"Our Emperor has fallen ill; who will save him?" A scraggly, barefoot, beggar boy went running down the alleys, yelling.
Soon every Korean man, woman, and child in the village was following the beggar boy . . . down the streets, sidewalks, open market, and, finally, to the village square, where he came to a stop. Just then the Emperor's warriors came riding on horseback. They were going on a very important mission--to find a cure for the Emperor's illness.
"Come to order, or I shall have to arrest you all for disturbing the peace!" shouted General Zuu, waving for his army to circle the people.
"Wait!" Scholar Yung, who was riding beside General Zuu, called out. "They are but concerned citizens. We must move on. We are pressed for time."
"Someone must be punished for causing such chaos. There, that shabby boy--bring him over," ordered General Zuu. One of the soldiers dragged the boy by his ragged shirt collar toward the General.
"Please! I haven't done anything wrong," pleaded the beggar boy.
"Let him go; he is just a boy! We have a much more important task at hand," warned Scholar Yung.
"Well . . . get out of my way!" screamed the General, then he kicked the boy. He laughed out loud when the boy fell to the ground.
"Are you all right?" Scholar Yung asked. When he was sure that the boy was unharmed, he signaled his horse to get moving.
"Wait," the beggar boy called out as Scholar Yung was riding away. "When you see the rich, twin Trog brothers and their sister who live in a cave, tell them that the beggar boy has sent you."
General Zuu rode off to join Scholar Yung, but not before knocking the boy over again. "Who do you take us for . . . fools?"
But it did happen. The troop came upon a cave, a cave where the wealthy, twin Trog brothers and their sister lived. In fact, when Scholar Yung mentioned the beggar boy, the Trog brothers delightedly invited the troop to spend the night with them. The warriors were fed with delicious food that was prepared by the Trog brothers' sister, who always wore a veil over her face.
Early next day, Scholar Yung thanked the Trog brothers and their sister before he asked: "Is there anything we can do for you for your hospitality?"
"Yes," one of the Trog brothers answered. "Please, will you have our sister, Zong Mi, as your maid-in-waiting. Serving you will give her a purpose in life."
Apparently the Trog brothers' sister was SO UGLY that since childhood she had had to wear a veil to cover her face. She could not find a husband, not even with the enormous dowry the Trog brothers had to offer.
"I'm sorry, our hands are tied. We cannot be bothered with dragging a woman along," said General Zuu, rejecting their offer before the Scholar had a chance to reply.
"Please! Zong Mi has suffered enough humiliation from the people here. She is an excellent cook, keeps a tidy house, speaks kind and wise words, and she never gets in the way," appealed the Trog brothers.
"All right, I will take her with me," accepted the Scholar. This made the twin Trog brothers and their sister very happy.
"She will slow us down!" cried General Zuu, outraged.
"Oh, but she will not! For the one who possesses this pearl, distance is a thing of the past," the Trog brothers hurried to explain, placing a beautiful pearl down on the table. "At the command of its master, a magic rainbow will appear to take the master anywhere he or she desires. In fact, if you wish it, the rainbow will take you back to the
palace in minutes. This special pearl is yours, Scholar Yung," the Trog brothers offered.
"I cannot possibly accept more from you kind brothers," declined Scholar Yung.
"I WILL take it; I will make use of it!" General Zuu was quick to claim the treasure that he had not earned. "And, what a good idea . . . we shall return to the palace. There is no point in traveling farther, until we find out whether the Emperor is still alive."
At the General's request, a spectacular, giant rainbow, brilliantly colored, appeared in the sky. One end of it was at the foot of the General . . . and the other, inside the palace courtyard.
Then General Zuu, Scholar Yung, Zong Mi, and the troop rode up the rainbow arch and returned to the palace . . . in minutes. When they got back, they found the Emperor to be in critical condition.
"Nothing can save the Emperor now. He is much, too much, nearer death," General Zuu claimed. He then ordered everyone to prepare for the Emperor's burial. He also ordered a coronation ceremony to be prepared in honor of the new emperor--General Zuu, himself.
As soon as Zong Mi heard the bad news, she rushed to offer a small jar that was made out of jade to Scholar Yung. "My kind master, please take this to our Emperor. Have him open the lid, once every night, after his dinner has been brought to him, but not until everyone is out of sight. The Emperor MUST be left alone. No one else must know about this secret jar. Ask me no questions, please. If I were to tell, then what might be would not come true."
Scholar Yung presented the jar to the Emperor, and he gave the Emperor the same instructions that Zong Mi had given him. The Emperor did exactly as he was told. When he opened the lid, a beautiful woman came out of the jar. She served the Emperor his dinner. She read stories to the Emperor. She sang for him. She kept him company, and she made the Emperor laugh.
Then the Emperor fell into a deep sleep, and he dreamt of peaceful and beautiful things. The next morning, the Emperor woke up at the crow of a rooster, feeling, already, much better. He asked for the woman, but no one had seen her, neither arriving nor leaving the palace.
That evening the Emperor quickly ordered everyone to leave as soon as his dinner was brought to him. Then he opened the lid to the jar. The very same thing happened, only this time . . . it was a different woman. Again, the Emperor slept like a baby, dreaming of the Milky Way and other fine things. Early next morning he woke up, feeling even better.
From then on, a different woman would come to entertain and comfort the Emperor every night. In seven days the Emperor was up on his feet, rejoicing in high spirits. No one knew who had saved the Emperor, or how. It did not matter, for the Korean people were pleased to see the speedy and dramatic recovery of their Emperor.
On the fourteenth day, Lady Shin, a woman who was more beautiful than any princess the Emperor had ever seen, or heard of, appeared to serve him. Her charming presence melted the Emperor's heart. He immediately fell hopelessly in love with her.
The Emperor tried as hard as he could to stay awake, but he could not. In his sleep, he dreamt of paradise. When he awakened, before sunrise, he called for Lady Shin, but she did not answer. He searched for her, but no one had seen her, neither arriving nor leaving the palace. She was gone, just as the others before her. The Emperor quickly summoned Scholar Yung. "I must have her as my empress! How do I find her?"
Scholar Yung had no idea. He and the Emperor asked the maid-in-waiting. Zong Mi quickly explained everything. "My most honorable Emperor, the women who came to serve you were women who needed training. Their parents had gone to see a wise man named
Tu Tan. Wise Tu Tan gathered the women in the jar, and he asked me to help him discipline them.
"These spoiled women have learned to care and be kind. But to free themselves from being trapped in the jar, they must each serve a worthy master. Each woman is returned to her parents upon doing so. Lady Shin, the one you love, is to become Master Chim's bride in seven days. It would take your army two months to reach her. By then, it will be too late," Zong Mi sadly concluded.
"General Zuu has a magic pearl that can take us to her in minutes," Scholar Yung recalled. The Emperor quickly ordered the General and the Scholar to go and bring back Lady Shin.
The magic rainbow took General Zuu, Scholar Yung, and Zong Mi to an inn, which was right outside Master Chim's mansion. Just as they were securing their horses to a post, a strong, large, handsome man, who looked unstable on his horse, came riding up to them. He had been attacked by a tiger while he was out hunting. "It is Master Chim, the wealthy merchant!" shouted a by-stander.
"Bring him inside, I will care for him." Zong Mi rushed to attend to Master Chim's wound.
"Please send someone to my house and tell everyone that there will be no wedding . . . until I am healed," Master Chim requested before he passed out.
For two weeks, Zong Mi nurtured Master Chim. She made him nourishing meals, sang him lovely songs, told him wonderful stories, dressed his wound, and comforted his fears. Master Chim soon grew accustomed to having her by his side.
At the beginning, Master Chim would ask, "Woman, why do you cover your face?" But, at the end, he had grown so very fond of her, he no longer cared what she looked like. He asked Zong Mi, quite forgetting that he and Lady Shin were to be married, "Whom do I need permission from to have you as my bride?"
Scholar Yung gladly granted Zong Mi the right to marry Master Chim. Then Scholar Yung immediately sent General Zuu to tell Lady Shin, who was staying at Master Chim's mansion, that she was to return to the Emperor. The news was welcome and wonderful for Lady Shin because she, too, had fallen in love--with the Emperor.
When General Zuu saw Lady Shin, he instantly fell in evil love with her; he coveted her. This . . . no one knew, so everyone happily celebrated, far into the night.
"Come, quickly, Scholar Yung! General Zuu has kidnapped Lady Shin and headed for the palace to kill the Emperor. He is going back by way of the magic rainbow." Master Chim came with the terrible news early next morning.
Scholar Yung rushed to stop the General. When he got to the rainbow, General Zuu had already reached the top of the arch. Scholar Yung rode up the rainbow in a hurry, after him.
"I . . . WILL have Lady Shin and the Emperor's throne!" General Zuu roared from above. The minute he reached the palace courtyard, he ordered the rainbow to go away. It did. With the rainbow gone, Scholar Yung and his horse came falling out of the sky. Scholar Yung thought that it was the end of him, but he and his horse were miraculously caught by a soft, but solid, cloud that was commanded by a golden boy who stood steadfastly next to the Scholar.
"You? Aren't you that beggar boy?" exclaimed Scholar Yung. "How . . .?"
"There's no time to explain. Go! Hurry! Save the Emperor," advised the golden boy.
Scholar Yung sprinted into the palace as soon as he hopped off the cloud, landing in the courtyard. "Out of my way!" he shouted, rushing to save the Emperor. He had only time enough to put himself between the sharp blade of General Zuu's sword and his sovereign. Just when Scholar Yung thought that he was going to die, the General suddenly
dropped his sword and fell to the palace floor, where he died instantly. A golden arrow had struck him right in the center of his evil heart.
"From where has this golden arrow come?" the Emperor wondered, very surprised.
"Who has saved our Emperor?" the Emperor's people questioned, most puzzled.
Scholar Yung was the only one who knew where the golden arrow, which had saved him and the Emperor, had come from. He had been saved by his own kindness and consideration for others' well being. He, in a sense, had also saved the Emperor because he had not been so quick to judge others harshly . . . by their appearance.
