Part 21 (1/2)
The Nunnery on Fire
Seeing all these G.o.ds arrive to help the novice, the Superior, I Yu, held consultation with the choir-mistress, saying: ”We a.s.signed to the Princess the burdensome work of the kitchen because she refused to return to the world; but since she has entered on her duties the G.o.ds of the eight caves of Heaven have come to offer her fruit, Ch'ieh Lan sweeps the kitchen, the dragon has dug a well, the G.o.d of the Hearth and the tiger bring her fuel, birds collect vegetables for her, the nunnery bell every evening at dusk booms of itself, as if struck by some mysterious hand. Obviously miracles are being performed. Hasten and fetch the King, and beg his Majesty to recall his daughter.”
Cheng Cheng-ch'ang started on her way, and, on arrival, informed the King of all that had taken place. The King called Hu Pi-li, the chief of the guard, and ordered him to go to the sub-prefecture of Lung-shu Hsien at the head of an army corps of 5000 infantry and cavalry. He was to surround the Nunnery of the White Bird and burn it to the ground, together with the nuns. When he reached the place the commander surrounded the nunnery with his soldiers, and set fire to it. The five hundred doomed nuns invoked the aid of Heaven and earth, and then, addressing Miao Shan, said: ”It is you who have brought upon us this terrible disaster.”
”It is true,” said Miao Shan. ”I alone am the cause of your destruction.” She then knelt down and prayed to Heaven: ”Great Sovereign of the Universe, your servant is the daughter of King Miao Chuang; you are the grandson of King Lun. Will you not rescue your younger sister? You have left your palace; I also have left mine. You in former times betook yourself to the snowy mountains to attain perfection; I came here with the same object. Will you not save us from this fiery destruction?”
Her prayer ended, Miao Shan took a bamboo hairpin from her hair, p.r.i.c.ked the roof of her mouth with it, and spat the flowing blood toward Heaven. Immediately great clouds gathered in all parts of the sky and sent down inundating showers, which put out the fire that threatened the nunnery. The nuns threw themselves on their knees and thanked her effusively for having saved their lives.
Hu Pi-li retired, and went in haste to inform the King of this extraordinary occurrence. The King, enraged, ordered him to go back at once, bring his daughter in chains, and behead her on the spot.
The Execution of Miao Shan
But the Queen, who had heard of this new plot, begged the King to grant her daughter a last chance. ”If you will give permission,” she said, ”I will have a magnificent pavilion built at the side of the road where Miao Shan will pa.s.s in chains on the way to her execution, and will go there with our two other daughters and our sons-in-law. As she pa.s.ses we will have music, songs, feasting, everything likely to impress her and make her contrast our luxurious life with her miserable plight. This will surely bring her to repentance.”
”I agree,” said the King, ”to counter-order her execution until your preparations are complete.” Nevertheless, when the time came, Miao Shan showed nothing but disdain for all this worldly show, and to all advances replied only: ”I love not these pompous vanities; I swear that I prefer death to the so-called joys of this world.” She was then led to the place of execution. All the Court was present. Sacrifices were made to her as to one already dead. A Grand Minister p.r.o.nounced the sacrificial oration.
In the midst of all this the Queen appeared, and ordered the officials to return to their posts, that she might once more exhort her daughter to repent. But Miao Shan only listened in silence with downcast eyes.
The King felt great repugnance to shedding his daughter's blood, and ordered her to be imprisoned in the palace, in order that he might make a last effort to save her. ”I am the King,” he said; ”my orders cannot be lightly set aside. Disobedience to them involves punishment, and in spite of my paternal love for you, if you persist in your present att.i.tude, you will be executed to-morrow in front of the palace gate.”
The _t'u-ti_, hearing the King's verdict, went with all speed to Yu Huang, and reported to him the sentence which had been p.r.o.nounced against Miao Shan. Yu Huang exclaimed: ”Save Buddha, there is none in the west so n.o.ble as this Princess. To-morrow, at the appointed hour, go to the scene of execution, break the swords, and splinter the lances they will use to kill her. See that she suffers no pain. At the moment of her death transform yourself into a tiger, and bring her body to the pine-wood. Having deposited it in a safe place, put a magic pill in her mouth to arrest decay. Her triumphant soul on its return from the lower regions must find it in a perfect state of preservation in order to be able to re-enter it and animate it afresh. After that, she must betake herself to Hsiang Shan on P'u T'o Island, where she will reach the highest state of perfection.”
On the day appointed, Commander Hu Pi-li led the condemned Princess to the place of execution. A body of troops had been stationed there to maintain order. The _t'u-ti_ was in attendance at the palace gates. Miao Shan was radiant with joy. ”To-day,” she said, ”I leave the world for a better life. Hasten to take my life, but beware of mutilating my body.”
The King's warrant arrived, and suddenly the sky became overcast and darkness fell upon the earth. A bright light surrounded Miao Shan, and when the sword of the executioner fell upon the neck of the victim it was broken in two. Then they thrust at her with a spear, but the weapon fell to pieces. After that the King ordered that she be strangled with a silken cord. A few moments later a tiger leapt into the execution ground, dispersed the executioners, put the inanimate body of Miao Shan on his back, and disappeared into the pine-forest. Hu Pi-li rushed to the palace, recounted to the King full details of all that had occurred, and received a reward of two ingots of gold.
Miao Shan visits the Infernal Regions
Meantime, Miao Shan's soul, which remained unhurt, was borne on a cloud; when, waking as from a dream, she lifted her head and looked round, she could not see her body. ”My father has just had me strangled,” she sighed. ”How is it that I find myself in this place? Here are neither mountains, nor trees, nor vegetation; no sun, moon, nor stars; no habitation, no sound, no cackling of a fowl nor barking of a dog. How can I live in this desolate region?”
Suddenly a young man dressed in blue, s.h.i.+ning with a brilliant light, and carrying a large banner, appeared and said to her: ”By order of Yen w.a.n.g, the King of the h.e.l.ls, I come to take you to the eighteen infernal regions.”
”What is this cursed place where I am now?” asked Miao Shan.
”This is the lower world, h.e.l.l,” he replied. ”Your refusal to marry, and the magnanimity with which you chose an ignominious death rather than break your resolutions, deserve the recognition of Yu Huang, and the ten G.o.ds of the lower regions, impressed and pleased at your eminent virtue, have sent me to you. Fear nothing and follow me.”
Thus Miao Shan began her visit to all the infernal regions. The G.o.ds of the Ten h.e.l.ls came to congratulate her.
”Who am I,” asked Miao Shan, ”that you should deign to take the trouble to show me such respect?”
”We have heard,” they replied, ”that when you recite your prayers all evil disappears as if by magic. We should like to hear you pray.”
”I consent,” replied Miao Shan, ”on condition that all the condemned ones in the ten infernal regions be released from their chains in order to listen to me.”
At the appointed time the condemned were led in by Niu T'ou ('Ox-head') and Ma Mien ('Horse-face'), the two chief constables of h.e.l.l, and Miao Shan began her prayers. No sooner had she finished than h.e.l.l was suddenly transformed into a paradise of joy, and the instruments of torture into lotus-flowers.