Kai Lung's Golden Hours Page 5

  CHAPTER IV

  The Inopportune Behaviour of the Covetous Li-loe

  It was upon the occasion of his next visit to the shutter in the wallthat Kai Lung discovered the obtuse-witted Li-loe moving about theenclosure. Though docile and well-meaning on the whole, the stuntedintelligence of the latter person made him a doubtful accomplice, andKai Lung stood aside, hoping to be soon alone.

  Li-loe held in his hand an iron prong, and with this he industriouslysearched the earth between the rocks and herbage. Ever since theirprevious encounter upon that same spot it had been impossible to erasefrom his deformed mind the conviction that a store of rare and potentwine lay somewhere concealed within the walls of the enclosure.Continuously he besought the story-teller to reveal the secret of itshiding-place, saying: "What an added bitterness will assail your noblethroat if, when you are led forth to die, your eye closes upon the onewho has faithfully upheld your cause lying with a protruded tonguepanting in the noonday sun."

  "Peace, witless," Kai Lung usually replied; "there is no such store."

  "Nevertheless," the doorkeeper would stubbornly insist, "the caskcannot yet be empty. It is beyond your immature powers."

  Thus it again befell, for despite Kai Lung's desire to escape, Li-loechanced to look up suddenly and observed him.

  "Alas, brother," he remarked reproachfully, when they had thuscontended, "the vessel that returns whole the first time is chippedthe second and broken at the third essay, and it will yet be too latebetween us. If it be as you claim, to what end did you boast of a caskof wine and of running among a company of goats with leaves entwinedin your hair?"

  "That," replied Kai Lung, "was in the nature of a classical allusion,too abstruse for your deficient wit. It concerned the story of KiauSun, who first attained the honour."

  "Be that as it may," replied Li-loe, with mulish iteration, "fivedeficient strings of home-made cash are a meagre return for afriendship such as mine."

  "There is a certain element of truth in what you claim," confessed KaiLung, "but until my literary style is more freely recognized it willbe impossible to reward you adequately. In anything not of a pecuniarynature, however, you may lean heavily upon my gratitude."

  "In the meanwhile, then," demanded Li-loe, "relate to me the story towhich reference has been made, thereby proving the truth of yourassertion, and at the same time affording an entertainment of asomewhat exceptional kind."

  "The shadows lengthen," replied Kai Lung, "but as the narrative inquestion is of an inconspicuous span I will raise no barrier againstyour flattering request, especially as it indicates an awakening tastehitherto unsuspected."

  "Proceed, manlet, proceed," said Li-loe, with a final probe among thesurrounding rocks before selecting one to lean against. "Yet if thisperson could but lay his hand--"

  The Story of Wong Pao and the Minstrel

  To Wong Pao, the merchant, pleasurably immersed in the calculation ofan estimated profit on a junk-load of birds' nests, sharks' fins andother seasonable delicacies, there came a distracting interruptionoccasioned by a wandering poet who sat down within the shade providedby Wong Pao's ornamental gate in the street outside. As he reclinedthere he sang ballads of ancient valour, from time to time beating ahollow wooden duck in unison with his voice, so that the charitableshould have no excuse for missing the entertainment.

  Unable any longer to continue his occupation, Wong Pao struck an irongong.

  "Bear courteous greetings to the accomplished musician outside ourgate," he said to the slave who had appeared, "and convince him--bymeans of a heavily-weighted club if necessary--that the situation hehas taken up is quite unworthy of his incomparable efforts."

  When the slave returned it was with an entire absence of theenthusiasm of one who has succeeded in an enterprise.

  "The distinguished mendicant outside disarmed the one who is relatingthe incident by means of an unworthy stratagem, and then struck himrepeatedly on the head with the image of a sonorous wooden duck,"reported the slave submissively.

  Meanwhile the voice with its accompaniment continued to chant thedeeds of bygone heroes.

  "In that case," said Wong Pao coldly, "entice him into this inadequatechamber by words suggestive of liberal entertainment."

  This device was successful, for very soon the slave returned with thestranger. He was a youth of studious appearance and an engagingopenness of manner. Hung about his neck by means of a cord were avariety of poems suitable to most of the contingencies of an ordinaryperson's existence. The name he bore was Sun and he was of the houseof Kiau.

  "Honourable greeting, minstrel," said Wong Pao, with dignifiedcondescension. "Why do you persist in exercising your illustrioustalent outside this person's insignificant abode?"

  "Because," replied Sun modestly, "the benevolent mandarin who has justspoken had not then invited me inside. Now, however, he will be ableto hear to greater advantage the very doubtful qualities of myentertainment."

  With these words Kiau Sun struck the duck so proficiently that itemitted a life-like call, and prepared to raise his voice in a chant.

  "Restrain your undoubted capacity," exclaimed Wong Pao hastily. "Theinquiry presented itself to you at an inaccurate angle. Why, torestate it, did you continue before this uninviting hovel when, underthe external forms of true politeness, my slave endeavoured to removeyou hence?"

  "In the circumstances this person may have overlooked the delicacy ofthe message, for, as it is well written, 'To the starving, a blow froma skewer of meat is more acceptable than a caress from the hand of amaiden,'" said Kiau Sun. "Whereunto remember, thou two-stomachedmerchant, that although the house in question is yours, the street ismine."

  "By what title?" demanded Wong Pao contentiously.

  "By the same that confers this well-appointed palace upon you,"replied Sun: "because it is my home."

  "The point is one of some subtlety," admitted Wong Pao, "and might bepursued to an extreme delicacy of attenuation if it were argued bythose whose profession it is to give a variety of meanings to the samething. Yet even allowing the claim, it is none the less an unendurableaffliction that your voice should disturb my peacefully conductedenterprise."

  "As yours would have done mine, O concave-witted Wong Pao!"

  "That," retorted the merchant, "is a disadvantage that you couldeasily have averted by removing yourself to a more distant spot."

  "The solution is equally applicable to your own case, mandarin,"replied Kiau Sun affably.

  "Alas!" exclaimed Wong Pao, with an obvious inside bitterness, "it isa mistake to argue with persons of limited intelligence in terms ofcourtesy. This, doubtless, was the meaning of the philosopher Nhy-hiwhen he penned the observation, 'Death, a woman and a dumb mute alwayshave the last word,' Why did I have you conducted hither to convinceyou dispassionately, rather than send an armed guard to force you awayby violence?"

  "Possibly," suggested the minstrel, "because my profession is alegally recognized one, and, moreover, under the direct protection ofthe exalted Mandarin Shen-y-ling."

  "Profession!" retorted Wong Pao, stung by the reference toShen-y-ling, for that powerful official's attitude was indeed theinner reason why he had not pushed violence to a keener edge againstKiau Sun, "an abject mendicancy, yielding two hands' grasp of coppercash a day on a stock composed of half a dozen threadbare odes."

  "Compose me half a dozen better and one hand-count of cash shall beapportioned to you each evening," suggested Sun.

  "A handful of cash for _my_ labour!" exclaimed the indignant Wong Pao."Learn, puny wayfarer, that in a single day the profit of my variousenterprises exceeds a hundred taels of silver."

  "That is less than the achievement of my occupation," said Kiau Sun.

  "Less!" repeated the merchant incredulously. "Can you, O boaster,display a single tael?"

  "Doubtless I should be the possessor of thousands if I made use of theattributes of a merchant--three hands and two faces. But th
at was notthe angle of my meaning: your labour only compels men to remember;mine enables them to forget."

  Thus they continued to strive, each one contending for thepre-eminence of his own state, regardless of the sage warning: "Inthree moments a labourer will remove an obstructing rock, but threemoons will pass without two wise men agreeing on the meaning of avowel"; and assuredly they would have persisted in their intellectualentertainment until the great sky-lantern rose and the pangs of hungercompelled them to desist, were it not for the manifestation of a veryunusual occurrence.

  The Emperor, N'ang Wei, then reigning, is now generally regarded asbeing in no way profound or inspired, but possessing the faculty ofbeing able to turn the dissensions among his subjects to a profitableaccount, and other accomplishments useful in a ruler. As he passedalong the streets of his capital he heard the voices of two raised inaltercation, and halting the bearer of his umbrella, he commandedthat the persons concerned should be brought before him and state thenature of their dispute.

  "The rivalry is an ancient one," remarked the Emperor when each hadmade his claim. "Doubtless we ourselves could devise a judgment, butin this cycle of progress it is more usual to leave decision to thepronouncement of the populace--and much less exacting to our Imperialingenuity. An edict will therefore be published, stating that at acertain hour Kiau Sun will stand upon the Western Hill of the city andrecite one of his incomparable epics, while at the same gong-strokeWong Pao will take his station on the Eastern Hill, let us say for thepurpose of distributing pieces of silver among any who are able toabsent themselves from the competing attraction. It will then beclearly seen which entertainment draws the greater number."

  "Your mind, O all-wisest, is only comparable to the peacock's tail inits spreading brilliance!" exclaimed Wong Pao, well assured of an easytriumph.

  Kiau Sun, however, remained silent, but he observed closely thebenignly impartial expression of the Emperor's countenance.

  When the indicated time arrived, only two persons could have beenobserved within the circumference of the Western Hill of the city--ablind mendicant who had lost his way and an extremely round-bodiedmandarin who had been abandoned there by his carriers when they heardthe terms of the edict. But about the Eastern Hill the throng was sogreat that for some time after it was unusual to meet a person whoseoutline had not been permanently altered by the occasion. Even KiauSun was present.

  On a protected eminence stood N'ang Wei. Near him was Wong Pao,confidently awaiting the moment when the Emperor should declarehimself. When, therefore, the all-wisest graciously made a gesture ofcommand, Wong Pao hastened to his side, an unbecoming elation gildingthe fullness of his countenance.

  "Wong Pao," said the Illimitable, "the people are here in gratifyingprofusion. The moment has thus arrived for you to consummate yourtriumph over Kiau Sun."

  "Omnipotence?" queried Wong Pao.

  "The silver that you were to distribute freely to all who came.Doubtless you have a retinue of slaves in attendance with weightysacks of money for the purpose?"

  "But that was only in the nature of an imagined condition, SublimeBeing, designed to test the trend of their preference," said Wong Pao,with an incapable feeling of no-confidence in the innermost seat ofhis self-esteem. "This abject person did not for a singlebreathing-space contemplate or provide for so formidable an outlay."

  A shadow of inquiry appeared above the eyebrows of the Sublimest,although his refined imperturbability did not permit him to displayany acute emotion.

  "It is not entirely a matter of what you contemplated, merchant, butwhat this multitudinous and, as we now perceive, generally well-armedconcourse imagined. Greatly do we fear that when the position has beenexplained to them, the breathing-space remaining, O Wong Pao, will notbe in your body. What," continued the liberal-minded sovereign,turning to one of his attending nobles, "what was it that happened toNing-lo who failed to satisfy the lottery ticket holders in somewhatsimilar circumstances?"

  "The scorpion vat, Serenest," replied the vassal.

  "Ah," commented the Enlightened One, "for the moment we thought it wasthe burning sulphur plaster."

  "That was Ching Yan, who lost approval in the inlaid coffin raffle,Benign Head," prompted the noble.

  "True--there is a certain oneness in these cases. Well, Wong Pao, weare entirely surrounded by an expectant mob and their attitude, aftermuch patient waiting, is tending towards a clearly-defined tragedy. Bywhat means is it your intention to extricate us all from the positioninto which your insatiable vanity has thrust us?"

  "Alas, Imperishable Majesty, I only appear to have three pieces ofsilver and a string of brass cash in my sleeve," confessed Wong Paotremblingly.

  "And that would not go very far--even if flung into the limits of thepress," commented the Emperor. "We must look elsewhere fordeliverance, then. Kiau Sun, stand forth and try your means."

  Upon this invitation Sun appeared from the tent in which he hadawaited the summons and advanced to the edge of the multitude. With noappearance of fear or concern, he stood before them, and bending hisenergies to the great task imposed upon him, he struck the hollow duckso melodiously that the note of expectancy vibrated into the farthestconfines of the crowd. Then modulating his voice in unison Kiau Sunbegan to chant.

  At first the narration was of times legendary, when dragons and demonsmoved about the earth in more palpable forms than they usuallymaintain to-day. A great mist overspread the Empire and men's mindswere vaporous, nor was their purpose keen. Later, deities andwell-disposed Forces began to exercise their powers. The mist wasturned into a benevolent system of rivers and canals, and iron, riceand the silk-worm then appeared. Next, heroes and champions, whosenames have been preserved, arose. They fought the giants and an era ofliterature and peaceful tranquillity set in. After this there was theGreat Invasion from the north, but the people rallied and by means ofa war lasting five years, five moons and five days the land was freedagain. This prefaced the Golden Age when chess was invented, printedbooks first made and the Examination System begun.

  So far Kiau Sun had only sung of things that men knew dimly through aweb of time, but the melody of his voice and the valours of the deedshe told had held their minds. Now he began skilfully to intertwineamong the narration scenes and doings that were near to all--of thecoming of Spring across the mountains that surround the capital;sunrise on the great lagoon, with the splash of oars and thecormorants in flight; the appearance of the blossom in the peachorchards; the Festival of Boats and of Lanterns, their daily task, andthe reward each saw beyond. Finally he spoke quite definitely of thehomes awaiting their return, the mulberry-tree about the gate, thefire then burning on the hearth, the pictures on the walls, theancestral tablets, and the voices calling each. And as he spoke andmade an end of speaking the people began silently to melt away, untilnone remained but Kiau, Wong Pao and the Emperor and his band.

  "Kiau Sun," said the discriminating N'ang Wei, "in memory of this daythe office of Chanter of Congratulatory Odes in the Palace ceremonialis conferred on you, together with the title 'Leaf-crowned' and theyearly allowance of five hundred taels and a jar of rice wine. AndWong Pao," he added thoughtfully--"Wong Pao shall be permitted toendow the post--also in memory of this day."