Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-09-23

brother. There they lived on one bowl OF
rice day until even that gave out Noth-
ing was left for them 10 do but to starVe
Eut before doing this Ii Tzun made a
trip to Canton, in a last despalrihs nope
OF securing assistance. 1t was indeed a
deSpairing hope. The moon was niSh III
tae heavens when he returned to the mis-
cradle place he called home. II was ms
home, miserable as ii was, Tor IL shtl-
tered all that was left 10 him IN the
world-hs wife and children.
was sad as he greeted his dear ones.
There was no help 10 be had. HIS lrlgnus SiI.3,
were worse of than he; They were seillhs
Yin Ling did not sleep that night. She
forgot that she was hungry. She was
thinkirg-thinking harder than she mao
ever done before in her life. .o.,,,.
In the morning she said: My father
have thought al night @ long Of what Ia ,6oG you
We must die. 1t is better that L should
be sold. For me you could get mucn Li
money. and when the wars are over you
may be able to buy me back
The father and mother We're speechless
with horror and wept all day. But nlSht
game again, and again there was no af,, TIC
Little Ko Jon was moaning with pam:
in the dead of night the father stole away
like a thief and little Yin Ling went with
him. Her mother never saw her again.
arriving at Canton Ii Tzun. clasping
his daughter by the hand. knocked for
admittance at the gate of the finest house
in that part of the city. He was determln-
ed that his child should not be sac.ihced
for a song. The head of the great house
was the Tartar Tidoo general, who COM
Canded the troops of the province, and
who was related TO the Emperor Helm
Fung. The general was greatly pleased
with the girl, and noted with pleasure that
her feet were not bound. The Tartans do
not recognize this custom. Ii Tzun ex-
planned that he had been too poor to give
his daughter such advantages.
So Yin Ling was sold and became an
inmate of the generals household. She
was appointed sewing maid 10 the wife of
Tidoo. and a year passed. Both Tidoo and
her, and as they had no children of their
own, they adopted her. That was the be-
ginning of the little slave girls marvellous
rise TO power.
A tutor was engaged for her and she
made rapid progress. In the matter OF
etiquette she proved wonderfully apt
pupil. AT the age of II she was pronounced
by the Celestial connoisseurs to be the
most beautiful woman in the Chinese en-
pire.
Then Tidoo was ordered to report to
the emperor at Peking for promotion. No
officer ever receives honors from the en-
peror without bestowing costly gifts in
return Tidoo was perplexed- On pre-
Vious occasions he had given great rolfs
of costly silk and cups of pure gold, for
he vas a very rich man: but now, as the
service was greater, so must be the gltt.
1t is a compulsory Chinese custom.
What could be given that was greater
than he had already giyen2 He must sine not
not in keeping with. the honor about to
be bestowed upon him. After serious
thought and consideration he decided TO
present Yin Ling TO the emperor: 1t was
great sacrifice. and he would rather,
much rather, have declined the promotion.
But there was nothing else to do.
Dear father and mother, said Yin
Ling, my life is in your hands. l shall
grieye to leave you. / know you have
make you happy 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 thou
sand slaves exceeded the widest dreams
of the little slave girl. At her beck and
call were menials who lived but to antici-
pate her smallest whim.
The emperor was most attentive to his
new bride. All through the palace 1t was
whispered that the son of heaven had
lost his heart. The little birds in the trees
nodded TO each other and whispered the
passed Yin Ling had been honored with the
title Que Fay, which means exalted aux
Hilary.
Tsi An, principal wife and tltular EN-,
press, became very jealous of the new
conner, as did the rest Of the emperor s
wives. But she won all hearts with heI
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, mis- first
son, and Que Fay was the mother. Thu:
was the little slave girl still further eX'
allied. The child was named Thsi Chuen
and TO his mother was given the title Is
Thsi, which carried with it the rank oi
empress. 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 complicated affair:
of his kingdom, he lost heart and died.
To none of his widows, nor to Prince
kung, his brother, had the emperor. He'll
fung; left any authority. There foiioTet
Thsi. with the assistance of Isl An anC
Prince kung, arranged plan whereby tn
board of regency was overthrown and thu
members executed.
Then the dominant spirit of the matur
woman. no longer the poor slave girl, as
cended the throne. claiming for him TIL
title tung che, ruler of the celestial king
dom. At once she assumed full charge o
With her newly acquired powers she dit
not forget her lowly parents; Enlssarie
were disptched to find them, but they hat
died. Her brother, Ko Jon, was fourt
working for a farmer and earning So
year. He was installed in the imperial pal
ance and given $125, 600 a year for spending
money. He Immediately became an i'm
beetle.
Inc Growing glory IN the life OF the Sl6N
girl who had risen to the position of EN-
press came in 1873 when her son ascende
the throne. and became in truth the EN-
peror of the kingdom. But her joy wa
turned to grief two years later. a grie
that nearly proved fatal, when the youn
emperor died.
The next of kin was Kwang Suey, the so
of Prince Kung and nephew of the EN-
peror. Helm Fung. But all China knew tina
he was under the advice and council of rs
Thsi and his father, and now the empires
dowager has once more stepped into tn
arena, and at the age of 64 has again take
the reins of active government into he
own hands.