A Chinese Wonder Book, by Norman Hinsdale Pitman
Index
n the
very beginning of all things, when the gods were creating the
world, at last the time came to separate the earth from the
heavens. This was hard work, and if it had not been for the
coolness and skill of a young goddess all would have failed. This
goddess was named Lu-o. She had been idly watching the growth of
the planet, when, to her horror, she saw the newly made ball
slipping slowly from its place. In another second it would have
shot down into the bottomless pit. Quick as a flash Lu-o stopped
it with her magic wand and held it firmly until the chief god
came dashing up to the rescue.
[53] But this was not all. When men and women
were put on the earth Lu-o helped them greatly by setting an
example of purity and kindness. Every one loved her and pointed
her out as the one who was always willing to do a good deed.
After she had left the world and gone into the land of the gods,
beautiful statues of her were set up in many temples to keep her
image always before the eyes of sinful people. The greatest of
these was in the capital city. Thus, when sorrowful women wished
to offer up their prayers to some virtuous goddess they would go
to a temple of Lu-o and pour out their hearts before her
shrine.
At one time the wicked Chow-sin, last ruler of the Yins, went
to pray in the city Temple. There his royal eyes were captivated
by the sight of a wonderful face, the beauty of which was so
great that he fell in love with it at once, telling his ministers
that he wished he might take this goddess, who was no other than
Lu-o, for one of his wives.
Now Lu-o was terribly angry that an earthly prince should dare
to make such a remark about her. Then and there she determined to
punish the Emperor. Calling her assistant spirits, she told them
of Chow-sin's insult. Of all her servants the most cunning was
one whom we shall call Fox Sprite, because he really belonged to
the fox [54] family. Lu-o ordered Fox Sprite to spare
himself no trouble in making the wicked ruler suffer for his
impudence.
For many days, try as he would, Chow-sin, the great Son of
Heaven, could not forget the face he had seen in the temple.
"He is stark mad," laughed his courtiers behind his back, "to
fall in love with a statue."
"I must find a woman just like her," said the Emperor, "and
take her to wife."
"Why not, most Mighty One," suggested a favourite adviser,
"send forth a command throughout the length and breadth of your
Empire, that no maiden shall be taken in marriage until you have
chosen yourself a wife whose beauty shall equal that of
Lu-o?"
Chow-sin was pleased with this suggestion and doubtless would
have followed it had not his Prime Minister begged him to
postpone issuing the order. "Your Imperial Highness," began the
official, "since you have been pleased once or twice to follow my
counsel, I beg of you to give ear now to what I say."
"Speak, and your words shall have my best attention," replied
Chow-sin, with a gracious wave of the hand.
"Know then, Great One, that in the southern part of your realm
there dwells a viceroy whose bravery has made him famous in
battle."
[55] "Are you speaking of Su-nan?" questioned
Chow-sin, frowning, for this Su-nan had once been a rebel.
"None other, mighty Son of Heaven. Famous is he as a soldier,
but his name is now even greater in that he is the father of the
most beautiful girl in all China. This lovely flower that has
bloomed of late within his household is still unmarried. Why not
order her father to bring her to the palace that you may wed her
and place her in your royal dwelling?"
"And are you sure of this wondrous beauty you describe so
prettily?" asked the ruler, a smile of pleasure lighting up his
face.
"So sure that I will stake my head on your being
satisfied."
"Enough! I command you at once to summon the viceroy and his
daughter. Add the imperial seal to the message."
The Prime Minister smilingly departed to give the order. In
his heart he was more than delighted that the Emperor had
accepted his suggestion, for Su-nan, the viceroy, had long been
his chief enemy, and he planned in this way to overthrow him. The
viceroy, as he knew, was a man of iron. He would certainly not
feel honoured at the thought of having his daughter enter the
Imperial Palace as a secondary wife. Doubtless he would refuse to
obey the order and would thus bring about his own immediate
downfall.
[56] Nor was the Prime Minister mistaken.
When Su-nan received the imperial message his heart was hot with
anger against his sovereign. To be robbed of his lovely Ta-ki,
even by the throne, was, in his eyes, a terrible disgrace. Could
he have been sure that she would be made Empress it might have
been different, but with so many others sharing Chow-sin's
favour, her promotion to first place in the Great One's household
was by no means certain. Besides, she was Su-nan's favourite
child, and the old man could not bear the thought of separation
from her. Rather would he give up his life than let her go to
this cruel ruler.
"No, you shall not do it," said he to Ta-ki, "not though I
must die to save you."
The beautiful girl listened to her father's words, in tears.
Throwing herself at his feet she thanked him for his mercy and
promised to love him more fondly than ever. She told him that her
vanity had not been flattered by what most girls might have
thought an honour, that she would rather have the love of one
good man like her father, than share with others the affections
of a king.
'THROWING HERSELF AT HIS FEET SHE THANKED HIM FOR HIS
MERCY.'
After listening to his daughter, the viceroy sent a respectful
answer to the palace, thanking the Emperor for his favour, but
saying he could not give up Ta-ki. "She is unworthy of the honour
you [57] purpose doing her," he said, in
conclusion, "for, having been the apple of her father's eye, she
would not be happy to share even your most august favour with the
many others you have chosen."
When the Emperor learned of Su-nan's reply he could hardly
believe his ears. To have his command thus disobeyed was an
unheard-of crime. Never before had a subject of the Middle
Kingdom offered such an insult to a ruler. Boiling with rage, he
ordered his prime minister to send forth an army that would bring
the viceroy to his senses. "Tell him if he disobeys that he and
his family, together with all they possess, shall be
destroyed."
Delighted at the success of his plot against Su-nan, the Prime
Minister sent a regiment of soldiers to bring the rebel to terms.
In the meantime the friends of the daring viceroy had not been
idle. Hearing of the danger threatening their ruler, who had
become a general favourite, hundreds of men offered him their aid
against the army of Chow-sin. Thus when the Emperor's banners
were seen approaching and the war drums were heard rolling in the
distance, the rebels, with a great shout, dashed forth to do
battle for their leader. In the fight that took place the
Imperial soldiers were forced to run.
When the Emperor heard of this defeat he was hot with anger.
[58] He called together his advisers and
commanded that an army, double the size of the first one, should
be sent to Su-nan's country to destroy the fields and villages of
the people who had risen up against him. "Spare not one of them,"
he shouted, "for they are traitors to the Dragon Throne."
Once more the viceroy's friends resolved to support him, even
to the death. Ta-ki, his daughter, went apart from the other
members of the family, weeping most bitterly that she had brought
such sorrow upon them. "Rather would I go into the palace and be
the lowest among Chow-sin's women than to be the cause of all
this grief," she cried, in desperation.
But her father soothed her, saying, "Be of good cheer, Ta-ki.
The Emperor's army, though it be twice as large as mine, shall
not overcome us. Right is on our side. The gods of battle will
help those who fight for justice."
One week later a second battle was fought, and the struggle
was so close that none could foresee the result. The Imperial
army was commanded by the oldest nobles in the kingdom, those
most skilled in warfare, while the viceroy's men were young and
poorly drilled. Moreover, the members of the Dragon Army had been
promised double pay if they should accomplish the wishes of their
sovereign, [59] while Su-nan's soldiers knew only too
well that they would be put to the sword if they should be
defeated.
Just as the clash of arms was at its highest, the sound of
gongs was heard upon a distant hill. The government troops were
amazed at seeing fresh companies marching to the rescue of their
foe. With a wild cry of disappointment they turned and fled from
the field. These unexpected reinforcements turned out to be women
whom Ta-ki had persuaded to dress up as soldiers and go with her
for the purpose of frightening the enemy. Thus for a second time
was Su-nan victorious.
During the following year several battles occurred that
counted for little, except that in each of them many of Su-nan's
followers were killed. At last one of the viceroy's best friends
came to him, saying, "Noble lord, it is useless to continue the
struggle. I fear you must give up the fight. You have lost more
than half your supporters; the remaining bowmen are either sick
or wounded and can be of little use. The Emperor, moreover, is
even now raising a new army from the distant provinces, and will
soon send against us a force ten times as great as any we have
yet seen. There being no hope of victory, further fighting would
be folly. Lead, therefore, your daughter to the palace. Throw
yourself upon the mercy of the throne. You [60] must
accept cheerfully the fate the gods have suffered you to
bear."
Ta-ki, chancing to overhear this conversation, rushed in and
begged her father to hold out no longer, but to deliver her up to
the greed of the wicked Chow-sin.
With a sigh, the viceroy yielded to their wishes. The next day
he despatched a messenger to the Emperor, promising to bring
Ta-ki at once to the capital.
Now we must not forget Fox Sprite, the demon, who had been
commanded by the good goddess Lu-o to bring a dreadful punishment
upon the Emperor. Through all the years of strife between
Chow-sin and the rebels, Fox Sprite had been waiting patiently
for his chance. He knew well that some day, sooner or later,
there would come an hour when Chow-sin would be at his mercy.
When the time came, therefore, for Ta-ki to go to the palace, Fox
Sprite felt that at last his chance had come. The beautiful
maiden for whom Chow-sin had given up so many hundreds of his
soldiers, would clearly have great power over the Emperor. She
must be made to help in the punishment of her wicked husband. So
Fox Sprite made himself invisible and travelled with the
viceroy's party as it went from central China to the capital.
[61] On the last night of their journey
Su-nan and his daughter stopped for rest and food at a large inn.
No sooner had the girl gone to her room for the night than Fox
Sprite followed her. Then he made himself visible. At first she
was frightened to see so strange a being in her room, but when
Fox Sprite told her he was a servant of the great goddess, Lu-o,
she was comforted, for she knew that Lu-o was the friend of women
and children.
"But how can I help to punish the Emperor?" she
faltered, when the sprite told her he wanted her assistance. "I
am but a helpless girl," and here she began to cry.
"Dry your tears," he said soothingly. "It will be very easy.
Only let me take your form for a little. When I am the Emperor's
wife," laughing, "I shall find a way to punish him, for no one
can give a man more pain that his wife can, if she desires to do
so. You know, I am a servant of Lu-o and can do anything I
wish."
"But the Emperor won't have a fox for a wife," she sobbed.
"Though I am still a fox I shall look like the beautiful
Ta-ki. Make your heart easy. He will never know."
"Oh, I see," she smiled, "you will put your spirit into my
body and you will look just like me, though you really won't be
me. But [62] what will become of the real me? Shall I
have to be a fox and look like you?"
"No, not unless you want to. I will make you invisible, and
you can be ready to go back into your own body when I have got
rid of the Emperor."
"Very well," replied the girl, somewhat relieved by his
explanation, "but try not to be too long about it, because I
don't like the idea of somebody else walking about in my
body."
So Fox Sprite caused his own spirit to enter the girl's body,
and no one could have told by her outward appearance that any
change had taken place. The beautiful girl was now in reality the
sly Fox Sprite, but in one way only did she look like a fox. When
the fox-spirit entered her body, her feet suddenly shrivelled up
and became very similar in shape and size to the feet of the
animal who had her in his power. When the fox noticed this, at
first he was somewhat annoyed, but, feeling that no one else
would know, he did not take the trouble to change the fox feet
back to human form.
On the following morning, when the viceroy called his daughter
for the last stage of their journey, he greeted Fox Sprite
without suspecting that anything unusual had happened since he
had last seen Ta-ki. So well did this crafty spirit perform his
part that [63] the father was completely deceived, by
look, by voice, and by gesture.
The next day the travellers arrived at the capital and Su-nan
presented himself before Chow-sin, the Emperor, leading Fox
Sprite with him. Of course the crafty fox with all his magic
powers was soon able to gain the mastery over the wicked ruler.
The Great One pardoned Su-nan, although he had fully intended to
put him to death as a rebel.
Now the chance for which Fox Sprite had been waiting had come.
He began at once, causing the Emperor to do many deeds of
violence. The people had already begun to dislike Chow-sin, and
soon he became hateful in their sight. Many of the leading
members of the court were put to death unjustly. Horrible
tortures were devised for punishing those who did not find favour
with the crown. At last there was open talk of a rebellion. Of
course, all these things delighted the wily fox, for he saw that,
sooner or later, the Son of Heaven would be turned out of the
palace, and he knew that then his work for the goddess Lu-o would
be finished.
Besides worming his way into the heart of the Emperor, the fox
became a general favourite with the ladies of the palace. These
women saw in Chow-sin's latest wife the most beautiful woman who
[64] had ever lived in the royal harem. One
would think that this beauty might have caused them to hate Fox
Sprite, but such was not the case. They admired the plumpness of
Fox Sprite's body, the fairness of Fox Sprite's complexion, the
fire in Fox Sprite's eyes, but most of all they wondered at the
smallness of Fox Sprite's feet, for, you remember, the supposed
Ta-ki now had fox's feet instead of those of human shape.
Thus small feet became the fashion among women. All the court
ladies, old and young, beautiful and ugly, began thinking of
plans for making their own feet as tiny as those of Fox Sprite.
In this way they thought to increase their chances of finding
favour with the Emperor.
Gradually people outside the palace began to hear of this
absurd fashion. Mothers bound the feet of their little girls, in
such a manner as to stop their growth. The bones of the toes were
bent backwards and broken, so eager were the elders to have their
daughters grow up into tiny-footed maidens. Thus, for several
years of their girlhood the little ones were compelled to endure
the most severe tortures. It was not long before the new fashion
took firm root in China. It became almost impossible for parents
to get husbands for their daughters unless the girls had suffered
the severe pains of foot-binding. [65] And even to this day we
find that many of the people are still under the influence of Fox
Sprite's magic, and believe that a tiny, misshapen foot is more
beautiful than a natural one.
But let us return to the story of Fox Sprite and the wicked
Emperor. For a number of years matters grew continually worse in
the country. At last the people rose in a body against the ruler.
A great battle was fought. The wicked Chow-sin was overthrown and
put to death by means of those very instruments of torture he had
used so often against his subjects. By this time it had become
known to all the lords and noblemen that the Emperor's favourite
had been the main cause of their ruler's wickedness; hence they
demanded the death of Fox Sprite. But no one wished to kill so
lovely a creature. Every one appointed refused to do the
deed.
Finally, a grey-headed member of the court allowed himself to
be blindfolded. With a sharp sword he pierced the body of Fox
Sprite to the heart. Those standing near covered their eyes with
their hands, for they could not bear to see so wonderful a woman
die. Suddenly, as they looked up, they saw a sight so strange
that all were filled with amazement. Instead of falling to the
ground, the graceful form swayed backward and forward for a
moment, when all at once there seemed to spring from her side a
huge mountain fox. The [66] animal glanced around him, then, with a
cry of fear, dashing past officials, courtiers and soldiers, he
rushed through the gate of the enclosure.
"A fox!" cried the people, full of wonder.
At that moment Ta-ki fell in a swoon upon the floor. When they
picked her up, thinking, of course, that she had died from the
sword thrust, they could find no blood on her body, and, on
looking more closely, they saw that there was not even the
slightest wound.
"Marvel of marvels!" they all shouted. "The gods have shielded
her!"
Just then Ta-ki opened her eyes and looked about her. "Where
am I?" she asked, in faint voice. "Pray tell me what has
happened."
Then they told her what they had seen, and at last it was
plain to the beautiful woman that, after all these years, Fox
Sprite had left her body. She was herself once more. For a long
time she could not make the people believe her story; they all
said that she must have lost her mind; that the gods had saved
her life, but had punished her for her wickedness by taking away
her reason.
But that night, when her maids were undressing her in the
palace, [67] they saw her feet, which had once more
become their natural size, and then they knew she had been
telling the truth.
How Ta-ki became the wife of a good nobleman who had long
admired her great beauty is much too long a story to be told
here. Of one thing, however, we are certain, that she lived long
and was happy ever afterwards.
Next: The Talking Fish