University of Virginia Library

CHAP. VI.

TIEH-chung-u being thus shut up
within the inner apartments of the
Eunuch's palace, found them all adorned
and fitted out in the most splendid
manner. He entered one of the chambers,
which shone with the richest and
most elegant furniture; and saw in
it a lady seated in a chair, who was
decked with jewels, and the costliest

ornaments in great profusion. Tieh-chung-u
seeing her thus dressed out
like a princess, composed the following
verses in his mind.

This lady, who was no other than the
Eunuch's niece, seeing the young Man- |

This specimen may serve to shew the incorrectness
of the MS. version.

darine enter, rose up from her chair,
and made signs to her women to perform
their reverences to him: who
asked him to draw near, and converse
with their lady. Far from complying
with their request he drew back; but
seeing all the doors were shut upon
him, and that there was no remedy,
at length he went somewhat nearer the
lady, and bowed to her very low;
which done, he drew back a little as
before: all this while the lady never
opened her mouth. One of the most
aged of the female attendants seeing
this, came up to Tieh-chung-u, and said
to him: "Your Lordship came here
within the women's apartments to marry
my lady: [17] husband and wife being
once married, are both of one body,
of one flesh. You are now Lord of
all this house. You need not therefore
be reserved or bashful: but may
come and sit down here with your lady."
"I came here, said he, by the
Emperor's command to write verses
upon two pictures belonging to his
Majesty: how then can you say I
came here to marry?" "The pictures
you speak of, said the servant, are without;
if therefore your Lordship only
came on that account, why did not
you stay in the outer apartments?
Obedience to the Emperor's command
did not require you to come in hither.
These are the apartments belonging
to the women; which none
ever enter but my lady and ourselves.
You could never have come
here, but in order to marry her."
"Your lady's uncle, said he, the Eunuch
Chou, with many wiles inticed
me within: he hath deceived me. This
is very disrespectful treatment of one of
my rank, and is an affront to his Majesty,
by whose favour I am advanced
to be one of the first doctors of the empire."
"As your Lordship is now
here, said the servant, be easy and chearful;
why do you talk of any thing that
happened to you without?" He replied
in a rage, "You are all of you
concerned in this picee of treachery.
Your master hath ensnared me by pretending
the pictures were here within,
and this the Mandarine Kwo-sho-su can
testify. But you are all of you deceived
in thinking to conquer me: my name
is Tieh, that is Iron; my body, my
heart are all of iron, hard and inflexible,
it is impossible to move me.
I am more steady and resolute than
those two ancient heroes Lieu-hiau-whey
and Quan-in-chang[18] ; who are
so famous in history for being firm
and unshaken. But indeed what effect
can be expected from such shallow
plots as these? This girl is not only
ugly: but also shameless. Notwithstanding
her fine ornaments, I regard
her not: she is a low and worthless
creature, and not to be regarded."
The young lady, although at first she
was charmed with the graceful figure
of the young Mandarine Tieh, and
did not behold without some emotion,
the fine features, and fair complexion
of that beautiful youth; hearing this
abuse, could no longer contain herself,
but broke silence, and said, "Sir, you
treat me very ill, niece as I am to a
great officer of the Emperor, and one
who stands continually in his presence.
This honour puts him upon a level
with any of the Mandarines, so that I
have a right to be considered with all
the distinction of a Siauw-tsieh or Mandarine's
daughter[19] . His Majesty hath
commanded a marriage to be concluded
between you and me: in which
there is nothing wrong or indecent.
Why then do you complain of plots
against you? How dare you presume to
call me low and worthless. You disgrace
the honour of my family. But since I
am so immodest and shameless, I will
make you know whether I am to be
regarded or not." Then she called
out to her women, "Bring this fellow
here before me." All the attendants
went up to him, and said, "Our lady
orders us to bring you to her to pay
her the reverence and respect due to
her quality: if you do not comply,
we must force you." Notwithstanding
he was so much discomposed and
chagrined, he could not help smiling
at them: but he neither stirred nor answered
a syllable.

The women enraged at this contempt,
fell all upon him at once, striving
to force and drag him up before
their mistress, not without great tumult
and disturbance. Tieh-chung-u
however provoked at the ridiculous situation
in which he saw himself, reflected
that it would be very indecent, and
unmanly for him to contend, and fight
with women: he therefore mustered
up his patience, and comforted himself

with the old proverb, "Who regards
the little demons of the wood?"[20]

Then drawing a chair to him, he sat
down: and while the women were
struggling and talking round him, he
remained calm and unmoved; repeating
to himself the following verses:

In the midst of this disturbance came
in the Eunuch Chou himself, having
entered through another door; who
looking round him, cried out to the
women, "What is the meaning of
this? Retire. How dare ye presume
to offer this rudeness in the presence
of people of quality?" Then addressing
himself to Tieh-chung-u on the subject
of the marriage, he said, "Well, Sir,
it is in vain to resist; you had better
comply, and put an end to all this

disturbance." He answered, "I don't
refuse my compliance: but we must
pay obedience to the laws." "Why
not?" said the other. "Your Lordship,
replied he, forgets there is a
book of the laws, which contains an
injunction for the Mandarines within
the palace to have no dealings or
contracts with the Mandarines without[22]
. Now as there is this doubt
about the lawfulness of our engagement,
what matters it, if we defer its
completion for the present?" "That injunction,
said the Eunuch, is old and
obsolete: what occasion to observe an
obsolete law? But it is necessary to
obey the present commands of the
Emperor, and to execute what he injoins.
The other is old and out of
date." Tieh-chung-u replied, "If your
Lordship would have me execute those
commands, shew me your patent; that
I may first thank his Majesty for his
favourable notice of me[23] . Nay, Sir,
shew me the patent! For how can I
presume to conclude this marriage,
thus hand over head, before I have
returned the Emperor thanks?"

While this contention lasted between
them, there came two little Eunuchs
in great haste to the house of Chou-thay-kien:
he was called out to speak
to them. They told him that Hû-hiau,
General[24] of the Tartarian frontiers, was
returned from the war, bringing with

him a multitude of prisoners: that
there were also come with him many ambassadors,
loaded with tribute of great
value[25] : and that the Emperor had ordered
a banquet for them. They added,
"As the Mandarine Tieh-chung-u
was the patron and protector of the
General, his Majesty commands him to
accompany them. The banquet is
prepared: we have already been at this
nobleman's house to seek him, but
he was not there; we were told he
came home this morning with your
Lordship. We are accordingly come
hither to inquire after him: the messenger
of state waits for him in the outward
court, and his servants are attending
there with his horse. Please to inform
him to come away immediately."
Not satisfied with this account, the
Eunuch Chou went himself to the gate
accompanied with the Minister Kwo-sho-su:
and finding it to be literally as
they had related, these two looked
at each other in great confusion, not
knowing what to say; especially when
they saw there was also come the Man-darine
whose business it was to provide
the banquet, and that the summons
would admit of no delay. Finding
there was no remedy, the Eunuch
ordered the doors to be opened, and
Tieh-chung-u to be suffered to come
forth. The latter was wondering what
could occasion this unexpected deliverance,
when the Mandarine of the
banquet, and the Emperor's messenger
informed him of the invitation, which
required his immediate attendance.
Chou-thay-kien greatly chagrined, said,
"They say the Emperor commands
you to attend the banquet: his Majesty
also commanded you to write the
verses. You have finished one picture,
yet another remains to be dispatched.
To-morrow, when his Majesty will
demand of me why they were not
done; what shall I answer? You cannot
go 'till both are finished." This
he said with a malicious design to
embarrass him, and render him incapable
of complying with the order.
But Tïeh-chung-u answered, "I have
long been desiring you to let me have
the other picture that I might dispatch
it: yet you would not give it me.
This picture is here without, but you
decieved me, and inticed me to go
within: however bring the picture here,
and I will finish it." The Eunuch
Chou brought him the picture; when
in a moment he finished all the verses,
and taking his leave, went away.

Chou-thay-kien who accompanied him
to the gate, returned to his friend Kwo-sho-su,
and said, "What astonishing
abilities hath this young man? And
who would have thought he could have

escaped the snare[26] ? This unexpected
message from the Emperor hath broke
through all our measures." They remained
both of them enraged and
vexed at a disappointment so little foreseen.
After some time Kwo-sho-su
broke silence, and said, "Let us look
out for some other expedient. The
marriage with Shuey-ping-sin is not
completed: it is well known that
they do not sleep in the same chamber.
I will yet cause them to be separated.
Think not I propose an impracticable
attempt. I will revive the suspicions
that have been so long dormant, with
regard to her carrying him home to
her house to attend him in his illness.
I will refute this pretended excuse, and
accuse them of disorderly and unlawful
motives. I will relate this to the Censor
of the empire, who is obliged by his office
to report it to his Majesty. I will tell
him, that after having had an unlawful
amour, they now would increase the
scandal by a patched-up marriage: and
I will remonstrate the contempt and reproach
this will bring on the laws: especially
as they are people of such rank
in the state. Your Lordship shall lend
your assistance to forward and strengthen
this accusation. Then will his Majesty
summon the Tribunal of Rites
to examine into it: in the mean time, I
will apply to the Che-hien of the city
where the affair happend, and will get
him to turn over all the papers of his office,
in order to procure minutes of the
case, wherewith to support the accusation.
After this, the least that can
happen will be their being divorced
and separated for ever." "True, said
the Eunuch Chou; and when once they
are separated, it will be an easy matter
to speak to the Emperor about the
marriage with my niece." These resolutions
they formed, both agreeing
that in order to render them effectual,
the utmost secrecy and caution were
necessary.