And when the King heard the words of the Wezeer, he feared for his son Táj-el-Mulook, and said, If I make war upon her father, and obtain possession of his daughter, she will kill herself. He then acquainted his son Táj-el-Mulook with the truth of the case; and when the prince heard it, he said to his father, O my father, I cannot exist without her: I will therefore go to her, and seek means of obtaining an interview with her, though I die in the attempt: and I will do nothing but this. His father said, How wilt thou go to her? He answered, I will go in the disguise of a merchant.—Then if it must be so, rejoined the King, take with thee the Wezeer and 'Azeez. He then took forth for him some money from his treasuries, and prepared for him merchandise at the price of a hundred thousand pieces of gold, and they both agreed as to this course; and when night came, Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez went to the abode of the latter, and there passed that night. But the heart of Táj-el-Mulook was captivated, and neither eating nor rest pleased him: reflections overwhelmed him, and he was drowned in them; and, longing for his beloved, he poured forth his tears, and wept violently; and 'Azeez wept with him, reflecting upon his cousin; and they both continued thus until the morning, when Táj-el-Mulook arose and went in to his mother. He was equipped for the journey; and she asked him respecting his state: so he acquainted her with the whole truth; and she gave him fifty thousand pieces of gold, and bade him farewell, and he went forth from her, while she offered up prayers for his safety, and for his union with the object of his love. He then went in to his father, and asked his permission to depart; and the King granted him permission, and gave him fifty thousand pieces of gold, and ordered that a tent should be pitched for him outside the city.
A large tent was therefore pitched for him; and after they had remained in it two days, they commenced their journey; and Táj-el-Mulook treated 'Azeez with familiar kindness, and said to him, O my brother, I cannot henceforth part with thee.—And I, replied 'Azeez, am of the like mind, and desire to die at thy feet; but, O my brother, my heart is troubled with thoughts of my mother. So Táj-el-Mulook said, When we shall have attained our wish, all will be well. Now the Wezeer had charged Táj-el-Mulook to display an air of patience, and 'Azeez occupied himself with reciting to him verses, and narrating to him histories and tales; and they continued on their way by night and day for the space of two months. The length of the journey became wearisome to Táj-el-Mulook; and the violence of his desire, and his passion and distraction, increased: so when they drew near to the city, he rejoiced excessively, and his anxiety and grief ceased.
They entered it in the garb of merchants, the King's son being also clad in the same manner, and, coming to a place known as the abode of merchants, which was a large Khán, Táj-el-Mulook said to 'Azeez, Is this the abode of the merchants? 'Azeez answered, Yes: it is not, however, the Khán in which I lodged with the caravan that I accompanied; but it is better than that. So they made their camels lie down, and unloaded, and, having deposited their goods in the magazines, remained there to take rest four days. The Wezeer then suggested to them that they should hire for themselves a large house; to which they assented; and they hired a spacious house, fitted for festivities. There they took up their abode; and the Wezeer and 'Azeez studied to devise some stratagem for the sake of Táj-el-Mulook, who was perplexed, not knowing what to do. The Wezeer could contrive no other plan than that of his opening for himself a shop to carry on the trade of a merchant in the market of fine stuffs: he therefore addressed Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez, and said to them, Know that if we remain in this state we shall not attain our wish; and a thing hath occurred to my mind which probably may be advisable, if it be the will of God. So they replied, Do what seemeth fit to thee; for a blessing attendeth the aged, and especially in thy case, since thou hast devoted thyself to the management of affairs: therefore give us the advice which hath suggested itself to thy mind. And he said to Táj-el-Mulook, It is my opinion that we should hire for thee a shop in the market of fine stuffs, and that thou shouldst sit in it to sell and buy; for every person of the higher ranks and of the people in general standeth in need of such stuffs, and if thou sit in that shop thy affair will be arranged, if it be the will of God (whose name be exalted!), especially because of thy comely person; but make 'Azeez thy trusty attendant, and seat him in the shop to hand to thee the stuffs. And when Táj-el-Mulook heard these words, he said. This is a judicious opinion;—and immediately he took forth a suit of merchant's attire, and clad himself in it, and arose and went forth, followed by his young men, and gave to one of them a thousand pieces of gold to fit up the shop.
They proceeded until they arrived at the market of fine stuffs, and when the merchants saw Táj-el-Mulook, and observed his handsome and comely person, they were confounded, and began to say, Hath Riḍwán[53] opened the gates of Paradise and neglected them, so that this youth of surprising beauty hath come forth?—and one said, This is probably one of the angels. And when they went in among the merchants, they inquired for the shop of the Sheykh of the market. The merchants, therefore, guided them thither, and they went to him; and as they approached him, he and the merchants who were with him rose to them, and received them with honour, especially the excellent Wezeer; for they saw him to be an aged and venerable man; and observing that he was accompanied by Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez, they said, No doubt this sheykh is the father of these two young men. The Wezeer then said to them, Who among you is the Sheykh of the market? They answered, This is he. And the Wezeer, looking at him and observing him, saw that he was an old man of grave and respectable aspect, and possessing servants and young men. The Sheykh of the market greeted them with friendly compliments, and treated them with great honour, and, having seated them by his side, said to them, Have ye any business which we may have the happiness of transacting? The Wezeer answered, Yes: I am an old man, advanced in age, and I have these two young men: I have travelled with them through all regions and countries, and have not entered a town without remaining in it a whole year, that they might amuse themselves with the sight of it and become acquainted with its inhabitants; and now I have come to this your town, and have chosen to make a stay in it: I therefore desire of thee one of the best shops, that I may seat them in it to traffic, and that they may amuse themselves with the sight of this city, and acquire the manners of its people, and obtain an experience in buying and selling and other commercial transactions.
So the Sheykh of the market replied, There will be no harm in doing so:—and, looking at the two young men, he was delighted with them, and he arose and stood like a servant before them to wait upon them. And afterwards he went and prepared for them the shop: it was in the midst of the market, and there was none larger than it, nor any more handsome there; for it was spacious and decorated, and contained shelves of ivory and ebony. He then delivered the keys to the Wezeer (who was also in the garb of a merchant), and said, God grant that it may be attended with blessings to thy two sons![54] And when the Wezeer had taken the keys of the shop, he went to it, together with the servants, who deposited in it their goods; and they ordered the servants to remove thither all the merchandise and stuffs and rarities that they had. These things were worth treasuries of wealth; and they transported the whole of them to the shop. They then passed the night, and in the morning the Wezeer conducted the two young men to the bath, where they washed and enjoyed themselves to the utmost, after which they returned to their abode to rest from the fatigue of bathing, and ate and drank; and they passed the next night in their abode in the most perfect joy and happiness. And on the following morning they rose from their sleep, and, having performed the ablution, recited the divinely-ordained prayers, and drank their morning-beverage;[55] and when daylight came, and the shops and markets were opened, they went forth from their abode, and repaired to the market, and opened the shop. The servants had prepared it for them in the handsomest manner, and spread it with carpets of silk, and placed in it two mattresses, each of which was worth a hundred pieces of gold; and upon each mattress they spread a skin such as Kings sit upon, surrounded with an edge of gold: so Táj-el-Mulook seated himself upon one mattress, and 'Azeez upon the other, and the Wezeer sat in the midst of the shop, while the servants stood before them. The people heard of them, and crowded about them, and they sold of their merchandise; and the fame of Táj-el-Mulook was spread through the city, and the report of his handsomeness and comeliness was blazed throughout it. They continued this life for several days, the people pressing to them; after which the Wezeer addressed Táj-el-Mulook, and enjoined him to conceal his case, and, having charged 'Azeez to keep watch over him, repaired to the house to plan some mode of proceeding that might be of advantage to them. Meanwhile, Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez sat conversing together; and the former said, Perhaps some one may come from the lady Dunyà.
Thus Táj-el-Mulook passed his time days and nights, and slept not; desire overpowered him, and he became more and more emaciated and infirm, renouncing the delight of sleep, and abstaining from drink and food; but still he was like the full moon: and as he was sitting one day, lo, an old woman approached and advanced towards him, followed by two female slaves, and she continued to draw near until she stopped at his shop. Beholding his graceful person, and his handsome and lovely aspect, she wondered at his beauty, and said, Extolled be the perfection of Him who created thee! Extolled be the perfection of Him who hath made thee a temptation to all creatures!—She ceased not to gaze at him, and said, This is not a mortal: this is no other than a noble angel![56] Then drawing close to him, she saluted him, and he returned her salutation, and rose to her, standing upon his feet,[57] and smiled in her face. All this he did at the hinting of 'Azeez; after which he seated her by his side, and occupied himself with fanning her until she had rested herself; when she said to him, O my son! O thou of perfect qualities and graces! art thou of this country?—Táj-el-Mulook answered her, with an eloquent and sweet and charming voice, By Allah, O my mistress, in my life I never entered this country until now; and I have not taken up my abode in it but for the sake of amusement. And she wished him honour, and welcomed him, and said, What stuffs hast thou brought with thee? Show me something beautiful; for the beautiful bringeth not anything but what is beautiful.—And when Táj-el-Mulook heard her words his heart palpitated; but he understood not their meaning: so 'Azeez made a sign to him; and Táj-el-Mulook said to her, I have everything that thou desirest of stuffs suitable only to Kings and the daughters of Kings. For whom, then, wouldst thou purchase, that I may display to thee what will be appropriate?—He desired by this question to learn the meaning of her words; and she answered, I want some stuff suitable to the lady Dunyà, the daughter of King Sháh-Zemán. On hearing the mention of his beloved, Táj-el-Mulook rejoiced exceedingly, and said to 'Azeez, Bring me the most magnificent of the goods that are by thee. And 'Azeez gave him a wrapper, and untied it before her, and Táj-el-Mulook said to her, Choose what will suit her; for this is such as is not found with any but me. So the old woman chose some stuff that was worth a thousand pieces of gold; and said, What is the price of this?—What! said he, shall I bargain with a person like thee respecting this contemptible thing? Praise be to God who hath made me acquainted with thee.—And the old woman exclaimed, I invoke, for thy comely face, the protection of the Lord of the Daybreak![58] for verily thy face is comely, and so are thine actions. Joy be to her who possesseth thee, and especially if she be endowed with beauty like thee!—Upon this, Táj-el-Mulook laughed until he fell backwards, and said [within himself], O Accomplisher of desires by the means of wicked old women![59] And she said to him, O my son, what is thy name? He answered, My name is Táj-el-Mulook.—This, she replied, is one of the names of Kings; but thou art in the garb of the merchants. So 'Azeez said, From the affection of his family for him, and the high estimation in which they held him, they gave him this name. And the old woman replied, Thou hast spoken truth. May God avert from you the evil of the envious, though hearts be broken by your charms!