meaning
flesh; and they began to compose their poems. Mong-nyong said: I studied a book of
model verses when I was a boy; now I have come to a fine banquet and enjoyed the
food, I can hardly depart without thanks. Let me try my hand at a verse.
The commandant was delighted to hear this, and had a brush and inkstone brought.
Mong-nyong composed two couplets such as the rest of them could not match. He
wrote about the peoples feelings and the governors style of administration:
Fine wine in golden cups is the common peoples blood,
Viands on jade dishes are the common people's flesh;
When the grease of the candles drips, the people's tears are falling,
The noise of the music is loud, but the people's cries are louder.
The governor was puzzled over the meaning of the verses, but when the
commandant saw them, he thought to himself: Theres trouble brewing here!
Mong-nyong left, and the commandant called the chief secretaries and said to them:
Be ready for trouble.
He called the officer of works to check the buildings, the commander to check the
post-horses, the steward to check the catering, the jailer to check the prisoners, the
executioner to check his equipment, the secretaries to check the documents and the
captain to check the duty roster. When he returned after all this activity, the governor,
who had noticed nothing out of the way, asked him: Where have you been?

430
 I went to relieve myself.
The governor commanded: Bring Chun-hyang here quickly!
He was getting drunk.

Meanwhile Mong-nyong was collecting his troop. He made a sign to his scribes.
See how the scribes and agents respond: they organized the post-horsemen, walking up
and down between them. The men were wearing plain headbands and kerchiefs with
new felt hats pressed well down, long puttees and new straw shoes. They had clean
new hempen suits, and heavy cudgels hung from their wrists by loops of deerskin.
Hither and thither they moved, swarming the streets of Namwn. See what the
Chngpa post-men do: lifting high the round brass warrant, shining like a golden sun,
they shouted: The royal inspector comes!
The mountains shook with the sound, and heaven and earth quivered. Trees and
grasses, birds and beasts, all were afraid. At the South Gate, they said: Hes coming!
; at the North Gate, they said: Hes coming! ; at the East and West Gates, they cried:
Hes coming! till the blue sky reverberated with the noise.
Summon the chief secretaries! came the call, and the whole yamen was terrified.
Whips were cracking.
'I am ruined!
The officer of works!
The officer of works heard the call and came in: I was only doing what I was told.
I darednt disobey.
The whips cracked.
I am being torn to pieces!
The lieutenants and the deputies went pale, the head clerk and the chief secretary
were scared out of their wits. All the soldiers rushed about busily. The local

431
magistrates took flight. See what they do: dropping their seal-boxes, grabbing the fruit,
dropping their diplomas and grabbing rice-cakes, losing their caps and putting on
baskets, losing their hats and putting on dishes, losing their scabbards and wetting
themselves in fright. Lutes were broken and drums were smashed; the governor,
fouling his trousers, ran into the yamen office like a mouse hiding in a roll of straw
matting: Its cold! The doors coming in! Shut the wind!.... The waters drygive me
my throat!
The butler dropped the tray and ran in with half a door on his head, the Inspectors
soldiers close behind him.
Save me! This is the end!
Then Mong-nyong gave orders to his men: This town was once my fathers
responsibility. There must be no disorder. Withdraw to the guest-house.
When he had set himself up in the yamen, he said: Remove the governor from
office and suspend the administration. He posted a board on each of the four great
gates, saying: The governors administration is suspended.
Then he called the keeper of the jail: Bring out all your prisoners.
When the prisoners were brought, he investigated their offences and released those
who were innocent.
What has this girl done?
The jailer said: Shes the daughter of the kisaeng Wlmae. She was jailed for
creating a disturbance in the yamen.
What did she do?
The jailer replied: The governor summoned her to serve in his household but she
said that chastity and constancy prevented her, and she created a fuss in his presence.
She is Chun-hyang.
The inspector said: Do you think that a person like you can create a disturbance in

432
the yamen on the pretence of being faithful, and hope to live? You deserve to die. Will
you refuse to enter my service?
Chun-hyang was in despair: All you officers who come here are the same. I beg
you to listen to me. Can the winds wear away the high rocks of a mountain cliff? Can
the snow change the greenness of the pine and bamboo? Do not ask me to do such a
thing. Have me killed quickly.
Then she turned to Hyang-dan: Hyang-dan, go and look for my husband. When he
came to the jail last night he made me hope for deliverance. I wonder where he has
gone; he cannot know that I am about to die.
The inspector ordered her: Raise your eyes. Look at me.
Chun-hyang lifted her head and looked up to the dais. There was no question that it
was her husband, who had come as a beggar, sitting up there now as judge. Half
laughing and half crying she said:
Wonderful, marvellous!
My husband is the royal inspector.
Autumn had come to the town of Namwn,
And now it is passing away.
Spring has come to the guest-house,
Plum-blossom and spring breezes have brought me to life.
Is it a dream or is it true?
I am afraid I shall wake up.
While she was rejoicing in this fashion her mother came in. What can express her
happiness? Chun-hyangs virtues now shone resplendent, and who would not be
happy?
When Yi Mong-nyong had finished his work in Namwn, he sent Chun-hyang and
her mother and Hyang-dan to Seoul. Their cavalcade was splendid, and everyone who

433
saw it praised them. When Chun-hyang left Namwn, although she was going to a life
of honors, she could not help feeling sad at leaving her old home:
Goodbye, Lotus Cottage,
Where first we loved and slept,
Kwanghal-lu and Magpie Bridge,
Goodbye, Yongju-gak!
The grass of spring grows green each year,
But the sons of men cannot return.
That is true for me:
Everyone has his own farewells.
And I bid you stay in peace
I know not when I'll come again.

Mong-nyong finished his inspection of both parts of the province and learned the
true state of the people. Then he went up to Seoul and presented himself to the king.
His reports were submitted to the boards of the central government, and when they had
been reviewed the king praised him highly. He was immediately raised to be a
member of the Board of Civil Affairs, and rector of the national Confucian college.
Chun-hyang was officially recognized as a woman of great constancy. They thanked
his Majesty and retired to their home, where they reported the royal awards to Mong-
nyongs parents and offered their congratulations. Later on Mong-nyong passed through
high office in the Boards of Civil Affairs and Revenue, and through deputy ministries
till he became Prime Minister, and after his retirement lived to a happy old age with
his faithful wife. She bore him three sons and two daughters, who were more brilliant
than their father and whose descendants were raised to the first rank of nobility for
generation after generation.

434
 Digital Library of Korean Classics 14

Originally published in English as

Virtuous Women: Three Classic Korean Novels (A Nine Cloud Dream, Queen Inhyn, Chun-
hyang)
Copyright 1974 The Royal Asiatic Society-Korea Branch

All rights reserved. Print copies are available from the original publisher.
All the texts thus made available are for personal use only
and may not be reproduced commercially
without permission from the original copyright holder.

Written by Kim Man-Choong et al

Translated by William Elliot Griffis

Digitally republished by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea in 2016

LTI Korea, 112 Gil-32,

Yeongdong-daero(Samseong-dong),
Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06083, Korea
www.ltikorea.org

eISBN
979-11-87947-13-4(05810) (PDF)

Cover Design by
NURIMEDIA Co.

435
 This book was distributed courtesy of:

For your own Unlimited Reading and FREE eBooks today, visit:
http://www.Free-eBooks.net

Share this eBook with anyone and everyone automatically by selecting any of the
options below:

To show your appreciation to the author and help others have

wonderful reading experiences and find helpful information too,
we'd be very grateful if you'd kindly
post your comments for this book here.

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Free-eBooks.net respects the intellectual property of others. When a book's copyright owner submits their work to Free-eBooks.net, they are granting us permission to distribute such material. Unless
otherwise stated in this book, this permission is not passed onto others. As such, redistributing this book without the copyright owner's permission can constitute copyright infringement. If you
believe that your work has been used in a manner that constitutes copyright infringement, please follow our Notice and Procedure for Making Claims of Copyright Infringement as seen in our Terms
of Service here:

http://www.free-ebooks.net/tos.html