Now a savory dish composed of the sinews of deer was brought in, followed by bowls of rice. The music sinks to a low, reverberating wail as the Princess tragically exclaims:
"What place is this?"
For she is on her way to the home of the hostile Khan—the price of peace.
And when the Khan had answered her:
"It is the river of the Black Dragon, the frontier between the Tartar boundaries and those of China. This southern shore is the Emperor's—on the northern side commences our Tartar dominion," the Princess said calmly:
"Great King, I take a cup of wine and pour a libation towards the south, a final adieu to the Emperor."
And as she finishes this rite she adds:
"Sovereign of Han, this life is finished,—I await thee in the next."
With these words upon her lips she casts herself in the dark, turgid waters of the Black Dragon, and is never seen again by mortal eyes.