CHAPTER XXII.
THE BOY PRINCE AND THE RIVAL GENERALS.
Thus were the great princes and lords of China awaiting the coming of their imperial master, and with something like impatience, for often, of late, had his majesty kept them waiting for hours, and then granted no audience at all. Such, however, was not to be the case then, for soon the sounds of wind instruments were heard, pages and eunuchs entered from the door which led to the imperial apartment, followed by the favorite body attendants of the sovereign, then the Emperor himself;—and the mandarins in the body of the hall, and the lords upon the steps of the throne, bent their heads till their foreheads touched the floors, in which position they remained, awaiting the command of the monarch to arise. Wey-t-song, the last of the Ming Emperors, was of middle height and spare figure, at least for a Chinese, whose notion of manly beauty consists of large and bulky form; he was attired in a robe of yellow silk, embroidered with five-clawed dragons, a necklace of costly pearls, and a golden girdle fastened around his waist by a jeweled clasp; his high cap or crown of purple satin, sparkled with jewels, and was decorated with the peacock's feather, which fell upon his long black hair; his boots were of purple satin, and fitted tightly to the shape of the feet; as for his hands, they were hidden beneath the folds of his robe.
When the Emperor had seated himself upon the throne, a graceful movement with his ample sleeves gave the sign for the kneeling courtiers to arise, and they stood with their arms straightened and eyes turned upon the ground, pretending that the sight of so much majesty was too dazzling for their vision.
Thus, for a time, all was silent, till the censor Woo, falling upon his knees, and holding above his head his silver seal of office, gravely said, "Since our lord has vouchsafed us his heavenly audience, and the door of the imperial apartments is no longer disfigured by the audience-denying tablet, it is the duty of the meanest of his slaves to open his lips, even at the risk of his life."
"Rise, thou venerable noble, for it is not seemly that one who is at age's extremity should kneel, even before the Emperor. Rise, noble Woo, for thy years demand that thy petition should be heard standing," said Wey-t-song, aiding the aged man to his feet.
"Alas! dread prince, thy servant's days have been too long, for he has lived to see a successor of the great Emperors, Yu and Yaou, forget that Heaven had made him the father of his people," said Woo, sadly.
"What words are these? Surely the noble Woo presumes upon his age, for has it not been wisely said that the will of the Emperor is omnipotent?"
"It is written in the sacred books, O prince, that it is equally criminal in the Emperor and the subject to violate the laws. Truly the life of the minister is the property of his sovereign, but the dignity of his office belongs to the country, which is even now torn into shreds by maladministration," replied the firm old noble; adding, "For when the Emperor becomes negligent of his duty, and sinks into a lover of luxury and ease, the spirit of indolence must pervade the occupant of every mandrinate; so, at the present time, every viceroy and governor has grown to think himself the sovereign, instead of the father and teacher of his province; each minister, in defiance of the law, sells places to those unfit to occupy them; and thus the people, being oppressed, have arisen in rebellion over the empire, to the advantage of rogues and thieves, who await but the finding of some bold bad man to enable them to change, O prince, thy very dynasty. Yet surely this is not without cause, for hath it not been asked, 'Why hath Heaven placed the Emperor upon the throne, if not to be our parent?' and therefore he ought not to make himself feared, but in proportion as he deserves to be loved for his goodness and virtue; therefore, at the risk of his life, the censor dares tell his dread sovereign that while the people are suffering, the Emperor should forget his pleasures, fast in his palace, punish the offending mandarins, remit the taxes of the suffering provinces, and employ his whole thoughts in alleviating their misfortunes. Like the Emperors of old, he should lament night and day till the evils are remedied. Such are the words of the aged Woo, who hath lived through the reigns of six of thy illustrious predecessors, and they have been called forth, O dread prince, by thy neglect of the petitions which he has laid upon the imperial table. If thy slave offendeth, O prince, let his worthless head be the penalty, for he has done his duty; and the old noble again fell at the feet of Wey-t-song, who, giving way to a paroxysm of passion, rose, and, placing his hand upon the hilt of his sabre, exclaimed, 'What words are these old man? Is the Emperor a slave that thou darest so far?' But, despot and even cruel as he was, the age and daring of the old noble had excited in the eyes of the surrounding courtiers such unmistakable gleams of satisfaction, that, really afraid of proceeding to extremities, he fell back upon his throne, saying, "Arise, noble Woo, and that in the licence of thy office thou hast uttered words of wind against thy Emperor, the rebel-subduing General Li-Kong will testify."