CHAPTER XXIV.
NICHOLAS UNVEILS A REBEL CHIEF, AND OBTAINS A TITLE.
When Nicholas arose the following morning, his first care was for thesafety of Chow, whom he discovered to be still in the custody of thecriminal tribunal, where by the laws, he would be kept till the will ofthe chief colao became known. Feeling, however, satisfied that the boywould meet with no harm, now that he himself was in such high favor, heprepared for the promised private audience; and scarcely had he donnedthe state habiliments, which had been supplied to him by thechamberlain, than he received the imperial summons, and having beenconducted through a series of large courts, he was shown into theinnermost apartment of the palace, where in deep thought over a letter,sat the Emperor; upon the left (the place of honor) stood the youngprince; upon his right, the aged Woo.
Having complied with the court etiquette by running quickly up theapartment, throwing himself on his knees, and performing the kow-tow,the Emperor commanded him to arise, and, placing his hand upon theletter, said, "The noble youth, then, is the son of the daring writer ofthese terrible characters, which declare most boldly that the noblestof our generals and relations is a traitor and rebel."
"The life of thy servant, O great prince, is at the will of hissovereign if those characters are not as truthful as the sacred booksthemselves," replied Nicholas.
"We dare not doubt them, youth, if these other characters are not forgedby some villain," said the Emperor, placing a letter in the hands ofWoo; adding, "Let the venerable Woo, who knoweth all things, declare thepencil that portrayed them."
Falling upon his knees and taking the letter, the aged man said, "Truly,O prince, these characters are from the hand of the General Li-Kong,whose treason is indeed stupendous, for he offers the supreme command ofthe four seas, and the sovereignty of the barbarous island of Formosa,to the merchant pirate, providing that sea chief will, with hismultitudinous ships and great wealth, aid him (may the sound of thewords not deprive me of reason) in subverting the dynasty of his holyEmperor. The crime, O my sovereign, is too huge to be conceived, and itsauthor should be hewn into ten thousand pieces. Yet the eyes, nay, thevery reason of thy aged servant, may be failing him, therefore itbehoves us to have greater proof that these characters are not forged;for, though great is the cunning of villainy, surely so great a crimecannot exist beneath heaven."
"The words of the aged noble are magnanimous, for surely the PrinceLi-Kong is the enemy of him and his; yet, though magnanimity is taughtby the sacred books, it must not endanger the life of our greatsovereign and father," said the Prince Yong-Li; adding, "Surely Li-Kongis famous for his vileness; his character is known to us all, yet ifgreater proof be wanting, let it be sought from the lips of this nobleyouth, whose life will be the penalty of so false an accusation."
"It would ill become so mean a person to traduce so great a general asthe Prince Li-Kong, yet the safety of his sovereign must unseal hislips. Know, then, dread Emperor, that the General Li-Kong is at thisvery moment plotting thy ruin," said Nicholas, who then gave in detailthe conversation he had heard at the palace of retirement, which theEmperor had no sooner heard than he said hastily, "Convey our command, Onoble Woo, to the general thy son, to search for this traitor, and bringhim in chains before us."
"Thy servant is unfortunate, for this is not possible, my sovereign. Thebrave Woo-san-Kwei, knowing his duty too well to remain in idleness atPekin, while the Tartar-barbarians were harassing his army like hungrywolves,--truly the body was of little use without the head,--departedfor his command after the council yesterday," replied Woo.
"How!" said the Emperor passionately; "dared the general take hisdeparture without an audience of leave."
"Let not thy wrath, O great sovereign fall upon the head of thy faithfulservant, who presumed so far because his Emperor has, of late, foregonethe salutary ceremonies laid down by his ancestors," said the agedminister.
Angry at this rebuke yet feeling its truthfulness, the weak princedespairingly threw himself backward in his chair, when the young princesaid "Surely the throne should be defended by its heir. Thy son, O myEmperor and parent, will depart with the guards of the palace and bringthis arch-traitor to his father's feet;" and not receiving a denial, theprince respectfully took his leave, when, having recovered hisequanimity, the Emperor again took up Chin-Chi-Loong's letter.
"Truly, boy," said his majesty, "this daring pirate, thy father, knowsmore than the Emperor or his ministers. How know we that he is not asgreat a traitor as the prince he denounces, for surely by commerce alonehe could not have obtained this wealth of ships, men, and money, which,like a king, he so insolently offers to his sovereign and master?"
"Truly, O great Emperor, if my illustrious parent were a traitor, hewould not have placed the life of his only son, thy mean servant, in sogreat a danger," said Nicholas.
"The words of the youth, O prince, are as true as his deeds are brave,"said Woo; adding, "Let then thy slave pray that the sunshine of theEmperor's favor may fall upon his race; for, fearing that the intentionsof this great merchant were treasonous, I have long caused his actionsto be watched and his ships to be harassed by the sea mandarins; butindeed with little use, for the noble Chin-Chi-Loong overcame them all,to the disgrace of the board of arms of thy empire.
"How! did the slave pirate dare to overcome our sea tigers?" said theEmperor in a rage.
"He has presumed, O prince to chastise traitors who wielded thy royalcommission but for their own purposes, which, if a crime, he now offersto amend by sending his only son to beg that he may receive an order,signed by the vermilion pencil, to command that great fleet in hissovereign's name alone. The powerful pirate, for whose head theEmperor's ministers have offered great rewards, now places himself andhis fortune at the disposal of the Son of Heaven," said Nicholas.
So great an offer having restored the Emperor to a better humor, hesaid, "It is a presumptuous request, yet loyal, if this bold man cangive us a guarantee that he intends not playing us false."
"That guarantee is the life of thy servant, his only son, O my prince,"replied Nicholas.
"These words are good and loyal, O my Emperor; for surely if this boldmerchant hath sought wealth and power for his descendants, lo! he placeshis heir in thy hands," said Woo.
"The words of the aged Woo are wise and far-seeing. We grant this boldman's petition, and should he help us to root out from the land thisgrowing rebellion we will secure to him the island promised by thevillain Li-Kong. As for thyself, brave youth, to whom we are so greatlyindebted, we grant thee the title of Princess-defending Tiger of War,and appoint thee to a command in the guards of the palace; and,moreover, will keep thee in our favor, of which this shall be a token,"said the Emperor, taking from his girdle an embroidered purse, andhanding it to Nicholas, who fell reverently upon his knees and held hishands above his head to receive the present.
At that moment the Prince Yong-Li entered, threw himself at the foot ofthe throne, and said, "Thy son, O my sovereign, is deserving ofpunishment, for the traitor has escaped."
"Escaped!" repeated the Emperor, bitterly.
"Truly so, my father; no sooner did the council of yesterday disperse,than, fearing the discovery of his guilt, he assembled his officers andguards and quitted the city."
"Let the fleetest of our horsemen follow immediately," added theEmperor.
"It would be in vain, my father, for ere they can overtake him thetraitor will be in the midst of his own troops and province," repliedthe prince.
"It would be wise to have the gates closely guarded and the defences ofthe city examined," said Woo.
"The villain dares not carry his treason so far as to invade ourcapital," replied Wey-t-song.
"Let not the generous nature of my prince carry him too far, for byinsidious arts and treacherous gifts this Li-Kong has gained the heartsof the people of the provinces, and is vile enough to attempt thegreatest of crimes," said the minister.
"By the tombs of our ancestors, the venerable noble
is wise, and weshould be prepared for the vilest of crimes. Let the barbarian-subduingGeneral Woo-san-Kwei and his army be recalled from Leao-tong."
"And so exchange a small traitor for the Tartar king, who, though abarbarian, is brave and powerful; rather let my royal father call aroundhim in council the doctors of war and the ablest of his generals, whofrom the military books will doubtless find sure means of defending thecity," said the prince; adding, "Then, O my sovereign parent, let thearmy be assembled, and permit thy son and this noble youth to meet therebel on his way. Let this be so, my Emperor, and thy son will bring thetraitor's head to thy feet, or be himself brought there upon his ownshield."
"Thy heart is brave, but thy years too few, O my son, for so great atrust," replied the Emperor.
"At my years the illustrious Tait-sou, the founder of our race, plantedthe first seeds of his glory in the field," said the young prince,warmly.
"The royal prince, thy chosen heir, is both wise and brave, mysovereign, for his name and rank will be a banner, around which theloyal will flock as plentifully as locusts, while his youth and braverywill shame the rebels into submission," said the censor.
"The counsel of the venerable Woo is bold," said the Emperor; adding,"After the council of war my son shall seek to emulate the bravery ofhis ancestors."
"The tongue of thy son is too feeble to speak his thanks, my sovereign,"exclaimed the impetuous prince, falling upon his knees.
The War Tiger Page 26