Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-09-23

She was appointed sewing maid to the
wife OF Tidoo, and year passed
! Both Tidoo and his wife had become
greatly attached to her, and as the,
had no children OF their own, the,
adopted her. That was the beginning
of the little slave girls marvellous rist
to power
a tutor was engaged for her and she
made rapid progress. In the matter
of etiquette she piu.cd Il wonderful,
apt pupil. At the age of seventeen
she was pronounced by the Celestial
connsseurs to be the most beautiful
woman in the Chinese empire.
Then Tidoo was ordered to report to
the Emperor at Peking for promotion
No officer ever receives honors from
the Emperor without bestowing costly
gifts in return. Tidoo was perplexed
On previous occasions he had given
great rolls OF costly silks and cups OF
pure gold, for he was a very rich man
but now, as the service was greater, 50
must be the gift. 1t is a compulsory
Chinese custom.
What could he give that was greater
than he had already given? lie must
not displease the Emperor by offering
anything not in keeping with the
honor about to be bestowed upon him.
After serious thought and considera-
tiOn he decided to present Yin Ling
70 the Emperor. 1t was great sacri-
flee, and he would rather, much rath-
er, have declined the promotion. But
there was nothing else to do.
"Dear father and mother" said Yin
Ling, "my life is in your hands. I
shall grieve to leave you. know you
have my future at heart, and if my 60
ing will make you happy l also shall
be happy in the knowledge of your
happiness" When the court duties
were over and the general had received
his new decorations and titles, Yin
Ling was presented to the Emperor.
He was charmed and delighted. The
girls radiant beauty hypnotized him.
The life in the imperial palace of a
| thousand slaves exceeded the widest
dreams Of the little slave girl. At her
beck and call were menials who lived
but to anticipate her smallest wbim.
The Emperor was most attentive to
his new bride. All through the palace
it was whispered that the Son of Heav-
en- had lost his heart. The little birds
in the trees nodded to each other and
whispered the Emperor's secret. Be
fore a month had passed Yin Ling
had been honored with the title Que
Fay, which means exalted auxiliary.
Isl An, principal wife and titular
Empress, became very jealous of the
newcomer, as did the rest of the En-
perOr's wives. But she won all hearts
with her sweet ways and her sunny
disposition, and the opposition was
short lived.
Three years later, in 1854, there was
great rejoicing in the imperial palace.
A son had been born to the Emperor,
his first son, and Que Fay was the
mother. Thus was the little slave
girl still further exalted. The child
was named Thsi Chuen, and to his
mother was given the title of Tsi Thsi,
which carried with it the rank of En-.
press, second to that of Tsi An.
Then the wars broke out afresh.
The following year the Emperor was
stricken with fever, and giving up all
hope OF Strengthening out the compli-
Gated affairs of his kingdom, he lost
heart and died.
To none of his widows, nor to Prince
Kung, his brother, had the Emperor
Helm Fung left any authority. There
followed period of reckless debauch-
cry, until Tsi Thsi, with the assistance
of Isl An and Prince Kung, arranged
a plan whereby the Board of Regency
was overthrown and the members ex-
ecuted.
Then the dominant spirit of the
mature woman, no longer the poor
slave girl, asserted itself. With her
seven-year-old son she ascendcd the
throne, claiming for him the title tung
che, ruler of the celestial kingdom. At
once she assumed full charge of the
affairs OF state.
With her newly acquired powers she
did not forget her lowly parents.
Emissaries were dispatched to find
them, but they had died. Her broth
er, Ko Jon, was found working for Il
farmer and earning So a year. He
was installed in the imperial palace
and given $125, 600 year for spending
money. He Immediately became an
imbecile.
The crowning glory in the life OF
the slave girl who had risen to the po-
sition OF Empress came in 1873 when
her son ascended the throne, and be-
came in truth the Emperor of the
kingdom. But her joy was turned to
grief two years later, a grief that
nearly proved fatal, when the young
Emperor died.
The next of kin was Kwang Suey,
the son of Prince Kung and a nephew
of the Emperor Helm Fung. But all
China knew that he was under the ad-
vice and council of Tsi Thsi and his