At this extraordinary speech from the lips of so young a child, and which, notwithstanding the silence of solemn historians on the subjects, I believe must have been taught Master Chun-ti by his uncle, the artful Amavan, the nobles fell upon their faces, as thankfully as a flock of famished wolves at the sight of a good meal after a run of a great many hundreds of miles.
After which the Emperor added, "And that it may be known throughout the empire that we can reward merit, whether it be found in our Chinese subjects or our own black-haired race, we bestow upon the rebel-subduing Prince Woo-san-Kwei, the title of Pacifier of the Western World, and the dignity and rank of King of Chen-si; may his appointment prove fortunate to the people." Whereupon, to the disgust of Nicholas, the Ming general knelt before the Emperor, and holding his hands above his head, received the golden box, in which were placed the symbols of his office.
After this Nicholas was pained not only to witness the bestowal of high offices upon the Tartar chieftains, but, for worse, the acceptation of dignities by Chinese mandarins, who had been profuse in their professions of loyalty to the Ming family. Then, as the Emperor was about to move his sleeves as a signal of the close of the audience, one of the nobles announced the arrival of some great personage, whose name his ears failed to catch, whereupon the regent Amavan said, "This man, O my prince, is the greatest of your majesty's conquests," and in another minute a personage of majestic height and figure, attired and attended with all the magnificence of a king, entered the hall and fell at the foot of the throne, and as he did so Amavan proclaimed his name and titles, when Nicholas gave a cry of astonishment, and would have rushed forward, but for Woo-san-Kwei, who, by whispering in his ear, caused him to become as pale and almost as silent as marble. His surprise and indignation was not wonderful, for the great man who knelt at the feet of the Tartar chief was no less a personage than his own father, Chin-Chi-Loong.
CHAPTER XLI.
NICHOLAS HAS AN INTERVIEW WITH HIS FATHER, AND LEAVES PEKIN FOR EVER.
Not daring to believe, yet trembling for fear his father should be the traitor to the Mings that his submission to Chun-ti had proclaimed him, Nicholas followed the procession that conducted Chin-Chi-Loong to the palace appointed for his residence in Pekin; nor could he help remarking the absence of Chinese faces among the soldiers and attendants who followed him. Again, when he entered the palace, the courtyards, and the passages, nought could he see but Tartars. "Surely," he thought, "my beloved father must be a prisoner of state;" and, much vexed at his unfilial misgivings of his parent's loyalty, he sent to the chief a message by one of the attendants, that "the bearer of his letter from the south to the north" craved an immediate audience of the King Pacifier of the South; when, as the chief knew that it could be no other than Nicholas, in another minute the father and son had met again, after their long absence from each other.
"Is it possible that my father can have become so terrified by the tempestuous fortunes of the imperial Ming, that he should seek the sunshine of the barbarian's court?" said Nicholas, sadly, when the first greeting was past.
"This is, indeed, the most unfortunate day in the life of Chin-Chi-Loong, if his son can believe him willingly guilty of so great a crime," said the chief.
"What words are these, my noble parent? for if thou art not a receiver of stolen things, how camest thou by this kingdom of Fokien? for surely it was not given to thee by the Emperor Yong-Li," replied Nicholas.