Liu I bowed before the king.
The king studied the man. “What has brought you here?”
Liu I explained how the monarch’s daughter was herding sheep in the hillside after being thrown out of the house by her husband.
On hearing him, the king sighed unhappily. “This is my fault because I have picked a worthless husband for my youngest daughter.” The king then studied Liu I. “You are a stranger and yet you were willing to help my daughter in distress. I am very grateful to you.”
However, saying this the king began to sob.
Then he gave his daughter’s letter to a servant and asked the servant to take the letter to the interior of the palace where the women lived.
Some time later loud cries of distress were heard from the inside of the palace.
The king was alarmed. “Tell the women not to cry so loudly. Then Tsiang Tang may hear them.”
Liu I was confused. “Who is Tsian tang?”
“Tsian Tang is my brother.” The king replied. “He was formally the ruler of the river Tsian Tang. But now he no longer rules that place.”
Liu I was even more confused. “Why must Tsian Tang not know about your daughter's plight?”
The king shook his head. “He is wild and uncontrollable and he would cause great damage. There was a village on earth which was covered in waters from a deluge for nine long years. That was Tsiang Tang's work. And that is why the king of heaven grew angry with my brother and threw him out of the heavens. I had to chain him to a column in my palace to make sure that he did not become wild and uncontrollable again.”
The king had not even finished speaking when a tremendous sound came from around the palace and split the skies and made the very earth tremble.
A Red dragon, a thousand feet tall, with strong scarlet scales and a red beard game flying up. He was dragging through the air, a column to which he had been bound together with a chain. Then the dragon flew into the skies and disappeared from there.
Liu I fell in terror. “Who is that?”
The king held up Liu I. “Do not be afraid. That is my brother. That is Tsiang Tang, who is going to Ging Dshou in great rage.”
Adapted from Chinese folk tales
No comments:
Post a Comment