Prostrate at the emperor's feet, he told the young girl's story,
and then pleaded for her life, promising to keep her safe and
secluded in his mission-home at Tung-Chow.
The Emperor Tai laughed a mighty laugh, for the bold front of
this only daughter of his former master and rival, suited his
warlike humor. But he was a wise and clement monarch withal.
"Nay, wise O-lo-pun," he said. "Such rivals to our throne may not
be at large, even though sheltered in the temples of the
hung-mao.[1] The royal blood of the house of Sui[2] flows safely
only within palace walls. Let the proper decree be registered,
and let the gifts be exchanged; for to-morrow thy ward, the
Princess Woo, becometh one of our most noble queens."
[1] The "light-haired ones"--an old Chinese term for the western
Christians.
[2] The name of the former dynasty.
And so at fourteen, even as the records show, this strong-willed
young girl of the Yellow River became one of the wives of the
great Emperor Tai. She proved a very gracious and acceptable
stepmother to young Prince Kaou, who, as the records also tell
us, grew so fond of the girl queen that, within a year from the
death of his great father, and when he himself had succeeded to
the Yellow Throne, as Emperor Supreme, he recalled the Queen Woo
from her retirement in the mission-house at Tung-Chow and made
her one of his royal wives.
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