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Project Gutenberg's Two Years in the Forbidden City, by The Princess Der Ling

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Title: Two Years in the Forbidden City

Author: The Princess Der Ling

Posting Date: August 6, 2008 [EBook #889]
Release Date: April, 1997

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWO YEARS IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY ***




Produced by Charles Keller for Sarah





TWO YEARS IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY


By The Princess Der Ling

First Lady In Waiting To The Empress Dowager




               TO
               MY BELOVED FATHER
               LORD YU KENG




FOREWORD

THE author of the following narrative has peculiar qualifications for
her task. She is a daughter of Lord Yu Keng, a member of the Manchu
White Banner Corps, and one of the most advanced and progressive Chinese
officials of his generation. Lord Yu Keng entered the army when very
young, and served in the Taiping rebellion and the Formosan war with
France, and as Vice Minister of War during the China-Japan war in 1895.
Later he was Minister to Japan, which post he quitted in 1898 to become
President of the Tsung-li-yamen (Chinese Foreign Office). In 1899 he was
appointed Minister to France, where he remained four years. At a period
when the Chinese Government was extremely conservative and reactionary,
Lord Yu Keng labored indefatigably for reform. He was instrumental
in reorganizing China's postal service on modern lines, but failed in
efforts to revise the revenue system and modernize the army and navy,
from being ahead of his times. He died in 1905. The progressive spirit
of Lord Yu Keng was shown in the education of his children. When it
became known that his daughters were receiving a foreign education--then
an almost unheard--of proceeding among high Manchu officials-attempts
were made to impeach him as pro-foreign and revolutionary, but he was
not deterred. His children got their early education in missionary
schools, and the daughters later attended a convent in France, where
the author of this work finished her schooling and entered society.
On returning to China, she became First Lady-in-Waiting to the Empress
Dowager, and while serving at the Court in that capacity she received
the impressions which provide the subject-matter of this book.
Her opportunity to observe and estimate the characteristics of the
remarkable woman who ruled China for so long was unique, and her
narrative throws a new light on one of the most extraordinary
personalities of modern times. While on leave from her duties to attend
upon her father, who was fatally ill in Shanghai, Princess Der Ling took
a step which terminated connexion with the Chinese Court. This was
her engagement to Mr. Thaddeus C. White, an American, to whom she was
married on May 21, 1907. Yielding to the urgent solicitation of friends,
she consented to put some of her experiences into literary form, and
the following chronicle, in which the most famous of Chinese women, the
customs and atmosphere of her Court are portrayed by an intimate of the
same race, is a result.

THOMAS F. MILLARD.

SHANGHAI, July 24, 1911.



CONTENTS

CHAPTER

     I.     INTRODUCTORY
     II.    AT THE PALACE
     III.   A PLAY AT THE COURT
     IV.    A LUNCHEON WITH THE EMPRESS
     V.     AN AUDIENCE WITH THE EMPRESS
     VI.    IN ATTENDANCE ON HER MAJESTY
     VII.   SOME INCIDENTS OF THE COURT
     VIII.  THE COURT LADIES
     IX.    THE EMPEROR KWANG HSU
     X.     THE YOUNG EMPRESS
     XI.    OUR COSTUMES
     XII.   THE EMPRESS AND MRS. CONGER
     XIII.  THE EMPRESS'S PORTRAIT
     XIV.   THE EMPEROR'S BIRTHDAY
     XV.    THE MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL
     XVI.   THE SUMMER PALACE
     XVII.  THE AUDIENCE HALL
     XVIII. THE NEW YEAR FESTIVALS
     XIX.   THE SEA PALACE
     XX.    CONCLUSION





TWO YEARS IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY


MY father and mother, Lord and Lady Yu Keng, and family, together with
our suite consisting of the First Secretary, Second Secretary, Naval
and Military Attaches, Chancellors, their families, servants,
etc.,--altogether fifty-five people,--arrived in Shanghai on January 2,
1903, on the S.S. "Annam" from Paris, where for four years my father
had been Chinese Minister. Our arrival was anything but pleasant, as the
rain came down in torrents, and we had the greatest difficulty getting
our numerous retinue landed and safely housed, not to mention the tons
of baggage that had to be looked after. We had found from previous
experience that none of our Legation people or servants could be
depended upon to do anything when travelling, in consequence of which
the entire charge devolved upon my mother, who was without doubt
the genius of the party in arranging matters and straightening out
difficulties.

When the launch from the steamer arrived at the jetty off the French
Bund, we were met by the Shanghai Taotai (the highest official in the
city), the Shanghai Magistrate and numerous other officials, all dressed
in their official robes. The Taotai told my father that he had prepared
the Tien Ho Gung (Temple of the Queen of Heaven) for us to reside in
during our stay in Shanghai, but my father refused the offer, saying
that he had telegraphed from Hong Kong and made all arrangements to go
to the Hotel des Colonies in the French Concession. We had had previous
experience staying in this temple while on our way to Japan, where my
father went as Minister in 1895, and did not care to try it a second
time. The building is very old and very much out of repair. It was a
beautiful place in its prime, but had been allowed to go to rack and
ruin. The custom is that the magistrate has to find a place and supply
the food, etc., for high officials when passing through, and it is not
exactly the thing to refuse their kind offer, but my father was always
very independent and politely declined all proffers of assistance.

At last we did safely arrive in the Hotel des Colonies, where my
father found awaiting him two telegrams from the Imperial Palace. These
telegrams ordered my father to go to Peking at once, but, as the river
to Tientsin was frozen, it was out of the question for us to go by that
route, and as my father was very old and quite ill at that time, in
fact constantly under the doctor's care, the only accessible way, via
Chinwangtao, was equally out of the question, as it was a long and most
tedious journey and quite beyond his strength. In view of all these
difficulties, he telegraphed that, after the ice had broken up in the
Peiho River, we would come by the first steamer leaving Shanghai for
Tientsin.

We left Shanghai on the 22d of February and arrived at Tientsin on the
26th, and, as before, were met by the Customs Taotai of the port and
numerous other officials (the same as when we arrived at Shanghai).

There is a very curious custom of reverence, which must be performed by
all high officials on their return from abroad. Immediately upon landing
on the shores of China, arrangements are made with the nearest Viceroy
or Governor to receive their obeisance to Ching Sheng An (to worship the
Emperor of Peace), a Taotai being considered of too low a rank for such
an honor. As soon as we arrived, Yuan Shih Kai, who was then Viceroy of
Chihli Province at Tientsin, sent an official to my father to prepare
the time and place for this function, which is an extremely pretty
one. When arrangements had been made, both my father and Yuan Shih Kai
dressed in their full ceremonial robes, which is the dragon long robe,
with a reddish black three-quarter length coat over it, chao chu (amber
beads), hat with peacock feather and red coral button, and repaired at
once to the Wan Shou Kung (10,000 years palace), which is especially
built for functions of this kind, where they were met by a large number
of officials of the lower grades. At the back centre of this Temple, or
Palace, stands a very long narrow table on which are placed the tablets
of the Emperor and Empress Dowager, on which is written, "Wan sway, wan
sway, wan wan sway" (10,000 years times 10,000 years times 10,000
10,000 years). The Viceroy, or in this case Yuan Shih Kai, and the other
officials arrived first. Yuan stood at the left side of this table and
the others arranged themselves in two diminishing lines starting from
the front corners of the table. Soon afterward my father came and knelt
directly in front of the centre of the table and said, "Ah ha Ching
Sheng An" (Your servant gives you greeting). After this ceremony was
over my father immediately arose and inquired after Their Majesties'
health, and Yuan replied that they were quite well. This closed the
function.

We stayed in Tientsin for three days, arriving in Peking on the
twenty-ninth. My father's condition was much worse and he begged for
four months' leave of absence, in which to recuperate, which was granted
by Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager. As our beautiful mansion, which we
had built and furnished just before leaving for Paris, was burned during
the Boxer Rising of 1900, entailing a loss of over taels 100,000, we
rented and moved into a Chinese house. Our old house was not entirely
new. When we bought the place there was a very fine but old Chinese
house, the palace of a Duke, standing on the ground, and by some clever
re-arrangement and building on, it was transformed into a beautiful
foreign style house with all the fine hardwood carving of the old house
worked into it. By using the words "foreign style," it is meant that, in
so far as the Chinese house could be made to look like a foreign house,
without tearing it down entirely, it was changed, that is the doors
and windows, passageways, furnishings, etc., were foreign, but the
arrangement of the house itself and courtyard was Chinese. This, like
all Chinese houses in Peking, was built in a very rambling fashion,
and with the gardens, covered about ten acres of ground. We had just
finished furnishing it and moved in only four days when we left for
Paris; and it has always been a great sorrow to my family that we should
lose this magnificent place, after having spent so much time and money
in building and beautifying it. However, this is only one of the many
trials that a high official in China is called upon to bear.

The houses in Peking are built in a very rambling fashion, covering a
large amount of ground, and our former house was no exception to the
rule. It had sixteen small houses, one story high, containing about 175
rooms, arranged in quadrangles facing the courtyard, which went to make
up the whole; and so placed, that without having to actually go out of
doors, you could go from one to the other by verandas built along the
front and enclosed in glass. My reader will wonder what possible use
we could make of all of these rooms; but what with our large family,
numerous secretaries, Chinese writers, messengers, servants, mafoos
(coachmen), and chair coolies, it was not a difficult task to use them.

The gardens surrounding the houses were arranged in the Chinese way,
with small lakes, stocked with gold fish, and in which the beautiful
lotus flower grew; crossed by bridges; large weeping willows along the
banks; and many different varieties of flowers in prettily arranged
flower beds, running along winding paths, which wound in and out between
the lakes. At the time we left for Paris, in the month of June, 1899,
the gardens were a solid mass of flowers and foliage, and much admired
by all who saw them.

As we now had no place of our own in Peking we did not know where to
go, so, while we were at Tientsin, my father telegraphed to one of his
friends to find him a house. After some little trouble one was secured,
and it turned out to be a very famous place indeed. It was the house
where Li Hung Chang signed the treaties with the Foreign Powers after
the Boxer Rising and also where he died. We were the first people to
live there since the death of Li Hung Chang, as the Chinese people were
very superstitious and were afraid that, if they went there to live,
something dreadful would happen to them. We soon made ourselves very
comfortable, and while we lived there, none of the dreadful things
happened to us that all of our good friends told us would be visited
upon us if we dared to take this place. However, in view of our having
lost our place by fire, I am inclined to think that their fears were
well founded.

The loss sustained by having this house burned we never recovered, as my
father, being an official of the Government, it would have been very
bad form to have tried to recover this money, besides a possible loss
of standing, as Government officials are supposed never to consider
themselves or families in the service of their country, and any private
losses in the service must be borne without complaint.

On the first of March, 1903, Prince Ching and his son, Prince Tsai Chen,
came to see us and told us that Her Majesty wished to see my mother, my
sister, and myself at once; that we should be at the Summer Palace (Wan
Shou Shan) at six o'clock the following morning. My mother told Prince
Ching that we had been wearing foreign clothes all these years, while
abroad, and had no suitable Manchu clothes to wear. He replied that he
had told Her Majesty all about us and also mentioned that he had seen us
in European attire and she had said that it would not be necessary for
us to wear Manchu costume to go to the Palace, that she would be glad
to have us wear foreign clothes, as it would give her an opportunity to
study the foreign way of dressing. Both my sister and myself had a
very difficult time deciding what we should wear for this occasion;
she wished to wear her pale blue velvet gown, as she thought that color
suited her the best. My mother had always made us dress exactly alike,
ever since we were little girls. I said that I preferred to wear my red
velvet gown, as I had the idea it might please Her Majesty. After a long
discussion I had my way. We had lovely red hats trimmed with plumes and
the same color shoes, and stockings to match. My mother wore a lovely
gown of sea green chiffon cloth embroidered with pale mauve iris and
trimmed with mauve velvet; she wore her large black velvet hat with long
white plumes.

As we lived in the central part of the city and the only means of travel
was by sedan chair and the distance from our house to the Palace was
about thirty-six Chinese li (a three-hour ride), we had to start at
three o'clock in the morning, in order to be there at six. As this was
our first visit to the Palace, Prince Ching's message threw us into a
great state of excitement, and we were naturally anxious to look our
best and to be there on time. It had been the dream of my life to go to
the Palace and see what it was like, and up to this time I had never
had an opportunity, as most of my life had been spent out of Peking,--in
fact, out of China. Another reason why this chance had never come
before was, that my father had never registered our names (my sister and
myself) in the Government book for the registration of births of Manchu
children, in consequence of which the Empress Dowager did not know until
we came back from Paris that Lord Yu Keng had any daughters. My father
told me the reason why he did not put our names in this book was, that
he wished to give us the best education obtainable, and the only way
he could do it was not to let the Empress Dowager know. Besides this,
according to the Manchu custom, the daughters of all Manchu officials
of the second rank and above, after reaching the age of fourteen years,
should go to the Palace, in order that the Emperor may select them for
secondary wives if he so desires, and my father had other plans and
ambitions for us. It was in this way that the late Empress Dowager was
selected by the Emperor Hsien Feng.

     (comment: li is 1/3 mile or 1/2 km)

We started at three o'clock that morning in total darkness riding in
four coolie sedan chairs, one on each side of the chair. In going such a
long distance it was necessary to have two relays of chair coolies. This
meant twenty-four coolies for the three chairs, not counting an extra
coolie for each chair who acted as a sort of head chair bearer. Besides
this there were three military officers on horses, one for each chair
and two servants riding at the back of each chair. In addition there
were three big Chinese carts following behind for the chair coolies to
ride in and rest. This made a cavalcade consisting of forty-five men,
nine horses and three carts.

I had a rather nervous feeling riding along in the chair surrounded by
inky blackness, with nothing to relieve the stillness of the night but
the rough voices of the chair bearers calling back and forth to each
other to be careful of stones and holes in the road, which was very
uneven, and the clump, clump of the horses. To my readers who have never
had the experience of riding a long distance in a sedan chair I would
say that it is a most uncomfortable conveyance, as you have to sit
perfectly still and absolutely straight, otherwise the chair is liable
to upset. This ride was a very long one and I felt quite stiff and tired
by the time I reached the Palace gates.



CHAPTER TWO--AT THE PALACE

WHEN we reached the City gates, which were about half way between our
house and the Summer Palace, they were wide open for us to pass. This
quite surprised us, as all gates are closed at seven o'clock in the
evening and are not opened except on special occasions until daylight.
We inquired of the guard why this was, and were told that orders had
been given for the gates to be opened for us to pass. The officials who
had charge were standing in a double line dressed in full official dress
and saluted us as we passed.

It was still quite dark when we had passed through the gate and I
thought of the many experiences of my short life; but this was by far
the strangest of them all. I wondered what Her Majesty would be like and
whether she would like me or not. We were told that probably we would be
asked to stay at the Court, and I thought that if that came to pass, I
would possibly be able to influence Her Majesty in favor of reform and
so be of valuable assistance to China. These thoughts made me feel happy
and I made up my mind then and there that I would do all I could and
use any influence I might have in the future towards the advancement of
China and for her welfare. While I was still dreaming of these pleasant
prospects, a faint red line appeared on the horizon heralding the coming
of a most perfect day, and so it proved. As the light grew brighter and
I could distinguish objects, a very pretty view gradually opened to me,
and as we came nearer to the Palace I could see a high red wall which
zigzagged from hill to hill and enclosed the Palace grounds. The tops of
the wall and buildings were covered with yellow and green tiles and made
a most dazzling picture in the bright sunlight. Pagodas of different
sizes and styles were passed, and when we arrived at the village of Hai
Tien, about four li from the Palace gates, we were told by the officers
we only had a short distance further to go. This was good news, as I
began to think we would never get there. This village was quite a pretty
country place of one-story houses built of brick, which were very neat
and clean as are most of the houses in the northern part of China. The
children trouped out to see the procession pass, and I heard one remark
to another: "Those ladies are going to the Palace to become Empresses,"
which amused me very much.

Soon after leaving Hai Tien we came to a pai lou (archway), a very
beautiful piece of old Chinese architecture and carved work, and from
here got our first view of the Palace gates, which were about 100 yards
ahead. These gates are cut into the solid wall surrounding the Palace
and consist of one very large gate in the center and two smaller ones on
each side. The center gate is only opened when their Majesties pass in
and out of the Palace. Our chairs were set down in front of the left
gate, which was open. Outside of these gates, at a distance of about 500
yards, were two buildings where the guard stayed at night.

Just as we arrived I saw a number of officials talking excitedly, and
some of them went into the gate shouting "Li la, doula" (have come, have
arrived). When we got out of our chairs, we were met by two eunuchs of
the fourth rank (chrystal button and feather). This feather which is
worn by eunuchs of the fourth rank, comes from a bird called the magh
(horse-fowl) which is found in Szechuen Province. They are grey and
are dyed black, and are much wider than the peacock feather. These
two eunuchs were accompanied by ten small eunuchs carrying yellow
silk screens, which they placed around our chairs when we alighted. It
appeared that Her Majesty had given orders that these screens (huang
wai mor) should be brought to us. This is considered a great honor. They
were ten feet long and twenty feet high and were held by two eunuchs.

These two eunuchs of high rank were extremely polite and stood at each
side of the gate and invited us to enter. Passing through this gate we
came into a very large paved courtyard about three hundred feet square,
in which there were a great many small flower beds and old pine trees
from which hung all kinds of birds in cages. On the side opposite to the
gates we had entered was a red brick wall with three gates exactly like
the others; on the right and left side were long rows of low buildings
each containing twelve rooms, used as waiting rooms. The courtyard was
full of people dressed in official robes of the different ranks, and,
after the Chinese fashion, all seemed to be very busy doing nothing.
When they saw us they stood still and stared. The two eunuchs who were
showing us the way conducted us to one of these rooms. This room was
about twenty feet square, just ordinarily furnished in black wood
furniture with red cloth cushions and silk curtains hanging from the
three windows. We were not in this room more than five minutes when a
gorgeously dressed eunuch came and said: "Imperial Edict says to invite
Yu tai tai (Lady Yu) and young ladies to wait in the East side Palace."
On his saying this, the two eunuchs who were with us knelt down
and replied "Jur" (Yes). Whenever Her Majesty gives an order it is
considered an Imperial Edict or command and all servants are required to
kneel when any command is transmitted to them the same as they would if
in Her Majesty's presence, Then they told us to follow them and we went
through another left gate to another courtyard laid out exactly the same
as the former, except that the Ren Shou Dien (audience hall) is situated
on the north side and the other buildings were a little larger. The
eunuchs showed us into the east side building, which was beautifully
furnished with reddish blackwood exquisitely carved, the chairs
and tables covered with blue satin and the walls hung with the same
material. In different parts of the room were fourteen clocks of all
sizes and shapes. I know this, for I counted them.

In a little while two servant girls came and waited on us and told us
that Her Majesty was dressing and that we were to wait a little time.
This little time proved to be a matter of more than two hours and
a half, but as this is considered nothing in China, we did not get
impatient. From time to time eunuchs came and brought milk to drink and
about twenty or more dishes of various kinds of food which Her Majesty
sent. She also sent us each a gold ring with a large pearl in the
center. Later the chief eunuch, Li Lien Ying, came dressed in his
official clothes. He was of the second rank and wore a red button and
peacock feather and was the only eunuch that was ever allowed to wear
the peacock feather. He was a very ugly man, very old and his face was
full of wrinkles; but he had beautiful manners and said that Her Majesty
would receive us in a little while, and brought us each a jade ring
which she had sent us. We were very much surprised that she should give
us such beautiful presents before she had even seen us, and felt most
kindly disposed toward her for her generosity.

Soon after Li Lien Ying had gone, two court ladies, daughters of Prince
Ching, came in and asked the eunuchs who were attending us if we could
speak Chinese, which we thought a great joke. I was the first one to
speak, and told them of course we could speak our own language, although
we knew several others. They were very much surprised and said: "Oh!
how funny, they can talk the language as well as we do." We in turn were
very much surprised to find such ignorant people in the Imperial Palace
and concluded that their opportunities for acquiring knowledge were very
limited. Then they told us Her Majesty was waiting to receive us, and we
went immediately.

After walking through three courtyards very similar to those we had
previously passed through, we came to a magnificent building just one
mass of exquisite carving. Large lanterns made of buffalo horns hung all
over the veranda covered with red silk from which red silk tassels were
hanging and from each of these tassels was suspended a beautiful piece
of jade. There were two smaller buildings flanking this large one, also
one mass of carvings and hung with lanterns.

At the door of the large building we met a lady, dressed the same as
Prince Ching's daughters, with the exception that she had a phoenix in
the center of her headdress which distinguished her from the others.
This lady came out to meet us, smiling, and shook hands with us in the
most approved foreign fashion. We were told later that this was the
Young Empress, wife of the Emperor Kwang Hsu. She said: "Her Majesty has
sent me to meet you," and was very sweet and polite, and had beautiful
manners; but was not very pretty. Then we heard a loud voice from the
hall saying, "Tell them to come in at once." We went into this hall
immediately and saw an old lady dressed in a beautiful yellow satin gown
embroidered all over with pink peonies, and wearing the same kind of
headdress with flowers on each side made of pearls and jade, a pearl
tassel on the left side and a beautiful phoenix in the center made of
purest jade. Over her gown she wore a cape, the most magnificent and
costly thing I ever saw. This cape was made of about three thousand five
hundred pearls the size of a canary bird's egg, all exactly alike in
color and perfectly round. It was made on the fish net pattern and had
a fringe of jade pendants and was joined with two pure jade clasps. In
addition to this Her Majesty wore two pairs of pearl bracelets, one
pair of jade bracelets, several jade rings and on her third and little
fingers of her right hand she wore gold finger nail protectors about
three inches long and on the left hand two finger nail protectors made
of jade and about the same length. Her shoes were trimmed with small
tassels made of pearls and embroidered with tiny pieces of different
colored jade.

Her Majesty stood up when she saw us and shook hands with us. She had
a most fascinating smile and was very much surprised that we knew
the Court etiquette so well. After she had greeted us, she said to my
mother: "Yu tai tai (Lady Yu), you are a wonder the way you have brought
your daughters up. They speak Chinese just as well as I do, although I
know they have been abroad for so many years, and how is it that they
have such beautiful manners?" "Their father was always very strict with
them," my mother replied; "he made them study their own language first
and they had to study very hard." "I am pleased to hear their father
has been so careful with them," Her Majesty said, "and given them such
a fine education." She took my hands and looked into my face and smiled
and kissed me on both cheeks and said to my mother: "I wish to have your
daughters and hope they will stay with me." We were very much pleased
at this and thanked her for her kindness. Her Majesty asked all sorts of
questions about our Paris gowns and said we must wear them all the
time, as she had very little chance to see them at the Court. She was
particularly in love with our Louis XV high heel shoes. While we were
talking to her we saw a gentleman standing at a little distance and
after a while she said, "Let me introduce you to the Emperor Kwang Hsu,
but you must call him Wan Sway Yeh (Master of 10,000 years) and call me
Lao Tsu Tsung (the Great Ancestor)." His Majesty shyly shook hands with
us. He was a man about five feet, seven inches in height, very thin,
but with very strong features; high nose and forehead, large, brilliant
black eyes, strong mouth, very white, even teeth; altogether good
looking. I noticed he had a very sad look, although he was smiling all
the time we were there. At this juncture the head eunuch came, knelt
down on the marble floor and announced that Her Majesty's chair was
ready and she asked us to go with her to the Audience Hall, distant
about two minutes' walk, where she was going to receive the heads of the
different Boards. It was a beautiful day and her open chair was waiting.
This chair is carried by eight eunuchs all dressed in official robes,
a most unusual sight. The head eunuch walked on her left side and the
second eunuch on her right side, each with a steadying hand on the chair
pole. Four eunuchs of the fifth rank in front and twelve eunuchs of the
sixth rank walked behind. Each eunuch carried something in his hand,
such as Her Majesty's clothes, shoes, handkerchiefs, combs, brushes,
powder boxes, looking glasses of different sizes, perfumes, pins, black
and red ink, yellow paper, cigarettes, water pipes, and the last one
carried her yellow satin-covered stool. Besides this there were
two amahs (old women servants) and four servant girls all carrying
something. This procession was most interesting to see and made one
think it a lady's dressing room on legs. The Emperor walked on Her
Majesty's right and the Young Empress on the left, as did also the Court
ladies.

The Audience Hall was about two hundred feet long by about one hundred
and fifty feet wide, and at the left side was a long table covered with
yellow satin. When Her Majesty came down from the chair she went into
the Hall and mounted her throne just behind this table, and His Majesty
mounted a smaller one at her left side, the Ministers all kneeling on
the floor in front of her and on the opposite side of the table.

At the back of the Hall was a large dais about twenty feet long by about
eighteen feet wide, enclosed by a magnificently carved railing about
two feet high running all the way round, open only in the front in
two places just large enough for a person to pass through. These two
openings were reached by a flight of six steps. At the back of this dais
was a small screen and immediately in front of this, in the center,
was Her Majesty's throne. Immediately behind was an immense carved wood
screen, the most beautiful thing I ever saw, twenty feet long by ten
feet high. In front of Her Majesty's throne was a long narrow table. At
the left side was a smaller throne for the Emperor.

The theme of the carving and furnishings of this dais was the phoenix
and peony most exquisitely carved in ebony wood, in fact the theme of
the entire room was the same. On each side of Her Majesty's throne were
two upright ebony poles on the top of which were peacock feathers made
into the shape of a fan The upholstery was entirely of yellow Chinese
velvet.

Just before Her Majesty took her seat on her throne she ordered us to go
behind this screen with the Young Empress and the Court ladies. This
we did, and could hear the conversation between Her Majesty and the
Ministers very plainly, and as my readers will see later, I made good
use of this.



CHAPTER THREE--A PLAY AT THE COURT

THIS day to me was a medley of brilliant impressions. I was a great
novelty among these exclusive Court ladies, brought up rigidly apart
from foreign life and customs, and I was subjected to a rapid fire of
questions. I soon found that these women were the same as others the
world over in point of curiosity and love of gossip. The fourth daughter
of Prince Ching (Sze Gurgur), a young widow and a strikingly handsome
woman, spoke to me. "Were you brought up in Europe and educated?" she
asked. "I am told that when people go to that country and drink the
water there, they quickly forget their own country. Did you really study
to acquire all those languages or was it drinking the water that gave
them to you?" I mentioned that I met her brother, Prince Tsai Chen, in
Paris on his way to London for the coronation of King Edward, and that
we should have liked to have gone also, as my father had a special
invitation, but were prevented from doing so by his urgent duties in
Paris in settling the Yunnan question, to which the Princess replied:
"Is there a king in England? I had thought that our Empress Dowager
was Queen of the world." Her sister, wife of the brother of the Young
Empress, a most intelligent, quiet and dignified lady, stood by smiling
and listening to the eager questions. After numerous questions had been
asked the Young Empress finally said: "How ignorant you are. I know that
each country has its ruler and that some countries are republics. The
United States is a republic and very friendly toward us, but I am sorry
that such a common class of people go there, as they will think we
are all the same. What I should like to see is some of our good Manchu
people go, as then they would see what we really are." She afterwards
told me she had been reading a history of the different countries,
which had been translated into Chinese, and she seemed to be very well
informed.

After the Audience was over, Her Majesty called us out from behind the
screen and told us to go with her to see the theatre. She said, as it
was such a beautiful day, she preferred to walk, so we started, walking
a little behind her, as is the custom. Along the way she pointed out
from time to time different places and things that were her particular
favorites, and as she had to keep turning around all the time, she
finally told us to come and walk alongside of her. This, as I afterwards
found out, was a great condescension on her part and a thing that
she very seldom ever did. She, like everybody else, had her pets and
hobbies, such as flowers, trees, plants, dogs, horses, etc., and there
was one dog in particular that was her favorite pet. This dog was with
Her Majesty always and followed her wherever she went, and a more homely
dog I never saw. It had absolutely nothing to recommend it in any way.
Her Majesty thought it beautiful, and called it Shui Ta (Sea Otter).

A short distance from the Audience Hall we came to a large courtyard.
On each side of this courtyard were two immense baskets fifteen feet
in height, built of natural logs and literally covered with purple
wisteria. They were simply gorgeous and great favorites of Her Majesty.
She was always very proud of them when in bloom and took great delight
in showing them to the people.

From this courtyard we entered a sort of passageway which ran along
the sides of a big hill and led directly to the theatre, where we soon
arrived. This theatre is quite unlike anything that you can imagine.
It is built around the four sides of an open courtyard, each side being
separate and distinct. The building has five stories. It is entirely
open on the front and has two stages, one above the other. The three top
stories are used for holding the drops and for store rooms. The stage on
the first floor is of the ordinary kind; but that on the second floor
is built to represent a temple and used when playing religious plays, of
which Her Majesty was very fond.

On the two sides were long, low buildings with large verandas running
their entire length, where the Princes and Ministers sat when invited
by Her Majesty to witness the play. Directly opposite this stage was
a spacious building, containing three large rooms, which was used
exclusively by Her Majesty. The floor was raised about ten feet above
the ground, which brought it on a level with the stage. Large glass
windows ran along in front, so made that they could be removed in the
summer and replaced with pale blue gauze screens. Two of these rooms
were used as sitting rooms and the third, the one on the right, she used
as a bedroom, and it had a long couch running across the front, on which
she used to sit or lie according to her mood. This day she invited us
to go to this room with her. Later I was told that she would very
often come to this room, look at the play for a while and then take her
siesta. She could certainly sleep soundly, for the din and noise did
not disturb her in the least. If any of my readers have ever been to a
Chinese theatre, they can well imagine how difficult it would be to woo
the God of Sleep in such a pandemonium.

As soon as we were in this bedroom the play commenced. It was a
religious play called "The Empress of Heaven's Party or Feast to all
the Buddhist Priests to eat her famous peaches and drink her best wine."
This party or feast is given on the third day of the third moon of each
year.

The first act opens with a Buddhist Priest, dressed in a yellow coat
robe with a red scarf draped over his left shoulder, descending in a
cloud from Heaven to invite all the priests to this party. I was very
much surprised to see this actor apparently suspended in the air and
actually floating on this cloud, which was made of cotton. The clever
way in which they moved the scenery, etc., was most interesting, and
before the play was finished I concluded that any theatre manager could
well take lessons from these people; and it was all done without the
slightest bit of machinery.

As this Buddhist Priest was descending, a large pagoda began to slowly
rise from the center of the stage in which was a buddha singing and
holding an incense burner in front of him. Then four other smaller
pagodas slowly rose from the four corners of the stage, each containing
a buddha the same as the first. When the first Buddhist Priest had
descended, the five buddhas came out of the pagodas, which immediately
disappeared, and walked about the stage, still singing. Gradually from
the wing came numbers of buddhas singing until the stage was full, and
they all formed into a ring. Then I saw a large lotus flower, made of
pink silk, and two large green leaves appearing from the bottom of the
stage, and as it rose the petals and leaves gradually opened and I saw a
beautiful lady buddha (Goddess of Mercy) dressed all in white silk, with
a white hood on her head, standing in the center of this flower. As the
leaves opened I saw a girl and a boy in the center of them. When the
petals of the lotus flower were wide open this lady buddha began to
gradually ascend herself, and as she ascended, the petals closed until
she seemed to be standing on a lotus bud. The girl standing in the
leaf on the Goddess' right side held a bottle made of jade and a willow
branch. The legend of this is that if the Goddess dips the willow branch
into the jade bottle and spreads it over a dead person it will bring
the person to life. The boy and the girl are the two attendants of the
buddha.

Finally the three came down from the flower and leaves and joined the
rest of the buddhas. Then the Empress of Heaven came, a good old lady
with snow-white hair, dressed from head to foot in Imperial yellow,
followed by many attendants, and ascended the throne, which was in the
center of the stage, and said: "We will go to the banquet hall." This
ended the first scene.

The second scene opened with tables set for the feast to be given by the
Empress of Heaven. These tables were loaded down with peaches and wine
and four attendants guarding them. Suddenly a bee came buzzing near and
scattered a powder under the nostrils of the attendants, which made them
sleepy. When they had fallen asleep, this bee transformed itself into a
big monkey and this monkey ate all the peaches and drank all the wine.
As soon as he had finished he disappeared.

A blast of trumpets announced the coming of the Empress of Heaven and
she soon arrived accompanied by all the Buddhist Priests and their
attendants. When the Empress of Heaven saw all the peaches and wine had
disappeared, she woke the attendants and asked them why they were asleep
and where the peaches and wine had gone. They said that they did not
know, that they were waiting for her to come and fell asleep. Then one
of the guests suggested that she should find out what had become of the
feast, and attendants were sent out to the guard to find out from
the soldiers if anyone had gone out of the gate recently. Before the
messenger had time to return, the Guard of Heaven came and informed the
Empress that a big monkey, who was very drunk and carrying a big stick,
had just gone out of the gate. When she was told this, she ordered the
soldiers of heaven and several buddhas to go and find him at his place.
It seems that this monkey had originally been made from a piece of stone
and lived in a large hole in a mountain on the earth. He was endowed
with supernatural powers and could walk on the clouds. He was allowed
to come to heaven and the Empress of Heaven gave him a position looking
after the Imperial orchards.

When they got to his place on the earth, they found that he had taken
some of the peaches with him and he, with other monkeys, was having a
feast. The soldiers challenged him to come out and fight. He immediately
accepted this challenge, but the soldiers could do nothing with him. He
pulled the hair out of his coat and transformed each hair into a little
monkey and each monkey had an iron rod in its hand. He himself had
a special iron rod, which had been given to him by the King of Sea
Dragons. This rod he could make any size he wanted from a needle to a
crowbar.

Among the buddhas who had gone with the soldiers was one named Erh Lang
Yeh, who was the most powerful of them all and had three eyes. This
buddha had a dog which was very powerful and he told the dog to bite
this monkey, which he did, and the monkey fell down and they caught him
and brought him up to heaven. When they got there the Empress of Heaven
ordered that he should be handed to Lao Chun, an old taoist god, and
that he should burn him in his incense burner. The incense burner was
very large, and when they took the monkey to him he placed him inside
this burner and watched him very carefully to see that he did not get
out. After he had watched for a long time he thought the monkey must be
dead and went out for a few minutes. The monkey, however, was not dead
and as soon as Lao Chun went out, he escaped and stole some golden
pills which Lao Chun kept in a gourd and went back to his hole in the
mountains. These pills were very powerful and if one of them were eaten
it would give eternal life, and the monkey knew this. The monkey ate one
and it tasted good and he gave the little monkeys some. When Lao Chun
came back and found both the monkey and the pills gone he went and
informed the Empress of Heaven. This ended the second scene.

The third scene opened with the buddhas and soldiers at the monkey's
place in the mountains and they again asked him to come out and fight.
The monkey said: "What! Coming again?" and laughed at them. They started
to fight again, but he was so strong they could not get the best of him.
Even the dog who had bit him before was powerless this time, and they
finally gave it up and returned to heaven and told the Empress of Heaven
that they could not capture him the second time, as he was too strong.
Then the Empress of Heaven called a little god about fifteen years old
by the name of Neur Cha, who had supernatural powers, and told him to go
down to earth to the monkey's place and see if he could finish him. This
god was made of lotus flowers and leaves, that is, his bones were made
of flowers and his flesh made of leaves and he could transform himself
into anything that he wished. When Neur Cha got to the monkey's place
and the monkey saw him, he said: "What! A little boy like you come to
fight me? Well, if you think you can beat me, come on," and the boy
transformed himself into an immense man with three heads and six arms.
When the monkey saw this, he transformed himself also into the same
thing. When the little god saw that this would not do, he transformed
himself into a very big man and started to take the monkey, but the
monkey transformed himself into a very large sword and cut this man into
two pieces. The little god again transformed himself into fire to burn
the monkey, but the monkey transformed himself into water and put the
fire out. Again the little god transformed himself, this time into a
very fierce lion, but the monkey transformed himself into a big net to
catch the lion. So this little god, seeing that he could not get the
best of the monkey, gave it up and went back to heaven, and told the
Empress of Heaven that the monkey was too strong for him. The Empress
of Heaven was in despair, so she sent for Ju Li, an old ancestor of the
buddhas, who was the all-powerful one of them all; and Kuan Yin, Goddess
of Mercy, and sent them down to the monkey's place to see if they could
capture him. When they arrived at the hole in the mountain the monkey
came out and looked at Ju Li, but did not say a word, as he knew who
this god was. This god pointed a finger at him and he knelt down and
submitted. Ju Li said: "Come with me," and took the monkey and put him
under another mountain and told him he would have to stay there until
he promised he would be good. Ju Li said: "You stay here until one day
I lift this mountain up for you to come out to go with a Buddhist Priest
to the West side of heaven and demand the prayer books that are kept
there. You will have to suffer a great deal on the way and face many
dangers, but if you come back with this Buddhist Priest and the prayer
books, by that time your savage temper will be gone and you will be put
in a nice place in heaven and enjoy life forever afterwards."

This finished the play, which was very interesting, and I enjoyed it
from beginning to end. It was acted very cleverly and quite realistic,
and I was very much surprised to know that the eunuchs could act so
well. Her Majesty told us that the scenery was all painted by the
eunuchs and that she had taught them about all they knew. Unlike most
theatres in China, it had a curtain which was closed between the acts,
also wing slides and drop scenes. Her Majesty had never seen a foreign
theatre and I could not understand where she got all her ideas from. She
was very fond of reading religious books and fairy tales, and wrote
them into plays and staged them herself, and was extremely proud of her
achievement.

Her Majesty sat talking, we standing, for some little time and she asked
me if I understood the play, and I told her that I did and she seemed
quite pleased. Then she said in such a charming way: "Oh! I am so
interested in talking with you that I have forgotten to order my lunch.
Are you hungry? Could you get Chinese food when you were abroad, and
were you homesick? I know I would be if I left my own country for so
long a time; but the reason why you were abroad so long was not your
fault. It was my order that sent Yu Keng to Paris and I am not a bit
sorry, for you see how much you can help me now, and I am proud of you
and will show you to the foreigners that they may see our Manchu ladies
can speak other languages than their own." While she was talking I
noticed that the eunuchs were laying three large tables with nice white
table cloths, and I could see a number of other eunuchs standing in
the courtyard with boxes of food. These boxes or trays are made of wood
painted yellow and are large enough to hold four small and two large
bowls of food. After the tables were laid ready, the eunuchs outside
formed themselves into a double line from the courtyard to a little gate
running into another courtyard and passed these trays from one to the
other up to the entrance of the room, where they were taken by four
nicely dressed eunuchs and placed on the tables.

It seems that it was a habit of Her Majesty to take her meals wherever
she happened to be, so that there was no particular place that she
used as a dining room. I should also mention that these bowls were of
Imperial yellow with silver covers. Some were ornamented with green
dragons and some with the Chinese character Shou (Long Life).

There were about one hundred and fifty different kinds of food, for I
counted them. They were placed in long rows, one row of large bowls and
one row of small plates, and then another row of small bowls, and so on.
As the setting of the tables was going on, two Court ladies came into
the bedroom, each carrying a large yellow box. I was very much surprised
to see Court ladies doing this kind of work and I said to myself, if
I come here will I have to do this sort of thing? Although these boxes
appeared to be quite heavy, they brought them in very gracefully. Two
small tables were placed in front of Her Majesty, then they opened the
boxes and placed a number of very cute plates containing all sorts of
sweets, lotus flower seeds, dried and cooked with sugar, watermelon
seeds, walnuts cooked in different ways, and fruits of the season cut
and sliced. As these plates were being placed on the tables Her Majesty
said that she liked these dainties better than meat and gave us some and
told us to make ourselves at home. We thanked her for her kindness and
enjoyed them very much. I noticed that she ate quite a quantity from the
different plates and wondered how she would be able to eat her lunch.
When she had finished, two of the Court ladies came and took the plates
away and Her Majesty told us that she always gave what was left to the
Court ladies after she had finished eating.

After this a eunuch came in carrying a cup of tea. This tea cup was
made of pure white jade and the saucer and cover was of solid gold. Then
another eunuch came in carrying a silver tray on which were two jade
cups similar to the others, one containing honeysuckle flowers and the
other rose petals. He also brought a pair of gold chopsticks. They both
knelt on the floor in front of Her Majesty and held the trays up so
that she could reach them. She took the golden cover off of the cup
containing tea and took some of the honeysuckle flowers and placed
them in the tea. While she was doing this and sipping the tea, she was
telling how fond she was of flowers and what a delicate flavor they gave
to the tea. Then she said: "I will let you taste some of my tea and see
if you like it," and ordered one of the eunuchs to bring us some
tea, the same as she was drinking. When it came, she put some of the
honeysuckle flowers in the cup for us and watched us drink it. It was
the most delicious tea I had ever tasted and the putting of flowers in
it gave it an extremely delicate flavour.



CHAPTER FOUR--A LUNCHEON WITH THE EMPRESS

WHEN we had finished drinking tea, she told us to go with her into the
next room, where the tables had been prepared for lunch, and I wondered
if she had any room for lunch, after all that she had just eaten, but
I soon found out. As soon as she was inside the room, she ordered the
covers to be removed and they were all taken off at one time. Then she
took her seat at the head of the table and told us to stand at the foot.
She then said: "generally the Emperor takes lunch with me when we have
the theatre, but he is shy to-day, as you are all new to him. I hope he
will get over it and not be so bashful. You three had better eat with me
to-day." Of course, we knew that this was an especial favor, and thanked
her by kowtowing before we commenced to eat. This kowtowing, or bowing
our heads to the ground, was very tiring at first and made us dizzy,
until we got used to it.

When we commenced to eat, Her Majesty ordered the eunuchs to place
plates for us and give us silver chopsticks, spoons, etc., and said:

"I am sorry you have to eat standing, but I cannot break the law of our
great ancestors. Even the Young Empress cannot sit in my presence. I
am sure the foreigners must think we are barbarians to treat our Court
ladies in this way and I don't wish them to know anything about our
customs. You will see how differently I act in their presence, so that
they cannot see my true self."

I was watching her while she was talking to my mother and marvelled
to see how she could eat, after having eaten such a quantity of candy,
walnuts, etc., while in her bedroom.

Beef was a thing that was tabooed within the precincts of the Palace, as
it was considered a great sin to kill and eat animals that were used as
beasts of burden. The food consisted mostly of pork, mutton and game,
fowls and vegetables. This day we had pork cooked in ten different ways,
such as meat balls, sliced cold in two different ways, red and white,
the red being cooked with a special kind of sauce made of beans which
gives it the red color and has a delicious taste. Chopped pork with
chopped bamboo shoots, pork cut in cubes and cooked with cherries
and pork cooked with onions and sliced thin. This last dish was Her
Majesty's favorite and I must say it was good. Then there was a sort of
pancake made of eggs, pork and mushrooms chopped fine and fried, also
pork cooked with cabbage and another dish cooked with turnips. The fowl
and mutton was cooked in several different ways. In the center of the
table was a very large bowl about two feet in diameter of the same
yellow porcelain, in which there was a chicken, a duck and some shark
fins in a clear soup. Shark fins are considered a great delicacy in
China. Besides this there was roast chicken, boneless chicken and roast
duck. Ducks and chickens are stuffed with little pine needles to give
them a fine flavor and roasted in open air ovens.

There was another dish that Her Majesty was very fond of and that was
the skin of roast pork cut into very small slices and fried until it
curls up like a rasher of bacon.

As a rule the Manchu people seldom eat rice, but are very fond of bread
and this day we had bread, made in a number of different ways, such as
baked, steamed, fried, some with sugar and some with salt and
pepper, cut in fancy shapes or made in fancy moulds such as dragons,
butterflies, flowers, etc., and one kind was made with mincemeat inside.
Then we had a number of different kinds of pickles, of which Her Majesty
was very fond. Then there was beans and green peas, and peanuts made
into cakes and served with sugarcane syrup.

I did not eat very much, as I was too busy watching Her Majesty and
listening to what she said, although she told us to eat all we could.
In addition to all I have mentioned, we had many different kinds of
porridge, some made of sweet corn and some with tiny yellow rice (like
bird seed), and Her Majesty said that we must all eat porridge after our
meat.

After we had finally finished eating, Her Majesty rose from the table
and said: "Come into my bedroom and you will see the Young Empress and
the Court ladies eat; they always eat after I am finished." We went with
her and I stood near the door between the two rooms and saw the Young
Empress and Court ladies come in and stand around the table eating very
quietly. They were never allowed to sit down and eat their food.

All this time the theatre had been going on playing some fairy tales,
but they were not near as interesting as the first play that we had
seen. Her Majesty sat on her long couch in the bedroom and the eunuch
brought her some tea and she ordered some brought for us. My reader
can imagine how delighted I was to be treated in this way. In China the
people think their sovereign is the supreme being and that her word is
law. One must never raise their eyes when talking to her. This is a sign
of great respect. I thought these extreme favors must be most unusual. I
had been told that Her Majesty had a very fierce temper, but seeing her
so kind and gracious to us and talking to us in such a motherly way, I
thought my informant must be wrong and that she was the sweetest woman
in the world.

When Her Majesty had rested a while, she told us that it was time we
were returning to the city, as it was getting late. She gave us eight
big yellow boxes of fruit and cakes to take home with us. She said to
my mother: "Tell Yu Keng (my father) to get better soon and tell him to
take the medicine I am sending by you and to rest well. Also give him
these eight boxes of fruit and cakes." I thought my father, who had been
quite ill since we returned from Paris, would not be much benefited if
he ate all those cakes. However, I knew he would appreciate her kind
thoughtfulness even if it were detrimental to his health.

As perhaps most of my readers know, it is the custom to kowtow when Her
Majesty gives presents and we kowtowed to her when she gave us the fruit
and cakes and thanked her for her kindness.

Just as we were leaving, Her Majesty said to my mother that she liked us
very much and wanted us to come and be her Court ladies and stay at the
Palace. We thought this was another great favor and again thanked her,
and she asked us when we could come and told us to bring our clothes and
things only, as she would fix everything for us and showed us the house
we would live in when we came and told us to come back inside of two
days. This house contained three very large rooms and was situated on
the right side of her own or private Palace. This Palace Ler Shou Tong
(Ever Happy Palace) is situated on the shores of the lake and was Her
Majesty's favorite place and where she spent most of her time, reading
and resting and when the spirit moved her she would go for a sail on the
lake. In this Palace she had quite a number of bedrooms and made use of
them all.

When she had finished showing us this house we took leave of Her
Majesty, the Young Empress and the Court ladies, and after a long and
tiresome ride, reached home exhausted but happy, after the most eventful
day of our lives. When we got into the house, we were surprised to find
several eunuchs waiting our return. They had brought us each four rolls
of Imperial brocade from Her Majesty. Once more we had to bend to custom
in thanking her for these gifts. This time, the gift having been sent to
the house, we placed the silk on a table in the center of the room and
kowtowed to thank Her Majesty and told the eunuchs to tell Her Majesty
how grateful we were to her for all her kindness and for the beautiful
gifts.

There is another thing that had to be done according to the custom, and
that was to give the eunuchs a present or tip, and we had to give each
of the eunuchs ten taels for their trouble. We afterwards found out that
when eunuchs went anywhere to take presents for Her Majesty, they were
required to report to her when they returned how the recipient had
thanked her and what had been given them, which she allowed them to
keep. She also asked them numerous questions about our house, whether we
were pleased with her, etc. These people are extremely fond of talking
and after we had returned to the Palace again, they told us what Her
Majesty had said about us the first day we were there.

My mother felt very much worried to go to the Palace and leave my father
all alone owing to his being in poor health, but we could not disobey
Her Majesty's order, so we returned to the Palace three days later.

Our first day there was a busy one for us. When we first arrived we went
and thanked Her Majesty for the present that she had sent us. She told
us that she was very busy to-day, as she was going to receive a Russian
lady, Madame Plancon, wife of the Russian Minister to China, who was
bringing a miniature portrait of the Czar and Czarina and family as a
present from the Czar to her, the Empress Dowager. She asked me if I
could speak Russian. I told her that I could not, but that most Russians
spoke French, which seemed to satisfy her. She, however, said: "Why
don't you tell me you speak Russian, I won't know or be able to find
out," and at the same time was looking at one of the Court ladies. I
concluded that someone must be fooling her, for she seemed to appreciate
the fact that I had told her the truth. This afterwards proved to be
true and one of the Court ladies was dismissed for pretending she could
talk foreign languages when she could not speak a word.

Besides this audience there was the theatre and the engagement ceremony
of Her Majesty's nephew, Ter Ju. The engagement ceremony, according to
the Manchu custom, is performed by two of the Princesses of the Royal
family going to the house of the prospective bride, who sits on her bed
cross-legged, her eyes closed and awaits their coming. When they arrive
at the house, they go to her bedroom and place a symbol called Ru Yee,
made of pure jade about one and a half feet long, in her lap and suspend
two small bags made of silk and beautifully embroidered, each containing
a gold coin, from the buttons of her gown, and place two gold rings on
her fingers, on which is carved the characters Ta Hsi (Great Happiness).
The meaning of the symbol or sceptre Ru Yee is "May all joy be yours."

During this entire ceremony absolute silence is maintained and
immediately they have finished, they return to the Palace and inform Her
Majesty that the ceremony has been completed.



CHAPTER FIVE--AN AUDIENCE WITH THE EMPRESS

No one informed us the day before that there was to be an audience
to receive the Russian Minister's wife on that very day. We told Her
Majesty that we must go and change our clothes in order to receive this
lady. The dresses we wore that day were very simply made and short. The
reason we wore this kind of costume was that there was no carpet and
the bare brick floor had ruined our beautiful red velvet gowns, also the
clumsy eunuchs had kept stepping on our trains all the time. We had made
up our minds that short dresses for general wear every day would be more
practical. Her Majesty said: "Why must you change your clothes? I see
you look much better without that tail dragging behind you on the floor.
I laughed at the idea of having a tail on one's dresses. I noticed that
the first day when you came to the Court." Before we had time to
explain to her, she said: "I see, dresses with tails behind must be more
dignified than short ones, am I right?" We told her it was so. Then she
said: "Go and put on your most beautiful gowns at once." We immediately
went and changed. My sister and myself wore our pink crepe de chine
gowns, trimmed with Brussels lace and transparent yokes of the same
color chiffon. My mother wore her gray crepe de chine embroidered with
black roses and a little touch of pale blue satin on her collar and
belt. We dressed in a great hurry, as Her Majesty had sent eunuchs to
see if we were ready. When she saw us she exclaimed: "Here are three
fairies with long tails." Then she asked us: "Is it very tiring to hold
half of your dress in your hand when you are walking? The costume is
pretty, but I do dislike the tail, there is no sense having a thing like
that. I wonder what these foreigners will think of me having you dressed
in their costume. I am sure they won't like the idea. My reason is
this: I want them to see you in foreign clothes in order to let them
understand I know something about the way they dress. I must say that
no foreign ladies have yet been presented to me dressed in such lovely
gowns as you three have. I don't believe foreigners are as wealthy as
the Chinese. I also notice they wear very little jewelry. I was told
that I have more jewelry than any sovereign in the world and yet I am
getting more all the time."

We were very busy getting ready to receive Mdme. Plancon, who arrived
about eleven o'clock and was received in the waiting room of the first
courtyard by my sister and from there conducted to the audience hall,
Ren Shou Dien, where she was received by Her Majesty, who was sitting on
her big throne on the raised dais. The Emperor was present, sitting on
Her Majesty's left hand and I stood on her right to interpret for her.
Her Majesty was dressed in a yellow transparent satin brocade gown,
embroidered with hollyhocks and the Chinese character "Shou" (Long Life)
and trimmed with gold braid. She wore her big pearl, which is about the
size and shape of an egg, suspended from the button of her dress, also
numerous bracelets and rings and gold finger nail protectors. Her hair
was dressed in the same style as usual.

When Mdme. Plancon entered the hall, my sister brought her to the steps
of the dais and she courtesied to Her Majesty. I then went forward and
brought her up onto the dais and Her Majesty shook hands with her and
she presented the photograph which she had brought to Her Majesty.
Her Majesty made a very pretty speech of acceptance, expressing her
appreciation of the gift of their Majesties, the Czar and Czarina. I
interpreted this speech in French to Mdme. Plancon, as she could not
speak English. After this, Her Majesty told me to take Mdme. Plancon to
the Emperor, which I did. He stood up when she came near and shook hands
with her and asked after their Majesties' health. This over, Her Majesty
stepped down from her throne and took Mdme. Plancon to her own Palace,
the one with so many bedrooms, and when they arrived, Her Majesty asked
her to sit down, and they talked together for about ten minutes, I
interpreting for them, after which I took her to see the Young Empress.

The Manchu law is very strict as regards the mother-in-law and the
daughter-in-law, and the Young Empress had been sitting behind the
screen at the back of the throne during the audience, and it was there
that I found her. From there we went to the banquet hall, where luncheon
was served in Manchu style.

Here I must explain the difference between the Chinese way of eating and
the Manchu. The Chinese place the bowls of food, one at a time, in the
center of the table and everyone eats out of these bowls, sticking their
chopsticks in and helping themselves to what they want. The Manchus eat
quite differently and are served with individual bowls and dishes, the
same as in any other country. Her Majesty was very proud of this and
said that it saved time, not to mention being cleaner. The food in the
Palace was always very good and clean, especially when we had foreign
guests, and of course we had a variety of dishes for such occasions,
such as sharkfins, birds' nest pudding, not to mention a great quantity
of other things.

Her Majesty had given me the order that morning to have the tables
nicely decorated and they did look very nice when we sat down.
Besides the usual tableware, we had gold dragon menu holders, little
peach-shaped silver saucers filled with almonds and dried watermelon
seeds, and knives and forks in addition to chopsticks.

Her Majesty and the Emperor never ate with guests, so Mdme. Plancon was
entertained by the Imperial Princess and the Court ladies. When luncheon
was half over a eunuch came and told me that Her Majesty wanted to see
me at once. The thought flashed through my head that something had gone
wrong, or that some of the eunuchs had been making false reports, a bad
habit of the Court; and I was much surprised to find her all smiles. She
told me what a nice, polite lady Mdme. Plancon was, that she had seen
many ladies who had come to the Court, but none with manners like this
one, that she was sorry to say that some of the ladies who came did not
behave very well. She said: "They seem to think we are only Chinese and
do not know anything, and look down upon us. I notice these things very
quickly and am surprised to see people who claim to be well educated and
civilized acting the way they do. I think we whom they call barbarians
are much more civilized and have better manners." She was always very
polite to the foreign ladies, no matter how badly they behaved, but
after they had gone, she would tell us who was nice and who was not.
After she had finished saying this, she gave me a beautiful piece of
green jade to give to Madame Plancon. When I gave it to her, she said
she wished to thank Her Majesty, and I took her to the Palace again.

When we had finished luncheon, she told me how pleased she was with her
reception and the kindness that Her Majesty had shown her, and took her
departure, we accompanying her to the courtyard of the Audience Hall,
where her chair was waiting.

Her Majesty had made a rule or custom that after all guests had
departed, we must go to her and report everything. I suppose she was
like all women, a bit of a gossip as well as the rest; it appeared so at
any rate. She wanted to know what Mdme. Plancon said, whether she liked
the jade and whether she enjoyed her luncheon, etc.

Her Majesty was very well pleased that I had interpreted so well for her
and said: "I have never had anyone to interpret for me this way before.
Although I don't understand the language, I can see that you speak it
fluently. How did you learn? I will never let you go away from me any
more. Sometimes the foreign ladies bring their own interpreters, but
I can't understand their Chinese and have to guess at what they are
saying, especially some of the missionaries Mrs. Conger brings with her.
I am very happy to have you and want you to stay with me as long as
I live and I will arrange a marriage for you, but won't tell you just
now."

I felt very happy at what Her Majesty had said and thought I had made my
debut under very favorable auspices, and was very glad that Her Majesty
liked me; but this marriage question worried me, for nothing was farther
from my mind than this. I afterwards told my mother about it and she
told me not to worry, as I could always refuse when the time came.

When we had told Her Majesty all that Mdme. Plancon had said, she told
us we could go to our rooms, that as we had risen early that morning and
had worked very hard, we must be tired and needed rest, that she would
not need us any more that day. We courtesied to her according to the
custom when saying good night, and retired.



CHAPTER SIX--IN ATTENDANCE ON HER MAJESTY

THE building where we had our rooms, as I have said before, contained
four large rooms and a hall, and we three, my mother, sister and myself,
each took a room and gave the fourth to our maids. Her Majesty had
ordered a eunuch to accompany us and this eunuch told us that Her
Majesty had ordered four young eunuchs to attend on us and that if they
did not behave, we should tell him. He also said his name was Li, but as
there were so many by this name, including the head eunuch, it was very
hard to tell them apart.

When we arrived, which took some time, he pointed to a building on our
right and said that it was Her Majesty's own Palace and the one which
we had just left. I could not understand why it had taken us so long to
come, when the Palace was so near, and asked him about it. He told us
that our little buildings were at the left side of the Emperor's Palace
and that Her Majesty had had the entrance leading from our place to her
Palace closed up for certain reasons which he would not tell, but said:
"You see this place ought to face East instead of towards the lake." The
view on the lake was beautiful and I told him I liked it much better the
way it was. He smiled and said: "You will have to learn a lot before you
find out this wicked place." I was surprised at what the eunuch said,
but did not like to ask him any questions. He also told us that the
Emperor's Palace was just behind our place and was a large building
similar to Her Majesty's Palace. We looked and could see the trees of
his courtyard above the roof. Then he pointed to another building behind
the Emperor's, which was larger but lower than the Emperor's Palace, and
also had a large courtyard, and said it was the Young Empress's Palace.
It had two buildings flanking it on each side and the eunuch told us
that the one on the left was the Secondary Wife's bedroom. That there
had been an entrance between the two Palaces, but that Lao Fo Yeh (The
great old Buddha), as the eunuchs called Her Majesty, had blocked it up
so that the Emperor and Empress could not communicate with each other,
except through Her Majesty's own Palace. I suppose this was the way she
kept watch over them and knew at all times what they were doing. This
was all news to me and I did not know what to think of it. I was afraid
that this eunuch Li would tell me more of these curious things, so I
told him I was tired and would go to my room and rest, and he went away.

When I finally got inside my room and had a chance to look around, I saw
that it was very prettily furnished with ebonywood furniture, which was
covered with red satin cushions and the windows were hung with red silk
curtains. All the bedrooms were just alike. The kong (bed) was made of
brick covered with the same kind of wood and ran along the wall under
the front window. It had high teaster posts with slats running across on
which red curtains were hung. These kongs are very curiously built. They
are made of brick and have a hole in the front center in which fire is
placed to heat the brick in winter time. During the day a sort of table
is placed on top of the kong and removed again at night.

Shortly after we had gone to our rooms, some eunuchs came and brought
our dinner, which they placed on a table in the center of the hall. They
told us the food had been sent by Her Majesty and that she had ordered
them to tell us to make ourselves comfortable. We were so tired that we
could not eat very much and were about to retire for the night when this
eunuch Li came again and told us that we must be up at five o'clock, not
later, so I told my eunuch to knock on my window at five. Immediately
after this we went to bed, but did not sleep immediately, as we wanted
to talk over the events of the day, which had been many and strange.
After we did finally get to bed, it seemed as if we had just fallen
asleep when I heard someone knocking on my window. I woke up with a
start and asked what the matter was and a eunuch told me it was five
o'clock and time to get up.

I immediately got up and opened my window and looked out. The day was
just dawning and the sky was a beautiful deep red which was reflected
in the lake, which was perfectly calm. The scenery was lovely and in the
distance I could see Her Majesty's peony mountain, which was literally
covered with these beautiful flowers. I dressed at once and went to Her
Majesty's Palace and there met the Young Empress sitting on the veranda.
I courtesied to her as a good morning salute. The Emperor's Secondary
wife was there also, but we had been ordered not to courtesy to her,
as she was considered not to have any standing there. There was also a
number of young Court ladies, many of whom I had never seen before. The
Young Empress introduced me to them, saying that they were also Court
ladies. They were daughters of high Manchu officials and some were very
pretty and bright. The Young Empress told me that these ten (there were
just ten there) were never allowed to go near Her Majesty, as they were
just learning the court etiquette. They were all dressed very nicely in
pretty Manchu gowns, the same design as that worn by the Young Empress.

After I had been introduced to these young ladies and talked with them
a while, I went inside with the Young Empress and there met Sze Gurgur,
fourth daughter of Prince Ching and a young widow twenty-four years
of age, Yuen Da Nai Nai, widow of Her Majesty's nephew. Both were busy
getting things ready for Her Majesty. The Young Empress told us that
we must go at once to Her Majesty's bedroom and assist Her Majesty to
dress, so we went at once and courtesied to her and said: "Lao Tsu Tsung
Chi Hsiang" (old ancestor, all joy be with you). Her Majesty was still
in bed and smiled to us and asked us if we had slept well. We told her
the rooms were very comfortable, etc. I thought to myself, we had slept
very well for the little time we had, but I had not had half enough. The
day before had been very hard for us and we were quite unused to it and
it had made us very lame and sore running around so much.

She asked us if we had had any breakfast and we told her not yet.
She scolded Li for not having given the order for our breakfast to be
brought to our rooms and said: "You must not feel like strangers, order
anything you may want." Then she arose and started to dress. She put
on her white silk socks first, having slept in her pantaloons as is the
custom, and tied them at the ankle with pretty ribbon. I must tell you
here that although she always slept in her clothes, she changed them for
clean ones every day. Then she put on a pale pink shirt of soft material
and over that a short silk gown, that was embroidered with bamboo
leaves, as she always wore low heeled shoes in the morning and
consequently could not wear her long gowns. After she had dressed she
walked over to a window in front of which were two long tables covered
with toilet articles of every kind and description.

As she was washing her face and dressing her hair, she said to my mother
that she could not bear to have the servant girls, eunuchs, or old
women, touch her bed, that they were dirty, so the Court ladies must
make it. When she said this she turned to my sister and myself, we were
standing a little to one side, and said: "You two must not think for a
moment that the Court ladies do servant's work, but you know I am an old
woman and could easily be your grandmother and it will do you no harm to
work a little for me. When it comes your turn, you can superintend the
others and don't have to do the work with your own hands." Then Her
Majesty said to me: "Der Ling you are a great help to me in every way
and I make you my first lady-in-waiting. You must not work too much
for you will have to make all the arrangements for the audiences for
foreigners and you will have to interpret for me. I also want you to
look after my jewels and don't want you to do rough work at all. Roon
Ling (my sister) can choose what she likes to do. I have two more
besides you, Sze Gurgur and Yuen Da Nai Nai, making four altogether and
you must all work together. It is not necessary to be too polite to them
and if they are not nice to you, you let me know." Although I was very
happy at receiving this appointment, I knew that according to custom I
must refuse it, so I thanked Her Majesty very kindly for the honor
she had given me and said that I did not know enough to hold such an
important position and would prefer to be just an ordinary Court lady,
and that I would learn as quickly as possible to be useful to her.
She hardly let me finish what I was saying, when she laughed and said:
"Stop! don't say anything like that; you are too modest, which shows you
are very clever and not a bit conceited. I am surprised to see what a
perfect little Manchu lady you are, knowing even such small etiquette as
this, although you have spent many years outside of China." She was very
fond of making fun and liked very much to tease, and said that I could
try and if she saw that I could not do the work, she would scold me
and put someone else in my place. After all this that she had said,
I accepted the appointment and went over to her bed to see how it was
made, and I found that it was very easy work to do. As this would be
one of my duties, I watched while the bed was being fixed. First of
all, after Her Majesty had risen, the bedclothes were taken out into
the courtyard by the eunuchs and aired, then the bed, which was made of
beautifully carved wood, was brushed off with a sort of whiskbroom,
and a piece of felt placed over it. Then three thick mattresses made
of yellow brocade were placed over the felt. After this came the sheets
made of different colored soft silk, and over the whole thing was placed
a covering of plain yellow satin embroidered with gold dragons and blue
clouds. She had a great many pillows, all beautifully embroidered, which
were placed on the bed during the daytime; but had a particular one
stuffed with tea leaves on which she slept. It is said that stuffing
the pillow on which you sleep with tea leaves is good for the eyes.
In addition to all these, she had another very curiously shaped pillow
about twelve inches long in the middle of which was a hole about three
inches square. It was stuffed with dried flowers, and the idea of the
hole was that when she laid on it she could place her ear in this hole
and in this way hear any and every sound. I suppose in that way no one
could come on her unawares.

Besides this last yellow embroidered cover, there were six covers of
different colors, pale mauve, blue, pink, green and violet, and were
placed one on top of the other. Over the top of the bed was a frame
of wood handsomely carved and from this frame white crepe curtains,
beautifully embroidered, hung, and numerous little gauze silk bags
filled with scent were suspended from the carved work of the frame. The
odor from these bags was very strong and made one feel sick until they
became used to it. Her Majesty was also very fond of musk and used it on
all occasions.

It took us about fifteen minutes to make the bed, and when I had
finished, I turned around and saw that Her Majesty was dressing her
hair. I stood beside her Majesty while the eunuch was dressing it and
saw that as old as she was, she still had beautiful long hair which
was as soft as velvet and raven black. She parted it in the center and
brought it low at the back of her ears, and the back braid was brushed
up on the top of her head and made it into a tight knot. When she
had finished doing this, she was ready to have the Gu'un Dzan (Manchu
headdress) placed on and pinned through the knot with two large pins.
Her Majesty always dressed her hair first and then washed her face. She
was as fussy and particular as a young girl and would give it to the
eunuch if he did not get it just to suit her. She had dozens of bottles
of all kinds of perfume, also perfumed soap. When she had finished
washing her face, she dried it on a soft towel and sprayed it with a
kind of glycerine made of honey and flower petals. After that she put
some kind of strong scented pink powder on her face.

When she had completed her toilet, she turned to me and said: "It must
seem to you quite funny to see an old lady like me taking so much care
and pains in dressing and fixing up. Well! I like to dress myself up and
to see others dress nicely. It always gives me pleasure to see pretty
girls dressed nicely; it makes you want to be young again yourself." I
told her that she looked quite young and was still beautiful, and that
although we were young we would never dare compare ourselves with her.
This pleased her very much, as she was very fond of compliments, and
I took great pains that morning to study her and to find out what she
liked and what she didn't.

After this Her Majesty took me into another room and showed me where her
jewels were kept. This room was covered with shelves on three sides of
the room from top to bottom, on which were placed piles of ebony boxes
all containing jewels. Small yellow strips were pasted on some of the
boxes on which was written the contents. Her Majesty pointed to a row of
boxes on the right side of the room and said: "Here is where I keep my
favorite everyday jewels, and some day you must go over them and see
that they are all there. The rest are all jewels which I wear on special
occasions. There are about three thousand boxes in this room and I have
a lot more locked up in my safety room, which I will show you when I am
not busy." Then she said: "I am sorry you cannot read and write Chinese,
otherwise I would give you a list of these things and you could keep a
check on them." I was very much surprised at this and wondered who had
told her I couldn't. I was anxious to know, but did not dare to ask her,
so I told her that although I was not a scholar, I had studied Chinese
for some time and could read and write a little, that if she would give
me a list I would try and read it. She said: "That is funny, someone
told me the first day you were here, I forget now who it was, that you
could not read or write your own language at all." While she was saying
this, she was looking all around the room and I was sure she knew who it
was that had told her, but she would not tell me. Then she said: "When
we have time this afternoon, I will go over this list with you. Bring
me those five boxes on the first row of shelves." I brought the boxes to
her room and placed them on the table. She opened the first one and it
contained a most beautiful peony made of coral and jade and each petal
trembled like a real flower. This flower was made by stringing the
petals which were made of coral on very fine brass wire, also the leaves
which were made of pure jade. She took this flower and placed it on the
right side of her headdress. Then she opened another box and took
from it a magnificent jade butterfly made in the same way. This was an
invention of her own and it was done by carving the coral and jade into
petals and leaves and boring holes in the lower ends through which
brass wire was run. The other two boxes contained bracelets and rings of
different patterns. There was a pair of gold bracelets set with pearls,
another pair set with jade, with a piece of jade hanging from the end
of a small gold chain, etc. The last two contained chains of pearls, the
like of which I never saw before, and I fell in love with them at
once. Her Majesty took one which was made into a plum blossom string
by winding a circle of five pearls around a larger one, then one single
pearl, then another circle of five pearls around a large one, and so on,
making quite a long chain, which she suspended from one of the buttons
of her gown.

At this juncture one of the Court ladies came in carrying several gowns
for Her Majesty to select from. She looked at them and said that none of
them suited her, to take them back and bring more. I had a look at
them and thought they were perfectly lovely, such pretty colors and so
beautifully embroidered. In a short while the same Court lady came
back carrying more, and from these Her Majesty selected a sea-green one
embroidered all over with white storks. She put this gown on and looked
at herself in the mirror for a while, then took off her jade butterfly.
She said: "You see I am very particular about little details. The jade
butterfly is too green and it kills my gown. Put it back in the box and
bring me a pearl stork in No. 35 box." I went back to the jewel room and
fortunately found No. 35 box and brought it to her. She opened the box
and took from it a stork made entirely of pearls set in silver, the
bird's bill being made of coral. The pearls making the body of the bird
were so cleverly set that the silver could not be seen at all unless
one looked at it very closely. It was a most magnificent piece of
workmanship and the pearls were of perfect color and shape. Her Majesty
took it and placed it in her hair and did look very graceful and pretty.
Then she picked out a mauve-colored short jacket, also embroidered with
storks, which she put on over her gown. Her handkerchief and shoes
were also embroidered with storks and when she was entirely dressed she
looked like the stork lady.

Just as she had finished dressing, the Emperor Kwang Hsu came into the
bedroom dressed in his official clothes. These clothes were exactly like
other official clothes, except that he had no button on his hat and did
not wear the peacock feather. He knelt down before Her Majesty and said:
"Chin Baba, Chi Hsiang" (dear father, all joy be with you). It may seem
curious that the Emperor and all of us should call Her Majesty father,
and the reason why this was done was because Her Majesty always wanted
to be a man and compelled everyone to address her as if she were
actually one. This was only one of her many peculiarities.

I did not know whether to courtesy to the Emperor or not, not having
received any orders as to what I should do. However, I thought it better
to be too polite than not enough, so I waited until either he or Her
Majesty went out of the room, as we were not allowed to salute or
courtesy to anyone in her presence. In a little while the Emperor went
out and I followed him out into the hall and just as I was in the act
of courtesying Her Majesty came out. She looked at me in a very peculiar
way, as if she did not approve of what I had done, but said nothing. I
felt very uncomfortable and made up my mind that being too polite did
not always pay after all.

I then returned to the room again and saw a small eunuch placing several
yellow boxes on a table at the left side of the room. Her Majesty seated
herself in a large chair, which was called her little throne, and this
eunuch opened the boxes, took a yellow envelope from each box and handed
them to Her Majesty. She opened these envelopes with an ivory paper
knife and read their contents. They were memorials from the heads of the
different Boards, or from the Viceroys of the different Provinces. The
Emperor had come back and was standing at the side of this table and
after she had finished reading, she handed them over to him. While all
this was being done I stood at the back of her chair. I watched the
Emperor as the different papers were handed to him and noticed that it
did not take him very long to finish reading their contents. After he
was finished reading the papers, they were placed back in the boxes.
During all this time absolute silence was maintained. Just as they had
finished the head eunuch came in, knelt down and announced that Her
Majesty's chair was ready. She immediately got up and went out of the
house, we following her, and I took her arm while she was descending the
steps to go to her chair. When she had entered the chair to go to the
Audience Hall, the Emperor and Young Empress and we all followed in
our usual places, the eunuchs, amahs and servant girls carrying all the
things exactly the same as was done the first day I came to the Palace.
When we arrived at the Audience Hall, we took our places behind the big
screen and the audience commenced. I was very curious to find out just
how the audiences were conducted and wanted to listen to what was going
on, but the Court ladies would not leave me alone. However, when they
were all talking together with my sister, I stole away into a corner
where I could sit and rest and listen to the conversation between
the different Ministers and Her Majesty. Trust a woman for being
inquisitive.

The first part of the audience I could not hear very well, as so many
people were whispering and talking at the same time, but by peeping
through the carved-work of the screen, I could see a General talking to
Her Majesty. I also saw the members of the Grand Council come in headed
by Prince Ching, who was the Councillor-in-Chief. After the General had
finished, Her Majesty talked with Prince Ching about the appointment of
some minor officials, a list of whose names had been handed to her. She
looked over this list and spoke about several of the people, but Prince
Ching suggested some others, saying: "Although these people whose names
have been submitted to Your Majesty should receive appointments, those
that I have suggested are better fitted for the positions." Her Majesty
said: "All right, I leave it all to you." Then I heard Her Majesty say
to the Emperor, "Is that correct?" and he replied, "Yes." This finished
the Audience for the morning and the Ministers and Grand Councillors
took their leave. We came out from behind the screen to Her Majesty and
she said that she wanted to go for a walk to get some fresh air. The
servant girls brought her a mirror, placed it on a table, and Her
Majesty took off her heavy headdress, leaving the simple knot on the top
of her head, which was quite becoming. She wanted to change some of the
flower jewels and I opened a box which one of the eunuchs had brought
and took out some very dainty flowers made of pearls. I handed her one
which she placed at the side of this knot, then she selected a jade
dragonfly which she placed on the other side. She said these small
flowers were favorites of hers and she liked to wear them when she took
off her heavy headdress. I was watching her very closely and wondered
what I was going to do with the flowers she had taken off. I had not
brought the boxes to put them in, as I did not know she was going to
change again after the audience, and felt a little nervous as to what
was the right thing to do, or as to what she would say. However, I saw
a eunuch come in carrying these boxes and felt much relieved. I quickly
placed the things in the boxes where they belonged.



CHAPTER SEVEN--SOME INCIDENTS OF THE COURT

MY first day with Her Majesty was very trying as I did not know just
what she wanted or how she wanted things done, and no one seemed willing
to tell me; but by watching very closely I was soon able to grasp the
situation. After I had finished putting the things in the boxes I did
not know whether to take them back to the jewel room or not, or whether
to wait until Her Majesty ordered me, and again I was in a quandary. I
saw she was talking to my mother, so I waited a little time and finally
made up my mind I would risk it and take them back, which I did. As
I was returning I met Her Majesty in the big courtyard. She had just
changed her gown again and looked much shorter as she had also changed
her shoes for ones with lower heels. This gown was made of heavy
sky-blue crepe with no embroidery at all, just trimmed with pale pink
ribbons, and she looked very nice in it. When Her Majesty saw me, she
asked me: "Where have you been?" I told her that I had just been putting
her jewels away. Then she said: "Has anyone told you to put them away
as soon as I am finished with them? I forgot to tell you this morning,
although I had meant to." I said that no one had told me anything, that
I was afraid to have the eunuchs taking such valuable things here and
there, that I was sure that she did not want to use them any more, so I
thought it would be safer to put them away in the jewel room again. Her
Majesty looked at me and said: "I can see that these girls don't tell
you anything and I am very glad to see that you have done just the right
thing. That is why I thought someone must have told you what to do.
Anything you want to know you can ask me, but don't talk to these mean
people here." I could see from this that there must be some jealousy
among them and decided that I was well able to find my own way, as I
knew Her Majesty liked me and would help me out.

Her Majesty walked along a little way, then laughed and said to me:
"Don't I look more comfortable now? I am going for a long walk and take
lunch on the top of the hill. There is a nice place up there and I am
sure you will like it. Come, let us go."

The Emperor had gone back to his own Palace, and the head eunuch had
also disappeared. As we were walking along, Her Majesty was talking
and smiling as if she had never a care or trouble in the world, or any
important questions of state to settle. I thought from what I had seen
so far that she had a very sweet disposition. She looked back and said:
"Just see how many people are following us." I turned and saw the
same crowd that had accompanied Her Majesty earlier in the day to the
Audience Hall.

After passing out of the large courtyard on the West side, we came to a
large, long veranda running in a zig-zag fashion along the front of the
lake, and it was so long that I could not see the end of it. It was very
prettily made of solid carved work from one end to the other. Electric
lights were hanging from the ceiling at intervals, and when they were
lighted at night, made a beautiful sight.

Her Majesty was a very fast walker and we had to step lively to keep up
with her. The eunuchs and the servant girls walked on the right side and
only one of the eunuchs was allowed to walk behind us, and he was the
one who carried Her Majesty's yellow satin stool, which, like her dog,
went everywhere she did. This stool she used to rest on when taking a
walk. We walked for quite a long while and I began to feel tired, but
Her Majesty, as old as she was, was still walking very fast and did not
appear to be the least bit tired. She asked me if I liked the Palace and
whether I would be satisfied to live with her, etc. I told her that it
was a great pleasure for me to serve her, that it had been my dream
for years, and now that my dream had come true, I could not help but be
satisfied.

We finally arrived at the place where the marble boat was kept, and I
was about finished. I never saw such vitality in an old woman in my life
as Her Majesty had, and it was no wonder that she had ruled this vast
Empire of China so successfully for so many years.

This boat was magnificent, being one mass of carved work, but the inside
was all spoiled. Her Majesty showed us all over the boat, and whilst we
were looking at the ruin, she said: "Look at those colored glasses in
the windows and these beautiful paintings. They were all spoiled by the
foreign troops in 1900. I don't intend to have it repaired as I don't
want to forget the lesson I have learned and this is a good reminder."
After we had been standing there a few minutes, a eunuch who had been
carrying the famous satin stool, came forward, and Her Majesty sat
down to rest. While we were talking I noticed two large and very
fancy-looking boats approaching us, with several smaller ones coming
along behind. As they came nearer I saw that they were also very
beautifully made, and looked like floating pagodas of beautifully
carved natural wood. The windows of the pagodas were hung with red gauze
curtains and all was trimmed with silk. Her Majesty said: "There are the
boats. We must go over to the west side of the lake and have luncheon."
Her Majesty got up and walked to the edge of the lake, two eunuchs
supporting her, one at each side. She stepped into the boat and we all
followed her example. The inside of the boat was very nicely furnished
with carved ebony furniture with blue satin cushions, one with many
pots of flowers on both sides of the window. There were two more cabins
behind this sitting room. Her Majesty told me to go in to see those two
rooms. One little room was a dressing room full of toilet articles. The
other one had two couches and several small chairs for Her Majesty to
rest whenever she felt tired. Her Majesty sat on her throne and ordered
us to sit on the floor. The eunuchs brought in red satin cushions for us
to sit upon. To sit on the floor is all right for Chinese clothes, but
of course it was out of the question with Paris gowns, and I felt very
uncomfortable, but did not like to say so. I wanted to change into
Manchu clothes, for I knew they were comfortable and easy to work in,
but having received no order from Her Majesty, I did not dare to suggest
it. Her Majesty noticed how very uncomfortable we looked sitting on the
floor. She said: "You can stand up if you want to and just watch those
boats following us." I put my head out of the window and noticed the
Young Empress and several other Court ladies were in the other boat.
They waved to me, and I waved back. Her Majesty laughed and said to me:
"I give you this apple to throw to them." While saying this she took one
from the big plates that stood upon the center table. I tried very hard,
but the apple did not reach the other boat, but went to the bottom of
the lake. Her Majesty laughed and told me to try again, but I failed.
Finally, she took one and threw it herself. It went straight to the
other boat and hit one of the ladies' head. We all laughed quite
heartily. Then I began to enjoy myself. There were several open boats
full of eunuchs, and another one of servant girls, amahs and the rest
with Her Majesty's luncheon. The lake was beautiful and looked so green
in the sun. I told Her Majesty that this color reminded me of the sea.
She said: "You have travelled so much, and yet you have not had enough,
but are still thinking of the sea. You must not go abroad any more, but
stay with me. I want you to enjoy this sailing on this lake instead of
the rough sea." I promised her that I would be only too happy to stay
with her. I must say the truth, I did enjoy the lovely scenery, the
beautiful weather, superb sunshine, with Her Majesty so kind to me and
talking to me in such a motherly way made me love her more and more
every minute I was there. I was so extremely happy there that even Paris
pleasures had gone out of my memory entirely.

At last we arrived at another part of the lake. This was more of a
stream, very narrow, just wide enough for one boat to pass. On both
sides of the bank were planted drooping willow trees that reminded me of
the Chinese Fairy tales I have read. This time I saw the servant girls,
amahs, and also eunuchs carrying boxes, walking on both sides of the
shore. Only two boats were going then, the Young Empress' and ours.
Her Majesty said: "We will arrive at the bottom of the hill in a few
minutes." When we came near the shore I saw her yellow chair and several
red chairs waiting. We landed and walked to the chairs. I watched Her
Majesty get into hers and noticed this was not the same chair she used
this morning. This little one was, of course, of yellow, with yellow
poles, and two eunuchs carried it, with yellow rope across their
shoulders, and four eunuchs supported the poles, one on each corner of
the chair. They were just going to raise her chair up when she said: "Yu
tai tai (Lady Yu) I give you and your daughters special favor and give
you a red chair with red cord that I have given to only a few people."
The Young Empress looked at us, which I understood at once was meant for
us to kowtow to her, which we did, and waited until the Empress got into
hers. Then we went to search for ours. To my surprise our own eunuchs
were standing waiting beside our chairs. On the poles I noticed that
my name was written and I asked our eunuch the reason. He said that Her
Majesty gave the order the night before. It was a lovely ride going to
the top of the hill. I saw Her Majesty's chair in front, and the Young
Empress'. They looked to me quite dangerous in ascending that way, and
the men at the back of the chair had to raise the poles above their
heads so as to make the chair the same level in ascending. I was quite
nervous and was very much afraid that they might fall off and injure me.
Our eunuchs were walking beside our chairs. I said to one of them that
I was afraid the chair bearers might slip. He told me to look back of my
chair, which I did, and to my surprise they had the poles raised up also
above their heads, and I did not feel it at all. He told me that these
chair bearers practice for such purposes and that there was no danger
at all. It made my heart stop beating looking back and seeing the other
Court ladies in their chairs way below mine, the eunuchs and servant
girls walking, for fear I might fall off at any time. At last we arrived
at the top of the hill. We helped Her Majesty to alight and followed
her into the most lovely building I ever saw, the best one in the Summer
Palace to my idea (name of this pavilion, Ching Fo Ker). This Palace had
only two rooms, with windows on every side. One could see everywhere.
Her Majesty used one large one to take her luncheon in and the other as
a toilet room. I noticed that wherever we went we found Her Majesty's
toilet room. Her Majesty took us around the compound and showed us the
lovely flowers planted everywhere. One of the young eunuchs told me that
Her Majesty's dainties were ready. That was my first day of real work. I
went out and found two large yellow boxes of different kinds of candies
and fruits, as I have before mentioned. I carried two plates at a time,
and finished in nine times, placing them on a square table near her. She
was talking to my mother then about flowers. I noticed that although she
was talking, she was watching me at the same time. I placed the plates
upon the table very carefully, and already having noticed the day before
what were her favorite dishes, and placed these near her. She smiled
at me and said: "You have done it very nicely. And how do you know that
these are my favorites and have placed them near me? Who told you?" I
replied that no one had told me anything and that I had noticed the day
before what Lao Tsu Tsung liked (according to the Manchu custom one must
address a superior or one's parents in the third person). Her Majesty
said: "I can see you use your heart in everything (in China people say
heart instead of head) and are not like the crowd I have here; they
haven't the brains of a bird." She was soon busy eating, and gave me
some candies, and told me to eat right there in her presence. Of course
I never forgot to thank her, for I thought I had rather thank her too
much than too little. She told me: "Whenever I give you small things you
need not kowtow. Just say: 'Hsieh Lao Tsu Tsung Shang' (Thank the old
ancestor), that is enough." After a little while she finished eating,
and told me to take the dishes away. She said: "To-day is your day, so
these things are yours. Take them out and sit down on the veranda and
enjoy yourself. You see I could not eat all. There are lots of things
left. If you like you can tell your own eunuch to send them to your
room." I placed the little dishes back in the boxes and took them to the
veranda. There I placed them upon the table and told the Young Empress
to eat some. I did not know whether it was right to offer them to her or
not and thought I could not do her any harm, even if I tried. She said
all right, that she would eat some. I took a piece of candy and had just
put it into my mouth when I heard Her Majesty calling my name. I hurried
in and found her sitting at her table ready to take her lunch. She said:
"What else did Mdme. Plancon say yesterday? Was she really pleased? Do
you think they, the foreigners, really like me? I don't think so; on the
contrary I know they haven't forgotten the Boxer Rising in Kwang Hsu's
26th year. I don't mind owning up that I like our old ways the best, and
I don't see any reason why we should adopt the foreign style. Did any of
the foreign ladies ever tell you that I am a fierce-looking old woman?"
I was very much surprised that she should call me in and ask me such
questions during her meal. She looked quite serious and it seemed to
me she was quite annoyed. I assured her that no one ever said anything
about Her Majesty but nice things. The foreigners told me how nice she
was, and how graceful, etc. This seemed to please her, and she smiled
and said: "Of course they have to tell you that, just to make you feel
happy by saying that your sovereign is perfect, but I know better. I
can't worry too much, but I hate to see China in such a poor condition.
Although the people around me seem to comfort me by telling that almost
every nation feels very friendly towards China, I don't think that is
true. I hope we will be strong some day." While she was saying this I
noticed her worried expression. I did not know what to say, but tried to
comfort her by saying that that time will come, and we are all looking
forward to it. I wanted to advise her on some points, but seeing that
she was angry, I thought I had better not make any suggestions that
day, but wait until I had another opportunity. I felt sorry for her, and
would have given anything in the world to help her by telling what the
general opinion of her was so as to let her know the truth, which no one
dared to tell her. Something told me to be silent. I kept thinking all
the time she was talking to me, and finally made up my mind that the
time was not yet ripe for me to make any suggestion. I had grown to love
her very much, so I wanted to take care not to offend her; that would
probably finish my ambition. I wanted to study her first thoroughly and
then try to influence her to reform China.

I stood all the time while she was eating. She got up from the table
and handed me her napkin (this napkin was made of a piece of silk a yard
square, woven in many colors). One corner was turned in, and a golden
butterfly was fastened to it. It had a hook at the back of this
butterfly so as to hook on her collar. She said: "I am sure you must be
hungry. Go and tell the Young Empress and the rest of the people to come
and eat. You can eat anything you want from these tables, so eat all you
can." I was very, very hungry. Just imagine, I had been up since 5:00
o'clock and had only a light breakfast, and had walked a great deal.
It was almost noon when Her Majesty sat down at her table. She ate so
slowly, too. While I stood there talking to her I thought she would
never finish. She ate a good meal. The Young Empress stood at the head
of the table, and we all stood on either side. We did not like to be
forward, so we stood at the other end of the table. The food was very
much the same as the first day we were there. Her Majesty came out from
the inner room, had just finished washing her face and hands, and had
changed into another gown. This one was simple, but very pretty. It was
woven with pink and gray raw silks, which gave it a changeable light
whenever she moved. She came out and said: "I want to see you people
eat; why is it that you are standing at the end of the table, the best
dishes are not there? All of you come over here and eat near the Young
Empress." So we moved from our end of the table to the other. Her
Majesty stood near me, and pointed to a smoked fish and wanted me to try
it, as it was her favorite, and said: "Make yourselves at home. You know
you have to fight your own battles here with this crowd. Of course you
can come and tell me if anyone does not treat you fair." Her Majesty
then went out, saying that she would walk a bit. I noticed that some of
the court ladies did not look pleased, seeing that Her Majesty paid so
much attention to us. I could see they were a little jealous of me, but
that did not worry me in the least.

After we got through our luncheon, I followed the Young Empress, for it
was all so new to me, and I did not know what I must do--whether to join
Her Majesty or not. After seeing that they were jealous of me, I paid
strict attention to everything, so as not to make any mistake in doing
my work and let them have the satisfaction of laughing at me. I would
not give them the chance. I heard Her Majesty talking to the eunuchs who
looked after the garden, about some branches which ought to be cut down,
saying they were lazy. So we went to her. She said to us: "You see
I have to look after everything myself, if not, my flowers would be
ruined. I can't depend on them at all. I wonder what they are good for.
They ought to look around every day and cut down the dead branches
and leaves. They have not been punished for several days and they are
looking forward to it." She laughed and said: "I will not disappoint
them, but give them all they wish to have." I thought these people must
be idiots, looking forward to a whipping, and wondered who would whip
them. Her Majesty turned to me and said: "Have you ever witnessed such
an operation?" I told her that I had, having seen the convicts being
whipped at a Magistrate's Yamen when I was a little girl living at
Shansi (on the Yangtsze). She said: "That is nothing. The convicts are
not half so wicked as these eunuchs. Of course they deserve a heavier
punishment when they are bad." Her Majesty said that I should learn to
play dice with her, as she never had enough people to play with, so we
went back to the same room where she had taken her lunch. A square
table was in the middle of this large room and a little throne of Her
Majesty's, facing south (her favorite direction). Her Majesty sat on her
throne and said to me: "I will show you how to play this game. Do you
think you know enough Chinese to read this map?" I noticed a large map,
the same size as the table, and laid upon it, drawn in different colors.
In the center of the map was written the direction of the game. It said:
"This game is called the 'Eight Fairies Travel across the Sea.' The
names are Lu Hsien, Chang Hsien, Li Hsien, Lan Hsien, Hang Hsien, Tsao
Hsien and Hain Hsien. These seven were masculine fairies. Hor Hsien was
the only lady fairy." This map was the map of the Chinese Empire, and
the names of the different provinces were written on the drawing. There
were eight pieces of round ivory, about one inch and a half in diameter
and a quarter of an inch thick. The names of these fairies were engraved
upon them. This game could be played either by eight people or four
people, when each person had to take two fairies' places, instead of
one. A porcelain bowl was placed in the center of the map, to compare
the point by throwing six dice into the bowl. For instance, four people
play. One throws these six dice into the bowl and counts the points on
them. The highest that one could get was 36, and should 36 be thrown the
fairy should go to Hangehow to enjoy the beautiful scenery. This person
threw dice for Lu Hsien and had 36 points and placed this ivory piece of
Lu Hsien on Hangehow upon the map. The same person has to throw another
time for another fairy, so each person throws twice if four people play
the game, and once if played by eight. These different points count
different provinces. They are counted thus:--Six dice alike. One pair
in six dice, to three pairs. The lowest was the double 1, 2, 3. If
any unfortunate fairy got this he should go on exile and be left out
altogether. Any one of the fairies that travelled round the map to reach
the Imperial Palace, the first, was the winner.

I read this to Her Majesty. She seemed to be quite pleased, and said: "I
had no idea that you could read so well. This game was my own invention
and I taught three Court ladies to play. I had a very hard time teaching
them. I also taught them how to read Chinese in order to play the game,
but it took them so long to learn anything that I got quite discouraged
before I got through with them. I am sure you know how to play it
now." I was very much surprised to hear that these Court ladies were as
ignorant as this. I thought they must be excellent scholars, so did not
dare to show my knowledge of Chinese literature. We began to play the
game. Her Majesty was lucky. The two fairies held by her were way ahead
of ours. One of the Court ladies said to me: "You will be surprised to
see that Lao Tsu Tsung is always the winner." Her Majesty smiled and
said to me: "You will never be able to catch my fairies." She said: "You
are the first day here to play this game and if any of your fairies beat
any of mine I will give you a nice present, so hurry up." I thought
I could never get ahead of her fairies, for they were so far ahead
of mine, but I tried hard, as Her Majesty told me to call out for the
points I wanted. I did, but it came out something so different that it
amused her a great deal. I had no idea how long we were playing this
game. We counted who came next, and that was one of my fairies, so Her
Majesty said to me: "I was sure you could not beat me, as no one could.
Seeing that yours are next to mine, I will give you the present just the
same." While she was saying this she told a servant girl to bring her
some embroidered handkerchiefs. This girl brought several colored ones
to her, and she asked me what color I preferred. She handed me a pink
one and a pale blue one, all embroidered with purple wisteria, and said:
"These two are the best, and I want you to take them." I was just going
to thank her by bowing to the ground, but I found that my legs could not
move. I tried hard and succeeded finally, with difficulty. Her Majesty
laughed very heartily at me and said: "You see you are not accustomed to
standing so long and you cannot bend your knees any more." Although my
legs were sore I thought I had better not show it, but smiled and told
her that it was nothing, only my legs were a little stiff, that was all.
She said: "You must go and sit on the veranda and rest a minute." I was
only too glad to sit down, so I went to the veranda and found the Young
Empress sitting there with several Court ladies. The Young Empress said:
"You must be tired standing so long. Come and sit near me." My legs were
very stiff and my back was tired. Of course Her Majesty did not know how
uncomfortable we were while she was sitting on her cozy throne. Foreign
attire is out of the question for the Imperial Palace of Peking. I had
hoped that Her Majesty would tell us to change into our Manchu gowns. I
noticed that she asked many questions every day about foreign costumes,
and she said: "The foreign costume is not any prettier than ours and
I should say they must be quite uncomfortable round one's waist. I
wouldn't be squeezed that way for anything." Although she was saying
such things she did not suggest that we should give them up, so we had
to wait patiently for her orders. The Young Empress took her watch out
of her pocket, and said to me: "This game has lasted just two hours." I
said to her that it seemed to me longer than that. While we were talking
I saw our own eunuchs bringing four round boxes, made of thin board,
carried at each end of bamboo poles. They put them down near where we
sat, and one of them brought me a cup of tea. When my mother and sister
came the same eunuch brought another two cups, and there were several
Court ladies talking with us. This eunuch did not give them any. I
noticed at the other end of this long veranda there were another two
boxes, exactly the same as these, and a big tall eunuch made tea and
brought it to the Young Empress in a yellow porcelain cup, with a silver
saucer and a silver top cover. He did not give any to the others.

I was puzzled when one of the Court ladies sitting next to me said:
"Would you mind telling Wang (our head eunuch) to give me a cup of your
tea, just to save me the trouble to go and get it from the small room at
the end of this long veranda?" I gave her such a surprised look, for I
did not know that this was our tea, but I thought I'd just tell Wang to
bring her a cup, and find out afterwards the reason, for I would give
anything in the world rather than appear ignorant before those people.
While we were talking Her Majesty came out. Before she reached the
veranda I got up and told the Young Empress that Her Majesty was coming.
I saw her first because I sat facing her back hall. Her Majesty said to
us all: "It is almost three o'clock now, and I am going to rest a while.
Let us leave here." We all stood in a line for her to enter her chair,
and then we went to ours. It was quite a fast ride and we got out of
our chairs before arriving at the courtyard of her own Palace. We walked
ahead of her chair and formed into another line for her to alight. She
walked to her bedroom and we all followed. A eunuch brought her a cup of
hot water and another brought a bowl of sugar. She took her golden spoon
and took two teaspoonfuls of sugar and put it into her cup of hot water,
and drank it very slowly. She said: "You know before one goes to sleep
or ever lies down, sugar water will quiet one's nerves. I always take
it, and find it very good indeed." She took the flowers off from her
headdress and I fixed them back in their boxes at once, and placed them
in the jewel-room. When I came out of this jewel-room she was in bed
already, and said to us: "You all go and rest a while. I don't need you
now."



CHAPTER EIGHT--THE COURT LADIES

WE retired from her room, but I noticed that two of the Court ladies did
not come out with us. One of them said to me: "I am glad that I can rest
a bit to-day, for I have been sitting three afternoons in succession."
At first I did not know what she meant. Then she said: "Oh, your turn
has not come yet. We don't know whether you received the order or not.
You know two of us must stay with Her Majesty during her afternoon
siesta, to watch the eunuchs and the servant girls." I thought that was
the funniest thing I had ever heard of, and wondered how many people
would be in her room. The Young Empress said: "We had better go at once
and rest ourselves, otherwise Her Majesty will be up again before we get
the chance." Of course I had not the least idea how long she slept. So
we went back to our rooms. I did not realize how tired I was until I sat
down in my room. I felt finished and awfully sleepy at the same time,
for I was not used to getting up at 5 o'clock. Everything was so new
to me. As I sat there my thoughts wandered to Paris, and I thought how
strange it was that I used to go to bed at 5 o'clock after the dances,
and here I had to get up at such a time. All the surroundings seemed new
to me, seeing the eunuchs running here and there waiting on us, as if
they were chambermaids. I told them that I didn't need them any more. I
wanted them to go out of the room so that I could lie down a bit. They
brought us tea and different kinds of candies, and asked what else was
wanted. I was just going to change into a comfortable dress, when the
eunuch came in and informed me that "Yo ker lila" (visitors have come),
and two Court ladies came, and another girl of about seventeen came
in. I had seen her that very morning when I came to the Palace, busy
working, but I was not introduced to her. These two girls said: "We have
come to see you and also to find out if you are comfortable." I thought
they were kind to come and see me that way, but I did not like their
faces. They introduced this mean-looking girl to me and told me her
name was Chun Shou (Graceful Long Life). She did not look as if her life
would last long, being so thin and delicate. She looked sick and worn
out to me. I did not know who she was. She courtesied to me and I
returned to her, in a sort of half way. (I will explain about the
courtesy.)

(To Her Majesty, the Emperor and the Young Empress, we went down and
bent our knees, while we stood upright to the people of lower rank
than ourselves. In this case one must always wait while the inferior
courtesies first, and bend the knees a little bit in return. This was
the way I returned Chun Shou's courtesy to me.) The two girls then
said "Chun Shou's father is only a small official, so she has not much
standing at the Court. She is not exactly a Court lady, but she is not
a servant girl either." I almost laughed right out, to hear such a funny
statement, and wondered what she must be. I saw her sitting down with
the Court ladies that very morning, so of course I asked her to sit
down, too. These two Court ladies asked me if I felt tired, and how I
liked the Empress Dowager. I told them that Her Majesty was the most
lovely lady I had ever seen, and that I already loved her very much,
although I had only been there a few days. They looked at Chun Shou and
exchanged smiles. They did that in such a peculiar way that it annoyed
me. They asked: "Do you think you would like to live in this place, and
how long do you intend to stay?" I said I would love to stay long, and
would do my best to wait on Her Majesty, and be useful to her, for she
had been so kind towards us in the short time we had been there, and
besides, it was my duty to serve my sovereign and country. They laughed
and said: "We pity you, and are sorry for you. You must not expect any
appreciation here, no matter how hard you work. If you are really going
to do as you have said just now, you will be disliked by everybody."

I did not know what they were talking about, or what their conversation
referred to. I thought this was so strange that I had better put a stop
to it, so I immediately changed the subject. I asked them who dressed
their hair, and who made their shoes for them, as they had asked me.
They answered my questions by saying that their maids did everything for
them. Chun Shou said to these two girls: "Tell her everything about this
Palace, and I am sure she will change her mind when she actually sees
things for herself." I didn't like this Chun Shou, and her face didn't
impress me. She was a little bit of a thing, tiny head with thin lips.
When she laughed one could only hear the noise she made; no expression
was on her face at all. I was just going to say something to them, so as
not to give them the opportunity of gossiping, but found they were too
cunning. They noticed that I tried every way to stop them, so they said:
"Now let us tell you everything. No one else will know. We like you very
much and we want to give you some warning, so as to be able to protect
yourself whenever you are in trouble." I told them that I would take
great care to do my work and didn't think that I would ever get into
trouble. They laughed and said: "That makes no difference. Her Majesty
will find fault." I could not believe these things that they said, and
intended to tell them that I refused to hear such statements, but I
thought I had better listen to what they had to say first and not to
offend them, for I never believed in making enemies. I then told them
that it would be impossible for so sweet and kind-hearted a person like
Lao Tsu Tsung (the old ancestor) to find fault with such helpless girls
as we were, for we were her people, and she could do anything she liked
with us. They said: "You don't know, and have no idea how wicked this
place is; such torture and suffering one could not imagine. We are sure
that you think you must be happy to be with the great Empress Dowager,
and proud to be her Court Lady. Your day hasn't come yet, for you all
are new to her. Yes, she is extremely kind to you just now, but wait
until she gets tired of you and then see what she will do. We have had
enough, and know what the Court life is. Of course you must have heard
that Li Lien Ying (the head eunuch) rules this Palace behind Lao Tsu
Tsung's back. We are all afraid of him. He pretends that he cannot
influence Lao Tsu Tsung, but we always know the result after a long
conversation consulting how to punish anyone. If any of us do anything
wrong, we always go to him and beg him to help us out. Then he says he
has no power to influence Her Majesty, and also that he dare not tell
her much, for she would scold him. We hate all the eunuchs, they are
such bad people. We can see very plainly they are awfully polite to you
because they can see that you are in favor. To receive such rudeness
from them, constantly, as we do, is unbearable.

"Lao Tsu Tsung is very changeable. She may like one person to-day,
to-morrow she hates this same person worse than poison. She has moods,
and has no appreciation whatsoever. Even Chu Tzu, the Young Empress (Chu
Tzu means Mistress, that is to say she was mistress of us all, for the
Manchus were considered by the sovereign as slaves) is afraid of Li Lien
Ying, and has to be very nice to him. In fact, we all have to be polite
to him." They talked so long that I thought they would never finish.
About this time Wang came in and brought tea for us. Suddenly I heard
people howling in the distance, so I asked Wang what was the matter. The
girls were listening also and a eunuch came flying in and told us Lao
Fo Yeh chin la (The Great Buddha wakes up). The girls got up and said
we must all go to see her, so they went. I was not at all pleased with
their visit, and wished they hadn't come, especially as they told me
such horrible things. It made me quite sad to listen to the awful way
they talked about Her Majesty. I loved her the first day I was there,
and made up my mind to forget everything they had told me.

I was cross also because I didn't have time to change my clothes, and
had to go up to Her Majesty at once. I went into her bedroom, and found
her sitting upon the bed cross-legged, with a small table placed on the
bed in front of her. She smiled and asked: "Have you had a good rest?
Did you sleep at all?" I said that I was not sleepy, and could not sleep
in the daytime. She said: "When you are old like me, you will be able to
sleep at any time. Just now you are young, and fond of play. I think you
must have been on the hills to gather flowers, or walked too much, for
you look tired." I could only say "Yes." The two Court ladies who had
just been talking nonsense about Her Majesty came in, to assist in
handing her the toilet articles. I looked at them, and felt ashamed for
them to face her, after having said so many disagreeable things. Her
Majesty washed her face and combed her hair, and a servant girl brought
her fresh flowers, of white jasmine and roses. Her Majesty stuck them in
her hair and said to me: "I am always fond of fresh flowers--better than
jade and pearls. I love to see the little plants grow, and I water them
myself. I have been so busy ever since you came that I haven't been able
to visit my plants. Tell them to get the dinner ready and I will take a
walk afterwards." I came out of her room and gave the eunuch the order.
As usual we brought little dainties to her. By this time Her Majesty was
dressed and was sitting in the large hall, playing solitaire with her
dominoes. The eunuch laid the tables as usual, and Her Majesty stopped
play, and commenced to eat. She asked me: "How do you like this kind
of life?" I told her that I very much enjoyed being with her. She said:
"What kind of a place is this wonderful Paris I have heard so much
about? Did you enjoy yourself while you were there, and do you wish to
go back again? It must be hard for you people to leave China for three
or four years, and I suppose you were all pleased when you received the
order to come back, after your father's term was finished."

The only thing I could say was "Yes," because it wouldn't be nice to
tell her that I was awfully sorry to leave Paris. She said: "I think we
have everything in China, only the life is different. What is dancing?
Someone told me that two people hold hands and jump all over the room.
If that is the case I don't see any pleasure in it at all. Do you have
to jump up and down with men? They told me that old women, with white
hair, dance, too." I explained to her about the balls given by the
President, and all the private dances, and also all about the masquerade
balls, etc. Her Majesty said: "I don't like this masquerade ball because
you don't know whom you are dancing with if they are wearing a mask." I
explained to her how carefully the people issued their invitations, and
that anyone who behaved badly could never enter into high society.
Her Majesty said: "I would like to see how you jump, can you show me a
little?" I went in search of my sister, and found her busy talking to
the Young Empress. I told her that Her Majesty wished to see how people
dance, and that we must show her. The Young Empress and all the Court
ladies heard this, and all said that they also wished to see. My sister
said that she had noticed a large gramophone in Her Majesty's bedroom,
and that perhaps we could find some music. I thought that was a good
idea, and went to ask her for the gramophone. She said: "Oh, must you
jump with music?" I almost laughed when she said that, and told her it
was much nicer with music, as otherwise one could not keep in time.
She ordered the eunuchs to have the gramophone brought to the hall,
and said: "You jump while I take my dinner." We looked over a lot of
records, but they were all Chinese songs, but at last we found a waltz,
so we started to dance. We could see that a lot of people were looking
at us, who perhaps thought that we were crazy. When we had finished we
found Her Majesty laughing at us. She said: "I could never do that. Are
you not dizzy turning round and round? I suppose your legs must be
very tired also. It is very pretty, and just like the girls used to do
centuries ago in China. I know that it is difficult and one ought to
have any amount of grace to do it, but I don't think it would look nice
to see a man dancing with a girl like that. I object to the hand around
the girl's waist; I like to see the girls dance together. It would never
do for China for a girl to get too close to a man. I know the foreigners
don't seem to think about that at all. It shows that they are broader
minded than us. Is it true that the foreigners don't respect their
parents at all-that they could beat their parents and drive them out of
the house?" I told her that it was not so, and that someone had given
her wrong ideas about foreigners. Then she said: "I know that perhaps
sometimes one among the commonest class do that, and that people are apt
to take it wrong, and conclude that all foreigners treat their parents
that way. Now I see just the same thing done by the common people in
China." I wondered who had told her such nonsense and made her believe
it.

After we had taken our dinner it was just half-past five, and Her
Majesty said she would take a walk along the long veranda, so we
followed her. She showed me her flowers, and said that she had planted
them herself. Whenever Her Majesty went anywhere there was always a lot
of attendants following her, exactly the same as when she went to the
morning audiences. When we reached the end of this long veranda, which
took us a quarter of an hour to walk, Her Majesty ordered her stool to
be brought into one of the summer houses. These summer houses were built
of nothing but bamboo, all the furniture being made of different shaped
bamboo. Her Majesty sat down, and one of the eunuchs brought tea and
honeysuckle flowers. She ordered the eunuchs to give us tea also. Her
Majesty said: "This is my simple way of enjoying life. I love to see the
country scenery. There are a great many pretty places which I will
show you and I am sure that after you have seen them you will not like
foreign countries any more. There is no scenery in the world which can
beat the Chinese. Some returned Ministers from abroad said to me that
the trees and mountains in foreign countries looked ugly and savage. Is
that true?" I concluded right away that someone had wished to please
her by saying things about foreigners, so I told her that I had been in
almost every country, and had found lovely scenery, but of course it was
different from China. While we were talking Her Majesty said that she
felt chilly and asked: "Are you cold? You see you have your own eunuchs,
they are all standing around, and have nothing to do. Next time tell
them to carry your wraps along with you. I think that foreign clothes
must be quite uncomfortable either too warm or too cold. I don't see how
you can eat, having your waist squeezed that way." Her Majesty got up
and we all went on walking slowly towards her own Palace. She sat down
on her favorite little throne in the hall and started to play solitaire.
We came out on the veranda, and the Young Empress said to us: "You must
be tired, for I know you are not used to doing such hard work all day
long without stopping. You had better wear Manchu clothes, because they
are comfortable and easy to work in. Look at your long train; you have
to take it up in your hands while walking."

I told her that I would be only too pleased to change the clothes, but
that not having received an order from Her Majesty I could not make any
suggestions. The Young Empress said: "No, don't ask anything, and I am
sure Her Majesty will tell you to change by and by. Just now she wishes
to see your Paris gowns, because she wants to know how foreign ladies
dress on different occasions. She thought that some of the ladies came
to the Garden Party dressed in woolen clothes. We thought that foreign
ladies were not so extravagant as we are until we met Mdme. Plancon the
other day. Do you remember what Her Majesty said to you? 'That Mdme.
Plancon was so different from many ladies she had met, and also dressed
differently.'" It was a chiffon dress, with hand paintings, which Mdme.
Plancon wore, which pleased Her Majesty very much. While I was talking
with the Young Empress all the electric lights turned up, so I went to
Her Majesty to see if she needed anything. She said: "Let us play a game
of dice before I go to bed." We began to play the same thing as we had
done in the afternoon. Her Majesty won another game, this time it took
only an hour to finish the game. Her Majesty said to me: "Why can't you
win once?" I knew she wanted to tease, so I said that my luck was bad.
She laughed and said: "To-morrow you try to put your stocking on wrong
side out; that is a sure sign of winning." I told her that I would,
and I knew that pleased her. During the short time I was there I kept
studying her most of the while. I could see nothing would make her
happier than for me to obey her orders. Her Majesty said that she felt
tired, and that we must bring her milk. She said to me: "I want you to
burn incense sticks and bow to the ground every night to the Buddha in
the next room before I go to bed. I hope you are not a Christian, for if
you are I can never feel as if you are mine at all. Do tell me that you
are not." I did not expect that question at all, and I must say that it
was a very difficult question to answer. For my own protection I had
to say that I had nothing to do with the Christians. I felt guilty at
having deceived her that way, but it was absolutely necessary, and there
was no other way out of it. I knew that I had to answer her question
at once, because it would never do for her to see any hesitation, which
would arouse her suspicions. Although my face showed nothing, my heart
stopped beating for a while. I felt ashamed to have fooled her. The
earliest training I had was never to be ashamed to tell the truth. When
Her Majesty heard me say that I was not a Christian, she smiled
and said: "I admire you; although you have had so much to do with
foreigners, yet you did not adopt their religion. On the contrary, you
still keep to your own. Be strong and keep it as long as you live. You
have no idea how glad I am now, for I suspected you must believe in the
foreign God. Even if you don't want to, they can make you believe it.
Now I am ready for bed."

We helped her to undress, and I, as usual, put away her jewels, and
noticed she wore only one pair of jade bracelets to sleep. She changed
into her bed clothes and lay down between the silk covers and said
to us: "You can go now." We courtesied to her and withdrew from her
bedroom. Out in the hall there was on the cold stone floor six eunuchs.
They were the watchmen and must not sleep at all during the night. In
her bedroom were two eunuchs, two servant girls, two old women servants
and sometimes two Court ladies. These people also must not sleep. The
two girls massaged her legs every night, and the two women were there to
watch the girls, the two eunuchs to watch the two old women, and the two
Court ladies to watch them all, in case they did any mischief. They all
took turns, and that was the reason why sometimes two Court ladies must
sit overnight when it happened that the eunuchs were not reliable. Her
Majesty trusted the Court ladies the most. I was never more surprised
in my life than when one of these six eunuchs told me in the hall, for I
had asked what they were all doing there.

Later on one of the Court ladies said to me that it was customary for
them to take turns to attend at Her Majesty's bedchamber in the morning
to wake her up, and that I should take my turn the next morning and my
sister the following morning. While saying this she smiled in a most
peculiar way. I did not understand at the time, but found out later. I
asked her what I should do to wake Her Majesty, and she said: "There
is no particular way, you will have to use your own judgment; but be
careful not to make her angry. It was my turn this morning. I knew that
she was very tired, having had a very trying time the day before, so I
had to make a little more noise than usual when waking her. She was very
angry and scolded me dreadfully when she arose, as it was rather late.
This very often happens when Her Majesty gets up late, as she always
says that we do not make enough noise to wake her. However, I don't
think she will do this to you, just now, as you are new here; but wait
until you have been here a few months." What this Court lady said to me
worried me quite considerably; but from what I had seen of Her Majesty
so far, I could not believe that she would be angry with anyone who was
doing her duty properly.



CHAPTER NINE--THE EMPEROR KWANG HSU

THE next day I arose earlier than usual and dressed in a great hurry, as
I feared I might be late. When I got to Her Majesty's Palace there were
a few Court ladies there sitting on the veranda. They smiled and asked
me to sit down with them as it was still too early, being only five
o'clock. I had been told to wake Her Majesty at five thirty. The Young
Empress came up a few minutes later and we all courtesied and wished her
"good morning." After talking with us a few minutes, she asked if Her
Majesty was awake and which one of us was on duty that day. When I
informed her that it was my turn, she immediately ordered me to go to
Her Majesty's room at once. I went very quietly and found some servant
girls standing about and one Court lady, who was sitting on the floor.
She had been on duty all night. When she saw me she got up and whispered
to me, that now that I had come, she would go and change her clothes and
brush up a bit, and for me not to leave the room until Her Majesty was
awake. After this Court lady had gone, I went near to the bed and said:
"Lao Tsu Tsung, it is half-past five." She was sleeping with her face
toward the wall, and without looking to see who had called her, she
said: "Go away and leave me alone. I did not tell you to call me at
half-past five. Call me at six," and immediately went off to sleep
again. I waited until six and called her again. She woke and said: "This
is dreadful. What a nuisance you are." After she had said this, she
looked around and saw me standing by the bed. "Oh! it is you, is it? Who
told you to come and wake me?" I replied: "One of the Court ladies told
me that it was my turn to be on duty in Lao Tsu Tsung's bedchamber."
"That is funny. How dare they give orders without receiving instructions
from me first? They know that this part of their duty is not very
pleasant and have put it off on you because they know you are new here."
I made no reply to this. I got along as best I could that day and found
it no easy matter, as Her Majesty was very exacting in everything.
However, the next time I managed to divert her attention to things new
or interesting in order to take her mind off of what she was doing, and
in this way had much less trouble getting her out of bed.

My reader can't imagine how very glad we were to get back to our rooms,
and it was just 10:30 P. M. I was very tired and sleepy, so I undressed
and went to bed at once. I think that as soon as my head touched the
pillow I was asleep.

The following day there was the same thing, the usual audience in the
morning, of course busy all the time, which went on for fifteen days
before I realized it. I began to take great interest in the Court life,
and liked it better every day. Her Majesty was very sweet and kind to us
always, and took us to see the different places in the Summer Palace. We
went to see Her Majesty's farm, situated on the west side of the lake,
and had to cross over a high bridge to get there. This bridge is called
Tu Tai Chiao (Jade Girdle Bridge). Her Majesty often took us under this
bridge in a boat, or we walked round on the border. She seemed very fond
of sitting on the top of this bridge on her stool and taking her tea,
in fact this was one of her favorite places. She used to go and see
her farm once every four or five days, and it always pleased her if
she could take some vegetables and rice or corn from her own farm. She
cooked these things herself in one of the courtyards. I thought that
was good fun, and also turned up my sleeves to help her cook. We brought
fresh eggs also from the farm and Her Majesty taught us how to cook them
with black tea leaves.

Her Majesty's cooking stoves were very peculiar. They were made of
brass, lined with bricks. They could be moved anywhere, for they had
no chimneys. Her Majesty told me to boil the eggs first until they were
hard, and to crack them but to keep the shells on, and add half a cup of
black tea, salt and spices. Her Majesty said: "I like the country life.
It seems more natural than the Court life. I am always glad to see young
people having fun, and not such grand dames when we are by ourselves.
Although I am not young any more, I am still very fond of play." Her
Majesty would taste first what we had been cooking, and would give us
all to taste. She asked: "Do you not think this food has more flavor
than that prepared by the cooks?" We all said it was fine. So we spent
the long days at the Court having good fun.

I saw Emperor Kwang Hsu every morning, and whenever I had the time he
would always ask some words in English. I was surprised to learn that he
knew quite a bit of spelling, too. I found him extremely interesting. He
had very expressive eyes. He was entirely a different person when he was
alone with us. He would laugh and tease, but as soon as he was in the
presence of Her Majesty he would look serious, and as if he were worried
to death. At times he looked stupid. I was told by a great many people
who were presented to him at the different audiences that he did not
look intelligent, and that he would never talk. I knew better, for I
used to see him every day. I was at the Court long enough to study him,
and found him to be one of the most intelligent men in China. He was a
capital diplomat and had wonderful brains, only he had no opportunities.
Now a great many people have asked me the same question, if our Emperor
Kwang Hsu had any courage or brains. Of course outsiders have no idea
how strict the law is, and the way we have to respect our parents. He
was compelled to give up a great many things on account of the law. I
have had many long talks with him and found him a wise man, with
any amount of patience. His life was not a happy one; ever since his
childhood his health was poor. He told me that he never had studied
literature very much, but it came natural to him. He was a born musician
and could play any instrument without studying. He loved the piano, and
was always after me to teach him. There were several beautiful grand
pianos at the Audience Hall. He had very good taste for foreign music,
too. I taught him some easy waltzes and he kept the time beautifully. I
found him a good companion and a good friend, and he confided in me and
told me his troubles and sorrows. We talked a great deal about western
civilization, and I was surprised to learn he was so well informed in
everything. He used to tell me, time after time, his ambitions for the
welfare of his country. He loved his people and would have done anything
to help them whenever there was famine or flood. I noticed that he
felt for them. I know that some eunuchs gave false reports about his
character,--that he was cruel, etc. I had heard the same thing before
I went to the Palace. He was kind to the eunuchs, but there was always
that distinction between the master and the servants. He would never
allow the eunuchs to speak to him unless they were spoken to, and never
listened to any kind of gossip. I lived there long enough, and I know
just what kind of cruel people those eunuchs were. They had no respect
for their master. They came from the lowest class of people from the
country, had no education, no morals, no feeling for anything, not even
between themselves. The outside world has heard so many things against
His Majesty, the Emperor Kwang Hsu's character, but I assure my readers
that these things were told by the eunuchs to their families, and of
course they always stretched it out as far as possible in order to
make the conversation interesting. The majority of the people living in
Peking get all kinds of information through them. I have witnessed the
same thing many a time during my stay at the Palace.

One day during the time of Her Majesty's afternoon rest we heard a
dreadful noise. It sounded just like the firing off of fire-crackers.
Such a noise was quite unusual in the Palace for such things are not
allowed to be brought into the Palace grounds. Of course Her Majesty
woke up. In a few seconds time everyone became excited and were running
to and fro as if the building was on fire. Her Majesty was giving orders
and telling the eunuchs to be quiet, but no one listened to her and kept
yelling and running around like crazy people, all talking at the same
time. Her Majesty was furious and ordered us to bring the yellow bag
to her. (I must explain about this bag. It was made of ordinary yellow
cloth and contained bamboo sticks of all sorts and sizes and are made to
beat the eunuchs, servant girls and old women servants with.) This
bag was carried everywhere Her Majesty went, to be handy in case of
emergency. Everyone of us knew where this bag was kept. We took all the
sticks from the bag and Her Majesty ordered us to go to the courtyard
and beat the eunuchs. It was such a funny sight to see all the Court
ladies and servant girls each with a stick trying to separate the
excited crowd. On my part I thought I was having good fun so I laughed
and found the rest were laughing too. Her Majesty was standing on the
veranda watching us but she was too far away to see well and with all
that noise, we knew she could not hear us laughing. We tried our best
to separate the crowd, but were laughing so much we did not have enough
strength to hurt any of them. All of a sudden all the eunuchs became
quiet and stopped talking, for one of them saw the head eunuch, Li Lien
Ying, followed by all his attendants coming towards them. Everyone
of them became frightened and stood there like statues. We stopped
laughing, too, and turned back each with a stick in our hand, walking
toward Her Majesty. Li Lien Ying was having a nap, too, and had heard
the noise and had come to enquire what the trouble was and to report it
to Her Majesty. It seemed one of the young eunuchs caught a crow. (The
eunuchs hated crows, as they are considered an unlucky bird. The people
in China called eunuchs crows because they were very disagreeable. That
was the reason why the eunuchs hated them so.) They always set traps to
catch them and then tied a huge fire-cracker to their legs, set fire to
the cracker and then set the unfortunate birds free. Naturally the poor
birds would be glad to fly away and by the time the powder exploded
would be high up in the air and the poor bird would be blown to pieces.
It seemed this was not the first time the eunuchs had played this cruel
trick. I was told it always delighted them so much to see blood and
torture. They always invited others to drink some wine with them to
celebrate an occasion such as this. This cruel deed was always done
outside of the wall of the Audience Hall but that day the crow flew
towards Her Majesty's own Palace while she was sleeping and the powder
exploded while the bird was passing the courtyard. After the head eunuch
had told Her Majesty what had happened, she was very angry and ordered
that this young eunuch be brought in and receive punishment in her
presence. I noticed one of the head eunuch's attendants push the culprit
out from the crowd. The head eunuch immediately gave orders to lay this
man on the ground and two eunuchs stood on each side of him and beat him
on his legs with two heavy bamboo sticks one at a time. The victim never
uttered a word while this was going on. The head eunuch counted until
this man had received one hundred blows, then he gave orders to stop.
Then he knelt in front of Her Majesty waiting for her orders and at
the same time kowtowed on the ground until his head made a noise on the
stone steps, asking to be punished for his carelessness and neglect of
duty. Her Majesty said that it was not his fault and ordered him to take
the offender away. During all this time the offender was still on the
ground, and did not dare to move. Two eunuchs each took hold of a foot
and dragged him out of the courtyard. We were all afraid even to breathe
aloud for fear Her Majesty would say that we were pretending to be
frightened at witnessing this punishment, at the same time when it
was over we would go and gossip about how cruel she was. No one was
surprised at what had happened, as we were accustomed to seeing it
almost every day and were quite used to it. I used to pity them, but I
changed my mind very soon after I had arrived.

The first person I saw punished was a servant girl, she had made a
mistake about Her Majesty's socks and had brought two which were not
mates, Her Majesty finding that out, ordered another servant girl to
slap her face ten times on each cheek. This girl did not slap hard
enough, so Her Majesty said they were all good friends and would not
obey her orders, so she told the one who had been slapped to slap the
other. I thought that was too funny for anything and wanted to laugh
the worst way, but of course did not dare. That night I asked those two
girls how they felt slapping each other that way. The reason why I asked
them was because they were laughing and joking as usual immediately they
were out of Her Majesty's bedchamber. They told me that was nothing;
that they were quite used to it and never bothered themselves about such
small things. I in turn soon became used to it, and was as callous as
they were.

Now regarding the servant girls, they are a much better class of people
than the eunuchs. They are the daughters of Manchu soldiers, and must
stay ten years at the Palace to wait upon Her Majesty, and then they are
free to marry. One got married after my first month at the Court. Her
Majesty gave her a small sum of money, five hundred taels. This girl was
so attached to Her Majesty that it was very hard for her to leave
the Court. She was an extremely clever girl. Her name was Chiu Yuen
(Autumn's Cloud). Her Majesty named her that because she was so very
delicate looking and slight. I liked her very much during the short time
that we were together. She told me not to listen to anyone's gossip at
the Court, also that Her Majesty had told her she was very fond of me.
On the twenty-second day of the third moon she left the Palace, and we
were all sorry to lose her. Her Majesty did not realize how much she
missed her until after she had gone. For a few days we had nothing but
troubles. It seemed as if everything went wrong. Her Majesty was not
at all satisfied without Chiu Yuen. The rest of the servant girls were
scared, and tried their best to please Her Majesty, but they had not the
ability, so we had to help and do a part of their work so as not to make
Her Majesty nervous. Unfortunately, she stopped us, and said: "You
have enough to do of your own work, and I do not want you to help the
servants. You don't please me a bit that way." She could see that I was
not accustomed to her ways, for she had spoken severely, so she smiled
and said to me: "I know you are good to help them so as not to make me
angry, but these servants are very cunning. It isn't that they cannot do
their work. They know very well that I always select the clever ones to
wait on me in my bedroom and they don't like that, so they pretend to be
stupid and make me angry so that I will send them to do the common work.
The eunuchs are worse. They are all afraid to take Chiu Yuen's place.
Now I have found them out, and I will only keep the stupid ones to wait
on me from now." I almost laughed when I noticed that they all looked
serious for a moment. I thought these people must be really stupid, and
not lazy, but I had dealings with them every day and found them out all
right. The eunuchs don't seem to have any brains at all. They are such
queer people and have no feelings. They have the same mood all day
long--I should say they are in a cruel mood. Whenever Her Majesty gave
an order they always said "Jer" (Yes) and as soon as they got to our
waiting room they would say to each other: "What was the order? I have
forgotten all about it." Then they used to come to one of us who had
happened to be present when the order was given: "Please tell us what
the order was. I did not listen while Her Majesty was talking." We
used to laugh and make fun of them. We knew they were afraid to ask Her
Majesty, and of course we had to tell them. One of the eunuch writers
had to keep writing down the orders that had been given during the day,
for Her Majesty wanted to keep records of everything. There were twenty
eunuchs who were educated and they were excellent scholars. These had
to answer any questions which Her Majesty happened to ask them about
Chinese literature, while she had a good knowledge of it herself. I
noticed that it pleased her a great deal if anyone could not answer a
question, or knew less than she did. She took delight in laughing at
them. Her Majesty was also very fond of teasing. She knew that the Court
ladies did not know very much about literature, so she used to try it on
us. We had to say something whether it was appropriate to her questions
or not, and that would make her laugh. I was told that Her Majesty did
not like anyone to be too clever, and yet she could not bear stupid
people, so I was rather nervous, and did not know how to act for the
first three weeks I was there, but it did not take me very long to study
her. She certainly admired clever girls, but she did not like those who
would show their cleverness too much. How I won her heart was this way.
Whenever I was with her I used to fix my whole attention on her and
watched her very closely (not staring, for she hated that) and always
carried out her orders properly. I noticed another thing, and that
was that whenever she wanted anything to be brought to her, such as
cigarettes, handkerchief, etc., she would only look at the article and
then look at anyone who happened to be there at the time. (There was
always a table in the room, on which everything she needed for the day
was placed.) I got so used to her habits that after a short time I
knew just what she wanted by looking at her eyes, and I was very seldom
mistaken. This pleased her a great deal. She was strong-minded,
and would always act the way she thought was right, and had perfect
confidence in herself. At times I have seen her looking very sad.
She had strong emotions, but her will was stronger. She could control
herself beautifully, and yet she liked people to sympathize with
her--only by actions, not by words, for she did not like anyone to know
her thoughts. I am sure my readers will think how hard it was to be
the Court lady of Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager of China, but on the
contrary I enjoyed myself very much, as she was so interesting, and I
found that she was not at all difficult to please.

The first day of the fourth moon Her Majesty was worried over the lack
of rain. She prayed every day after the audience for ten days, without
any result. Every one of us kept very quiet. Her Majesty did not even
give any orders that day, and spoke to no one. I noticed that the
eunuchs were scared, so we went without our luncheon. I worked so hard
that morning, and was so hungry--in fact all the Court ladies were.
I felt sorry for Her Majesty. Finally she told me I could go, as
she wanted to rest a while, so we came back to our own quarters. I
questioned our own eunuch Wang as to why Her Majesty was worrying about
rain, for we were having lovely weather then, day after day. He told me
that Lao Fo Yeh (Old Buddha) was worried for the poor farmers, as all
their crops were dead without rain for so long. Wang also reminded me
that it had not rained once since I came to live at the Palace. I did
not realize that it was so long as two months and seven days, and on the
other hand it seemed to me longer than that, for the life was very nice
and pleasant, and Her Majesty was very kind to me, as if she had known
me for years already. Her Majesty took very little food at dinner that
night. There was not a sound anywhere, and everyone kept quiet. The
Young Empress told us to eat as fast as we could, which puzzled me. When
we came back to our waiting room, the Young Empress said to me that Her
Majesty was very much worried for the poor farmers and that she would
pray for rain, and stop eating meat for two or three days. That same
night, before Her Majesty retired, she gave orders that no pigs were to
be slaughtered within the gates of Peking. The reason of this was that
by sacrificing ourselves by not eating meat the Gods would have pity on
us and send rain. She also gave orders that everyone should bathe the
body and wash out the mouth in order that we might be cleansed from
all impurities and be ready to fast and pray to the Gods. Also that the
Emperor should go to the temple inside the Forbidden City, to perform a
ceremony of sacrifice (called Chin Tan). He was not to eat meat or hold
converse with anyone, and to pray to the Gods to be merciful and send
rain to the poor farmers. His Majesty, the Emperor Kwang Hsu, wore a
piece of jade tablet about three inches square, engraved "Chai Chieh"
(the meaning being just like Chin Tan-not to eat meat but to pray three
times a day), both in Manchu and Chinese, and all the eunuchs who went
with the Emperor wore the same kind of tablets. The idea was that
this jade tablet was to remind one to be serious in performing the
ceremonies.

The next morning Her Majesty got up very early and ordered me not
to bring any jewels for her. She dressed herself in great haste. Her
breakfast was very simple that day, just milk and steamed bread. Our own
breakfast was cabbage and rice cooked together, with a little salt. It
was tasteless. Her Majesty did not talk to us at all, except when giving
orders, and so, of course, we kept silent. Her Majesty wore a pale gray
gown, made very plain, with no embroidery or trimmings of any kind.
She wore gray shoes to match, not to mention her gray handkerchief. We
followed her into the hall where a eunuch knelt with a large branch of
willow tree. Her Majesty picked a little bunch of leaves and stuck it
on her head. The Young Empress did the same, and told us to follow her
example. Emperor Kwang Hsu took a branch and stuck it on his hat. After
that Her Majesty ordered the eunuchs and the servant girls to do the
same thing. It was a funny sight, and everyone did look queer with a
bunch of leaves on the head. The head eunuch came and knelt in front of
Her Majesty and said that everything was prepared for the ceremony in
the little pavilion in front of her own palace. She told us that she
preferred to walk, as she was going to pray. It took us only a few
minutes to cross the courtyard. When we arrived at this pavilion I
noticed a large square table was placed in the center of the room. A few
large sheets of yellow paper and a jade slab, containing some vermilion
powder instead of ink, with two little brushes to write with. At each
side of the table stood a pair of large porcelain vases, with two large
branches of willow. Of course no one was allowed to speak, but I was
curious and wanted to find out why everyone had to wear the willow
leaves on the head. Her Majesty's yellow satin cushion was placed in
front of this table. She stood there and took a piece of sandalwood and
placed it in the incense burner filled with live charcoal. The Young
Empress whispered to me to go over and help Her Majesty to burn them.
I placed several pieces in until she told me that was enough. Then Her
Majesty knelt on her cushion, the Young Empress knelt behind her, and we
all knelt in a row behind the Young Empress, and commenced to pray. The
Young Empress taught us that very morning how to say the prayer: "We
worship the Heavens, and beg all the Buddhas to take pity on us and save
the poor farmers from starving. We are willing to sacrifice for them.
Pray Heaven send us rain." We repeated the same prayer three times, and
bowed three times--nine times in all. After that Her Majesty went to her
usual morning audience. It was much earlier than usual that morning for
the Court was returning to the Forbidden City at noon. His Majesty, the
Emperor Kwang Hsu, was to pray at the Forbidden City and Her Majesty
always wanted to accompany him wherever he went. It was nine o'clock in
the morning when the audience was over. She ordered me not to bring any
jewels for her to the Forbidden City this time, for she would not need
them at all. I went to the jewel-room and locked everything up, and
placed the keys in a yellow envelope, sealed it, and placed the envelope
among the others, and gave them to a eunuch who takes care of these
things. We packed all her favorite things. Her gowns were the most
important things to pack, she had so many and it was impossible to take
all. I noticed that the Court lady who was looking after her gowns was
the busiest amongst us. She had to select gowns enough to last four or
five days. She told me that she had selected about fifty different ones.
I told her that Lao Tsu Tsung might stay at the Forbidden City four or
five days, and that she would not need so many gowns. She said it was
safer to bring many, for one was not sure what would be Her Majesty's
idea for the day. Packing at the Court was very simple. Eunuchs brought
many yellow trays, which are made of wood, painted yellow, about five
feet by four feet and one foot deep. We placed a large yellow silk scarf
in the tray, then the gowns, and covered them with a thick yellow cloth.
Everything was packed the same way. It took us about two hours to pack
fifty-six trays. These things always started off first, carried by the
eunuchs. His Majesty, the Emperor Kwang Hsu, the Young Empress and all
the Court ladies, had to kneel on the ground for Her Majesty's sedan
chair to pass the Palace Gate, then we went in search of our own chairs.
The procession as usual was pretty, soldiers marching in front of her
chair, four young Princes riding on horseback on each side of her, and
from forty to fifty eunuchs also on horseback behind her, all dressed in
their official robes. The Emperor's chair and the Young Empress' chair
were of the same color as Her Majesty's. The Secondary wife of the
Emperor had a deep yellow chair. The chairs of the Court ladies were
red, and were carried by four chair bearers, instead of eight like their
Majesties. Our own eunuchs also rode on horseback, behind us. We rode a
long time, it seemed to me, before I noticed the Emperor's chair begin
to descend from the stone-paved road, and we all followed him. I could
see that Her Majesty's chair was still going straight on, and we took a
nearer route to reach Wan Shou Si (The long life temple), to await Her
Majesty's arrival. We alighted from our chairs and started at once to
prepare Her Majesty's tea and her little dishes. I went to help her to
alight, and supported her right arm to mount the steps. Her Majesty
sat on Her Throne, and we placed a table in front of her and my sister
brought her tea. (The custom was, that if she went anywhere, or during
the festivals, we must bring to her everything, instead of the eunuchs.)
We placed all the dainties in front of her, and then we went to rest.
Her Majesty always stopped at this temple on the way from the Summer
Palace to the Forbidden City.



CHAPTER TEN--THE YOUNG EMPRESS

I THOUGHT of so many things while I was riding in my chair. It was a
glorious day. I felt sorry for Her Majesty, for she was very quiet
that day. Generally she was happy, and made everyone laugh with her. I
thought about the branches of willow, too, but could not understand the
meaning. I came out of the hall while Her Majesty was dining with the
Emperor, and found the Young Empress sitting in a small room on the left
side of the courtyard, with several Court ladies. When they saw me they
made signs for me to go there. I found them all drinking tea, and the
Young Empress said to me, "I am sure you must be tired and hungry.
Come and sit near me and have a cup of tea." I thanked her and sat down
beside her and we talked of what we saw on the roads and how we had
enjoyed our long ride. She said: "We have still an hour's ride before
we reach the Forbidden City." She also talked about the ceremony we
had performed that morning and said that we must all pray earnestly for
rain. I could not wait any longer, so I asked her what those branches of
willow meant. She smiled and told me that willow could bring water, as
the Buddhist religion believes, and that it was an old custom of the
Court wearing willow leaves, when praying for rain. She also told me
that we must perform the same ceremony every morning until the rain
came.

We heard Her Majesty talking in the courtyard, and knew that she had
finished her luncheon, so we went in with the Young Empress, and ate
what was left, as usual. I found the food very nice indeed, although it
seemed rather funny without having meat. We came out into the courtyard
and saw that Her Majesty was walking up and down. She said to us: "My
legs are so stiff, riding in the chair. I must walk a little before we
leave here. Are you all tired?" We told her that we were not tired, so
she ordered us to walk with her. It looked very funny to see us walking
round and round, Her Majesty in front, and we following her. Her Majesty
turned and smiled at us, and said: "We are just like horses taking their
rounds at a stable." It reminded me of a circus. Li Lien Ying came and
knelt down, and said that it was time for Her Majesty to depart, in
order to reach the Forbidden City at the lucky hour she had selected, so
we left Wan Shou Si. All the chairs went very fast, and after an hour's
ride we came near the Palace Gate. We followed the Emperor's chair,
taking a shorter route, and noticed the gate was wide open. His Majesty,
the Emperor, and the Young Empress' chairs went in, but we had to alight
and walk in. There were small chairs waiting for us. (As I explained
before these little chairs were carried by eunuchs, with a rope across
their shoulders.) We came to the courtyard of the Audience Hall where
the Emperor and the Empress were waiting for us. As usual His Majesty
knelt in front. Behind him was the Young Empress, and we knelt in a row
behind her, waiting to welcome Her Majesty to her Palace. She went to
her room where the eunuchs had placed everything in order long before
her arrival. We held the ceremony that afternoon and evening. After Her
Majesty had retired we came back to our rooms and found that everything
was in order, our eunuchs had made up our beds already. It was very nice
to have them, for we could not do our own work at all. I was so tired
and my limbs were stiff. I immediately went to sleep and did not realize
how long I had slept until I heard someone knocking at my window. I got
up and pulled the blind away. I noticed that the sky looked dull and
thought it was clouded. I felt happy, and thought it might rain, and
so relieve Her Majesty. I got dressed in great haste, but much to my
disappointment I saw the sunshine on the opposite windows.

The Palace in the Forbidden City was so old, and built in such a queer
way. The courtyards were small, and the verandas very broad. All the
rooms were dark. No electric light. We had to use candle light. One
could not see the sky except by going into the courtyard and looking
up. I found that I had risen before the sun was up, and I was not quite
awake yet, and thought the sky was clouded. I went to Her Majesty's own
Palace and found the Young Empress already there. She was always the
first and always looked so tidy I often wondered how early she had to
get up. She told me that I was not late, although Her Majesty was
awake but not up yet. I went into her bedroom and made my usual morning
courtesy to her. The first thing she asked me was about the weather. I
had to tell her the truth--that there was no sign of rain. Her Majesty
got up, dressed, and had her breakfast as usual, and told us there
would be no audience that morning. The Emperor went to the Temple,
sacrificing, and there was nothing important to attend to. We prayed for
three days in succession, but no rain came. I found that Her Majesty was
truly discouraged, and ordered each of us to pray twenty times a day.
We marked a spot with vermilion powder and a little water on big yellow
sheets of paper each time we prayed.

On the sixth day of the fourth moon the sky was clouded. I ran to Her
Majesty's bedroom that morning to tell her the news, but found that
someone had told her already. She smiled, and said to me: "You are not
the first one to give me the good news. I know everyone of you wanted to
be the first to tell me. I feel very tired today, and wish to lie down
a little longer. You can go, and I will send for you when I am ready
to get up." When I went to search for the Young Empress I found all the
Court ladies there also. They all asked me if I had noticed the rain. We
came out of the waiting room and found that the courtyard was wet, and
after a while it rained very fast. Her Majesty got up, and we prayed as
usual. Fortunately the rain did not stop, but came pouring down all that
day.

Her Majesty played solitaire with the dominoes, and I stood at the back
of her chair watching her. I saw that the Young Empress and all the
girls were standing on the veranda. Her Majesty saw them, too, and said
to me: "Go and tell them to wait in the waiting room. Can't they
see that the veranda is wet?" I went to them, but before I had the
opportunity of telling them anything the Young Empress told me that the
waiting room was wet, and that the water had gone in. As I said before,
this building was very old, and there were no drains at all. Her
Majesty's own Palace was high; it had twelve steps, while our waiting
room, which was on the left side of her Palace, was built right on the
ground, with no raised foundation at all. While I was talking on the
veranda just for a few minutes, I got quite wet. Her Majesty knocked at
her glass window and told us to go in. Now I must explain that none of
us, not even the Young Empress could enter Her Majesty's Palace without
her orders except we had work to do there, or were on duty. Her Majesty
was very happy that day. She laughed and said that we looked as if we
had just been pulled out of the lake. The Young Empress had on a pale
blue gown, and the red tassel on her headdress was dripping red water
all over her gown. She smiled and said to us: "Look at those girls;
their gowns are all spoiled." While we were talking, Her Majesty gave us
orders for us to change our clothes.

After they had gone, I went back to Her Majesty. She looked at me and
said: "You are wet also, only your clothes do not show." I had on a
cashmere dress which was made very plain. She touched my arm and said:
"How wet you are. You had better change, and put on a thick dress. I
think foreign clothes must be very uncomfortable; the waist is too small
and it seems to me out of proportion to the rest of the body. I am
sure that you will look much prettier in our Manchu gown. I want you to
change and put your Parisian clothes away as souvenirs. I only wanted to
know how foreign ladies dressed and now I have seen enough. The Dragon
Boat Festival will be here next month and I will make some pretty gowns
for you." I thanked her by kowtowing to the ground and told her that
I would be only too pleased to change into Manchu clothes, but having
lived so many years abroad, and having always worn foreign clothes,
I had not had any made. We were planning to change into Manchu gowns
before coming to the Court, but we had received orders that Lao Tsu
Tsung wished to see us in foreign clothes. I was very glad when I
received that order as there were several reasons why I wanted to wear
Manchu gowns. First, the Court ladies at the beginning treated us as
outsiders. Secondly, I knew that Her Majesty did not like them, and
besides, we were very uncomfortable living at the Palace in Peking, and
made up our minds that we must wear Manchu clothes, which were made for
it. We had so much work to do, and having to stand most of the time one
absolutely needed loose garments. Her Majesty ordered one of the eunuchs
to bring one of her dresses for me to try on, so I went back to my own
room, and took off my wet clothes and changed. I tried on her gown, but
it was too loose for me. The length was quite all right and so were the
sleeves. Her Majesty told one of the eunuch writers to write down my
measurements in order to have a gown made for me, and said she was sure
it would fit me. She did the same thing for my mother and sister, and
ordered our gowns to be made at once. I knew she was pleased, as she
told me what color would suit me the best. She said that I should always
wear pink and pale blue, for they suited, and were her favorite colors,
too. She also talked about our headdress, and ordered some made the same
as worn by the other Court ladies. She said to me: "I know you can
wear my shoes, for I tried yours on the first day you came, don't you
remember? I must select a lucky day for you to become a Manchu once
more," she said this with a smile, "and no more foreign clothes after
that." She took her special book for lucky days and hours, and studied
it a little while, then she said the eighteenth of that month was the
best. Li Lien Ying, the head eunuch knew how to please Her Majesty, and
said he would give orders to have everything ready for us at that time.
Her Majesty told us the way we must have our hair dressed, and what kind
of flowers we should wear, in fact she was very happy arranging to make
us into Manchus. A short while after she dismissed us for the day. It
rained for three days without stopping. The last day the Emperor came
back, and all ceremonies ceased. Her Majesty never liked to stay in the
Forbidden City, and I was not a bit surprised, as I hated the place.
We had to use candles to dress by, in the morning, as the rooms were in
absolute darkness even in the middle of the afternoon. It rained so much
that finally Her Majesty said she would return to the Summer Palace the
next day, whether it was raining or not, and we were all very glad to
go.

We returned to the Summer Palace on the seventh. It was a dull day, but
no rain. We packed everything in just the same way we had done when
we came, and stopped at Wan Shou Si and had our luncheon. That day we
commenced to eat meat again. I noticed that Her Majesty enjoyed her meal
very much. She asked me if I liked the food without meat, and I told her
that everything was nicely done and that I enjoyed the food very much,
although without meat. She told me that she could not eat that kind of
food and enjoy it, and that if it were not necessary to make sacrifice
she would not have abstained.

The first garden party of the year was given by the Empress Dowager to
the ladies of the Diplomatic Corps, in the fourth moon. This year Her
Majesty desired to deviate a little from previous custom, and issued
orders that stalls should be arranged in the garden, on a similar
principal to a bazaar, on which were to be displayed curios, embroidered
work, flowers, etc., etc. These were to be given as presents to the
guests. The guests were: Mrs. Conger, wife of the American Minister,
Mrs. Williams, wife of Chinese Secretary of the American Legation,
Madame and Mademoiselle de Carcer, wife and daughter of the Spanish
Minister, Madame Uchida, wife of the Japanese Minister, and a few ladies
of the Japanese Legation, Madame Almeida, wife of the Portuguese
Charge d' Affaires, Madame Cannes, wife of the Secretary of the French
Legation, the wives of several French Officers, Lady Susan Townley,
wife of the First Secretary of the British Legation, two ladies from the
German Legation, wives of German Officers, and wives of a few Customs
Officials. On this occasion Her Majesty selected a most beautiful gown
of peacock blue, embroidered all over with phoenix. The embroidery was
raised and each phoenix had a string of pearls two inches long sewed
into its mouth. Whenever Her Majesty stirred, these strings of tiny
pearls moved forwards and backwards and it made a very pretty effect.
Of course, she wore her jade phoenix on her hair as usual and shoes
and handkerchief embroidered with the same pattern. My mother wore a
lavender silk gown, trimmed with silver braid, her hat was of the same
shade with plumes to match. My sister and myself wore pale blue Chinese
silk gowns with insertion and medallions of Irish crochet and trimmed
with tiny velvet bands. We wore blue hats with large pink roses. All the
Court ladies dressed in their most picturesque gowns and it was a very
pretty sight to see the procession walking to the Audience Hall.

Her Majesty was in her happiest mood that morning and said to us: "I
wonder how I would look in foreign clothes; my waist is very small, but
wearing this kind of loose gown it would not show. I don't think I would
need to squeeze myself so tight, either, but I don't think there is
anything in the world prettier than our Manchu gowns."

First the guests were received in audience by Their Majesties. They were
accompanied by the Doyen, Baron Czikann, Minister for Austria, and an
interpreter from each Legation. On entering the Audience Hall all the
guests stood in line and the Doyen presented a short address to
Their Majesties. This was translated to Prince Ching, who, in turn,
communicated it to the Emperor. The Emperor made a suitable reply in
Chinese which was translated by the Doyen's interpreter. Then the Doyen
mounted the steps of the dais and shook hands with Their Majesties, the
rest of the guests being presented in turn. I was standing at the right
hand of the Empress Dowager and as each guest came forward, called out
their names, and the Legation which they represented. Her Majesty had
a few words for everyone, and when she saw a new face she would ask how
long they had been in China; whether they liked it, etc., etc. All these
conversations I interpreted for Her Majesty. As the guests finished
paying their respects they passed along and remained standing in the
Hall until everybody had been presented.

The interpreters, who did not take part in this ceremony but had
remained standing in the Hall until it was over, were then conducted
by Prince Ching to another part of the Palace, where refreshments were
provided for them. After they had gone out Their Majesties descended
from the dais and mixed with the guests.

The formal ceremony now being concluded, chairs were brought in and
everybody made themselves comfortable. Tea was brought in by the
eunuchs and after a few minutes' conversation, we all adjourned to
the refreshment room, with the exception of the Empress Dowager, the
Emperor, the Young Empress and the Secondary wife. In the absence of Her
Majesty, the Imperial Princess (The Empress Dowager's adopted daughter)
officiated as hostess, Mrs. Conger sitting at her right and Madame de
Carcer, wife of the Spanish Minister, on her left. The food was all
Chinese, but knives and forks were provided for the use of the guests.
During the luncheon the Imperial Princess stood up and spoke a few
words of welcome, which I translated into English and French. After the
luncheon was over we adjourned to the garden where Their Majesties were
awaiting us. A brass band was playing European airs.

Her Majesty led the way around the gardens, passing the various stalls
on the way, where the ladies would stop and admire the different
articles, which were later presented to them as souvenirs of the
occasion. On arriving at a teahouse which had been erected in the
gardens, everybody rested and partook of tea. Their Majesties then
wished everybody good-bye and the guests were then conducted to their
chairs and took their departure.

As usual, we reported to Her Majesty everything that had taken place and
how the guests had enjoyed themselves. She said: "How is it that these
foreign ladies have such large feet? Their shoes are like boats and
the funny way they walk I cannot say I admire. I haven't yet seen one
foreigner with pretty hands. Although they have white skins, their faces
are covered with white hair. Do you think they are beautiful?" I replied
that I had seen some American beauties when I was abroad. Her Majesty
said: "No matter how beautiful they are they have ugly eyes. I can't
bear that blue color, they remind me of a cat." After a few more
remarks, she ordered us to retire, saying that we must be tired. We
were rather used up and glad of an opportunity to rest, so made our
courtesies and retired.

We had been at the Palace more than two months, and I had had no
opportunity to see my father at all, who was quite ill at that time.
We did not know whether we could ask leave of absence from the Court. I
received letters from my father every day, telling me to have courage,
and to do my duty. My mother asked the Young Empress if it would be
correct to ask Her Majesty for permission to go home for a day or two.
The Young Empress told us that it would be quite all right to do that,
but she thought it would be better if we could wait until after the
eighth, for there would be a feast on that day. The eighth day of the
fourth moon every year is the ceremony of eating green peas. According
to the Buddhist religion there is a hereafter which divides or grades,
according to the life that is lived on earth, that is to say, those who
live good lives go to Heaven when they die and those who are bad go to a
bad place to suffer. On this occasion Her Majesty sent to the people she
liked, each a plate containing eight peas, and we had to eat them. The
Young Empress told me that if I presented a plate of peas to Her Majesty
it would please her, which I did. This meant: "May we meet in the
hereafter" (Chi Yuen Dou). Her Majesty was very happy that day. We went
to the west side of the lake and had our luncheon there. Her Majesty
talked to us about the first day we came to the Court, and then said to
mother: "I wonder if Yu Keng is any better. When will he be able to come
to the Court? I haven't seen him since he returned from France." (My
father had asked three months leave of absence from the Court on account
of his poor health.) My mother answered and said that he was feeling
better, but that his legs were still very weak, and he could not walk
much. Her Majesty then said to us: "Oh, I have forgotten to tell you
that if you wish to go home, you can ask permission. I have been so busy
lately, and forgot to remind you." We thanked her and told her that we
would like to go home and see how my father was, so she gave orders that
we should leave the Court the next day. Then she asked me how long I
would like to stay at home, and of course I knew the custom, and told
her that I was waiting for her orders: "Would two or three days be
enough?" We told her that it suited us beautifully. I was so surprised
when she mentioned it to us, and wondered if anyone had told her of our
intentions, or if Her Majesty was a mind reader.

When she retired that afternoon I went to see the Young Empress, who
was always very nice and kind, and asked me to sit near her. Her eunuch
brought me a cup of tea. Her rooms were furnished exactly the same as
Her Majesty's, but everything looked extremely dainty, and showed very
good taste. We talked about the life at the Palace for a long time, and
she told me that she was very fond of us, and so was Her Majesty. I told
her that Her Majesty had mentioned to us about going home for two or
three days and that I was surprised to see how thoughtful she was. She
said that someone had reminded Her Majesty to let us go home, for we had
been at the Court for more than two months. I found out afterwards that
it was the head eunuch Li who had heard that we were anxious to go. The
Young Empress said to me: "I want to teach you to be wise, that is,
you are ordered to leave the Court to-morrow, but Her Majesty did not
mention any particular hour. You must not talk about it to anyone, and
don't show that you are excited to go home. Don't dress as if you are
going out to-morrow, but be natural and do your work as if you don't
care about going at all. Don't you remind her, in case she forgets to
tell you to go, and come back on the second day, which is the custom. It
will show that you are anxious to see Her Majesty, so you come back
one day earlier than the appointed time." I was so happy to get this
information and asked her if it would be all right to bring Her Majesty
some presents when we returned to the Court. She said that was just the
proper thing to do. The next day we did the same work, and went to the
Audience Hall with Her Majesty, as usual. After the audience was over
Her Majesty ordered her luncheon to be served at the country teahouse.
This teahouse was built in country style, and right on top of her peony
mountain, with bamboo and straw, and all the furniture was made of
bamboo also. They were beautifully made, and the frames of the
windows were carved into a line of characters--Shou (long life), and
butterflies, with pink silk curtain hangings. At the rear of this
exquisite little building was a bamboo shade, with railings all around,
hung with red silk lanterns. The seats were built against the railings,
so that one could sit on them comfortably. This was supposed to be
used by the Court ladies as their waiting room. We played dice with Her
Majesty when luncheon was over. We played a very long time, and I won
the game that day. Her Majesty laughed and said to me: "You have luck
to-day. I think you are so happy to go home that your fairies have
helped you to win the game." As I mentioned before, this game was called
"Eight Fairies Going across the Sea." "I think it is time for you to go
now." While saying this she turned and asked one of the eunuchs what the
time was, and he answered that it was half-past two. We kowtowed to Her
Majesty, and stood waiting for more orders. Then she said: "I am sorry
to see you go although I know you are coming back within two or three
days. I know I shall miss you." To my mother she said: "Tell Yu Keng to
take care of his health and get well soon. I have ordered four eunuchs
to accompany you, and am sending some of my own rice for him." We had
to kowtow again in thanking Her Majesty for her kindness and finally she
said: "Nemen tzowba" (you can go now).

We withdrew, and found the Young Empress on the veranda. We courtesied
to her, and said good-bye to the Court ladies and came to our rooms
to get ready to start. Our eunuchs were very good, and had everything
packed up ready for us. We gave ten taels to each of our eunuchs, for
that was the custom, and gave four taels to each chair bearer of the
Palace. When we arrived at the Palace Gate our own chairs were waiting
for us. We said good-bye to our eunuchs. Strange to say they seemed
attached to us and told us to come back soon. The four eunuchs ordered
by Her Majesty to see us home were there, and as soon as we got into our
chairs I saw them riding on horseback beside us. It seemed to me just
like a dream the two months I had spent at the Court, and I must say I
felt very sorry to leave Her Majesty, but at the same time I wanted very
much to see my father. We got home after a two hours' ride, and found
him looking much better, and one can imagine how happy he was to see us.
The four eunuchs came into our parlor, and placed the yellow bag of rice
on the table. My father thanked Her Majesty by kowtowing to the ground.
We gave these eunuchs each a little present, and they departed.

I told my father about my life at the Palace, and how very kind Her
Majesty was to me. He asked me if I could influence Her Majesty to
reform some day, and hoped he would live to see it. Somehow or other I
had the idea that I could and promised him that I would try my best.

Her Majesty sent two eunuchs to see us the next morning, and also sent
us food and fruits. They told us that Her Majesty missed us, and had
told them to ask if we missed her. We told these eunuchs that we were
returning to the Court the next day. We stayed at home only two days and
a great many people came to see us, and kept us busy all the time. My
father suggested that we should start from the house at about 3:00 A.
M., so as to get to the Summer Palace before Her Majesty was up. We left
our house at 3:00 A. M. in total darkness, just like we had two months
before. What a change. I thought I was the happiest girl in the world.
I was told by many people, especially by the Young Empress, that Her
Majesty was extremely fond of me. I had also heard that she did not care
for young people at all. Although I was happy, I noticed that some of
the Court ladies did not like me, and they made me uncomfortable on many
occasions by not telling me just the way Her Majesty wanted the work to
be done. They smiled to each other whenever Her Majesty was saying to
my mother that she liked me, and that I was always careful in doing
anything that pleased her. I knew I was going to see those people again.
However, I made up my mind to fight my battles alone. I only wished to
be useful to Her Majesty, and would not take any notice of them.

It was a little after five o'clock when we reached the Summer Palace.
Our own eunuchs were very happy to see us again and told us that Her
Majesty was not up yet and that we had time to go to our rooms, where
they had some breakfast prepared for us. We went to see the Young
Empress first, and found she was ready to go to Her Majesty's Palace.
She was also very glad to see us, and told us that our Manchu costumes
were all ready, and that she had seen them and they were perfectly
lovely. We were very hungry, and enjoyed our breakfast immensely. After
that we went to see Her Majesty. She was awake, so we went into her
bedroom. We greeted her the same way that we did every morning, and
kowtowed to her and thanked her for all the things she had sent us while
we were at home. She sat up on the bed, smiled, and said: "Are you glad
to come back? I know everyone who comes to me and stays for a while
does not like to go away from here any more. I am glad to see you (to
my mother). How is Yu Keng?" My mother told her that my father was much
better. She asked us what we did for those two days, staying at home.
She also wanted to know whether we still remembered which day she had
chosen for us to change into our Manchu costume. We told her we knew the
date, and were looking forward to it. The eunuchs brought in three
large yellow trays, full of beautiful gowns, shoes, white silk socks,
handkerchiefs, bags for nuts, in fact the whole set, including the gu'un
dzan (Manchu headdress). We kowtowed to her, and told her we were very
much pleased with everything she had given us. Her Majesty told the
eunuchs to bring everything out for us to see. She said to us: "You see
I give you one full official dress, one set of Chao Chu (amber heads),
two embroidered gowns, four ordinary gowns for everyday wear, and two
gowns for Chi Chen wear (the anniversary of the death of an Emperor or
Empress), one sky blue, the other mauve, with very little trimming.
I also have a lot of underwear for you." I was excited and told Her
Majesty that I would like to commence to dress up at once. She smiled,
and said: "You must wait until the day comes, the lucky day I have
selected for you. You must try to fix your hair first, which is the most
difficult thing to do. Ask the Young Empress to teach you." Although
she told me to wait, I knew she was pleased to see that I showed so much
enthusiasm. She asked me the first day when we came to the Court why
my hair was so curly. I showed her that I curled it with paper, and she
teased me ever afterwards. She also said that I could not pull my hair
straight in time to wear Manchu clothes, that everyone would laugh at
me, and how ugly I would look. That night one Court lady came over to me
while I was sitting on the veranda and said: "I wonder if you will look
nice in Manchu dress?" I told her I only wanted to look natural. "You
have lived so many years abroad we consider you are a foreigner to us."
I told her that as long as Her Majesty considered I was one of her own,
I would be satisfied and that she need not worry herself about me. I
knew they were jealous of us, so I went in search of the Young Empress
and left this girl alone. We were talking with the Young Empress in the
waiting room, and this girl came in and sat near me, smiling to herself
most of the time. One of the servant girls was fixing some fresh flowers
for Her Majesty. She looked at her and asked her why she was smiling.
The Young Empress saw, and asked her the same question. She would not
answer, but kept on smiling all the time. At this moment a eunuch came
and said that Her Majesty wanted me. I afterwards tried to find out what
she had told the Young Empress but could not. Several days passed very
quietly. Her Majesty was happy, and so was I. One day the Young Empress
reminded us that we should make all preparations in order to be able
to dress ourselves properly on the eighteenth, as the time was getting
short--only two days left. That night, after Her Majesty had retired, I
went to my own room and fixed my headdress on and went to see the Young
Empress. She said that I looked very nice, and that she was sure Her
Majesty would like me better in Manchu costume. I told her that I used
to wear Manchu dress when I was a little girl, before we went to Europe,
and of course I knew how to put it on. I also told her that I could not
understand why these girls looked upon me as a foreigner. She said that
they only showed their ignorance, and that they were jealous of me and I
should not pay any attention to them at all.



CHAPTER ELEVEN--OUR COSTUMES

THE next day we got up earlier than usual and dressed ourselves in our
new gowns. I could not believe my own eyes, and asked several times
whether that was myself or not. I found that I looked all right,
although I hadn't been wearing this sort of costume for so long.
They seemed to think that we would look awkward. Our own eunuchs were
delighted to see us dressed that way. The Young Empress came in while
passing our rooms on her way to the Empress Dowager's Palace, and waited
for us to go with her. When we arrived at the waiting room a lot of
people came in and looked at us, and talked so much about us, that it
made me feel rather shy. Everyone told us that we looked much better
that way than in foreign clothes, except the Emperor Kwang Hsu. He
said to me: "I think your Parisian gowns are far prettier than this."
I smiled and said nothing. He shook his head at me, and went into Her
Majesty's bedroom. Li Lien Ying came and saw us, and was very much
excited and told me to go and see Her Majesty at once. I told him that
everyone was looking at us, as if we were curios. He said: "You don't
know how nice you look now, and I wish that you would not wear foreign
clothes at all." Her Majesty laughed so loud when she saw us that it
made me uncomfortable, for I was afraid we looked unnatural to her. She
said: "I cannot believe you are the same girls. Just look at yourselves
in this looking-glass." She pointed to a large mirror in her room. "See
how you have changed. I feel that you belong to me now. I must have some
more gowns made for you." Then Li Lien Ying said that the twenty-fourth
would be the first day of the Summer. On that day everyone would begin
to wear jade hairpins instead of gold, and we had none. Her Majesty said
to Li: "I am very glad you told me that. I must give them each a jade
hairpin after having asked them to change into Manchu dress." Li went
away and came back with a box of hairpins of pure green jade. Her
Majesty took a beautiful one and handed it to my mother and told her
that that pin had been worn by three Empresses. She took two very nice
ones, and gave one to me and one to my sister. She told us that these
two were a pair, and that the other Empress Dowager (the East Empress
Dowager) used to wear one, and that the other was worn by herself when
she was young. I felt ashamed that Her Majesty had given us so many
presents and I had done nothing for her in any way. However, we thanked
her most sincerely, and showed our appreciation. She said: "I look upon
you as my own people, and the gowns I have made for you are the very
best. I have also decided to let you wear the full Court dress, the
same as one of the Princesses. You are my Court lady, so you are equally
ranked here." Li stood there behind her and made a sign to us to kowtow
to her. I cannot remember how many times I kowtowed that day. The
headdress was very heavy, and I was not quite used to it; I was afraid
it might fall off. Her Majesty also said that she would make our rank
known to the Court on her seventieth birthday. I will explain this. On
every decade from the time of her birth Her Majesty used to give special
favors to anyone she liked, or to anyone who had done something for her,
and had been useful to her. She could promote anyone at any time, but
on these occasions it was something special. The Young Empress
congratulated us, and said that Her Majesty was looking for a young
Prince to marry me. She was also very fond of teasing. I wrote to my
father about all the favors that had been given to me. He wrote me he
hoped that I deserved them all, and that I must do all I could to be
useful and loyal to Her Majesty as long as she lived.

I was very happy. Life was perfectly lovely at the Palace. Her Majesty
was always nice and kind. I noticed the difference in the way she had
treated us since (as she said) we had become Manchus once more. One day
Her Majesty asked me while we were sailing on the lake in the moonlight,
if I wanted to go to Europe any more. It was a superb night, and several
boats were sailing behind us. In one boat several eunuchs were playing
a kind of sweet music on the flute and an instrument very much like the
mandolin, called Yeuh Chin (small harp, like the shape of the moon),
with Her Majesty singing very softly to herself. I told her I was
satisfied to be with her, and did not wish to go anywhere at all. She
said that I must learn to sing poetry and that she would teach me every
day. I told her that my father had made me study all kinds of poetry and
I had composed some myself. She looked surprised and said: "Why didn't
you tell me that before? I love poems. You must read to me sometimes.
I have many books here containing poems of different dynasties." I told
her that my knowledge of Chinese literature was very limited, and I
dared not let her see how little I knew. I had only studied eight years.
Her Majesty told me that the Young Empress and herself were the only
ones who were familiar with Chinese literature at the Court. She told
me that she tried to teach the Court ladies to read and write some time
ago, but having found them so lazy she gave them up. My father told me
to be very careful not to show them what I could do until I was asked,
so I kept it to myself. After they found this out, some of the Court
ladies were very disagreeable to me, and this went on day after day.

Except for this unpleasantness the fourth moon passed very agreeably.
The first day of the fifth moon was a busy day for us all, as from the
first to the fifth of the fifth moon was the festival of five poisonous
insects, which I will explain later--also called the Dragon Boat
Festival. All the Viceroys, Governors and high officials, besides
the Imperial Family, Court ladies and eunuchs, all offer Her Majesty
beautiful presents. I never saw such a lot of things as came into the
Palace during this festival. Each person who sent in presents must
accompany them with a sheet of yellow paper, and at the right lower
corner the sender's name must be written and also the word Kuai Jin,
meaning to present their gifts kneeling, also to write what the presents
were. The eunuchs took big yellow trays to bring them in. During these
five days everyone was busy, especially the eunuchs. I could not count
just how many people sent presents to Her Majesty. The presents were of
every kind, such as things for the household; silks and jewelry of all
kinds and description. A large part of the presents were foreign goods
of the ordinary kind. I also saw lovely carved thrones and embroideries.
Her Majesty ordered them to be put away, and the foreign things to be
kept in her Palace, for those were new to her.

The third day of the fifth moon was the day for just the people of the
Palace to make presents. It was a most beautiful sight to see. We were
busy all night making preparations, and had to go and help the Young
Empress. The next morning we placed our presents in the big courtyard
in these big yellow trays. The Young Empress had her trays in the first
row. The presents from the Young Empress to the Empress Dowager were
made by her own hands. There were ten pairs of shoes, silk embroidered
handkerchiefs, little bags for betel nuts, and bags for tobacco, all
exquisitely done. The Secondary wife of the Emperor Kwang Hsu presented
about the same to Her Majesty. The Court ladies' presents were all
different, as we could ask permission to go out shopping before the
Feast. We could not go out together, for one or two of us must be there
at all times, and it was very exciting to tell each other what we had
bought. We ourselves did not ask permission to go out of the Palace,
for we had our presents ready long before. Everyone seemed to be talking
about presents, whether Her Majesty would like them or not. My mother,
my sister and myself had written to Paris to get some lovely French
brocades, one set of furniture, French Empire style. We had learned Her
Majesty's taste already during our short stay there, so including those
presents we also gave her fans, perfumes, soaps and some other French
novelties. Her Majesty always looked over everything, and noticed
some of the presents were of very poor quality, and wanted to know the
sender's name. The eunuchs and servant girls also made her good and
useful presents. Her Majesty would select the articles she liked the
best, and order the rest to be put away, and she might never see them
again. I must say that Her Majesty liked and admired some foreign things
very much, she especially loved the French fancy brocades, for she was
making new gowns almost every day. She was also pleased with soaps and
powder that would beautify the skin. She always thanked us in a very
nice way and said how very thoughtful we were in selecting beautiful
articles for her. Her Majesty would also say something nice to the
eunuchs and girls, and that made everyone feel pleased.

The fourth day of the fifth moon was the day that Her Majesty gave
presents to us all, the different Princes, high officials, servant
girls and eunuchs. Her memory was something extraordinary, for she could
remember every one of the presents that had been given to her the day
before, and the names of the givers also. That was a busy day for us.
Her Majesty gave people presents according to the way they gave her. We
had yellow sheets of paper and wrote out the names of those to whom
she wished to give. That day Her Majesty was very angry with one of the
wives of a certain Prince because her presents were the poorest. Her
Majesty told me to keep that tray in her room and said she would go over
them and see what they were. I knew she was not pleased, for she had
a telltale face. She told us to measure the silks and ribbons in that
tray, and leave it in the hall. The ribbons were all of different
lengths, all too short to trim a gown, and the dress materials were not
of good quality. Her Majesty said to me: "Now you look for yourself.
Are these good presents? I know very well all these things were given
to them by other people and they of course would select the best for
themselves, and give me what was left. They know they are obliged to
send me something. I am surprised to see how careless they are. Probably
they thought as I receive so many presents I would not notice. They are
mistaken, for I notice the poorest the first, in fact I can remember
everything. I can see those who gave me things in order to please me,
and those who gave because they were obliged to. I will return them the
same way." She gave the Court ladies each a beautiful embroidered gown
and a few hundred taels, the same to the Young Empress and the Secondary
wife. The presents which she gave us were a little different, consisting
of two embroidered gowns, several simple ones, jackets and sleeveless
jackets, shoes, and flowers for the Manchu headdress. She said that
we had not so many gowns, and instead of giving us the money, she had
things made for us. Besides that, she gave me a pair of very pretty
earrings, but none to my sister, for she noticed that I had a pair of
ordinary gold earrings, while my sister had a pair set with pearls and
jade. Her Majesty said to my mother: "Yu Tai Tai. I can see you love one
daughter better than the other. Roonling has such pretty earrings and
poor Derling has none." Before my mother could answer her she had turned
to me while I was standing at the back of her chair: "I will have a nice
pair made for you. You are mine now." My mother told her that I did not
like to wear heavy earrings. Her Majesty laughed and said: "Never mind,
she is mine now, and I will give her everything she needs. You have
nothing to do with her." The earrings she gave me were very heavy. Her
Majesty said that if I would wear them every day I would get used to
them, and so it proved that after some time I thought nothing of it.

Now about this Feast. It is also called the Dragon Boat Feast. The fifth
of the fifth moon at noon was the most poisonous hour for the poisonous
insects, and reptiles such as frogs, lizards, snakes, hide themselves in
the mud, for that hour they are paralyzed. Some medical men search
for them at that hour and place them in jars, and when they are dried,
sometime use them as medicine. Her Majesty told me this, so that day I
went all over everywhere and dug into the ground, but found nothing. The
usual custom was that at noon Her Majesty took a small cup filled with
spirits of wine, and added a kind of yellow powder (something like
sulphur). She took a small brush and dipped it into the cup and made a
few spots of this yellow paint under our nostrils and ears. This was to
prevent any insects from crawling on us during the coming summer. The
reason why it was also called the Dragon Boat Festival was because at
the time of the Chou Dynasty the country was divided into several parts.
Each place had a ruler. The Emperor Chou had a Prime Minister named Chi
Yuan, who advised him to make alliance with the other six countries,
but the Emperor refused, and Chi Yuan thought that the country would be
taken by others in the near future. He could not influence the Emperor,
so he made up his mind to commit suicide and jumped into the river,
taking a large piece of stone with him. This happened on the fifth day
of the fifth moon, so the year afterwards, the Emperor got into a Dragon
boat to worship his soul, and throw rice cakes, called Tzu Tsi, into the
river. On that day the people have celebrated this feast ever since.
At the Palace the theatre played first this history, which was very
interesting, and also played the insects trying to hide themselves
before the most poisonous hour arrived. On that day we all wore tiger
shoes, the front part of which was made of a tiger's head, with little
tigers made of yellow silk to wear on the headdress. These tigers were
only for the children to wear, and signified that they would be as
strong as a tiger, but Her Majesty wanted us to wear them also. The
wives of the Manchu officials came to the Court, and when they saw us
they laughed at us. We told them it was by Her Majesty's orders.

A register recording the birthdays of all the Court ladies was kept by
the head eunuch, and a few days before my own birthday came around, the
tenth day of the fifth moon, he informed me that the custom of the Court
was to make a present to Her Majesty and said that the present should
take the form of fruit, cakes, etc., so I ordered eight boxes of
different kinds.

Early in the morning I put on full Court dress, and made myself look as
nice as possible and went to wish Her Majesty good morning. When she had
finished dressing, the eunuchs brought in the presents and, kneeling,
I presented them to Her Majesty, bowing to the ground nine times. She
thanked me and wished me a happy birthday. She then made me a present of
a pair of sandalwood bracelets, beautifully carved, also a few rolls of
brocade silk. She also informed me that she had ordered some macaroni
in honor of my birthday. This macaroni is called (Chang Shou Me'en) long
life macaroni. This was the custom. I again bowed and thanked her for
her kindness and thoughtfulness. After bowing to the Young Empress and
receiving in return two pairs of shoes and several embroidered neckties,
I returned to my room, where I found presents from all the Court ladies.

Altogether I had a very happy birthday.

I can never forget the fifteenth day of the fifth moon as long as I
live, for that was a bad day for everyone. As usual we went to Her
Majesty's bedroom quite early that morning. She could not get up and
complained that her back ached so much. We rubbed her back, in turns,
and finally she got up, though a little late. She was not satisfied.
The Emperor came in and knelt down to wish her good morning, but she
scarcely took any notice of him. I noticed that when the Emperor saw
that Her Majesty was not well, he said very little to her. The eunuch
who dressed her hair every morning was ill, and had ordered another one
to help her. Her Majesty told us to watch him very closely to see that
he did not pull her hair off. She could not bear to see even one or two
hairs fall out. This eunuch was not used to trickery, for instance, in
case the hair was falling off, he could not hide it like the other one
did. This poor man did not know what to do with any that came out. He
was frightened, and Her Majesty, seeing him through the mirror, asked
him whether he had pulled her hair out. He said that he had. This made
her furious, and she told him to replace it. I almost laughed, but the
eunuch was very much frightened and started to cry. Her Majesty ordered
him to leave the room, and said she would punish him later. We helped
her to fix up her hair. I must say it was not an easy job, for she had
very long hair and it was difficult to comb.

She went to the morning audience, as usual, and after that she told the
head eunuch what had happened. This Li was indeed a bad and cruel man,
and said: "Why not beat him to death?" Immediately she ordered Li
to take this man to his own quarters to receive punishment. Then Her
Majesty said the food was bad, and ordered the cooks to be punished
also. They told me that whenever Her Majesty was angry everything went
wrong, so I was not surprised that so many things happened that day. Her
Majesty said that we all looked too vain with our hair too low down
at the back of the head. (This Manchu headdress is placed right in the
center of one's head and the back part is called the swallow's tail, and
must reach the bottom part of one's collar.) We had our hair done up the
same way every day, and she had previously never said a word about it.
She looked at us, and said: "Now I am going to the audience, and don't
need you all here. Go back to your rooms and fix your hair all over
again. If I ever see you all like that again I am going to cut your hair
off." I was never more surprised in my life when I heard her speak
so sharply to us. I don't know whether I was spoken to or not, but I
thought it well to be wise, and I answered I would. We were all ready to
go and Her Majesty stood there watching us. When we were about five or
six feet away we heard her scolding Chun Shou (the girl who was neither
a Court lady nor a servant). Her Majesty said she was pretending she was
all right, and Her Majesty ordered her to go also. When we were walking
towards our own place, some of them laughed at Chun Shou, which made
her angry. When Her Majesty was angry with anyone, she would say that we
were all doing something on purpose to make her angry. I must say that
everyone of us was scared, and wondered who would have dared to do that.
On the contrary, we tried our best to please her in every way.

But that day she was furious all day and I tried to stay away from her.
I noticed some of the eunuchs went to her to ask questions concerning
important matters, but she would not look at them, but kept on reading
her book. To tell the truth, I felt miserable that day. At the beginning
I thought all the eunuchs were faithful servants, but seeing them every
day, I got to know them. It did not do them any harm to be punished once
in a while.

The Young Empress told me to go in and wait on Her Majesty as usual. She
said that probably if I would suggest playing dice with her, she might
forget her troubles. At first I did not want to go, for I was afraid
that she might say something to me, but seeing that the poor Young
Empress spoke to me so nicely, I told her I would try. When I entered
Her Majesty's sitting room I found her reading a book. She looked at me
and said: "Come over here, I would like to tell you something. You know
these people at the Palace are no good and I don't like them at all.
I don't want them to poison your ears by telling you how wicked I am.
Don't talk to them. You must not fix your hair too low down at the back
of your head. I was not angry with you this morning. I know you are
different. Don't let them influence you. I want you to be on my side,
and do as I tell you." Her Majesty spoke very kindly to me, and her face
changed also--not at all the same face she had that morning. Of course I
promised her that I would be only too happy to do all I could to please
her. She spoke to me just like a good mother would speak to a dear
child. I changed my opinion and thought that perhaps after all she was
right, but I had often heard from the officials that one cannot be
good to a eunuch, as he would do all he could to injure you without any
reason whatsoever.

I noticed that day they all seemed to be more careful in doing their
work. I was told that when once Her Majesty got angry, she would never
finish. On the contrary, she talked to me very nicely, just as if there
had been no troubles at all. She was not difficult to wait upon, only
one had to watch her moods. I thought how fascinating she was, and I had
already forgotten that she had been angry. She seemed to have guessed
what I was thinking, and said: "I can make people hate me worse than
poison, and can also make them love me. I have that power." I thought
she was right there.



CHAPTER TWELVE--THE EMPRESS AND MRS. CONGER

ON the twenty-sixth day of the fifth moon, during the morning audience,
Prince Ching told Her Majesty that Mrs. Conger, the wife of the American
Minister to Peking, had asked for a private audience, and would Her
Majesty please mention a day. She told him not to give any answer until
the next day, just to give her time to think it over. I was sitting
behind the large screen, listening, but the other Court ladies made
too much noise, so Her Majesty ordered them not to say a word during
audience. I was very glad myself, because I could listen to some of the
interesting conversations between the Empress Dowager and her Ministers.
After the audience, Her Majesty ordered her lunch to be served on the
top of the hill at Pai Yuen Dien (Spreading Cloud Pavilion). She said
that she preferred to walk, so we followed her very slowly. To get to
this place we had to mount two hundred and seventy-two steps, besides
ten minutes' climbing over rough stones. She did not seem to mind
the climbing part at all. It was the funniest thing to see two little
eunuchs on either side, to support her arms, trying to keep pace with
her. I noticed that she was very much preoccupied, and did not speak
to any of us. When we arrived at our destination we were very tired and
quite exhausted. Her Majesty, who was a good walker herself, laughed at
us. She was always very much pleased when she excelled in games of skill
or endurance. She said: "You see I am old, and can walk much faster than
you young people. You are all no use. What is the matter with you?" Her
Majesty was very fond of receiving compliments. I had been there long
enough to know and had learned to say things which would please her. She
also hated anyone to pay her compliments at the wrong moment, so one had
to be very careful even in paying her compliments.

This "spreading cloud" pavilion was a beautiful Palace. It had an open
space in front of the building, just like one of the courtyards, with
pink and white oleanders all over the place. There was a porcelain table
and several porcelain stools. Her Majesty sat on her own yellow satin
stool and was drinking her tea in silence. It was very windy that day,
although the sky was blue with warm sunshine. Her Majesty sat there
just for a few minutes, and then said it was too windy and went into the
building. I was more than glad to go in, too, and whispered to the Young
Empress that I thought the wind might blow off my headdress. The eunuchs
brought the luncheon and placed everything upon the table. The Young
Empress made a sign for us to follow her, which we did. When we came to
the back veranda we sat down on the window seats. I will explain about
these seats. All the windows were built low at the Palace, and on the
veranda there was something like a bench built along the window, about
a foot wide. There were no chairs to be seen excepting Her Majesty's
thrones. The Young Empress asked me whether I had noticed that Her
Majesty had something on her mind. I told her that perhaps she was
thinking about the private audience which Prince Ching had mentioned
that morning. She said that I had guessed right, and asked: "Do you know
anything about this audience? When will it take place?" I said that Her
Majesty had not yet given her answer.

By this time Her Majesty had finished eating and was walking up and down
the room, watching us eating. She came over to my mother and said: "I am
just wondering why Mrs. Conger asks for a private audience. Perhaps she
has something to say to me. I would like to know just what it is so I
can prepare an answer." My mother said that probably Mrs. Conger had
someone visiting her who wished to be presented to Her Majesty. "No,
it can't be that, because they must give the list of names of those who
wish to come to the Palace. I don't mind the formal audiences, but I
don't think that I should have private ones at all. I don't like to be
questioned, as you all know. The foreigners are, of course, very nice
and polite, according to their own way, but they cannot compare with us,
so far as etiquette is concerned. I may be conservative in saying that I
admire our custom and will not change it as long as I live. You see our
people are taught to be polite from their earliest childhood, and just
look back at the oldest teachings and compare them with the new. People
seem to like the latter the best. I mean that the new idea is to be
Christians, to chop up their Ancestral Tablets and burn them. I know
many families here who have broken up because of the missionaries, who
are always influencing the young people to believe their religion. Now
I tell you why I feel uneasy about this audience is because we are too
polite to refuse anyone who asks any favors in person. The foreigners
don't seem to understand that. I'll tell you what I will do. Whenever
they ask me anything, I'll simply tell them that I am not my own boss,
but have to consult with my Ministers; that although I am the Empress
Dowager of China, I must also obey the law. To tell the truth, I like
Madame Uchida (wife of the Japanese Minister to Peking) very much. She
is always very nice and doesn't ask any silly questions. Of course the
Japanese are very much like ourselves, not at all forward. Last year,
before you came to the Court, a missionary lady came with Mrs. Conger,
and suggested that I should establish a school for girls at the Palace.
I did not like to offend her, and said that I would take it into
consideration. Now, just imagine it for a moment. Wouldn't it be foolish
to have a school at the Palace; besides, where am I going to get so
many girls to study? I have enough to do as it is. I don't want all the
children of the Imperial family studying at my Palace."

Her Majesty laughed while she was telling us this, and everyone else
laughed, too. She said: "I am sure you will laugh. Mrs. Conger is a
very nice lady. America is always very friendly towards China, and I
appreciate their nice behavior at the Palace during the twenty-sixth
year of Kwang Hsu (1900), but I cannot say that I love the missionaries,
too. Li Lien Ying told me that these missionaries here give the Chinese
a certain medicine, and that after that they wish to become Christians,
and then they would pretend to tell the Chinese to think it over very
carefully, for they would never force anyone to believe their religion
against their own will. Missionaries also take the poor Chinese children
and gouge their eyes out, and use them as a kind of medicine." I told
her that that was not true; that I had met a great many missionaries,
and that they were very kind-hearted and willing to do anything to
help the poor Chinese. I also told her what they had done for the poor
orphans--given them a home, food and clothing; that sometimes they went
into the interior and found the blind children who might be useless to
their parents, and when they get them they have to support them. I
know several cases like that. These country people offer their deformed
children to the missionaries, as they are too poor to feed and take care
of them. I told her about their schools, and how they helped the poor
people. Her Majesty then laughed, and said: "Of course I believe what
you say, but why don't these missionaries stay in their own country and
be useful to their own people?" I thought it would be of no use for me
to talk too much, but at the same time I would like her to know of the
dreadful times some of the missionaries had in China. Some time ago,
two of them were murdered at Wu Shuih, in June, 1892 (a little below
Hankow), the church being burnt down by the mob. My father was appointed
by Viceroy Chang Chih Tung to investigate the matter. After much trouble
he caught three of the murderers and, according to the Chinese law, they
were put to death by hanging in wooden cages, and the Government paid an
indemnity to the families of the murdered missionaries. The year after,
1893, a Catholic church was burnt down at Mar Cheng, on the Yangtse,
near Ichang. The mob said they saw many blind children at the church,
who were made to work after having their eyes gouged out. The Prefect of
Ichang Province said it was true that missionaries did get the Chinese
childrens' eyes for making medicine, so my father suggested having those
blind children brought into the Yamen and ask them. The Prefect was
a most wicked man, and was very anti-foreign also. He gave the poor
children plenty of food, and taught them to say that the missionaries
did gouge their eyes out, but when they were brought in the next day
they said that the missionaries treated them very kindly and gave them a
nice home, good food and clothing. They said they were blind long before
they became Catholics, and also said that the Prefect had taught them
to say that the missionaries were cruel to them, which was not true. The
blind children begged to go back to the school and said that they were
very happy there.

Her Majesty said: "That may be all right for them to help the poor and
relieve their suffering. For instance, like our great Buddha Ju Lai, who
fed the hungry birds with his own flesh. I would love them if they would
leave my people alone. Let us believe our own religion. Do you know how
the Boxer rising began? Why, the Chinese Christians were to blame. The
Boxers were treated badly by them, and wanted revenge. Of course that is
always the trouble with the low class of people. They went too far,
and at the same time thought to make themselves rich by setting fire to
every house in Peking. It made no difference whose house. They wanted to
burn so long as they could get money. These Chinese Christians are the
worst people in China. They rob the poor country people of their land
and property, and the missionaries, of course, always protect them, in
order to get a share themselves. Whenever a Chinese Christian is taken
to the Magistrate's Yamen, he is not supposed to kneel down on the
ground and obey the Chinese law, as others do, and is always very rude
to his own Government Officials. Then these missionaries do the best
they can to protect him, whether he is wrong or not, and believe
everything he says and make the magistrate set the prisoner free. Do you
remember that your father established rules in the twenty-fourth year of
Kwang Hsu, how the Chinese officials should treat the Bishops whenever
they had dealings with each other? I know the common class of people
become Christians--also those who are in trouble--but I don't believe
that any of the high officials are Christians." Her Majesty looked
around and whispered: "Kang Yue Wai (the reformer in 1898) tried to make
the Emperor believe that religion. No one shall believe as long as
I live. I must say that I admire the foreigners in some ways. For
instance, their navies and armies, and engineers, but as regards
civilization I should say that China is the first country by all means.
I know that many people believe that the Government had connections with
the Boxers, but that is not true. As soon as we found out the trouble we
issued several Edicts, and ordered the soldiers to drive them out, but
they had gone too far already. I made up my mind not to go out of the
Palace at all. I am an old woman, and did not care whether I died or
not, but Prince Tuang and Duke Lan suggested that we should go at once.
They also suggested that we should go in disguise, which made me very
angry, and I refused. After the return of the Court to Peking, I was
told that many people believed that I did go in disguise, and said that
I was dressed in one of my servant's clothes, and rode in a broken cart
drawn by a mule, and that this old woman servant of mine was dressed as
the Empress Dowager, and rode in my sedan chair. I wonder who made that
story up? Of course everyone believed it, and such a story would get to
the foreigners in Peking without any trouble.

"Now to come back to the question of the Boxer Rising. How badly I was
treated by my own servants. No one seemed anxious to go with me, and a
great many ran away before the Court had any idea of leaving the Capital
at all, and those who stayed would not work, but stood around and waited
to see what was going to happen. I made up my mind to ask and see how
many would be willing to go, so I said to everyone: 'If you servants are
willing to go with me, you can do so, and those who are not willing, can
leave me.' I was very much surprised to find that there were very
few standing around listening. Only seventeen eunuchs, two old women
servants and one servant girl, that was Sho Chu. Those people said they
would go with me, no matter what happened. I had 3,000 eunuchs, but they
were nearly all gone before I had the chance of counting them. Some of
the wicked ones were even rude to me, and threw my valuable vases on the
stone floor, and smashed them. They knew that I could not punish them at
that important moment, for we were leaving. I cried very much and prayed
for our Great Ancestors' Souls to protect us. Everyone knelt with me and
prayed. The Young Empress was the only one of my family who went with
me. A certain relative of mine, whom I was very fond of, and gave her
everything she asked, refused to go with me. I knew that the reason she
would not go was because she thought the foreign soldiers would catch up
the runaway Court, and kill everyone.

"After we had been gone about seven days, I sent one eunuch back, to
find out who was still in Peking. She asked this eunuch whether there
were any foreign soldiers chasing us, and whether I was killed. Soon
after the Japanese soldiers took her Palace, and drove her out. She
thought she was going to die anyway, and as I was not yet assassinated,
she might catch up with the Court, and go with us. I could not
understand how she traveled so fast. One evening we were staying at a
little country house, when she came in with her husband, a nice man. She
was telling me how much she had missed me, and how very anxious she
had been all that time to know whether I was safe or not, and cried. I
refused to listen to what she was saying and told her plainly that I did
not believe a word. From that time she was finished for me. I had a very
hard time, traveling in a sedan chair, from early morning, before the
sun rose, until dark and in the evening had to stop at some country
place. I am sure you would pity me, old as I am, that I should have had
to suffer in that way.

"The Emperor went all the way in a cart, drawn by a mule, also the
Empress. I went along, and was praying to our Great Ancestors for
protection, but the Emperor was very quiet, and never opened his mouth.
One day something happened. It rained so much and some of the chair
carriers ran away. Some of the mules died suddenly. It was very hot,
and the rain was pouring down on our heads. Five small eunuchs ran away
also, because we were obliged to punish them the night before on account
of their bad behavior to the Magistrate, who did all he could to make
me comfortable, but of course food was scarce. I heard these eunuchs
quarreling with the Magistrate, who bowed to the ground, begging them
to keep quiet, and promised them everything. I was of course very angry.
Traveling under such circumstances one ought to be satisfied that one
was provided for.

"It took us more than a month before we reached Shi An. I cannot tell
you how fatigued I was, and was of course worrying very much, which made
me quite ill for almost three months. So long as I live I cannot forget
it.

"We returned to Peking early in the twenty-eighth year of Kwang Hsu and
I had another dreadful feeling when I saw my own Palace again. Oh! it
was quite changed; a great many valuable ornaments broken or stolen. All
the valuable things at the Sea Palace had been taken away, and someone
had broken the fingers of my white jade Buddha, to whom I used to
worship every day. Several foreigners sat on my throne and had their
photos taken. When I was at the Shi An I was just like being sent
into exile, although the Viceroy's Yamen was prepared for us, but the
building was very old, damp and unhealthy. The Emperor became ill. It
would take a long time to tell you everything; I thought I had enough
trouble, but this last was the worst. When I have time, I will tell you
more about it. I want you to know the absolute truth.

"Now let us come back to the question of Mrs. Conger's private audience.
There must be something special, but I hope that she will not ask for
anything, for I hate to refuse her. Can you guess what it is?" I told
Her Majesty that there could not be anything special; besides, Mrs.
Conger considered herself to be a person who knew Chinese etiquette
very well, and I didn't believe she would ask for anything at all. Her
Majesty said: "The only objection I have is that Mrs. Conger always
brings one of the missionaries as her interpreter, when I have your
mother, your sister and yourself, which I think should be sufficient. I
don't think it is right for her to do that; besides, I cannot understand
their Chinese very well. I like to see the ladies of the Diplomatic
body sometimes, but not the missionaries. I will stop that when the
opportunity comes."

The next morning Prince Ching told Her Majesty that the American
Admiral, and Mrs. Evans, and suite wished to be presented to her. The
American Minister asked two private audiences. He said he had made
a mistake by telling her that Mrs. Conger had asked an audience for
herself, the day before.

After the regular morning audience was over Her Majesty laughed and
said: "Didn't I tell you yesterday that there must be a reason for
asking an audience? I rather would like to meet the American Admiral
and his wife." Turning to us she said: "Be sure and fix everything up
pretty, change everything in my bedroom, so as not to show them our
daily life." We all said "Jur" (yes), but we knew it was going to be a
hard task to turn the Palace upside down.

It was just the night before the appointed audience. We started to work
taking off the pink silk curtains from every window, and changing them
for sky blue (the color she hated); then we changed the cushions on the
chairs to the same color. While we were watching the eunuchs doing the
work, several of them came into the room, carrying a large tray full of
clocks. By this time her Majesty had come into the room, and ordered us
to remove all her white and green jade Buddhas and take some of the jade
ornaments away, for those things were sacred, and no foreigners should
see them, so we replaced them with these clocks, instead. We also took
away the three embroidered door curtains, and changed them for ordinary
blue satin ones. I must explain that these three curtains were sacred,
too. They were embroidered to represent five hundred Buddhist deities,
on old gold satin, and had been used by Emperor Tou Kwang. Her Majesty
believed that by hanging these curtains at her door they would guard
against evil spirits entering her room. The order was that one of us
should remember to place them back again when the audience was over. We
fixed every piece of furniture in her bedroom. Her toilet table was the
most important thing. She would not let anyone see it-not even the wives
of the Officials who came in, so of course we had to put it in a safe
place, and lock it up. We changed her bed from pink color into blue.
All her furniture was made of sandalwood, also carvings on her bed. This
sandalwood, before it was made into furniture, was placed in different
temples, to be sanctified, so of course no foreigner could see it. As
we could not take this carving from her bed, we covered it up with
embroidered hangings. While we were working Her Majesty came in and told
us not to hurry in her bedroom, because the audience the next day would
only be for Admiral Robley Evans and his staff, and they would not visit
the private rooms. The audience for Mrs. Evans and the other ladies
would be the day after. She said it was important to see that the
Audience Hall was fixed up properly. She said: "Place the only carpet
we have here in the hall. I don't like carpets anyway, but it cannot be
helped."

After we had finished, Her Majesty started to tell us what to wear for
the ladies' audience. She said to me: "You need not come to the throne
to-morrow, there will only be gentlemen. I will get one of the Ministers
from Wai-Wu-Pu (Bureau of Foreign Affairs). I don't want you to talk to
so many strange men. It is not the Manchu custom. These people are all
strangers. They might go back to America and tell everybody what you
look like." At the same time Her Majesty gave orders for the Imperial
Yellow Gown to be brought in next day, for the gentleman's audience. She
said that she must dress in her official robe for this occasion. This
robe was made of yellow satin, embroidered with gold dragons. She wore a
necklace composed of one hundred and eight pearls, which formed part of
this official dress. She said: "I don't like to wear this official robe.
It is not pretty, but I am afraid I will have to." She said to all of
us: "You need not dress especially."

The next morning Her Majesty got up early, and was busier than ever.
It seemed to me that whenever we had an audience we always had so much
trouble. Something was sure to go wrong and make Her Majesty angry. She
said: "I want to look nice, and be amiable, but these people always make
me angry. I know the American Admiral will go home and tell his people
about me, and I don't want him to have a wrong impression." It took her
almost two hours to dress her hair, and by that time it was too late
for her usual morning audience, so she proposed holding that after the
foreigners had gone away. She looked at herself in the looking-glass,
with her Imperial robe on, and told me that she did not like it, and
asked me whether I thought the foreigners would know that it was an
official robe. "I look too ugly in yellow. It makes my face look the
same color as my robe," she said. I suggested that as it was only a
private audience, if she wished to dress differently, it would not
matter at all. She seemed delighted, and I was afraid lest I had not
made a proper suggestion, but anyway I was too busy to worry. Her
Majesty ordered that her different gowns should be brought in, and
after looking them over she selected one embroidered all over with the
character "Shou" (long life), covered with precious stones and pearls,
on pale green satin. She tried it on, and said that it was becoming to
her, so she ordered me to go to the jewel-room and get flowers to match
for her hair. On one side of the headdress was the character (shou)
and on the other side was a bat (the bat in China is considered to be
lucky). Of course her shoes, handkerchiefs and everything else were
embroidered in the same way. After she was dressed, she smiled and said:
"I look all right now. We had better go to the audience hall and wait
for them, and at the same time we can play a game of dice." Then to us
all she said: "All of you will stay at the back of the screen during
the audience. You can see all right, but I don't wish that you should
be seen." The eunuchs had laid the map down on the table and were just
going to commence playing dice, when one of the high rank eunuchs came
into the Hall and, kneeling down, said that the American Admiral had
arrived at the Palace Gate, together with the American Minister--ten or
twelve people altogether. Her Majesty smiled and said to me: "I thought
it was just going to be the American Minister and the Admiral, and one
or two of his staff. Who can the rest of the people be? However, never
mind, I will receive them anyway." We helped her to mount her throne
upon the dais, fixed her clothes, and handed her the paper containing
the speech she was to give. Then we went back of the screen, with the
Young Empress. It was so very quiet, not a sound anywhere, that we could
hear the boots of the visitors as they walked over the stones in the
courtyard. We were peeping from behind the screen, and could see several
of the Princes mounting the steps, conducting these people to the Hall.
The Admiral and the American Minister came in, and stood in a line. They
bowed three times to the Empress Dowager. The Emperor was also on his
throne, sitting at her left hand. His throne was very small, just
like an ordinary chair. Her Majesty's speech was simply to welcome the
Admiral to China. They then came up to the dais and shook hands with
their Majesties, ascending on one side, and retiring down the other.
Prince Ching took them into another Palace building, where they had
lunch, and the audience was over. It was very simple and formal.

After the audience was over Her Majesty said that she could hear us
laughing behind the screen, and that maybe the people would talk about
it, and did not like it at all. I told her that it was not myself who
laughed. She said: "The next time when I have men in audience you need
not come into the Audience Hall at all. Of course it is different when I
have my own people at the morning audiences."

Her Majesty did not go to her bedroom that afternoon. She said she
wanted to wait until these people had gone and hear what they had to
say. After a couple of hours Prince Ching came in and reported that they
had lunched, and that they were very pleased to have seen Her Majesty,
and had gone away. I must here explain that the Admiral had entered by
the left gate of the Palace. The middle gate was only used for Their
Majesties, with one exception, viz.: in the case of anyone presenting
credentials. Then they entered by the center gate. The Admiral left by
the same gate he had entered. Her Majesty asked Prince Ching whether
he had showed them around the Palace buildings or not (this was in
the Summer Palace), and what they had thought about it. Did they say
anything, and were they pleased or not. She said to Prince Ching: "You
can go now, and make the necessary preparations for the ladies' audience
next day." That same evening Her Majesty said to us: "You must all dress
alike to-morrow, and wear your prettiest clothes. These foreign ladies
who are coming to the Palace may never see us again, and if we don't
show them what we have now, we will not have another opportunity." She
ordered us all, including the Young Empress, to wear pale blue, also the
Secondary wife of the Emperor. She said to me: "If the ladies ask who
the Secondary wife is, you can tell them; but if they don't ask, I don't
want you to introduce her to them at all. I have to be very careful.
These people at the Palace here are not used to seeing so many people
and they might not have nice manners, and the foreigners will laugh at
them." Then she said to us again: "I always give presents when ladies
come to the Court, but don't know whether I will give this time or not,
for at the last audience I did not give anything at all." Addressing me,
she said: "You can prepare some pieces of jade, in case I need them. Put
them in a nice box and have them all ready. Don't bring them to me until
I ask for them." She said: "We have talked enough now, and you can all
go to rest." We courtesied good night. I was only too glad to go to my
own room.

The next morning everything went on very nicely and there was no trouble
at all. Her Majesty was well satisfied, for we had all taken great care
in fixing ourselves up. She said to me: "You never put enough paint on
your face. People might take you for a widow. You will have to paint
your lips, as that is the custom. I don't need you yet, so go back and
put some more paint on." So I went back to my room and painted myself
just like the rest of them, but I could not help laughing at seeing
myself so changed. By the time I got to her room again, she said: "Now
you look all right. If you think that powder is expensive, I will buy
some for you." She said that with a laugh, for she always liked to tease
me.

By the time Her Majesty had finished her toilet, one of the ladies
brought a number of gowns for her to select one from. She said she would
wear pale blue that day. She looked over twenty or thirty gowns, but
found nothing which suited her, so she gave orders for some more to be
brought in. Finally she chose a blue gown embroidered with one hundred
butterflies, and wore a purple sleeveless jacket, which was also
embroidered with butterflies. At the bottom of this gown were pearl
tassels. She wore her largest pearls, one of which was almost as large
as an egg, and was her favorite jewel. She only wore this on special
occasions. She wore two jade butterflies on each side of her headdress.
Her bracelets and rings were also all designed in butterflies, in fact
everything matched. Among her beautiful jewels, she always wore some
kind of fresh flowers. White jessamine was her favorite flower. The
Young Empress and the Court ladies were not allowed to wear fresh
flowers at all unless given to them by Her Majesty as a special favor.
We could wear pearls and jade, etc., but she said that the fresh flowers
were for her, her idea being that we were too young, and might spoil
fresh flowers if we wore them. After she was dressed we went into the
Audience Hall. She ordered her cards to be brought in as she wanted to
play solitaire. She talked all the time she was playing, and said that
we must all be very nice and polite to the American ladies, and
show them everywhere. She said: "It doesn't matter now, for we have
everything changed." She said: "I want to laugh myself. What is the use
of changing everything? They will imagine we are always like this. By
and bye, if they question you about anything, just tell them that it
is not so, and that we change everything at each audience, just to give
them a bit of surprise. You must tell it some day, otherwise no one will
know it at all, and the trouble would not be worth the while." It was a
private audience for ladies, and Her Majesty did not use the big throne,
but was sitting on her little throne at the left side of the Audience
Hall, where she received her own Ministers every morning; the Emperor
was standing. A eunuch came in, the same as the day before, and
announced that the ladies had arrived at the Palace Gate, nine in all.
Her Majesty sent some of the Court ladies to meet them in the courtyard,
and bring them to the Audience Hall, which they did. I was standing at
the right side of Her Majesty's chair, and could see them mounting
the steps. Her Majesty whispered to me, and asked: "Which one is Mrs.
Evans?" As I had never seen the lady, I answered that I could not
tell, but when they got nearer I saw a lady walking with the American
Minister's wife, and concluded that she must be Mrs. Evans, and told Her
Majesty. As they got nearer, Her Majesty said: "Again that missionary
lady with Mrs. Conger. I think she must like to see me. She comes every
time. I will tell her I am very glad to see her always, and see if she
understands what I mean."

Mrs. Conger shook hands with Her Majesty and presented Mrs. Evans and
also the wives of the American officers. I was watching Her Majesty and
saw that she was very nice and amiable, with such a pleasant smile--so
different from her everyday manner. She told them she was delighted to
see them. Her Majesty ordered the eunuchs to have chairs brought in
for the ladies, and at the same time other eunuchs brought in tea. Her
Majesty asked Mrs. Evans whether she liked China; what she thought of
Peking; how long she had been there; how long she was going to stay, and
where she was staying. I was so accustomed to Her Majesty's questions
that I knew exactly what she would ask. Mrs. Conger told her interpreter
to tell Her Majesty that she had not seen her for such a long time, and
enquired about Her Majesty's health. Her Majesty said to me: "You tell
Mrs. Conger that I am in good health and that I am delighted to see her.
It is a pity that I cannot hold an audience more frequently, otherwise
I could see more of her." She continued: "The Imperial Princess (her
adopted daughter-daughter of Prince Kung) will accompany them to lunch."
This ended the audience.

Lunch was served at the back of her own Palace building (Yang Yuen
Hsuen--the place where the clouds gather to rest). This room was
specially furnished as a banqueting room where refreshments could be
served. All the Court ladies went to the lunch, except Her Majesty, the
Young Empress and the Secondary wife. It had taken me two hours to fix
the table for the luncheon. Her Majesty ordered that a white foreign
tablecloth should be used, as it looked cleaner. The eunuch gardeners
had decorated the table with fresh flowers, and Her Majesty gave
instructions as to how the seats were to be placed. She said: "Mrs.
Evans is the guest of honor. Although Mrs. Conger is the wife of the
American Minister, she is more of a resident, so Mrs. Evans must have
the principal seat." She also told me to arrange to seat everybody
according to their respective ranks. The Imperial Princess and Princess
Shun (Her Majesty's niece, sister of the Young Empress) were hostesses,
and were to sit opposite each other. We placed golden menu holders and
little gold plates for almonds and watermelon seeds; the rest all silver
ware, including chopsticks. Her Majesty ordered that foreign knives and
forks should be provided also. The food was served in Manchu style, and
was composed of twenty-four courses, besides sweetmeats--candies and
fruits. Her Majesty instructed us that only the best champagne was to be
served. She said: "I know that foreign ladies love to drink."

I think I was the only one who was really happy to meet these ladies,
more so than the rest of the Court ladies, the reason being that Her
Majesty lectured them too severely, telling them how to behave, so that
they had grown to hate the very mention of a foreign audience. While we
were eating, a eunuch came in and told me that Her Majesty was waiting
at her private Palace, and that I should bring these ladies there after
the lunch was over. So when we had finished we entered her own Palace
and found her waiting there for us. She got up and told me to ask Mrs.
Evans whether she had had anything to eat--that the food was not very
good. (This is a custom with the Chinese when entertaining, always to
underrate the food.) She said that she would like to show Mrs. Evans
her private apartments, so that she could form some idea of the way we
lived, so she took Mrs. Evans to one of her bedrooms. She invited Mrs.
Evans and Mrs. Conger to sit down, and the eunuchs brought in tea, as
usual. Her Majesty asked Mrs. Evans to stay a little while in Peking,
and to visit the different temples. She said: "Our country, although
very old, has not such fine buildings as there are in America. I
suppose you will find everything very strange. I am rather too old now,
otherwise I would like to travel around the world. I have read much
about different countries, but of course there is nothing like visiting
the different places and seeing them yourself. However, one cannot tell.
I may be able to go after all, by and bye, but I am afraid to leave
my own country. By the time I returned I should not know the place any
more, I'm afraid. Here everything seems to depend on me. Our Emperor is
quite young."

She then turned and ordered us to take these ladies to visit the
different buildings of the Palace, also the famous temple of the King
of Dragons. This is on a little island in the center of the lake of
the Summer Palace. Mrs. Conger said that she had something to ask Her
Majesty, and told the Missionary lady to proceed. While Mrs. Conger was
speaking to this lady Her Majesty became rather impatient as she wanted
to know what they were talking about, so she asked me. It was very hard
for me to listen to both of the ladies and to Her Majesty at the same
time. The only words I heard were: "The portrait," so I guessed the
rest. Before I had a chance to tell Her Majesty this Missionary lady
said: "Mrs. Conger has come with the special object of asking permission
to have Her Majesty's portrait painted by an American lady artist, Miss
Carl, as she is desirous of sending it to the St. Louis Exhibition, in
order that the American people may form some idea of what a beautiful
lady the Empress Dowager of China is." Miss Carl is the sister of Mr. F.
Carl who was for so many years Commissioner of Customs in Chefoo.

Her Majesty looked surprised, for she had been listening very carefully
whilst this lady was talking. She did not like to say that she did
not quite understand, so she turned to me, as had been previously
arranged,--a sign for me to interpret. I did not, however, do so
immediately, so Mrs. Conger told her missionary friend to repeat the
request in case Her Majesty had not quite understood it. Her Majesty
then said to me: "I cannot quite understand what this lady says. I think
perhaps you can tell me better." So I explained everything, but I knew
that Her Majesty did not know what a portrait was like, as, up to that
time she had never even had a photograph taken of herself.

I must here explain that in China a portrait is only painted after
death, in memorium of the deceased, in order that the following
generations may worship the deceased. I noticed that Her Majesty was
somewhat shocked when the request was made known to her. I did not want
Her Majesty to appear ignorant before these foreign ladies, so I pulled
her sleeve and told her that I would explain everything to her later.
She replied: "Explain a little to me now." This was spoken in the
Court language, which the visitors were unable to understand, it being
somewhat different from the ordinary Chinese language. This enabled
Her Majesty to form some idea of the conversation, so she thanked Mrs.
Conger for her kind thought, and promised to give her answer later. She
said to me: "Tell Mrs. Conger that I cannot decide anything alone, as
she is probably aware that I have to consult with my Ministers before
deciding anything of an important character. Tell her that I have to
be very careful not to do anything which would give my people an
opportunity to criticize my actions. I have to adhere to the rules
and customs of my ancestors." I noticed that Her Majesty did not seem
inclined to discuss the subject further at the moment.

Just then the head eunuch came in and, kneeling down, informed Her
Majesty that the boats for the ladies were ready to take them across the
lake, to see the temple. This action on the part of the eunuch was owing
to his having received a signal from one of the Court ladies, which
implied that Her Majesty was getting tired of the conversation, and
wished to change the subject. I must explain that on every occasion when
a foreign audience was taking place, one of the Court ladies was
always told off to watch Her Majesty, and whenever she appeared to be
displeased or tired of any particular subject under discussion, she, the
Court lady, would give the signal to the head eunuch, who would break in
upon the conversation in the above manner, and thus save the situation
from becoming embarrassing. So Her Majesty said good-bye to the ladies,
as she thought it would be too late for them to have to return to say
good-bye, besides which it would give them more time to see the various
sights.

The ladies then proceeded to the island in the Empress Dowager's
pleasure boat known as the Imperial barge, previously described, and
visited the temple. This temple is built on top of a small rock, in the
center of which is a natural cave, and it was generally supposed that
no human being had ever been inside of this cave. The Empress Dowager
believed the popular superstition that this hole was the home of the
King of Dragons--from which the temple derives its name.



CHAPTER THIRTEEN--THE EMPRESS'S PORTRAIT

AFTER staying a little while at the temple, we returned to the Palace,
and the ladies said goodbye and took chairs to the Palace gate, where
their own chairs were waiting for them. I then went to report to Her
Majesty in the usual way what had been said by the visitors; whether
they had expressed themselves as being pleased with the reception they
had received. Her Majesty said: "I like Mrs. Evans. I think she is a
very good woman. It seems to me that her manners are quite different
from those of the other American ladies whom I have met. I like to meet
people who are polite." Then, referring to the subject of the portrait
Her Majesty said: "I wonder why Mrs. Conger has this idea. Now please
explain to me what painting a portrait really is." When I explained that
it would be necessary for her to sit for several hours each day she was
excited, and afraid she would never have the patience to see it through.
She asked me what she must do during the sitting, so I explained that
she would simply have to pose for the portrait, sitting in one position
all the time She said: "I shall be an old woman by the time the portrait
is finished." I told her that I had had my own portrait painted during
my stay in Paris, by the same artist Mrs. Conger had proposed should
paint her own portrait (Miss Carl). She immediately told me to fetch
the portrait of myself so that she could examine it and see what it was
like, so I gave the order right away to a eunuch who was standing by to
go to my house and bring it. Her Majesty said: "I do not understand
why I must sit for the portrait Couldn't someone else do it for me."
I explained to her that as it was her own portrait, and not that of
somebody else, they wished to paint, it would be necessary for her to
sit herself. She then enquired whether it would be necessary for her to
wear the same dress at each sitting, also the same jewels and ornaments.
I replied that it would be necessary to do so on each occasion. Her
Majesty then explained that in China it was only necessary for an artist
to see his subject once, after which he could start right away and
finish the portrait in a very short time, and thought that a really
first-class foreign artist should be able to do the same. Of course I
explained the difference between foreign portrait painting and Chinese,
and told her that when she had seen it she would see the difference and
understand the reason for so many sittings. She said: "I wonder what
kind of a person this lady artist is. Does she speak Chinese?" I said
that I knew Miss Carl very well, and that she was a very nice lady, but
that she didn't speak Chinese. She said: "If her brother has been in the
Customs service for so long, how is it that she doesn't speak Chinese
also?" I told her that Miss Carl had been away from China for a long
time; that in fact she had only been in China for a very short time
altogether, most of her work being in Europe and America. Her Majesty
said: "I am glad she doesn't understand Chinese. The only objection
about this portrait painting is that I have to have a foreigner at the
Palace all the time. With my own people gossiping they might tell her
things which I don't want anyone to know." I told her that would be
impossible as Miss Carl did not understand Chinese at all, neither did
any of the people at Court understand English, with the exception of
ourselves (my mother, sister and myself). Her Majesty answered: "You
must not rely too much on that, as after spending a short time at the
Court they will soon learn to understand each other." Continuing,
she said: "By the way, how long will it take before this portrait is
finished?" I told her that it depended entirely upon how often she sat,
and how long each time. I didn't like to tell her exactly how long it
would take, as I was afraid she might consider it too much bother, so
I said that when the artist arrived I would tell her to get along and
finish the portrait as quickly as possible.

Her Majesty said: "I don't see how I can very well refuse Mrs. Conger's
request. Of course I told her, as you know, that I would have to consult
with my Ministers, just to give me time to think the matter over. If
you know all about this artist lady, and think she is quite all right to
come here to the Palace, of course she may come, and I will tell Prince
Ching to reply to Mrs. Conger to that effect. First of all we must talk
over what we are going to do, for to have a foreign lady staying in the
Palace is out of the question altogether. As a rule I always spend the
summer at my Summer Palace, and it is so far from the city that I
don't think she will be able to go to and from the Palace every day, on
account of the distance. Now, where can we put her? Someone will have
to watch her all the time. This is such a difficult matter that I hardly
know what to decide upon. How would you like to look after her? Do you
think you could manage it in such a way that no one at the Palace will
have a chance to talk with her during the daytime, but who is going to
stay and watch her during the night?" Her Majesty walked up and down the
room thinking it over for quite a while. Finally she smiled and said: "I
have it. We can treat her as a prisoner without her knowing it, but it
will all depend on your mother, your sister and yourself to act for me
in this matter. Each of you will have to play your part very carefully,
and I mine also. I will give orders to have the Palace Garden of Prince
Chung (the Emperor Kwang Hsu's father) fixed up for Miss Carl during her
stay here."

This Palace garden is quite close to Her Majesty's own Palace, about ten
minutes' drive. It is not in the Palace ground, but is quite a separate
Palace outside the Summer Palace.

Continuing, Her Majesty said: "Now, you will have to come with her every
morning and return to stay with her every night. I think this is the
safest way out of the difficulty, but be careful with regard to all
correspondence which she may either receive or send away. The only thing
about it is that it will give you a lot of extra work, but you know
how particular I am over things of this kind, and it will save a lot
of trouble in the end. There is another thing you will have to be very
careful about, and that is to watch that Miss Carl has no chance to talk
with the Emperor. The reason why I say this is because, as you know,
the Emperor is of a shy disposition, and might say something which would
offend her. I will appoint four extra eunuchs to be in attendance during
the sittings for the portrait, so that they will be on hand in case
anything is wanted." Her Majesty then said: "I noticed that Mrs. Conger
was watching you when you pulled my sleeve. I wonder what she thought
of it. You needn't care, anyway. Let her think anything she likes. I
understood what you meant if Mrs. Conger didn't, and that is all that
is necessary." I told her that perhaps Mrs. Conger thought I wanted to
advise her to refuse this request, but Her Majesty said: "What does that
matter? If it hadn't been that you know the artist yourself I would not
have consented in any case. It is not the painting of the portrait that
I mind, but it might give rise to serious results."

The next morning I received a letter from Mrs. Conger begging me not to
prejudice Her Majesty against Miss Carl in any way. I translated this to
Her Majesty, and it made her furious. She said: "No one has any right
to write to you in such a way. How dare she suggest that you would say
anything against Miss Carl? Didn't I tell you she was watching you when
you pulled my sleeve? When you reply to that letter tell her whatever
you like, but answer in the same way she writes herself, or, better
still, you write and inform her that it is not customary for any Court
lady to try and influence Her Majesty in this country, and that in
addition, you are not so mean as to say anything against anybody. If you
don't like to say that, just say that as Miss Carl is a personal friend
of yours you certainly would never think of saying anything against
her."

I therefore replied to Mrs. Conger's letter in the ordinary way, making
it as formal as possible.

Her Majesty then talked of nothing but the portrait during the whole of
that afternoon. By and bye she said: "I hope that Mrs. Conger will not
send a missionary lady with Miss Carl to keep her company during her
stay at the Palace. If she does I will certainly refuse to sit." The next
morning the eunuch arrived with my portrait, and everyone at the Court
had a good look at it before I took it to show to Her Majesty. Some of
them were of the opinion that it was very much like me, while the others
thought the painting a very poor one. When I informed Her Majesty of the
arrival of the portrait she ordered that it should be brought into her
bedroom immediately. She scrutinized it very carefully for a while, even
touching the painting in her curiosity. Finally she burst out laughing
and said: "What a funny painting this is, it looks as though it had been
painted with oil." (Of course it was an oil painting.) "Such rough work
I never saw in all my life. The picture itself is marvellously like you,
and I do not hesitate to say that none of our Chinese painters could get
the expression which appears on this picture. What a funny dress you
are wearing in this picture. Why are your arms and neck all bare? I have
heard that foreign ladies wear their dresses without sleeves and without
collars, but I had no idea that it was so bad and ugly as the dress you
are wearing here. I cannot imagine how you could do it. I should have
thought you would have been ashamed to expose yourself in that manner.
Don't wear any more such dresses, please. It has quite shocked me. What
a funny kind of civilization this is to be sure. Is this dress only worn
on certain occasions, or is it worn any time, even when gentlemen are
present?" I explained to her that it was the usual evening dress for
ladies and was worn at dinners, balls, receptions, etc. Her Majesty
laughed and exclaimed: "This is getting worse and worse. Everything
seems to go backwards in foreign countries. Here we don't even expose
our wrists when in the company of gentlemen, but foreigners seem to
have quite different ideas on the subject. The Emperor is always talking
about reform, but if this is a sample we had much better remain as we
are. Tell me, have you yet changed your opinion with regard to foreign
customs? Don't you think that our own customs are much nicer?" Of course
I was obliged to say "yes" seeing that she herself was so prejudiced.
She again examined the portrait and said: "Why is it that one side
of your face is painted white and the other black? This is not
natural--your face is not black. Half of your neck is painted black,
too. How is it?" I explained that it was simply the shading and was
painted exactly as the artist saw me from the position in which she was
sitting. Her Majesty then enquired: "Do you think that this Artist lady
will paint my picture to look black also? It is going to America, and
I don't want the people over there to imagine that half of my face is
white and half black." I didn't like to tell her the truth, that her
portrait would in all probability be painted the same as mine, so I
promised Her Majesty that I would tell the artist exactly how she wished
to be painted. She then asked me if I knew when the artist proposed
commencing the portrait. I told her that the artist was still in
Shanghai, but that Mrs. Conger had already written to her to come up to
Peking, to make the necessary preparations. One week later I received a
letter from Miss Carl informing me that she proposed coming up to Peking
at once, and that she would be delighted if Her Majesty would allow
her to paint this portrait. I translated the letter to Her Majesty, who
said: "I am very glad that you know this lady personally. It will make
it much easier for me. You know there may be some things which I may
want to tell Miss Carl, but which I don't want Mrs. Conger to know. I
mean that there might be certain things which I shall have to say to
Miss Carl, which, if Mrs. Conger heard of them, would give her the
impression that I was very difficult to please. You understand what I
mean. As this lady is a friend of yours, you will of course be able to
tell her things in such a manner as not to offend her, and I may tell
you again that if it were not that she is a personal friend of your
own I would not have her here at all, as it is quite contrary to our
custom."

On the third day of the second-fifth moon Prince Ching informed Her
Majesty that the artist had arrived at Peking and was staying with Mrs.
Conger and wished to know Her Majesty's pleasure in regard to commencing
the portrait. Now I must explain that the Chinese year varies as to the
number of moons it contains. For example, one year contains the ordinary
twelve months or moons. The following year may contain thirteen moons.
Then the two years following that may contain twelve moons only, and
thirteen moons the next year, and so on. At the time of the proposed
visit of the artist the Chinese year contained thirteen moons, there
being two fifth moons in that year. When Prince Ching asked Her Majesty
to name the day on which Miss Carl should commence her work, she
replied: "I will give her my answer to-morrow. I must first consult my
book, as I don't want to start this portrait on an unlucky day." So the
next day, after her usual morning audience Her Majesty consulted this
book for quite a time. Finally she said to me: "According to my book the
next lucky day will not occur for another ten days or so," and handed me
the book to look myself. Eventually she picked out the twentieth day of
the second-fifth moon as the most lucky day for beginning the work. Next
she had to consult the book again in order to fix on the exact hour,
finally fixing on 7 o'clock in the evening. I was very much worried when
she told me that, as by that time it would be quite dark, so I explained
to Her Majesty as nicely as I could that it would be impossible for Miss
Carl to work at that hour of the day. Her Majesty replied: "Well, we
have electric lights here. Surely that would be sufficient light for
her." Then I had to explain that it would not be possible to get such
good results by means of artificial light as if it were painted during
the daytime. You see I was anxious to get her to change the hour, as
I was sure that Miss Carl would refuse to paint by means of electric
light. Her Majesty replied: "What a bother. I can paint pictures myself
in any kind of light, and she ought to be able to do the same." After
much discussion it was finally settled that 10 o'clock on the morning of
the twentieth day of the second-fifth moon should be the time for Miss
Carl to commence to paint this portrait, and I can assure you that I
felt very much relieved when it was all settled. When the eunuch brought
in my portrait, he also brought in several photographs which I had had
taken during my stay in Paris, but I decided not to show them to Her
Majesty in case she should decide to have a photograph taken instead of
having this portrait painted, as it would be much quicker and save her
the trouble of sitting each day. However, as Her Majesty was passing on
the veranda in front of my bedroom the next morning she stepped into
the room just to have a look around and, as she put it, to see whether
I kept everything clean, and in good order. This was the first time
she had visited me in my own room, and I was naturally very much
embarrassed, as she very rarely visited the rooms of her Court ladies. I
could not keep her standing, and I could not ask her to sit down in
any of my own chairs, as it is the Chinese custom that the Emperor and
Empress should only sit down in their own special chairs, which are
usually carried by an attendant wherever they go. I therefore was on the
point of giving an order for her own stool to be brought in, when Her
Majesty stopped me and said that she would sit on one of the chairs in
the room, and so bring me good luck. So she sat down in an easy chair.
A eunuch brought in her tea, which I handed to her myself instead of
letting the eunuch wait upon her. This of course was Court etiquette,
and was also a sign of respect

After she had finished her tea, she got up and went around the room,
examining everything, opening up all my bureau drawers and boxes in
order to see whether I kept my things in proper order. Happening to
glance into one corner of the room she exclaimed: "What are those
pictures on the table over there," and walked across to examine them. As
soon as she picked them up, she exclaimed in much surprise: "Why, they
are all photographs of yourself, and are very much better than the
picture you had painted. They are more like you. Why didn't you show
them to me before?" I hardly knew what to answer, and when she saw that
I was very much embarrassed by her question, she immediately started
talking about something else. She often acted in this manner when she
saw that any of us were not quite prepared for any of her questions,
but she would be sure to reopen the subject at some future time, when we
were expected to give a direct answer.

After examining the photographs for sometime, which by the way, were
all taken in European dress, Her Majesty said: "Now these are good
photographs; much better than the portrait you had painted. Still I have
given my promise, and I suppose I shall have to keep it. However, if
I do have my photograph taken, it will not interfere at all with the
painting of the portrait. The only trouble is I cannot ask an ordinary
professional photographer to the Palace. It would hardly be the thing."

My mother thereupon explained to Her Majesty that if she desired to have
her photograph taken, one of my brothers, who had studied photography
for some considerable time, would be able to do all that was necessary.

I would like to explain that I had two brothers at Court at that time,
who held appointments under the Empress Dowager. One was in charge of
all the electrical installation at the Summer Palace, and the other, her
private steam launch. It was the custom for all the sons of the Manchu
officials to hold certain positions at the Court for two or three years.
They were perfectly free to walk about the grounds of the Palace, and
saw Her Majesty daily. Her Majesty was always very kind to these young
men, and chatted with them in quite a motherly way. These young fellows
had to come to the Palace each morning very early, but as no man was
allowed to stay all night in the Palace they of course had to leave when
they had finished their duties for the day.

When Her Majesty heard what my mother said, she was very much surprised,
and asked why she had never been told that my brother was learned in
photography. My mother replied that she had no idea that Her Majesty
wished to have a photograph taken, and had not dared to suggest such a
thing herself. Her Majesty laughed, and said: "You may suggest anything
you like, as I want to try anything that is new to me, especially as
outsiders can know nothing about it." She gave orders to send for my
brother at once. On his arrival Her Majesty said to him: "I hear that
you are a photographer. I am going to give you something to do." My
brother was kneeling, as was the custom of the Court, whilst Her Majesty
was addressing him. Everybody, with the exception of the Court ladies,
had to kneel when she was speaking to them. Even the Emperor himself was
no exception to this rule. Of course the Court ladies, being constantly
in attendance, were allowed not to kneel, as Her Majesty was talking to
us all the time, and it was her orders that we should not do so, as it
would be wasting a lot of time.

Her Majesty asked my brother when he would be able to come and take her
photograph, and what kind of weather was necessary. My brother said that
he would go back to Peking that night, to fetch his camera, and that he
could take the photograph at any time she desired, as the weather would
not affect the work. So Her Majesty decided to have her photograph taken
the next morning. She said: "I want to have one taken first of all in
my chair, when going to the audience, and you can take some others
afterwards." She also asked my brother how long she would have to sit,
and was surprised to learn that only a few seconds would suffice. Next
she enquired how long it would be before it was finished, so that she
could see it. My brother answered that if it were taken in the morning
it could be finished late the same afternoon. Her Majesty said that was
delightful, and expressed a wish to watch him do the work. She told
my brother that he might select any room in the Palace to work in, and
ordered a eunuch to make the necessary preparations.

The next day was a beautiful day, and at eight o'clock my brother was
waiting in the courtyard with several cameras. Her Majesty went to the
courtyard and examined each of them. She said: "How funny it is that you
can take a person's picture with a thing like that." After the method of
taking the photograph had been fully explained to her, she commanded one
of the eunuchs to stand in front of the camera so that she might
look through the focusing glass, to see what it was like. Her Majesty
exclaimed: "Why is it your head is upside down? Are you standing on your
head or feet?" So we explained when the photo was taken it would not
look that way. She was delighted with the result of her observations,
and said that it was marvellous. Finally she told me to go and stand
there, as she wanted to have a look at me through this glass also. She
then exchanged places with me, and desired that I should look through
the glass and see if I could make out what she was doing. She waved
her hand in front of the camera, and on my telling her of it, she was
pleased.

She then entered her chair, and ordered the bearers to proceed. My
brother took another photograph of Her Majesty in the procession as she
passed the camera. After she had passed the camera she turned and asked
my brother: "Did you take a picture?" and on my brother answering that
he had, Her Majesty said: "Why didn't you tell me? I was looking too
serious. Next time when you are going to take one, let me know so that I
may try and look pleasant."

I knew that Her Majesty was very much pleased. While we were at the back
of the screen during the audience, I noticed that she seemed anxious to
get it over, in order to have some more photographs taken. It only took
about twenty minutes to get that particular audience over, which was
very rare.

After the people had gone, we came from behind the screen and Her
Majesty said: "Let us go and have some more pictures taken while the
weather is fine." So she walked the courtyard of the Audience Hall,
where my brother had a camera ready, and had another photograph taken.
She said that she would like to have some taken sitting on her throne,
exactly as though she were holding an audience. It took us only a few
minutes to have everything prepared in the courtyard. The screen was
placed behind the throne, and her footstool was also placed ready for
her, and she ordered one of the Court ladies to go and bring several
gowns for her to select from. At the same time I went and brought some
of her favorite jewelry. She ordered the two gowns which she had worn
at the audiences when she received Admiral Evans and Mrs. Evans, to be
brought in, and also the same jewels as she had worn on those respective
occasions. She had two photographs taken in these costumes, one in
each dress. Next she wanted one taken in a plain gown, without any
embroidery. She then ordered my brother to go and finish the pictures
which had already been taken, as she was anxious to see what they were
like. She said to my brother: "You wait a minute, I want to go with
you and see how you work on them." Of course, I had not considered
it necessary to explain to Her Majesty the process of developing the
pictures, the dark room, etc., so I explained to her as well as I could
the whole thing. Her Majesty replied: "It doesn't matter. I want to
go and see the room, no matter what kind of a room it is." So we all
adjourned to the dark room in order to see my brother work on the
photographs. We placed a chair so that Her Majesty could sit down. She
said to my brother: "You must forget that I am here, and go along with
your work just as usual." She watched for a while, and was very pleased
when she saw that the plates were developing so quickly. My brother held
up the plate to the red light, to enable her to see more distinctly.
Her Majesty said: "It is not very clear. I can see that it is myself all
right, but why is it that my face and hands are dark?" We explained to
her that when the picture was printed on paper, these dark spots would
show white, and the white parts would be dark. She said: "Well, one is
never too old to learn. This is something really new to me. I am not
sorry that I suggested having my photograph taken, and only hope that
I shall like the portrait painting as well." She said to my brother:
"Don't finish these photographs until after I have had my afternoon
rest. I want to see you do it." When she got up at about half-past
three, it did not take her long to dress herself, as was her usual
custom, and she went immediately to where my brother had the papers and
everything prepared. He then showed Her Majesty how the printing was
done. There was plenty of light, as it was summer time, and as it was
only four o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was still high. Her Majesty
watched for two hours while my brother was printing, and was delighted
to see each picture come out quite plainly. She held the first one in
her hands so long while examining the others, that when she came to look
at it again, she found that it had turned quite black. She could not
understand this at all, and exclaimed: "Why has this gone black? Is it
bad luck?" We explained to her that it must be washed after printing,
otherwise a strong light would cause the picture to fade, as this one
had done. She said: "How very interesting, and what a lot of work there
is."

After the printing process had been finished, my brother placed the
pictures in a chemical bath, as usual, finally washing them in clean
water. This caused Her Majesty even more surprise when she saw how clear
the pictures came out, and caused her to exclaim: "How extraordinary.
Everything is quite true to life." When they were finally completed,
she took the whole of them to her own room and sat down on her little
throne, and gazed at them for a long time. She even took her mirror in
order to compare her reflection with the photographs just taken.

All this time my brother was standing in the courtyard awaiting Her
Majesty's further commands. Suddenly she recollected this fact, and
said: "Why, I had forgotten all about your brother. The poor fellow
must be still standing waiting to know what I want next. You go and tell
him--no, I had better go and speak to him myself. He has worked so hard
all the day, that I want to say something to make him feel happy." She
ordered my brother to print ten copies of each of the photographs, and
to leave all his cameras at the Palace, in order that he could proceed
with the work the next day.

The following ten days it rained continually, which made Her Majesty
very impatient, as it was impossible to take any more photographs until
the weather improved. Her Majesty wanted to have some taken in the
Throne Room, but this room was too dark, the upper windows being pasted
over with thick paper, only the lower windows allowing the light to
enter. My brother tried several times, but failed to get a good picture.

During this rainy period the Court was moved to the Sea Palace, as
the Emperor was to sacrifice at the Temple of Earth. This was a yearly
ceremony and was carried out on similar lines to all other annual
ceremonies. On account of the rain Her Majesty ordered that boats should
be brought alongside the west shore of the Summer Palace. On entering
the boats, Her Majesty, accompanied by the Court, proceeded to
the Western Gate of the city, and on arrival at the last bridge,
disembarked. Chairs were awaiting us and we rode to the gate of the Sea
Palace. There we again entered the boats and proceeded across the lake,
a distance of about a mile. While crossing the lake Her Majesty noticed
a lot of lotus plants which were in full bloom. She said: "We are going
to stay at least three days here. I hope the weather will be fine, as
I should like to have some photographs taken in the open boats on the
lake. I have also another; good idea, and that is, I want to have one
taken as 'Kuan Yin' (Goddess of Mersy). The two chief eunuchs will be
dressed as attendants. The necessary gowns were made some time ago, and
I occasionally put them on. Whenever I have been angry, or worried over
anything, by dressing up as the Goddess of Mercy it helps me to calm
myself, and so play the part I represent. I can assure you that it does
help me a great deal, as it makes me remember that I am looked upon as
being all-merciful. By having a photograph taken of myself dressed in
this costume, I shall be able to see myself as I ought to be at all
times."

When we arrived at the private Palace the rain ceased. We walked to
her bedroom, although the ground was still in bad condition. One of
Her Majesty's peculiarities was a desire to go out in the rain and walk
about. She would not even use an umbrella unless it was raining very
heavily. The eunuchs always carried our umbrellas, but if Her Majesty
did not use her umbrella, of course we could not very well use ours. The
same thing applied in everything. If Her Majesty wanted to walk, we had
to walk also, and if she decided to ride in her chair, we had to get
into our chairs and ride as well. The only exception to this rule was
when Her Majesty, being tired walking, ordered her stool to rest on. We
were not allowed to sit in her presence, but had to stand all the time.
Her Majesty liked her Sea Palace better than her Palace in the Forbidden
City. It was far prettier, and had the effect of making her good
tempered.

Her Majesty ordered us to retire early that day, as we were all very
tired after the trip, and said that in the event of it being fine the
next day, she would have the proposed photographs taken. However, much
to Her Majesty's disappointment, it rained incessantly for the next
three days, so it was decided to stay a few days longer. On the last day
of our stay it cleared up sufficiently to enable the photographs to be
taken, after which we all returned to the Summer Palace.

The day after our arrival at the Summer Palace Her Majesty said that
we had better prepare everything for the audience to receive the lady
artist (Miss Carl). She told the chief eunuch to issue orders to all
the other eunuchs not to speak to Miss Carl, but simply be polite as
occasion required. We Court ladies received similar orders. Also, that
we were not to address Her Majesty while Miss Carl was present. The
Emperor received similar instructions. Her Majesty gave orders to have
the Gardens of Prince Chung's Palace ready. She then said to us: "I
trust you three to look after this lady artist. I have already given
orders for food to be supplied by the Wai Wu Pu. The only thing that
I have been worried about is that I have no foreign food here for Miss
Carl." She ordered us to have our stove taken over to Prince Chung's
Palace in case Miss Carl desired something cooked. She said: "I know
it will be very hard for you to take her to the Palace each morning and
return with her at night, besides having to watch her all day long, but
I know you do not mind. You are doing all this for me." After a while
she smiled, and said: "How selfish of me. I order you to bring all your
things to this place, but what is your father going to do? The best
thing will be to ask your father to come and live in the same place. The
country air might benefit him." We kowtowed and thanked Her Majesty,
as this was a special favor, no official nor anyone else having been
allowed to live in Prince Chung's Palace previously. We all were very
pleased--I could now see my father every day. Hitherto we had only been
able to see him about once a month, and then only by asking special
leave.

The next day Her Majesty sent us to Prince Chung's Palace to make all
necessary arrangements for Miss Carl's stay.

This Palace of Prince Chung's was a magnificent place. All the smaller
dwellings were quite separate from each other, not in one large
building, as was the custom. There was a small lake in the grounds, and
lovely little paths to walk along, exactly like the Empress Dowager's
Summer Palace, but, of course, on a much smaller scale. We selected one
of these small dwellings, or summer houses, for the use of Miss Carl
during her stay, and had it fitted up nicely, to make her as comfortable
as possible. We ourselves were to occupy the next house to Miss Carl, in
order that we might always be on hand, and at the same time keep a good
eye on her. We returned to the Summer Palace the same evening, and told
Her Majesty just how everything had been arranged. She said: "I want you
all to be very careful not to let this lady know that you are watching
her." She seemed very anxious about this, repeating these instructions
for several days prior to Miss Carl's arrival.

I felt very much relieved when the day before the audience arrived, and
everything was finally fixed to Her Majesty's satisfaction. She ordered
us to retire early that evening, as she wanted to rest and look well
the next morning. When morning came we hurried over everything, even
the usual morning audience, so that we could be ready when Miss Carl
arrived.

While I was standing behind the screen, as usual, a eunuch came and told
me that Mrs. Conger, the artist, and another lady had arrived, and that
they were now in the waiting room. By that time the audience was about
finished. The chief eunuch came in and told Her Majesty that the foreign
ladies had arrived and were waiting in another room. Her Majesty said to
us: "I think I will go to the courtyard and meet them there." Of course,
at all private audiences Her Majesty received the people in the Throne
Room, but as Miss Carl was more of a guest, she did not think it
necessary to go through the usual formal reception.

While we were descending the steps we saw the ladies entering the gate
of the courtyard. I pointed out Miss Carl to Her Majesty, and noticed
that she eyed Miss Carl very keenly. When we arrived in the courtyard,
Mrs. Conger came forward and greeted Her Majesty and then presented Miss
Carl. Her Majesty's first impression of Miss Carl was a good one, as
Miss Carl was smiling very pleasantly, and Her Majesty, who always liked
to see a pleasant smile, exclaimed to me in an undertone: "She seems to
be a very pleasant person," to which I replied that I was very glad she
thought so, as I was very anxious about the impression Miss Carl would
make on Her Majesty. Her Majesty watched Miss Carl and myself as we
greeted each other, and I could see that she was satisfied. She told me
afterwards that she had noticed Miss Carl appeared very glad to see
me again, and said: "We will handle her pretty easily, I think." Her
Majesty then went to her own private Palace, and we all followed. On our
arrival, Miss Carl told me that she had brought her own canvas. This
was a piece about six feet by four feet. I had told Miss Carl a little
previously that Her Majesty refused to sit for a very small portrait and
that she would like a life-size one. When Her Majesty saw the canvas she
appeared to be very much disappointed, as in her opinion even that was
not large enough. We placed the tables ready for Miss Carl, and Her
Majesty asked her to choose the position in which she wished to paint.
I knew that Miss Carl would have great difficulty in choosing a good
position on account of the windows being built so low, there being very
little light except low down near the ground. However, Miss Carl finally
placed the canvas near the door of the room. Her Majesty told Mrs.
Conger and the rest to sit down for a while as she wanted to change into
another gown. I followed her into her bedroom. The first question Her
Majesty asked was how old I thought Miss Carl was, as she herself could
not guess her age, her hair being extremely light, in fact almost white.
I could hardly refrain from laughing outright on hearing this, and told
Her Majesty that Miss Carl's hair was naturally of a light color. Her
Majesty said that she had often seen ladies with golden hair, but never
one with white hair, excepting old ladies. She said: "I think that she
is very nice, however, and hope she will paint a good portrait."

Turning to one of the Court ladies, she ordered her to fetch a yellow
gown as although, as she put it, she did not like yellow, she thought it
would be the best color for a portrait. She selected one from a number
which the Court lady brought, embroidered all over with purple wisteria.
Her shoes and handkerchiefs matched. She also wore a blue silk scarf,
embroidered with the character "Shou" (long life). Each character had
a pearl in the center. She wore a pair of jade bracelets and also jade
nail protectors. In addition she wore jade butterflies and a tassel on
one side of her headdress, and, as usual, fresh flowers on the other
side. Her Majesty certainly did look beautiful on that occasion.

By the time she came out from her room Miss Carl had everything
prepared. When she saw how Her Majesty was dressed, she exclaimed: "How
beautiful Her Majesty looks in this dress," which remark I interpreted
to Her Majesty, and it pleased her very much.

She seated herself on her throne, ready to pose for the picture. She
just sat down in an ordinary easy position, placing one hand on a
cushion. Miss Carl explained: "That is an excellent position, as it is
so natural. Please do not move." I told Her Majesty what Miss Carl said,
and she asked me whether she looked all right, or not. If not, she would
change her position. I assured her that she looked very grand in that
position. However, she asked the opinion of the Young Empress and some
of the Court ladies, who all agreed that she could not look better. I
could see that they never looked at Her Majesty at all, they were too
much interested in what Miss Carl was doing.

When Miss Carl commenced to make the rough sketch of Her Majesty
everyone watched with open mouth, as they had never seen anything done
so easily and so naturally. The Young Empress whispered to me: "Although
I don't know anything about portrait painting, still I can see that she
is a good artist. She has never seen any of our clothes and headdresses,
and she has copied them exactly. Just imagine one of our Chinese artists
trying to paint a foreign lady, what a mess he would make of it."

After the sketch was finished Her Majesty was delighted and thought
it was wonderful for Miss Carl to have made it so quickly and so
accurately. I explained that this was a rough sketch and that when Miss
Carl commenced painting, she would soon see the difference. Her Majesty
told me to ask Miss Carl whether she was tired and would like to rest;
also to tell her that she was very busy all the day, and would only be
able to give her a few minutes' sitting each day. We then took Miss
Carl to luncheon, together with Mrs. Conger, and after luncheon we
accompanied Her Majesty to the theatre.

After Mrs. Conger had departed I took Miss Carl to my room to rest. As
soon as we arrived there, Her Majesty sent a eunuch to call me to her
bedroom. Her Majesty said: "I don't want this lady to paint during my
afternoon rest. She can rest at the same time. As soon as I am up you
can bring her here to paint. I am glad that it looks like turning out
better than I had anticipated." I therefore told Miss Carl Her Majesty's
wishes in this respect and that she could paint for a little while,
if she chose to, after Her Majesty had had her rest. Miss Carl was so
interested in Her Majesty, she told me she didn't want to rest at
all, but that she would like to go on with the painting right away. Of
course, I did not like to tell her anything the first day, as it might
upset her, and did not say that this was a command from Her Majesty.
After a lot of maneuvering I got her to give up the idea of continuing
straight off, without offending her. I took her out on the veranda as
the eunuch was preparing the table for Her Majesty's dinner in the room
we were then occupying. The Young Empress kept Miss Carl busy talking, I
acting as interpreter. Soon one of the eunuchs came and informed us that
Her Majesty had finished dinner, and would we please come and take ours.
On entering the room I was very much surprised to see that chairs had
been placed there, as this had never been done previously, everybody,
with the exception of Her Majesty, taking their meals standing. The
Young Empress was also very much surprised and asked me whether I knew
anything about it. I said that perhaps it was on account of Miss Carl
being there. The Young Empress told me to go over and ask Her Majesty,
as she was afraid to sit down without receiving orders to do so.
Her Majesty whispered to me: "I don't want Miss Carl to think we are
barbarians, and treat the Young Empress and the Court ladies in that
manner. Of course, she does not understand our Court etiquette and might
form a wrong impression, so you can all sit down without coming over to
thank me, but be natural, as though you were accustomed to sitting down
to dinner every day."

After Her Majesty had washed her hands she came over to our table. Of
course we all stood up. Her Majesty told me to ask Miss Carl whether she
liked the food, and was pleased when Miss Carl answered that she liked
the food better than her own kind. That relieved Her Majesty.

After dinner was over I told Miss Carl to say good-bye to Her Majesty.
We courtesied to her, also to the Young Empress, and said good night to
the Court ladies. We then took Miss Carl to the Palace of Prince Chung.
It took us about ten minutes' ride in the carts. We showed Miss Carl her
bedroom, and were pleased to leave her and get to our own rooms, for a
good night's rest.

The next morning we took Miss Carl to the Palace, and arrived there
during the morning audience. Of course Miss Carl, being a foreigner,
could not enter the Throne Room, so we sat down on the back veranda
of the Audience Hall and waited until it was over. This, of course,
prevented my being in attendance each morning, as usual, and was a great
disappointment to me, as I was unable to keep in touch with what was
taking place. Moreover, during the time I had been at Court, my one
object had been to endeavor to interest Her Majesty in Western customs
and civilization. I believed that to a great extent Her Majesty was
becoming interested in these things, and would refer the subjects of our
conversations to her Ministers, for their opinions. For instance, I had
shown her photographs taken of a Naval Review at which I was present
in France. Her Majesty seemed to be impressed, and said that she would
certainly like to be able to make a similar display in China. This
matter she consulted with her Ministers, but they gave the usual evasive
answer, viz.: "There is plenty of time for that." From this you will see
that Her Majesty was not able to introduce reforms entirely alone, even
though she might desire to do so, but had to consult the Ministers, who
would always agree with Her Majesty, but would suggest that the matter
be put off for a time.

My experience while at the Palace was that everybody seemed to be afraid
to suggest anything new for fear they might get themselves into trouble.

When Her Majesty came out from the Audience Hall, Miss Carl went up
to her and kissed Her Majesty's hand, which caused her great surprise,
although she did not show it at the time. Afterwards, however, when we
were alone, she asked me why Miss Carl had done this, as it was not a
Chinese custom. She naturally thought that it must be a foreign custom,
and therefore said nothing about it.

Her Majesty then proceeded on foot to her own Palace, to change her
dress for the portrait. It was a beautiful morning, and when she had
posed for about ten minutes, she told me that she felt too tired to
proceed, and asked if it would be all right to ask Miss Carl to postpone
it. I explained that as Miss Carl was going to be at the Palace for
some time, the postponement of one day's sitting would not make much
difference at that time, although I knew that Miss Carl would naturally
be disappointed. Still, I had to humor Her Majesty as much as possible,
otherwise she might have thrown up the whole thing. Miss Carl said that
if Her Majesty wished to go to rest, she could be working painting the
screen and the throne, and Her Majesty could pose again later on if she
felt like it. This pleased Her Majesty, and she said that she would try
to sit again after taking her afternoon's rest. Her Majesty ordered me
to give Miss Carl her lunch in my own room at twelve o'clock each day,
my mother, my sister and myself keeping her company. Dinner at the
Palace was usually taken about six o'clock, and it was arranged that
Miss Carl should take dinner with the Young Empress and the Court ladies
at that hour, after Her Majesty had finished dining. Her Majesty also
ordered that champagne or any other wine which Miss Carl preferred,
should be served, as she said she knew it was the custom for all foreign
ladies to take wine with their meals. Where she got hold of this
idea, nobody knew. I was sure that Her Majesty had been misinformed by
somebody, but it would have been bad policy to have tried to tell her
different at the moment. She disliked very much to be told that she was
wrong in any of these things, and it could only be done by waiting and
casually introducing the subject at some other time.

After Miss Carl had gone to rest during the afternoon, Her Majesty
sent for me and asked the usual question, viz.: What had Miss Carl been
saying? etc., etc. She seemed particularly anxious to know what Miss
Carl thought of her, and when I told her that Miss Carl had said that
she was very beautiful and quite young looking, she said: "Oh! well,
of course Miss Carl would say that to you." However, on my assuring her
that Miss Carl had given this opinion without being asked for it,
she showed very plainly that she was not at all displeased with the
compliment.

Suddenly Her Majesty said: "I have been thinking that if Miss Carl can
paint the screen and the throne, surely she ought to be able to paint
my clothes and jewels, without it being necessary for me to pose all the
time." I told her that would be quite impossible, as nobody could hold
the things for Miss Carl to get the proper effect. To my surprise she
answered: "Well, that is easily gotten over. You wear them in my place."
I hardly knew what to say, but thought I would get out of the
difficulty by telling her that perhaps Miss Carl would not like such an
arrangement. Her Majesty, however, could see no possible objection
on Miss Carl's part, as she herself could pose when the time came for
painting her face. So I put the matter as nicely as possible to Miss
Carl, and it was finally arranged that I should dress in Her Majesty's
robes and jewels whenever Her Majesty felt too tired to do the posing
herself. In this manner the portrait of the Empress Dowager was painted,
and with the exception of just a few hours to enable Miss Carl to
get Her Majesty's facial expression, I had to sit for two hours each
morning, and for another two hours each afternoon until the portrait was
finished.



CHAPTER FOURTEEN--THE EMPEROR'S BIRTHDAY

MY father's four months' leave having expired, he was received in
audience by their Majesties on the first day of the sixth moon. He was
much improved in health, but his rheumatism was still very troublesome.
This was particularly noticeable when climbing the steps to the Audience
Hall, and Her Majesty ordered two of the eunuchs to assist him.

First he thanked Her Majesty for her kindness towards my sister and
myself, and, as was the custom, took off his hat and knelt down, bowing
his head until it struck the ground. This ceremony was always gone
through by any official who had received special favors from Their
Majesties.

He then replaced his hat on his head and remained kneeling before the
throne. Her Majesty then questioned him about his life in Paris, from
time to time complimenting him on his work. Seeing that remaining in
this kneeling position appeared to be making him tired, Her Majesty
ordered one of the eunuchs to bring a cushion for him to use, which was
another great honor, as this cushion was only used by the President of
the Grand Council.

Her Majesty told him that as he was now getting to be a very old man,
she did not intend sending him away from China again, as she wanted to
keep my sister and myself at the Court, which she could not do if she
sent him to some foreign country, as he would want to take his daughters
with him. She said she was pleased, that although we had been away from
China for such a long time, we were well acquainted with the Manchu
customs. My father replied that it had been his care that we should be
brought up according to the customs of our own country.

Her Majesty when asked the Emperor if he had anything to say, and he
replied by asking my father if he spoke French, and thought it very
strange on learning that he did not. My father explained that he had
never had the time to study it, besides which he considered himself too
old to learn a foreign language.

The Emperor next asked what was the feeling in France towards China.
My father replied that they were very friendly at that time, but that
immediately after the Boxer trouble the post of Minister had been a
very embarrassing one. Her Majesty said that it had been an unfortunate
affair, but she was glad that everything was now settled satisfactorily.
She told my father that he was to get well again as quickly as possible,
and the audience came to an end.

Afterwards Her Majesty said that my father was looking very old since
his return from France and that he would have to be careful and take
things easy until he got stronger again. She was pleased that he had
shown appreciation of her interest in my sister and myself.

Preparations were now commenced for celebrating the birthday of His
Majesty, the Emperor Kwang Hsu, which was to take place on the 28th of
that month. The actual date of the Emperor's birthday was the 26th of
the sixth moon, but this day, being the anniversary of the death of a
previous Emperor of China, we were unable to hold any festivities,
and so it was always celebrated on the 28th day instead. The official
celebration lasted for seven days, three days before and four days after
the actual date. During that time the whole of the Court dressed in
official robes, and no business of any kind whatever was attended to.
This being the Emperor's 32nd birthday, and as the full celebrations
only took place every tenth year, i. e. On his 20th birthday, his 30th
birthday, and so on, the festivities were not carried out on a very
grand scale. However, it was quite sufficient to interfere with all
business, and the usual morning audiences did not take place during
these seven days. The Empress Dowager herself was the only person who
did not dress especially during these celebrations, and who did not take
any active part in the festivities. Another reason why the celebrations
were not carried out on a very large scale was the fact that the Empress
Dowager, being alive, she took precedence, according to the Manchu
custom, over the Emperor himself, in fact she was the actual ruler of
the country, the Emperor being second. The Emperor was quite aware of
this fact, and when the Empress commanded that preparations be commenced
for the celebrations, the Emperor would always suggest that it was not
at all necessary to celebrate the occasion unless it happened to be a
tenth year, and would very reluctantly agree to the festivities taking
place. Of course this was more out of politeness on the part of the
Emperor and to conform to the recognized etiquette, but the nation
recognized this birthday and naturally celebrated according to the usual
custom. During this period, therefore, the painting of the portrait was
postponed.

When the morning of the 25th arrived, the Emperor dressed himself in his
official robe-yellow gown, embroidered with gold dragons and coat of a
reddish black color. Of course, being the Emperor, in place of the
usual button on the hat he wore a large pearl. I might mention that
the Emperor was the only person who could wear this particular pearl in
place of a button. He came as usual to wish Her Majesty Chi Hsiang and
then proceeded to the temple to worship before the ancestral tablets.
After this ceremony was over he returned to the Empress Dowager and
kowtowed to her. All the Chinese adopt this rule of kowtowing to their
parents on their own birthdays, as a sign of reverence and respect. The
Emperor next proceeded to the Audience Hall, where all the Ministers
were assembled, and received their salutations and congratulations. This
ceremony very often caused amusement, for to see several hundred people
all bobbing their heads up and down, especially when they did not all
manage to do it together, was a very funny sight. Even the Emperor
himself had to laugh, it was such an extraordinary spectacle.

The musical instruments which were used during the ceremony deserve a
little description. The principal instrument is made of hard wood, and
has a flat bottom about three feet in diameter, with a dome-shaped top
raised about three feet from the ground. The inside is quite hollow.
A long pole made of the same material is used as a drumstick, and an
official, specially appointed, beats with all his might on the drum. The
noise can be better imagined than described. This is used as a signal to
announce when the Emperor takes his seat upon the throne. In addition
to the above, a full sized model of a tiger, also made of similar hard
wood, and having twenty-four scales on its back, is brought into the
courtyard. In this case they did not beat the instrument, but scraped
along its back over the scales, which emitted a noise similar to the
letting off simultaneously of innumerable crackers. This noise was kept
up during the whole of the ceremony, and what with the drum and this
tiger instrument it was sufficient to deafen one. During the ceremony,
an official crier used to call out the different orders, such as when
to kneel, bow, stand up, kowtow, etc., etc., but with the noise it
was quite impossible to hear a single word of what he uttered. Another
instrument was composed of a frame made of wood, about eight feet high
by three feet broad. Across this frame were three wooden bars, from
which was suspended twelve bells, made out of pure gold. When these were
struck with a wooden stick the sound was not at all unlike the dulcimer,
only, of course, very much louder. This was placed on the right side
of the Audience Hall. On the left side a similar instrument was placed,
with the exception that the bells were carved out of white jade. The
music which could be brought out of the instrument was very sweet.

When this ceremony of receiving the Ministers was concluded, the Emperor
proceeded to his private Palace, where the Young Empress (his wife),
the Secondary wife and all the Court ladies were gathered, and, after
kowtowing, all of the Court ladies present, led by the Young Empress,
knelt before him and presented him with a Ru Yee. This is a kind of
sceptre. Some are made out of pure jade, while others are made out of
wood inlaid with jade. This Ru Yee is a symbol of good luck and was
supposed to bring happiness and prosperity to the person to whom it was
presented. The ceremony was gone through to the accompaniment of music
played on string instruments, which was very sweet.

Next the eunuchs were received by the Emperor, and they similarly
congratulated him, but without the accompaniment of music. After the
eunuchs came the servant girls, and the whole of the ceremony was over.
The Emperor next proceeded to Her Majesty's Palace, where he knelt
before Her Majesty and thanked her for the celebration which had been
given in his honor, after which Her Majesty, accompanied by the whole
Court, went to the theatre to see the play. On arrival at the theatre we
were all presented by Her Majesty with sweetmeats, this being the custom
on these occasions, and after a little while Her Majesty retired for her
afternoon rest. Thus the celebration ended.

Two days after the celebration the seventh moon commenced. The
seventh day of the seventh moon was the occasion of another important
anniversary.

The two stars, Niu Lang (Capricorn) and Chih Nu (Lyra) are supposed to
be the patrons of agriculture and weaving and, according to tradition,
were at one time man and wife. As the result of a quarrel, however, they
were doomed to live apart, being separated from each other by the "Milky
Way." But on the seventh day of the seventh moon of each year they are
allowed to see each other and the magpies are supposed to build a bridge
to enable them to meet.

The ceremony is rather peculiar. Several basins full of water were
placed so that the sun's rays would fall upon them. Her Majesty then
took several tiny needles and dropped one into each basin. These floated
on the water, casting a shadow across the bottom of the basins. These
shadows took different forms, according to the position of the needle,
and if the shadow took certain prescribed forms, the person throwing
in the needle was supposed to be very lucky and clever, while if they
represented certain other forms, they were despised by the gods as being
ignorant. In addition, Her Majesty burned incense and offered up prayers
to the two gods referred to.

This was always a sad moon for Her Majesty, it being the anniversary of
the death of her husband, the Emperor Hsien Feng, who died on the 17th
of that month. The fifteenth of the seventh moon each year is the day of
the festival for the dead, and early in the morning the Court moved
to the Sea Palace in order to sacrifice. The Chinese hold that when
a person dies, his soul still remains on the earth, and on these
anniversaries they burn imitation money, the belief being that the soul
of the departed one will benefit to the extent of the amount of money so
represented. On the anniversary above referred to Her Majesty sent for
hundreds of Buddhist priests to pray for those unfortunate people who
had died without leaving anyone who could sacrifice for them. On the
evening of this day, Her Majesty and all her Court ladies set out in
open boats on the lake, where imitation lotus flowers were arranged as
lanterns, with a candle placed in the centre, which formed a sort of
floating light, the idea being to give light to the spirits of those who
had departed during the year, so as to enable them to come and receive
the blessings which had been prepared for them. Her Majesty ordered us
to light the candles and place the flowers on the water ourselves, as
she said it would be appreciated by the spirits of the dead. Some of the
eunuchs had told Her Majesty that they had actually seen some of these
spirits, which assertion was thoroughly believed. Although she had never
seen them herself, she accounted for this by the fact that she was of
too high a rank and the spirits were afraid of her, but she ordered all
the rest of us to keep a sharp lookout and tell her if we saw anything.
Of course we didn't see anything, but many of the Court ladies were so
frightened that they closed their eyes for fear they might see something
supernatural.

Her Majesty was devoted to the late Emperor Hsien Feng, and she was very
sad and morose during this period. We all had to be very careful indeed
not to upset her in any way, as she would find fault on the slightest
provocation. She hardly had a word to say to any of us, and cried almost
incessantly. I could hardly understand the reason for such grief, seeing
that the Emperor had died so many years previously. None of the Court
ladies were allowed to dress in light-coloured gowns during the whole of
the seventh moon. We all dressed either in dark blue or pale blue, while
Her Majesty herself dressed in black every day without exception. Even
her handkerchiefs were black. The theatres which were usually opened on
the first and fifteenth of each month, were closed during the seventh
moon. There was no music, and everything was conducted in the most
solemn manner; in fact, the whole Court was in deep mourning.

On the morning of the seventeenth day of the seventh moon, Her Majesty
visited the late Emperor's tablet, and knelt there crying for quite a
while. In order to show respect for the late Emperor, none of us were
allowed to eat meat for three days. This being my first year at the
Palace, it appeared to me very strange, after the customary gaiety and
noise. Of course I felt very sorry for Her Majesty, as I could see that
it was a genuine display of grief and was not in any way put on. As I
was her favorite at that time, she kept me close to her side during this
sad period. The Young Empress said to me one day: "Her Majesty is very
much attached to you, and I think you had better stay with her for the
time being." This I did, and I was so miserable myself that when Her
Majesty commenced crying I would cry also. When she saw that I was
crying, Her Majesty would immediately stop and ask me not to cry. She
would tell me that I was too young to cry, and that in any case I did
not know what real sorrow was as yet. During the conversations we had at
that time she would tell me quite a lot about herself. On one occasion
she said: "You know I have had a very hard life ever since I was a
young girl. I was not a bit happy when with my parents, as I was not the
favorite. My sisters had everything they wanted, while I was, to a great
extent, ignored altogether. When I first came to the Court, a lot of
the people were jealous of me because I was considered to be a beautiful
woman at that time. I must say myself that I was a clever one, for I
fought my own battles, and won them, too. When I arrived at Court the
late Emperor became very much attached to me and would hardly glance at
any of the other ladies. Fortunately, I was lucky in giving birth to a
son, as it made me the Emperor's undisputed favorite; but after that
I had very bad luck. During the last year of his reign the Emperor was
seized with a sudden illness. In addition to this the foreign soldiers
burnt down the Palace at Yuen Ming Yuen, so we fled to Jehol. Of course
everybody knows what took place at that time. I was still a young woman,
with a dying husband and a young son. The East Empress Dowager's nephew
was a bad man, who coveted the throne, which he had no right to in
any event, as he was not of royal blood. I would not wish anyone to
experience what I myself passed through at that time. When the Emperor
was in a dying condition, being practically unconscious of what was
taking place around him, I took my son to his bedside and asked him what
was going to be done about his successor to the throne. He made no reply
to this, but, as has always been the case in emergencies, I was equal to
the occasion, and I said to him: 'Here is your son,' on hearing which he
immediately opened his eyes and said: 'Of course he will succeed to the
throne.' I naturally felt relieved when this was settled once and
for all. These words were practically the last he spoke, for he died
immediately afterwards. Although it is now so many years ago, I can see
him now in that dying condition, just as though it all happened only
yesterday.

"I thought that I could be happy with my son as the Emperor Tung Chi,
but unfortunately he died before he was twenty years of age. Since that
time I have been a changed woman, as all happiness was over as far as I
was concerned when he died. I had also quite a lot of trouble with the
East Empress Dowager and found it very difficult to keep on good terms
with her. However, she died five years after the death of my son. In
addition to all this, when the Emperor Kwang Hsu was brought to me as a
baby three years old, he was a very sickly child, and could hardly walk,
he was so thin and weak. His parents seemed to be afraid of giving him
anything to eat. You know his father was Prince Chung, and his mother
was my sister, so of course he was almost the same as my own son,
in fact I adopted him as such. Even now, after all my trouble on his
account, he is not in perfect health. As you know, I have had plenty of
other troubles beside these, but it is useless to mention them now. I
am disappointed with everything, as nothing has turned out as I had
expected." With this remark Her Majesty commenced crying afresh.
Continuing, she said: "People seem to think that just because I am the
Empress Dowager that I am bound to be happy, but what I have just
told you is not all. I have gone through much more than that. If ever
anything went wrong, I was always the one who was blamed. The censors
even dare to impeach me once in a while. However, I am philosopher
enough to take things for what they are worth, otherwise I would have
been in my own grave long, long ago. Just imagine how small minded these
people are. Amongst other things they objected to my transferring my
Court to the Summer Palace during the hot weather, although I could do
no harm by being there. Even in the short time you have spent at Court,
you can see that I am unable to decide anything alone, while whenever
they want anything they consult with each other and then present their
petition to me, which, unless it is something of a very serious nature,
I never think of refusing."

After the time set apart for mourning had expired, we all went back
to the Summer Palace, where Miss Carl re-commenced her work on Her
Majesty's portrait. Her Majesty apparently soon got tired of this
portrait painting, for one day she asked me when I thought it would be
finished. She was afraid that it would not be finished by the time the
cold weather came on, when we always removed the Court to the Forbidden
City, and she said it would be a lot of trouble and inconvenience to
have to continue the portrait there. I told Her Majesty that it could
easily be arranged and that she need not worry herself.

After I had been posing in Her Majesty's place for several days Her
Majesty asked me whether Miss Carl had said anything about it, and if
she did, I was to inform her that it was a command from Her Majesty, and
that I dare not make any further suggestions in that respect. So we had
no further trouble with Miss Carl after that. I had, however, quite
a lot of trouble with the eunuchs, who, in spite of Her Majesty's
instructions, were anything but polite to Miss Carl. Of course Miss
Carl herself did not know this. I tried to make them behave better by
threatening to tell Her Majesty about them, which had a good effect for
a while, but they were soon as bad as ever.

At the commencement of the eighth moon, Her Majesty always attended to
the transplanting of her chrysanthemums, which was one of her favorite
flowers, so each day she would take us with her to the west side of the
lake and, assisted by us, would cut the tops of the young plants and set
them in flower pots. I was very much surprised at this, as there were
no roots, only the stems of the flowers, but Her Majesty assured me that
they would soon grow into very pretty plants. Every day we went over to
water these flowers until they began to bud. In case it rained heavily,
Her Majesty would order some of the eunuchs to go over and cover up
these chrysanthemum plants with mats, so that they would not be broken.
It was characteristic of Her Majesty that, no matter what other business
she had to attend to, her flowers had her first consideration and
she would, if necessary, even go without her usual rest in order to
superintend them personally. She also spent quite a time in looking
after her orchard, where she had planted apple trees, pear trees, etc.
Another thing which I began to notice was that when the spring and
summer days had passed, she got quite irritable and sad, while in the
winter she was simply unbearable. She loathed cold weather.

One day, during the eighth moon, Her Majesty was taken slightly ill, and
complained of suffering from severe headaches. This was the only time I
ever saw Her Majesty actually sick. She, however, got up as usual in
the morning, and held audience, but was unable to take her luncheon, and
very soon had to retire to her bed. Several doctors were summoned, each
of whom took her pulse. This was quite a ceremony in itself. The doctors
knelt at the bedside, and Her Majesty stretched forth her arm, resting
her hand upon a small pillow which was provided for that purpose. After
this each doctor wrote out his prescription, all of which were different
from each other. We handed them to Her Majesty, who chose the one which
she thought was the nicest to take, and two attendants and the doctor
himself had to take a dose in her presence before she would touch it.
Then she would take it all right.

During this time it rained a great deal and was very hot. The climate at
this time of the year is very damp, which causes the flies to make their
appearance in millions. If there was one thing more than another that
Her Majesty detested it was these flies. During the actual summer they
were not so troublesome as at this particular time. Of course every
precaution was taken to keep them away, a eunuch being posted at each
door, provided with sort of a switch made of horse hair fastened at the
end of a bamboo pole. We were never troubled by mosquitoes, however; in
fact I never saw a mosquito curtain in the Palace during the whole of
my stay there. These flies were an abomination, and in spite of all that
could be done a few would find their way into the rooms. Whenever they
alighted on Her Majesty she would scream, while if by any chance one
were to alight on her food she would order the whole lot to be thrown
away. This would spoil her appetite for the whole day and put her into
a terrible temper as well. Whenever she saw one anywhere near her, she
would order whoever happened to be present to go and catch it. I myself
often received this order, but I detested them almost as much as Her
Majesty did, they were so dirty, and stuck to one's hands whenever they
touched them.

After her illness Her Majesty was indisposed more or less for quite a
long time, and doctors were constantly in attendance. She took so many
different kinds of medicine that instead of getting better she got worse
and eventually contracted a fever. Her Majesty was very much afraid of
fevers of any kind and we had to stay with her all night and all day and
had to take our meals whenever we could get away from her bedside for a
few minutes. Another peculiarity was Her Majesty's aversion for any kind
of perfume near her when she was sick, while when she was feeling well
she was simply smothered in it. The same applied to fresh flowers; in
spite of her love for them under ordinary conditions, when she was sick
she could not bear them anywhere near. Her nerves became absolutely
unstrung, as she was unable to sleep during the day, and consequently
the time passed very slowly to her. In order to make the time pass
a little less tediously, she gave instructions for one of the better
educated eunuchs to read to her during the daytime. This reading
generally consisted of ancient Chinese history, poetry and all kinds of
Chinese lore, and while the eunuch was reading to her we had to stand by
her bedside, one of us being told off to massage her legs, which seemed
to soothe her somewhat. This same program was gone through every day
until she was completely herself again--some ten days later.

One day Her Majesty asked me: "What kind of medicine does a foreign
doctor usually give in case of a fever? I have heard that they make you
take all kinds of pills. This must be very dangerous, as you never know
what they are made of. Here in China all medicines are made from roots,
and I can always find out whether I am receiving the right medicine,
as I have a book which explains what each different medicine is for.
Another thing I have heard is that foreign doctors generally operate
on you with a knife, while we cure the same sickness by means of our
medicine. Li Lien Ying told me that one of our little eunuchs had a boil
on his wrist and someone advised him to go to the hospital. Of course
they didn't know what they would do, and the foreign doctor there opened
the boil with a knife, which frightened the child very much. I was very
much surprised when I heard he was all right again in a couple of days."
Continuing, Her Majesty said: "A year ago one of the foreign ladies came
to the Palace, and hearing me cough a lot, gave me some black pills and
told me to swallow them. I did not like to offend her, so I took the
pills and told her I would take them by and bye. However, I was afraid
to take them and threw them away." Of course I answered that I didn't
know much about medicines, to which she replied that she had seen me
take foreign medicines whenever I was not feeling well. She then said:
"Of course I know there are people in Peking who do take the medicines
given them by foreign doctors and even some of my own relatives
patronize these foreigners also. They try not to let me know, but I do
know for all that. In any case, if they choose to kill themselves by
taking these things, it is none of my business; that is the reason why,
when they are sick, I never send my own doctors to attend them."

When Her Majesty had completely recovered from her illness she used to
go out on the lake a great deal, sometimes in an open boat and at other
times in a steam launch. She always appeared to enjoy this kind of
thing. For some reason or other she always insisted on taking the west
side of the lake, which was very shallow, and invariably the launch
would get stuck fast in the mud, which seemed to afford Her Majesty
great enjoyment; she simply loved to feel the launch strike the bottom.
The open boats would then come alongside and we would have to get out
of the launch and enter the boats and proceed to the top of the nearest
hill to watch the efforts of the eunuchs trying to refloat the launch.
It was a characteristic of Her Majesty to experience a keen sense of
enjoyment at the troubles of other people. The eunuchs knew this quite
well, and whenever opportunity offered, they would do something which
they thought would amuse Her Majesty. So long as it was nothing of a
serious nature Her Majesty would always overlook it, but in case it
proved serious or was carelessness, she would always order them to be
severely punished. Thus it was very hard to tell just what to do in
order to please her.

Another of Her Majesty's peculiarities was inquisitiveness. For example:
As I have stated before, it was the custom for Her Majesty to have
sweetmeats brought to her before every meal, and after she had finished
with them, the remainder were distributed among the Court ladies.
Whenever it happened that we were very busy, we did not bother with the
sweetmeats at all, which Her Majesty very soon found out. One day, after
she had finished dining, she came and looked through the window to see
what we were doing, and saw some of the eunuchs eating the sweetmeats
which she had given to us. She did not say anything, but simply ordered
that the sweetmeats should be brought back again, making us believe that
she wanted some more herself. I knew that there was something wrong, as
she never ordered them back before. When she saw what was left of them,
she asked who had been eating so many, as they were nearly all finished,
but she got no reply--we were all too scared. However, after thinking
it over, I came to the conclusion that it would be best to tell her the
truth, for I was quite certain that she knew anyhow. So I told her that
we had all been very busy and had forgotten all about the sweetmeats,
and that the eunuchs had come and taken them themselves, and I added
that this was not the first time they had done so. I was rather glad
that she had given me this opportunity to report the eunuchs, for Her
Majesty replied that if she intended the eunuchs to have sweetmeats, she
herself could give them some, but thought it a lack of appreciation
on our part not eating them ourselves after she had been so kind as to
provide them for us. She turned to me, and said: "I am glad that you
have told the truth, as I saw myself what was happening." She gave
orders that the offending eunuchs should each have three months' wages
deducted as a punishment, but of course I knew very well they didn't
mind that, as they were making many times the amount of their salary in
other ways. On my return to the sitting room, one of the Court ladies
said: "You should not have told Her Majesty about the eunuchs, they are
sure to revenge themselves in some way." I asked how they could possibly
injure me in any way, as they were only servants, but she told me that
they would find some underhand way in which to get even with me, this
being their general custom. Of course I knew the eunuchs were a bad lot,
but could not see what cause they had to be against me in any way. I
knew they dare not say anything against me to Her Majesty, so I forgot
all about the matter. I found out afterwards that one of the tricks they
used to play on any of the Court ladies who offended them was to try and
prejudice Her Majesty against us. For instance, if Her Majesty told one
of the eunuchs that a certain thing should be done, instead of telling
me what Her Majesty wanted, the eunuch would go off to one of the other
ladies and tell her. In this way Her Majesty would get the impression
that I was too lazy to wait upon her myself, and of course the other
lady would get all the credit. Although Her Majesty was very kind to me,
also the Young Empress, it was very hard to get along with eunuchs,
and it was not good policy to offend them in any way. They regarded
themselves as being exclusively the servants of Her Majesty, the
Empress Dowager, and refused to take instructions from anybody else,
consequently they were often very rude to the other ladies of the Court,
not even excepting the Young Empress.

Everything proceeded as usual until the eighth moon, when the Emperor
was to sacrifice at the "Temple of the Sun." On this occasion the
Emperor wore a red robe.

About this time Mrs. Conger asked for a private audience, as she
wanted to see Her Majesty and at the same time see how the portrait was
progressing. Her Majesty replied that she would receive her and gave
orders accordingly. At this private audience Mrs. Conger brought into
the Court two of her relatives to be presented to Her Majesty, besides
Miss Campbell and a missionary lady. As it was a private audience,
the guests were conducted to Her Majesty's private Palace. They were
received in the hall which was being used as studio for this lady
artist, although Her Majesty was out of patience with the portrait
painting, and talked to us a great deal about it, yet when she saw Mrs.
Conger and the others she was extremely polite and told them that the
portrait was going to be a masterpiece. She was in an unusually good
humor that day and told me to give orders to the eunuchs to open all the
buildings and show them to her guests. Her Majesty led the way from one
room to another and showed them her curios in the different rooms, until
she came to rest in one of the bedrooms, when she ordered chairs to be
brought in for the guests. There were many chairs in this room, but they
were really small thrones of Her Majesty's, although they looked like
any ordinary chairs. The custom is that no matter what kind of a chair
it may be, as soon as she uses it, it is at once called her throne and
no one is allowed to sit on it thereafter unless the order is given by
her.

During the time the eunuchs were bringing in the chairs kept purposely
for foreigners to use, one of the ladies of the party made a mistake and
sat upon one of Her Majesty's thrones. I noticed her at once, and before
I had a chance to warn her, Her Majesty made a sign of annoyance to me.
I went to this lady at once and told her I wanted to show her something
and naturally she was obliged to get up. The trouble was this, although
Her Majesty felt that no one had the right to sit upon her throne, she
expected me to get this lady off the chair and at the same time not to
tell her the reason why. While I was busy interpreting for her, she said
in an undertone: "There she is again, sitting on my bed. We had
better leave this room." After this the ladies were conducted to the
refreshment room, and when they had partaken of lunch, bade Her Majesty
good-bye, leaving Miss Carl with us. As usual we reported to her that we
had seen the guests safely off. She said to me: "That was a funny lady:
first she sat upon my throne, and then upon my bed. Perhaps she does not
know what a throne is when she sees one, and yet foreigners laugh at
us. I am sure that our manners are far superior to theirs. Another
thing--did you notice that Mrs. Conger handed a parcel to Miss Carl out
in the courtyard when she came in?" I replied that I had noticed her
passing something like a parcel, but could not tell what the parcel
contained. She thereupon told me to go and ask Miss Carl what it was. At
that time I had received so many peculiar orders from Her Majesty that
I was beginning to get accustomed to them and used my own discretion in
carrying out her instructions. Therefore I did not ask Miss Carl, but
set about finding out for myself. However, when I began to look around
for the parcel, it had mysteriously disappeared and I could not find
the thing anywhere. This naturally worried me, knowing as I did that
Her Majesty liked her instructions carried out quickly. While I was
searching, one of the eunuchs came in and told me that Her Majesty
wanted to see me, and of course I had to go to her. Before she could say
anything to me, I informed Her Majesty that I had not been able to
ask Miss Carl about the parcel as she was asleep, but would do so
immediately she got up. Her Majesty said: "I don't want Miss Carl to
think I have told you to ask what the parcel contains, otherwise she
might think I am suspicious of what is going on, so you must manage
to get the information somehow without mentioning the matter; you are
clever enough to do that much." Shortly afterwards, while I was walking
along with Miss Carl to Her Majesty's Palace, to proceed with the
portrait, I noticed that she was carrying the parcel in question, which
was a great relief to me, I can assure you. On arrival at the Palace,
Miss Carl said to me: "You need not trouble to pose at present, as it is
rather dark, and I can be painting the throne; you can look through
this magazine, if you like, to pass the time away." So I opened up the
parcel, which proved to contain nothing more than an ordinary American
monthly magazine. After glancing through the book, I made an excuse to
hurry away and inform Her Majesty. However, she had already gone out
for her usual trip on the lake, so I took my chair and followed. When I
reached the lake, Her Majesty, who had seen me, sent a small boat and I
was rowed out to the launch. Before I could get a chance to speak, Her
Majesty said with a smile: "I know all about it, it was a book and Miss
Carl handed it to you to read." I was very much disappointed that I had
had my journey for nothing. I knew that the eunuchs would report it to
Her Majesty at the first opportunity, but I hardly expected they would
have done so already. Her Majesty was now quite satisfied, and simply
asked whether Miss Carl suspected that she had enquired about the
matter.

As I was about to return to Miss Carl, Her Majesty called me and said:
"There is one thing I want to tell you and that is whenever any foreign
ladies are visiting the Palace, always keep close to the Emperor so that
in the event of their speaking to him you can interpret." I answered
that so far whenever any foreigners were present I was present also and
did not think that anybody had held any conversation with the Emperor
whatsoever. She explained that her reason for mentioning this was
that she wanted me to be just as courteous to the Emperor as I was to
herself, and I was to place myself entirely at his disposal whenever
visitors were present. Of course I knew very well that this was not
the true reason at all but that she wanted to take every precaution
to preclude the possibility of foreigners influencing the Emperor in
matters of reform, etc.



CHAPTER FIFTEEN--THE MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL

ON the fifteenth day of the eighth moon came the celebration of the
Mid-Autumn Festival, sometimes called the Moon Festival.

This name is derived from the belief which the Chinese hold that the
moon is not permanently round when full, but that on this particular day
it is a perfect circle. The ceremony which is gone through is conducted
entirely by the Court ladies and consists of worshiping the moon as soon
as it appears in the sky. In other respects the celebrations are exactly
the same as in the Dragon Boat Festival, presents were exchanged between
Her Majesty and the Court officials. The festival concluded with a
theatrical performance which describes a scene in the moon. The belief
is that a beautiful maiden lives in the moon, her only companion being
a white rabbit, called a Jade Rabbit. According to the play this rabbit
escapes from the moon to the Earth and becomes a young and beautiful
girl. A golden rooster which lives in the sun, becoming aware of the
rabbit's descent to the earth, himself descends from the sun and
changes into a handsome prince. Of course they very naturally meet and
immediately fall in love. Now, on the earth lived another rabbit--a
red one, who, on finding out what was going on, changed himself into a
prince also and set about making love to the beautiful maiden with the
object of cutting out the rooster. However, he was seriously handicapped
inasmuch as he was unable to change the color of his face, which
remained red, therefore his love making met with no success and the
rooster prince had it all his own way. At this point, the beautiful
maiden in the moon, on discovering her loss, sent the soldiers of Heaven
to re-capture her rabbit, with the result that she was taken back to
the moon and the rooster being left alone, had no alternative but to
reluctantly return to his home in the sun.

During this performance the head eunuch brought a young man into
the courtyard, who kowtowed to Her Majesty. This was such an unusual
occurrence that everybody noticed it. I could see that he was a stranger
and did not belong to the Court and I wondered who he could be. At
the other end of the veranda I saw two or three of the Court ladies
whispering together and smiling. They finally came over to me and asked
if I knew who he was. I told them that he was a stranger to me and
they ought to know better than I did as they had been at the Court much
longer. Anyhow I gave it as my opinion that he was decidedly ugly. That
same evening Her Majesty asked me whether I had noticed this young man,
and told me that he was the son of a very high Manchu official; that his
father was dead and that he had succeeded to the title and to a large
amount of money. I was surprised that Her Majesty should give such a
lengthy explanation about this young man, but I told her that I did
not think him very handsome. Her Majesty was talking in a very serious
manner but I did not think anything of the occurrence at the time but a
few days later while I was posing for the portrait I heard Her Majesty
whispering to my mother at the other end of the room. I saw that Her
Majesty was holding a photograph in her hands which she showed to my
mother, at the same time asking whether my mother considered him good
looking. My mother answered "not very." On Her Majesty replying that
beauty was not everything I began to suspect that there was something
going on which directly concerned me. I began to think of some excuse
in order to get out of what I could plainly see was a proposed marriage
between myself and this gentleman. I knew that if Her Majesty had made
up her mind that I was to marry him I could not help myself, but, at the
same time, I made up my own mind that rather than marry anyone whom I
did not like, especially one I had never seen before, I would leave the
Court altogether. When Her Majesty retired for her usual afternoon rest
she told me she wanted to see me for a moment. After beating about the
bush for some time, she asked me whether I would like to stay with her
always or whether I would like to go away again to some foreign country.
I at once answered that I was quite satisfied to stay with her as long
as she cared to have me but that when she was tired of me she could then
send me away. Her Majesty informed me that it had been her intention to
marry me to this young gentleman and asked my opinion. I told her that I
did not want to get married at all, especially seeing that my father was
sick at this time, and leaving home to go to live apart from my family
would break his heart and perhaps be the cause of his premature death.
Her Majesty said that was no excuse as I should not have to go out of
China but would be able to see my father and family any time I wished.
I told Her Majesty that I would much rather stay with her altogether and
that I did not want to marry anybody. Her Majesty then said: "I won't
listen to any excuse. I have already explained everything to your
mother, but much to my surprise she said it would be better to mention
it to you first, on account of your having been brought up differently
from the rest of the Court ladies. Had it not been for this fact I would
simply have arranged everything with your mother and the matter would
have been settled so far as you were concerned." I could not say
anything in answer to this, so commenced to cry. I told Her Majesty that
I was not like the rest of the Court ladies who pretended they did not
want to marry, when all the time they were simply looking forward to
getting married, if only for the change from the monotony of Court life.
I promised that I would stay with her forever, and that I had no desire
to go away from China again. I explained that I should not have gone
away at all had it not been that my father was transferred to Paris. Her
Majesty said: "Oh, well, I am very glad that you did go away as you are
more useful to me than you would have been had you stayed in China all
your life." After a lot more discussion Her Majesty said: "Well, I will
leave you to think the matter over. If you don't like the young man I
have chosen there are plenty of others," which remark did not help me
very much as I could see that she meant to marry me off anyway. However,
I had managed to get out of it this time, and thought I would be able
to arrange matters satisfactorily should the question come up again.
Nothing further was said about the matter until nearly a month later
when I heard that a marriage had been arranged between this gentleman
and the daughter of one of the princes. So everything ended very
satisfactorily from my point of view.

The twenty-sixth day of the eighth moon was the occasion of another
celebration. At the time the Manchu Dynasty began, Emperor Shung Chih,
who had fought very hard to gain the throne, found himself on the
twenty-sixth day of the eighth moon, absolutely out of provisions of
every kind and it was necessary for him and his army to live on the
leaves of trees, which was the only form of food obtainable at the time.
Thus the anniversary of this day, even up to the present time, is always
celebrated by the Manchu people, who deny themselves all luxuries,
especially at the Court. We did not eat any meat on that day, but only
rice wrapped in lettuce leaves. Chopsticks were also discarded and the
food was conveyed to the mouth by the hands alone. Even the Empress
Dowager was no exception to this rule. This is done in order to remind
the present generation of the privation suffered by their ancestors who
established the Manchu Dynasty.

Towards the close of the eighth moon Her Majesty's gourd plants, which
had been planted early in the spring, were ripening, and each day she
would take us all to see what progress they were making. She would pick
out those which she considered to be the most perfect in form, i. e.,
those with the smallest waist and tie ribbons around them so as not to
lose sight of them. She pointed to one of these plants one day, and said
to me: "This reminds me of yourself when dressed in foreign clothes.
Surely you feel more comfortable in the clothes you are now wearing."
When these gourds were quite ripe they were cut down and Her Majesty
would scrape the outer skin with a bamboo knife, afterwards wiping the
fruit with a wet cloth. They were then allowed to dry and after a
few days they would assume a brownish color, when they were ready for
hanging as ornaments in the Summer Palace. In one room alone there were
over 10,000 of these gourds, of different shapes. It was the duty of the
Court ladies to periodically wipe these gourds with a cloth, in order to
give them a shiny appearance, and also to scrape any new ones which were
pulled and prepare them for the Palace. None of us cared very much
about this work excepting Her Majesty. One day whilst attending to these
gourds I happened to knock the top off one of the old ones which was Her
Majesty's particular favorite. I dared not go and tell Her Majesty what
had happened and one of the Court ladies suggested throwing the thing
away altogether and saying nothing about it as Her Majesty would not
be likely to find it out, having so many of them. However, I finally
decided to go and tell Her Majesty about it, and take punishment if
necessary. For a wonder Her Majesty did not make much bother about it.
She said: "Well it was quite an old one in any case and the top was
ready to drop off at any time; it so happens that you were the one to
wipe it, and of course it came off. It can't be helped." I told Her
Majesty that I was very much ashamed at being so careless, especially as
I knew it was one of her favorites, and there the matter ended. All the
rest of the Court ladies were in the waiting room and were anxious to
know how I would get out of it, and when I told them they said that had
it been any of them there would have been a fine row. They laughed,
and said it must be nice to be a favorite which made me feel very
uncomfortable. I told the Young Empress exactly what had happened, and
she said I was quite right to tell Her Majesty the truth and told me to
be very careful as there was much jealousy going on.

At the beginning of the ninth moon the chrysanthemums commence to bud
and it was the duty of the ladies of the Court to go and trim them each
day by cutting away all the buds except one on each stalk. This trimming
gives the flower a better chance of developing, a much larger blossom
being the result. Even Her Majesty would help with this work. She was
very particular about these plants, and would not allow any of us to
meddle with them if our hands were not perfectly cool, as to touch them
with hot hands would cause the leaves to shrivel up. These flowers are
generally in full bloom about the end of the ninth moon or beginning of
the tenth moon. Her Majesty had a wonderful gift of being able to tell
what kind of flower would bloom from each separate plant, even before
the buds appeared. She would say: "This is going to be a red flower,"
and we would place a bamboo stick in the flower pot, with the name
written on it. Then another, Her Majesty would declare to be a white one
and we would place a similar bamboo stick in the flower pot, with the
description, and so on. Her Majesty said: "This is your first year at
the Palace and no doubt you are surprised at what you have just seen and
heard me say, but I have never yet made a mistake. For you will see when
the flowers commence to bloom." It was a fact as everything turned out
exactly as she had predicted. None of us ever knew how she was able to
distinguish one from the other, but she was always right. I did once ask
her to explain how she was able to tell but she answered that it was a
secret.

All this time the portrait was proceeding very slowly and one day Her
Majesty asked me how long I thought it would be before it was finished
and what the custom in Europe was as regards remuneration for such a
portrait. I replied that it was customary to pay very handsomely, but
she would not hear of such a suggestion, saying that in China it was not
the custom and that it would be regarded as an insult to offer money for
such a service. She suggested decorating Miss Carl as a reward for her
services, which she considered would be appreciated far more than
a money present. There was nothing for me to say at this time but I
determined to mention the matter again when a favorable opportunity
occurred.

During the ninth moon a Russian circus visited Peking and of course
everybody talked of little else. Her Majesty, hearing so much talk about
this circus asked what it was like, and after we had explained to her,
she became very interested and said that she would like to see it. My
mother thought it would be a good idea to have the circus brought up to
the Summer Palace, where they could perform, so she asked Her Majesty
whether this might be done. Her Majesty was delighted with the idea, and
arrangements were accordingly made for the performance. While everything
was being fixed, the people belonging to the circus, and the animals,
were quartered near our own house and we had to feed them at our own
expense. However, we wanted to show Her Majesty what a circus was like
so the expense did not matter. It took them two days to erect the tent
and make all necessary preparations, and during this time Her Majesty
received reports as to what was being done, and the progress they were
making.

The day before the performance, we noticed that Her Majesty, on coming
from her audience, looked very angry, and on our enquiring what was the
matter she informed my mother and myself that some censors had raised
objections against having this circus in the Palace grounds, as there
had never been anything of this kind allowed before and they had begged
Her Majesty to give up the idea. Her Majesty was very angry, and said:
"You see how much power I have here; I cannot even have a circus without
somebody raising objections. I think we had better pay them something
and let them go away." Of course we agreed to anything she thought best.
After considering for a time Her Majesty jumped up and said: "They have
the tent up already; they will talk just the same whether we have the
circus or not; I will have it anyway." So the performance duly took
place and Her Majesty and all the Court were delighted. One item
consisted of a young girl walking and dancing on a large globe. This
especially pleased Her Majesty and she insisted on the performance being
repeated several times. Another item of interest was the trapeze act. Of
course nobody present with the exception of my mother, sister and myself
had ever seen a circus performance before, and Her Majesty was very
much afraid that the man would fall from the trapeze and kill himself.
Another thing which interested Her Majesty was the bare-back riding,
which she thought simply wonderful. The only objection to the whole show
which she raised was when it was suggested to bring in the lions and
tigers, etc. She said it was not safe to bring wild beasts into the
Palace and that she would rather not see this part of the performance.
The proprietor of the circus, however, brought in a small baby elephant
which performed several clever tricks. This delighted Her Majesty more
than anything else and when the proprietor saw how pleased she was he
offered the elephant as a present, which she accepted. However, after
the performance was over we tried to make him go through his tricks
again but he would not budge an inch, so we had to give it up as a
bad job and send him away to be placed along with the other elephants
belonging to the Palace.

Altogether there were three performances given by the circus, and before
the final performance, the circus Manager told me that he would very
much like to show the lions and tigers: there was no chance of any
accident and it really would be worth seeing. So after a lot of
discussion Her Majesty finally consented to allow them to be brought
in but on the distinct understanding that they should not be let out of
their cages.

When they were brought in the ring all the eunuchs gathered around Her
Majesty, and after remaining in the ring for a few minutes Her Majesty
ordered them to be taken away again. She said: "I am not afraid for
myself, but they might get loose and hurt some of the people." This item
finished the whole of the performance and the circus departed richer by
some Taels 10,000 which Her Majesty had ordered to be given to them.

For the next couple of days we discussed the merits of the circus but
afterwards, Her Majesty, when referring to the subject, expressed great
disappointment with the whole thing. She said she had expected
something entirely different and far more wonderful. This was another
characteristic of Her Majesty; nothing pleased her for more than
five minutes at a time. She said to me: "I don't see anything at all
wonderful in foreign accomplishments. Take for instance this portrait
which this lady is painting. I don't think it is going to be at all a
good picture, it seems so rough. (Her Majesty did not understand oil
painting). Then again why should she always want to have the things
before her while painting them. An ordinary Chinese artist could paint
my dress, shoes, etc., after seeing the things once. She cannot be very
much of an artist in my opinion, though you need not tell her that I
said so." Continuing, Her Majesty said: "By the way, what do you talk
about when you are posing for this portrait of mine; although I don't
understand what she is saying, still I can see she has a lot to say. Be
sure not to tell her anything connected with the Court life and do not
teach her any Chinese. I hear that she often asks what different things
are called in Chinese, but don't tell her. The less she knows the better
for us. I can see that she has seen nothing of our ordinary Court
life, as yet. I wonder what she would say if she were to see one of the
eunuchs being punished, or anything like that. She would think that we
were savages, I suppose. I noticed the other day, when I was angry, that
you took this lady artist away. This was very wise of you; it is
better that she should not see me in a temper, she might talk about
it afterwards. I wish this portrait was finished. The cool weather is
coming on and we have to open up the boxes and get our winter clothes
ready. You girls need winter clothes I know as you have none but foreign
dresses. Then, again, my birthday is next month and there will be the
usual celebrations. After that we return to the Sea Palace, and what can
we do with this artist? I suppose she will have to go back and stay at
the American Legation and come to the Sea Palace each day until the work
is finished. This will be a lot of trouble as it is not ten minutes'
drive as at present, but nearer an hour's drive. And even if this can be
satisfactorily arranged, what about the Winter Palace in the Forbidden
City? Try and get to know how long she expects to be before it is
finished." This gave me an opportunity to tell Her Majesty that Miss
Carl was just as anxious to get the work finished as she was to have it
finished, but explained that Miss Carl had very little time to paint as
Her Majesty could spare very little time to give personal sittings, and
again, when Her Majesty went to lie down each afternoon, Miss Carl had
to stop painting as she was working in the next room to Her Majesty's
bedroom. Her Majesty replied: "Well, if she expects me to sit for her
all day long I will give up the whole thing at once," and then added: "I
think you yourself are getting tired of sitting, and want me to take it
up again, but I have already had quite enough of it." Of course, I told
her that instead of being tired of it, I enjoyed sitting on Her Throne,
which I regarded as a great honor. I explained to Her Majesty that Miss
Carl did not like me to pose in her place, as she could not get along
so quickly as if she were to sit herself; but she simply said that I was
acting under her commands, and that should be sufficient for me.

For the next ten days we were kept very busy selecting materials for
winter clothing and also official robes for my sister and myself to be
worn during the forthcoming birthday celebrations. These dresses were
full winter Court dresses, of red satin embroidered with golden dragons
and blue clouds, and were trimmed with gold braid and lined with grey
squirrel. The cuffs and collars (which were turned down) were of sable.
While Her Majesty was giving one of the eunuchs instructions as to how
these were to be made, the Young Empress beckoned to me, and I went out.
She said: "You go and kowtow to Her Majesty as it is a great favor for
her to give you a dress trimmed with sable. This is usually only worn
by a Princess." So when I returned to the room I availed myself of the
first opportunity to kowtow and thank Her Majesty for the great favor
she had granted me. She answered: "You deserve it, and I see no
reason why you should not be treated as a Princess anyway; many of the
Princesses are not of the Imperial family. Any title may be bestowed for
special services rendered to the country and you have been of more help
to me than any other Court lady I have ever had, and I can see that you
are faithful in the discharge of your duties. You may think I do not
notice these things, but I do. You are certainly entitled to be
ranked as a Princess, and in fact I never treat you different from the
Princesses, but rather better in many ways." Turning to a eunuch she
said: "Bring my fur cap here." This cap was made of sable, trimmed
with pearls and jade and Her Majesty explained that our caps would be
something after the same style except that the crown, instead of
being yellow as in the case of Her Majesty's cap, would be red. I was
naturally delighted. In addition to the cap and full Court dress Her
Majesty had two ordinary dresses made for everyday wear, one lined with
sheepskin and the other lined with grey squirrel. Then she gave us four
other dresses of finer material, lined with black and white fox skin,
and all trimmed with gold braid and embroidered ribbons. In addition
there were two other dresses, one of a pale pink color, embroidered with
one hundred butterflies and the other of a reddish color embroidered
with green bamboo leaves. Several short jackets, also lined with fur,
were also included in Her Majesty's present, and several sleeveless
jackets went to complete the lot.

On coming out of the room, one of the Court ladies remarked that I was
very lucky to receive so many clothes from Her Majesty and said that
she had never received so many during the whole time she had been at
the Palace--nearly ten years. I could see she was jealous. The young
Empress, overhearing this conversation, joined us and told her that when
I arrived at the Palace I had nothing but foreign clothes and how was
I to manage if Her Majesty did not get me the proper dresses. This
incident was the beginning of another unpleasant time for me with the
ladies of the Court. At first I took no notice until one day one of the
girls attached to the Palace joined in the unkind remarks. She said that
before my arrival she had been Her Majesty's particular favorite, but
I gave her to understand that she had no right to discuss me in any
way whatsoever. The Young Empress, who was present, spoke to them about
their treatment of me and said that some fine day I would be telling
Her Majesty about it. This seemed to have a good effect for they never
troubled me much afterwards with their talk.



CHAPTER SIXTEEN--THE SUMMER PALACE

JUST about the end of the ninth moon Her Majesty began to tire of doing
nothing day after day, and said: "What is the use of waiting until the
first of the month to have the theatrical performance? Let us have a
performance to-morrow." So she gave instructions for the eunuchs to
prepare for the play, which should be staged without the assistance of
any outside actors. I might here mention that certain of the eunuchs
were specially trained as actors and used to study their parts every
day. Indeed, they were far cleverer than the professionals from outside.

Her Majesty gave the head eunuch the list of the plays she wished to be
performed, which were for the most part dramatised fairy tales, and we
had a performance the next day.

After Her Majesty had gone to rest in the afternoon, during the
theatrical performance I met the Emperor returning to his own Palace.
I was surprised to see only one eunuch in attendance. This was the
Emperor's own private eunuch and he trusted him implicitly. He asked me
where I was going and I told him I was going to my room to rest a while.
He remarked that he had not seen me for quite a long time, which made me
laugh as I saw him every morning at the audience. He said: "I don't
get as much chance of chatting with you as formerly since this portrait
painting began. I am afraid I am not making much progress with my
English as I have nobody to help me now that your time is occupied with
this lady artist. You appear to enjoy her company very much. All the
same I suppose it is very monotonous. Has she found out yet that you
are there simply to keep an eye upon her?" I told him that I was very
careful not to betray myself in any way and that I did not think she
suspected she was being watched.

The Emperor then said: "I understand there is a rumor to the effect that
when this lady has finished Her Majesty's portrait she is going to paint
mine. I should very much like to know who says so." I told him this was
the first I had heard about it so could not say. I asked him whether he
would like to have his portrait painted but he only answered: "That is
rather a difficult question for me to answer. You know best whether I
ought to have it painted or not.

"I see Her Majesty having so many photographs taken and even the eunuchs
are in the picture." I understood at once what he meant, so I asked him
if he wished me to take him with my little kodak. He looked surprised
and asked: "Can you take pictures, too? If it is not too risky for us,
we might try it some day when we have an opportunity. Don't forget, but
I think we must be very careful."

He then changed the conversation by saying: "Well, now that we have
time to talk I want to ask you a question and I expect you to answer
me truly. What is the general opinion amongst the foreigners regarding
myself? Do they consider me a man of character and do they think me
clever? I am very anxious to know." Before I could say anything in
answer to this question he continued: "I know very well that they regard
me as nothing more than a boy, and as being of no consequence at all.
Tell me, is not this so?" I replied that many foreigners had asked
me about him--as to what kind of man he was, but that they had never
expressed any opinion of their own regarding him excepting that they
understood he was in the best of health. "If any wrong impression does
exist regarding myself and my position at the Court," continued the
Emperor, "it is owing to the very conservative customs of the Chinese
Court. I am not expected to either say or do anything on my own
initiative, consequently outsiders never hear much about me and I am
regarded as being nothing more than a figure-head. I know this is
so. Whenever they ask you about me in the future just explain to them
exactly what my position here is. I have plenty of ideas regarding the
development of this country but you know I am not able to carry them out
as I am not my own master. I don't think the Empress Dowager herself
has sufficient power to alter the state of things existing in China at
present, and even if she has, she is not willing to. I am afraid it will
be a long time before anything can be done towards reform."

The Emperor went on to say how nice it would be if he were allowed to
travel about from place to place the same as the European monarchs, but
of course such a thing was out of the question for him. I told him
that several Princesses had expressed a wish to visit the St. Louis
Exposition and said I thought it would be a good thing if that could be
arranged as they would see for themselves the difference between their
own country and customs and foreign countries and customs. The Emperor
expressed doubts as to this permission being granted as such a thing had
never been heard of before.

We talked for quite a long time, mostly about foreign customs, and the
Emperor remarked that he would very much like to visit Europe and see
for himself how things were carried on there.

Just then one of my eunuchs came and said that Her Majesty was awake, so
I had to hurry off to her room.

We now arrive at the tenth moon.

The first day it snowed, and the head eunuch enquired of Her Majesty
whether it was her intention to celebrate her birthday at the Summer
Palace as usual. As previously explained the Summer Palace was Her
Majesty's favorite place of abode; so she replied in the affirmative and
arrangements were accordingly made for the celebration to be held there
as usual. The head eunuch then brought Her Majesty a list giving the
names and ranks of all the Princesses and the names of the wives and
daughters of the Manchu officials, and she selected those whom she
wished to be present at the celebrations. On this occasion she selected
forty-five ladies, who were duly informed that she desired their
presence at the Palace. I was standing behind Her Majesty's chair all
this time, and she turned and said: "Usually I do not ask many people to
my birthday celebrations, but on this occasion I have made an exception
as I want you to see the way they dress and how ignorant they are of
Court etiquette."

The celebrations commenced on the sixth day of the tenth moon. Miss
Carl, having returned to the American Legation in Peking for the time
being, my mother, my sister and myself went back to the Palace again.
Early on the morning of the sixth, the eunuchs decorated the verandas
with different colored silks and hung lanterns all over the place and
amongst the trees. At about seven o'clock in the morning the visitors
began to arrive and I quite agreed with what Her Majesty had told me
about them. The eunuchs introduced them to all the Court ladies, but
they seemed to have very little to say, appearing very shy. They were
then conducted to the waiting room, but there were so many of them that
we Court ladies had to stand outside on the veranda. Some of them were
very expensively dressed, but their colors were, for the most part, very
old fashioned, and their manners very awkward. We watched them for quite
a while and then went off to report to Her Majesty.

On such occasions as this Her Majesty was generally in pretty good
spirits. She commenced asking us a lot of questions. Amongst other
things she asked whether we had noticed an elderly lady among the
visitors, dressed as a bride. She explained that this lady was the only
Manchu lady present who was married to a Chinese official, and had been
invited because of her previous connection with the Court. Her Majesty
said she had never seen her herself, but understood that she was a
very clever woman. We had not noticed such a person, and suggested that
perhaps she had not yet arrived.

Her Majesty dressed very quickly, and as soon as she was ready she
came into the hall, where the head eunuch brought in the visitors and
presented them to Her Majesty. We Court ladies were all standing in
a row behind the Throne. As they came in, some kowtowed; others
courtesied, while others did not do anything at all, in fact nobody
appeared to know what to do with herself. Her Majesty spoke a few words
of welcome and thanked them for the presents they had sent her.

I would like to say here that, contrary to the general idea which
exists, Her Majesty always expressed her thanks for any present or
service rendered, no matter how insignificant.

Her Majesty could see plainly that everybody was embarrassed and ordered
the head eunuch to show them to their respective rooms, and told them
to make themselves at home and to go and take a rest. They hesitated a
moment, not knowing whether to go or not, until Her Majesty said to us:
"Take them and present them to the Young Empress."

When we arrived at the Palace of the Young Empress they were duly
presented and were not nearly so shy as before. The Young Empress
informed them that in case they desired to know anything or to be put
right on any point of Court etiquette, the Court ladies would be pleased
to give them all necessary information and she decided that the best way
would be for each Court lady to have charge of so many of the visitors,
as it would not be nice to have any mistakes occur during the ceremony,
on the tenth. So we each were allotted so many guests and had to look
after them and instruct them how to act on the different occasions.

During Her Majesty's afternoon rest I paid a visit to the guests I was
to take charge of. Among them was the bride referred to by Her
Majesty. So I went and made myself agreeable to her and found her very
interesting. She had evidently received a good education, unlike the
majority of Manchu ladies, as I found she could read and write Chinese
exceptionally well. I then explained to all of them what they would have
to do, and how to address Her Majesty, should it be necessary to do
so. I don't know whether I have mentioned it previously, but whenever
anybody spoke to Her Majesty, they always addressed her as "Great
Ancestor," and when referring to themselves, instead of the pronoun "I,"
they would say "Your slave." In all Manchu families a similar rule is
observed, the pronouns "You" and "I" being dispensed with and the titles
"Mother" and "Father" and the son's or daughter's first name being
substituted.

Her Majesty was very particular about this rule being strictly observed.

For the next four days, until the day of the ceremony, these visitors
passed their time in learning the Court etiquette and going to the
theatre.

Every morning, as usual, we waited on Her Majesty and reported anything
of interest which had occurred during the previous day. Then we all
preceded Her Majesty to the theatre, where we awaited her arrival
standing in the courtyard. On Her Majesty appearing, we would all kneel
down until she had passed into the building opposite the stage, kneeling
in rows--first the Emperor, behind him the Young Princess, next the
Secondary wife, then the Princesses and Court ladies, and last of all
the visitors. The first two days everything went of all right, but
on the third morning the Emperor, from whom we received the signal,
suddenly turned and said: "Her Majesty is coming." Down we all went on
our knees, the Emperor alone remaining standing and laughing at us.
Of course there was no sign of Her Majesty and everybody joined in the
laugh. He was never so happy as when he could work off a joke like this.

On the evening of the ninth, none of the Court ladies went to bed, as we
all had to be up betimes on the morning of the tenth. The visitors were
told to proceed by chair to Her Majesty's special Audience Hall on the
top of the hill, where they were to await our arrival. They arrived at
the Audience Hall at three o'clock in the morning, and we followed
soon afterwards, arriving there about daybreak. By and bye Her Majesty
arrived and the ceremony commenced. This ceremony in no way differed
from the one previously described in connection with the Emperor's
birthday, so there is no need to give particulars, except one thing.
Very early on the morning of the tenth, we had to bring another present
to her and each of us brought a hundred birds of various kinds. Each
year, on her birthday, Her Majesty did a very peculiar thing. She would
buy 10,000 birds with her own money, from her private purse and set them
free. It was a very pretty sight to see those huge cages hung in the
courtyard of the Audience Hall. Her Majesty would select the most lucky
hour and order the eunuchs to carry the cages and to follow her. The
hour selected was four o'clock in the afternoon. Her Majesty took the
whole Court with her to the top of the hill, where there was a Temple.
First she burnt sandal wood and offered up prayers to the Gods, then the
eunuchs, each with a cage of birds, knelt in front of Her Majesty and
she opened each cage one after another and watched the birds fly away,
and prayed to the Gods that these birds should not be caught again.
Her Majesty did this very seriously and we asked each other in whispers
which bird we thought was the prettiest and would like to keep it for
ourselves. Among this lot there were a few parrots. Some were pink;
others were red and green; all were chained on stands, and when the
eunuchs broke the chains, the parrots would not move. Her Majesty said:
"How funny; each year a few parrots will not go away at all and I have
kept them until they died. Look at them now. They won't go away."
By this time the head eunuch arrived. Her Majesty told him what had
happened and he immediately knelt down and said: "Your Majesty's great
luck. These parrots understand Your Majesty's kindness and would rather
stay here and serve Your Majesty." This ceremony is called "Fang Sheng."
It is considered a very meritorious action and will not fail of reward
in Heaven.

One of the Court ladies asked me what I thought of the parrots that
would not fly away, and I told her that it was really very strange. She
said: "It is very simple and not strange at all. These eunuchs, ordered
by the head one, have bought these parrots long ago and trained them.
During Her Majesty's afternoon rest, these parrots were brought to the
top of the very same hill every day to accustom them to the place. The
object of this is just to please and otherwise fool Her Majesty, to make
her feel happy and believe that she is so merciful that even such dumb
things would rather stay with her." Continuing, she said: "The huge joke
is this: while Her Majesty is letting the birds free, there are a few
eunuchs waiting at the rear of the hill to capture them and sell them
again, and so, no matter how Her Majesty prays for their freedom, they
will be caught at once."

The celebrations were continued until the thirteenth day. Nobody did any
work and all was gaiety and enjoyment, the theatre being open every day.
Towards the close of the thirteenth day the visitors were informed that
the celebrations were at an end and they made arrangements to leave
early the next morning. They all bade Her Majesty good-bye that evening
and departed early the following day.

For the next few days we were all busy preparing for removing to the Sea
Palace. Her Majesty consulted her book and finally selected the 22d as
being the most favorable day for this removal. So at six o'clock on
the morning of the 22d the whole Court left the Summer Palace. It was
snowing very heavily and the journey was only accomplished with great
difficulty. Of course we were all in chairs, as usual, and the eunuchs
who were not employed as chair-bearers rode horseback. Many of
the horses fell on the slippery stones and one of Her Majesty's
chair-bearers also slipped and brought Her Majesty to the ground. All of
a sudden I thought something dreadful had happened, horses galloping and
eunuchs howling: "Stop! Stop!!" I heard someone saying: "See if she is
still alive." The whole procession stopped and blocked the way. This
happened on the stone road just before entering the Western Gate.
Finally we saw that Her Majesty's chair was resting on the ground, so
we all alighted and went forward to see what had happened. A great many
people were talking excitedly all at the same time, and for a moment I
was rather frightened (for just about that time we heard a rumor that
some of the revolutionists were going to take the life of the whole
Court, and, although we heard that, we did not dare tell Her Majesty),
so I immediately went to her chair and found her sitting there
composedly giving orders to the chief eunuch not to punish this
chair-bearer, for he was not to blame, the stones being wet and very
slippery. Li Lien Ying said that would never do, for this chair-bearer
must have been careless, and how dare he carry the Old Buddha in this
careless way. After saying this, he turned his head to the beaters
(these beaters, carrying bamboo sticks, went everywhere with the Court,
for such occasions as this) and said: "Give him eighty blows on his
back." This poor victim, who was kneeling on the muddy ground, heard the
order. The beaters took him about a hundred yards away from us, pushed
him down and started to do their duty. It did not take very long to
give the eighty blows and, much to my surprise, this man got up, after
receiving the punishment, as if nothing had happened to him. He looked
just as calm as could be. While we were waiting a eunuch handed me a cup
of tea, which I presented to Her Majesty, and asked her if she was
hurt. She smiled and said it was nothing, ordering us to proceed on our
journey. I must explain about this tea; the eunuchs had it prepared
all the time and always carried a little stove along with hot water.
Although this went every time when the Court moved, it was seldom used.

As usual, all the Court ladies take a short cut to the Palace, so as to
be ready to receive Her Majesty, when she arrived. After waiting in the
courtyard for quite a long time, during which we were nearly frozen,
Her Majesty arrived, and we all knelt until she had passed, and then
followed her into the Palace. Her Majesty also complained of the cold
and ordered that fires should be brought into the hall. These fires were
built in brass portable stoves lined with clay, and were lighted outside
and brought into the hall after the smoke had passed off somewhat. There
were four stoves in all. All the windows and doors were closed, there
being no ventilation of any description, and very soon I began to feel
sick. However, I went on with my work getting Her Majesty's things in
order until I must have fainted, for the next thing I remembered was
waking up in a strange bed and inquiring where I was, but on hearing Her
Majesty giving orders in the next room, I knew it was all right. One of
the Court ladies brought me a cup of turnip juice which Her Majesty said
I was to drink. I drank it and felt much better. I was informed that Her
Majesty had gone to rest, and so I went off to sleep again myself. When
I awoke, Her Majesty was standing by my bedside. I tried to get up, but
found that I was too weak, so Her Majesty told me to lie still and keep
quiet and I would soon be all right again. She said that I had better
have a room close to her bedroom, and gave instructions for the eunuchs
to remove me there as soon as it was prepared. Every few minutes Her
Majesty would send to inquire how I was progressing and whether I wanted
anything to eat. It was the custom to stand up whenever receiving a
message from Her Majesty, but it was out of the question for me to do
so, although I tried, with the result that I made myself worse than
ever.

Towards evening the head eunuch came to see me and brought several
plates of sweetmeats. He was very nice, and told me that I was very
fortunate, as Her Majesty very rarely bothered herself about any of
the Court ladies and that evidently she had taken a fancy to me. He sat
talking for some little time, and told me to eat some of the sweetmeats.
Of course I was not able to eat anything at all, let alone sweetmeats,
so I told him to leave them and I would eat them later. Before leaving
he said that in case I wanted anything I was to let him know. This visit
was a great surprise to me, as usually he took very little notice of
any of us, but I was told afterwards that the reason he was so nice was
because Her Majesty showed such an interest in me.

The next morning I was able to get up and resume my duties. I went in
to see Her Majesty and kowtowed to her, thanking her for her kindness
during my indisposition. Her Majesty said that the head eunuch had told
her the previous evening that I was much better and that she was glad I
was up and about again. She said it was nothing serious, simply that I
was unaccustomed to the fumes from the fires, which had gone to my head.

As the snow had stopped falling, Her Majesty decided that the next day
we would go and choose a place for Miss Carl to continue the painting.
I suggested that perhaps it would be better if we waited until Miss Carl
arrived herself, so that she could choose a suitable place for her work,
but Her Majesty said that would not do at all, because if it were left
to Miss Carl, doubtless she would choose some impossible place. Of
course there were many parts of the Palace which were kept quite private
and Miss Carl would not be allowed to go there. So the next day
Her Majesty and myself set out to find a place. After visiting many
different rooms, all of which were too dark, we finally fixed on a
room on the lake side of the Palace. Her Majesty said: "This is very
convenient, as you can go to and fro either by chair or by water." I
found that it took about three-quarters of an hour by chair to get to
the Palace Gate, and rather less than that by boat. I was expecting
to return to stay at the Palace with Her Majesty, but it was finally
decided that this would not do, as it would not be policy to allow Miss
Carl, who was staying at the American Legation, to go in and out of the
Palace Gate alone, so Her Majesty said it would be better for me to stay
at my father's place in the city and bring Miss Carl to the Palace
each morning, returning with her in the evening. This was anything but
pleasant, but I had no other alternative than to obey Her Majesty's
instructions.

When Miss Carl arrived at the Palace the next day and saw the room which
had been selected for her to work in, she was not at all pleased. In the
first place she said it was too dark, so Her Majesty ordered the paper
windows to be replaced by glass. This made the room too bright, and Miss
Carl asked for some curtains so as to focus the light on the picture.
When I informed Her Majesty of this request, she said: "Well, this is
the first time I have ever changed anything in the Palace except to suit
myself. First I alter the windows, and she is not satisfied, but must
have curtains. I think we had better take the roof off, then perhaps
she may be suited." However, we fixed up the curtains to Miss Carl's
satisfaction.

When Her Majesty examined the portrait to see how it was progressing,
she said to me: "After all the trouble we have had over this picture, I
am afraid it is not going to be anything very wonderful. I notice that
the pearls in my cape are painted in different colors; some look white,
some pink, while others are green. You tell her about it." I tried to
explain to Her Majesty that Miss Carl had simply painted the pearls
as she saw them, according to the different shades of light, but Her
Majesty could not understand that at all and asked if I could see
anything green about them, or pink either. I again explained that this
was simply the tints caused by the light falling on the pearls, but she
replied that she could not see any shade except white. However, after a
while she did not seem to trouble any further about the matter.

Situated in a room near Her Majesty's bedroom in the Sea Palace was
a Pagoda, about ten feet in height, made of carved sandalwood. This
contained various images of Buddha, which Her Majesty used to worship
every morning. The ceremony consisted of Her Majesty burning incense
before the Pagoda, while a Court lady was told off each day to kowtow
before the images. Her Majesty told me that this Pagoda had been in the
Palace for more than a hundred years. Among the different images was one
representing the Goddess of Mercy. This image was only about five inches
in height and was made of pure gold. The inside was hollow and contained
all the principal anatomical parts of the human body, made out of jade
and pearls. This Goddess of Mercy was supposed to possess wonderful
powers and Her Majesty often worshiped before it when in any trouble,
and maintained that on many occasions her prayers had been answered. She
said: "Of course, when I pray to the image, I pray earnestly, not the
same as you girls, who simply kowtow because it is your duty and then
get away as quickly as possible." Her Majesty went on to say that she
was quite aware that many of the people in China were discarding the
religion of their ancestors in favor of Christianity, and that she was
very much grieved that this was so.

Her Majesty was a firm believer in the old Chinese superstitions
connected with the Sea Palace, and during one of our conversations she
told me I was not to be surprised at anything I saw. She said it was
quite a common occurrence for a person walking beside you to suddenly
disappear altogether, and explained that they were simply foxes who took
human shape to suit their purpose. They had probably lived in the Sea
Palace for thousands of years and possessed this power of changing their
form at will. She said that no doubt the eunuchs would tell me they were
spirits or ghosts, but that was not true: they were sacred foxes and
would harm nobody. As if to confirm this superstition, one evening, a
few days later, my fire having gone out, I sent my eunuch to see if any
of the other Court ladies were awake, and if so, to try to get me
some hot water. He went out taking his lantern along with him, but he
returned almost immediately with a face as white as chalk. On inquiring
what was the matter, he replied: "I have seen a ghost: a woman, who came
up to me, blew the light out and disappeared." I told him that perhaps
it was one of the servant girls, but he said "No"; he knew all the women
attached to the Palace and he had never seen this one before. He stuck
to it that it was a ghost. I told him that Her Majesty had said there
were no ghosts, but that it might be a fox which had taken human shape.
He replied: "It was not a fox. Her Majesty calls them foxes, because she
is afraid to call them ghosts." He went on to tell me that many years
previously the head eunuch, Li Lien Ying, while walking in the courtyard
back of Her Majesty's Palace, saw a young servant girl sitting on the
edge of the well. He went over to ask her what she was doing there, but
on getting closer he found that there were several other girls there
also, and on seeing him approach, they all deliberately jumped down
the well. He immediately raised the alarm, and on one of the attendants
coming forward with a lantern, he explained what had occurred. The
attendant showed him that it was impossible for anybody to jump into the
well, as it was covered with a large stone. My eunuch said that a long
time before this several girls did actually commit suicide by jumping
down this well, and that what Li Lien Ying had seen were the ghosts of
these girls, and nothing more. It is believed by the Chinese that when
a person commits suicide their spirit remains in the neighborhood until
such time as they can entice somebody else to commit suicide, when they
are free to go to another world, and not before. I told him that I
did not believe such things and that I would very much like to see for
myself. He replied: "You will only want to see it once; that will be
sufficient."

Things went along in the usual way until the first day of the eleventh
moon, when Her Majesty issued orders to the Court that as the eleventh
moon contained so many anniversaries of the deaths of previous rulers
of China, the usual theatrical performance would be eliminated and the
Court dress would in addition be modified to suit the occasion. On the
ninth day the Emperor was to go and worship at the Temple of Heaven. So,
as was customary on all these occasions, he confined himself to his own
private apartments for three days before the ninth, during which time
he held no communication whatsoever with anybody excepting his private
eunuchs. Not even the Young Empress, his wife, was allowed to see him
during these three days.

This ceremony did not differ very materially from the other sacrifices,
except that pigs were killed and placed on the numerous altars of
the Temple, where they remained for a time, after which they were
distributed among the different officials. The eating of the flesh of
these pigs, which had been blessed, was believed to bring good luck and
prosperity, and the officials who were presented with them considered
themselves greatly favored by Her Majesty. Another difference was that
the Emperor could not appoint a substitute to officiate for him; but
must attend in person, no matter what the circumstances might be. The
reason for this was, that according to the ancient law, the Emperor
signs the death warrant of every person sentenced to death, record of
which is kept in the Board of Punishments. At the end of the year the
name of each person executed is written on a piece of yellow paper and
sent to the Emperor. When the time for worshiping at the Temple arrives,
he takes this yellow paper and burns it in order that the ashes may
go up to Heaven and his ancestors know that he has been fearless and
faithful, and has done his duty according to the law.

As this ceremony of worshiping at the Temple of Heaven was to take place
in the Forbidden City, in spite of Her Majesty's dislike to the place,
she commanded that the whole of the Court be transferred there,
her reason for this being that she did not wish to be away from the
Emperor's side even for an hour. So we all moved to the Palace in the
Forbidden City. After the ceremony was over, the Court was to return
to the Sea Palace, but as the thirteenth day was the anniversary of the
death of the Emperor Kang Hsi, it was decided that we should remain in
the Forbidden City, where the ceremony was to be held. The Emperor Kang
Hsi ruled over the Chinese Empire for sixty-one years, the longest reign
of any Chinese Ruler up to the present time, and Her Majesty told us
that he was the most wonderful Emperor China had ever had and that we
must respect his memory accordingly.



CHAPTER SEVENTEEN--THE AUDIENCE HALL

ON the fourteenth day of the eleventh moon, after the morning audience,
Her Majesty informed us that there was a likelihood of war breaking
out between Russia and Japan and that she was very much troubled, as
although it actually had nothing whatever to do with China, she was
afraid they would fight on Chinese territory and that in the long run
China would suffer in some way or other. Of course we did not bother
ourselves about it much at the moment, but the next morning the head
eunuch reported to Her Majesty that fifty eunuchs were missing. As there
was no apparent reason for this, everybody was much excited. There
was no rule against any of the eunuchs going into the city after their
duties were ended, providing they returned before the Palace Gate was
closed, but when on the following morning it was reported that another
hundred eunuchs had also disappeared, Her Majesty at once said: "I know
now what the trouble is; they must have heard what I said about this war
coming on and are afraid there may be a repetition of the Boxer trouble,
and so they have cleared out." It was the custom whenever a eunuch
was missing to send out search parties and have him brought back and
punished, but in the present instance Her Majesty gave instructions that
nothing was to be done about recapturing them. One morning, however,
one of Her Majesty's personal attendants was missing, which made her
furious. She said that she had been very kind to this particular eunuch
in many ways, and this was all the thanks she got; he ran away at the
first sign of trouble. I myself had noticed how good she had been to
this eunuch, but I was not really sorry that he had left, as he used to
take advantage of every opportunity of getting some of the Court ladies
into trouble.

These disappearances continued from day to day until Her Majesty decided
that it would be safer for us to remain in the Forbidden City until the
following spring at any rate.

On inquiring from my eunuch the cause of these disappearances, he said
that it was just as Her Majesty suspected; they were afraid of getting
mixed up in another such affair as the Boxer trouble, and added that
he was not a bit surprised at Her Majesty's favorite eunuch going along
with the rest. He further told me that even Li Lien Ying himself was not
to be absolutely relied upon, as at the time of Her Majesty's leaving
Peking for Shi An during the Boxer movement, he had feigned sickness,
and followed a little later, so that in the event of anything happening,
he would be able to return and make his escape. While talking about Li
Lien Ying, my eunuch told me in confidence that he was responsible for
the death of many innocent people, mostly eunuchs. He had unlimited
power at the Court, and it was very easy for him to get anybody put
away who offended him or to whom, for some reason or another, he took
a dislike. Furthermore, the eunuch informed me that, although not
generally known, Li Lien Ying was addicted to opium-smoking, which habit
he indulged in very freely. Even Her Majesty was unaware of this, as
opium-smoking was strictly forbidden in the Palace.

Each morning there was fresh news regarding the trouble between Russia
and Japan, and of course everybody gradually became very much excited
at the Palace. One day Her Majesty summoned the whole of the Court to a
special audience and there informed us that there was no need for us to
get excited at all; that if any trouble did occur, it was none of our
business and we should not be interfered with, as the spirits of our
ancestors were watching over us, and she did not want to hear any more
talk and gossip on the subject. However, she summoned all of the Court
ladies to her apartment and there commanded us to pray to the spirits of
our ancestors to protect us, which plainly showed that she was just as
much worried as we were ourselves. In spite of what she had said with
reference to gossiping about this trouble, Her Majesty often spoke about
it herself, and during one of our conversations she said she wished she
could get information each day as to what was actually occurring, so
I suggested that it would be very easy to get all the latest news by
taking the foreign papers and also Reuter's specials. Her Majesty jumped
at the suggestion and told me to have these sent each day to my father's
house in his name, and have them brought to the Palace, where I could
translate them for her. I told her that my father received all these
papers as they were published, so I arranged that they should be brought
along as directed by Her Majesty. Each morning during the audience I
translated into Chinese all the war news, but the telegrams began to
arrive so rapidly that it soon became quite impossible for me to write
them all out in Chinese, so I told Her Majesty that I would read and
translate them into Chinese as they arrived. This was much quicker
and interested Her Majesty so much that she insisted on my not only
translating the war news, but everything else of interest in the papers.
Especially was she interested in all news appertaining to the movements,
etc., of the crowned heads of Europe, and was very plainly astonished
when she learned that their every movement was known. She said: "Here,
at any rate, it is more private, for nobody outside the Palace ever
knows what is going on inside, not even my own people. It would be a
good thing if they did know a little more, then perhaps all these rumors
about the Palace would stop."

Of course, during our stay in the Forbidden City, Miss Carl attended
each morning to work on the portrait. We had given her a nice room,
which seemed to suit her very well, and Her Majesty had instructed me
to let her have every convenience possible to assist her, as she was
getting tired of the business and would like to see it finished quickly.
Her Majesty hardly ever went near the place herself, but when she did
go, she would be most affable and, really, one would think that it was
the greatest pleasure of her life to go and inspect the portrait.

Things went very slowly during this eleventh moon on account of the
Court being in mourning, so one day Her Majesty suggested that she
should show us round the Forbidden City. First we proceeded to the
Audience Hall. This differs somewhat from the Audience Hall of the
Summer Palace. To enter, one must mount some twenty odd steps of
white marble, with rails on either side of the steps made of the same
material. At the top of the steps a large veranda, supported by huge
pillars of wood, painted red, surrounded the building. The windows along
this verandah were of marvellously carved trellis-work, designed to
represent the character "Shou" arranged in different positions. Then we
entered the hall itself. The floor is of brick, and Her Majesty told
us that all these bricks were of solid gold and had been there for
centuries. They were of a peculiar black color, doubtless painted over,
and were so slippery that it was most difficult to keep on one's feet.
The furnishing was similar to that in the Audience Halls in the Summer
Palace and in the Sea Palace, with the exception that the throne was
made of dark brown wood inlaid with jade of different colors.

The Hall was only used for audience on very rare occasions, such as the
birthday of the Empress Dowager and New Year's Day, and no foreigner
has ever entered this building. All the usual audiences were held in a
smaller building in the Forbidden City.

After spending some little time in the Audience Hall, we next visited
the Emperor's quarters. These were much smaller than those occupied by
Her Majesty, but were very elaborately furnished. There were thirty-two
rooms, many of which were never used, but all were furnished in the
same expensive style. In the rear of this building was the Palace of the
Young Empress, which was smaller still, having about twenty-four rooms
in all, and in the same building three rooms were set apart for the
use of the Secondary wife of the Emperor. Although close together, the
Palaces of the Emperor and his wife were not connected by any entrance,
but both buildings were surrounded by verandas connecting with Her
Majesty's apartments, which were quite a distance away. There were
several other buildings, which were used as waiting rooms for visitors.
In addition to the above, there were several buildings which were not
used at all; these were sealed and nobody seemed to know what they
contained, or whether they contained anything at all. Even Her Majesty
said she had never been inside these buildings, as they had been sealed
for many years. Even the entrance to the enclosure containing these
buildings was always closed, and this was the only occasion that any
of us ever even passed through. They were quite different in appearance
from any other buildings in the Palace, being very dirty and evidently
of great age. We were commanded not to talk about the place at all.

The apartments of the Court ladies were connected with those of Her
Majesty, but the rooms were so small one could hardly turn round in
them; also they were very cold in winter. The servants' quarters were at
the end of our apartments, but there was no entrance and they could
only be reached by passing along our veranda, while the only entrance we
ourselves had to our rooms was by passing along Her Majesty's veranda.
This was Her Majesty's own idea, in order that she could keep an eye on
all of us and could see when we either went out or came in.

Her Majesty now conducted us to her own Palace, and pausing a little
said: "I will now show you something which will be quite new to you."
We entered a room adjoining her bedroom, which was connected by a narrow
passage some fifteen feet in length. On either side the walls were
painted and decorated very beautifully. Her Majesty spoke to one of the
eunuch attendants, who stooped down and removed from the ground at each
end of this passage two wooden plugs which were fitted into holes in the
basement. I then began to realize that what I had hitherto regarded as
solid walls were in reality sliding panels of wood. These panels when
opened revealed a kind of grotto. There were no windows, but in the roof
was a skylight. At one end of this room or grotto was a large rock,
on the top of which was a seat with a yellow cushion, and beside the
cushion an incense burner. Everything had the appearance of being very
old. The room contained no furniture of any description. One end of
this room led into another passage similar to the one already described,
having sliding panels, which led into another grotto, and so on; in fact
the whole of the palace walls were intersected by these secret passages,
each concealing an inner room. Her Majesty told us that during the Ming
dynasty these rooms had been used for various purposes, principally by
the Emperor when he wished to be alone. One of these secret rooms was
used by Her Majesty as a treasure room where she kept her valuables.
During the time of the Boxer trouble, she hid all her valuables here
before she fled. When she returned and opened this secret room she found
everything intact, not one of the vandals who ransacked the Palace even
suspecting there was such a place.

We returned to our veranda, and on looking around for the rooms we had
just vacated, could see nothing excepting black stone walls, so well
were they hidden. One of the principal reasons for Her Majesty's dislike
to the Forbidden City was the mysteries which it contained, many of
which she did not know of herself. She said: "I don't even talk about
these places at all, as people might think that they were used for all
kinds of purposes."

While at the Palace in the Forbidden City I met the three Secondary
wives of the previous Emperor Tung Chi, son of the Empress Dowager, who,
since the death of the Emperor, had resided in the Forbidden City and
spent their time in doing needlework, etc., for Her Majesty. When I got
to know them I found that they were highly educated, one of them, Yu
Fai, being exceptionally clever. She could write poetry and play many
musical instruments, and was considered to be the best educated lady
in the Empire of China. Her knowledge of western countries and their
customs surprised me very much; she seemed to know a little bit of
everything. I asked how it was that I had never seen them before, and
was informed that they never visited Her Majesty unless commanded by
her to do so, but that when Her Majesty stayed in the Forbidden City,
of course they had to call and pay their respects each day. One day I
received an invitation to visit them in their Palace. This was separated
from all the other buildings in the city. It was rather a small
building, and very simply furnished, with just a few eunuchs and servant
girls to wait upon them. They said they preferred this simple life,
as they never received any visitors and had nobody to please but
themselves. Yu Fai's room was literally packed with literature of all
descriptions. She showed me several poems which she had written, but
they were of a melancholy character, plainly showing the trend of her
thoughts. She was in favor of establishing schools for the education
of young girls, as only very few could even read or write their own
language, and she suggested that I should speak to Her Majesty about it
at the first opportunity. In spite of her desire to see western reforms
introduced into China, however, she was not in favor of employing
missionary teachers, as these people always taught their religion at
the expense of other subjects, which she feared would set the Chinese
against the movement.

Toward the end of the eleventh moon Her Majesty granted an audience to
the Viceroy of Chihli, Yuan Shih Kai, and as this particular day was
a holiday and Miss Carl was absent, I was able to attend. Her Majesty
asked him for his opinion of the trouble between Russia and Japan.
He said that although these two countries might make war against each
other, China would not be implicated in any way, but that after the war
was over, there was sure to be trouble over Manchuria. Her Majesty said
she was quite aware of that, as they were fighting on Chinese territory,
and that the best thing for China to do would be to keep absolutely
neutral in the matter, as she had quite enough of war during the
China-Japan war. She said it would be best to issue orders to all the
officials to see that the Chinese did not interfere in any way, so as
not to give any excuse for being brought into the trouble.

She then asked his opinion as to what would be the result in the event
of war--who would win. He said that it was very hard to say, but that
he thought Japan would win. Her Majesty thought that if Japan were
victorious, she would not have so much trouble over the matter, although
she expressed doubts as to the outcome, saying that Russia was a large
country and had many soldiers, and that the result was far from certain.

Her Majesty then spoke about the condition of things in China. She said
that in case China were forced into war with another nation, we should
be nowhere. We had nothing ready, no navy and no trained army, in fact
nothing to enable us to protect ourselves. Yuan Shih Kai, however,
assured her there was no need to anticipate any trouble at present so
far as China was concerned. Her Majesty replied that in any event it
was time China began to wake up and endeavor to straighten things out in
some way or other, but she did not know where to begin; that it was her
ambition to see China holding a prominent position among the nations
of the world and that she was constantly receiving memorials suggesting
this reform and that reform, but that we never seemed to get any
further.

After this audience was over, Her Majesty held an audience with the
Grand Council. She told them what had been said during her interview
with Yuan Shih Kai, and of course they all agreed that something should
be done. Several suggestions were discussed with regard to national
defense, etc., but a certain Prince said that although he was in perfect
sympathy with reform generally, he was very much against the adoption of
foreign clothing, foreign modes of living, and the doing away with the
queue. Her Majesty quite agreed with these remarks and said that it
would not be wise to change any Chinese custom for one which was less
civilized. As usual, nothing definite was decided upon when the audience
was over.

For the next few days nothing was talked of but the war, and many
Chinese generals were received in audience by Her Majesty. These
audiences were sometimes very amusing, as these soldiers were quite
unaccustomed to the rules of the Court and did not know the mode of
procedure when in the presence of Her Majesty. Many foolish suggestions
were made by these generals. During one of the conversations Her Majesty
remarked on the inefficiency of the navy and referred to the fact that
we had no trained naval officers. One of the generals replied that we
had more men in China than in any other country, and as for ships, why
we had dozens of river boats and China merchant boats, which could be
used in case of war. Her Majesty ordered him to retire, saying that
it was perfectly true that we had plenty of men in China, but that the
majority of them were like himself, of very little use to the country.
After he had retired, everybody commenced to laugh, but Her Majesty
stopped us, saying that she did not feel at all like laughing, she was
too angry to think that such men held positions as officers in the army
and navy. One of the Court ladies asked me why Her Majesty was so angry
with the man for mentioning the river boats, and was very much surprised
when I informed her that the whole of them would be worse than useless
against a single war vessel.

Just about the end of the eleventh moon Chang Chih Tung, Viceroy of
Wuchang, arrived, and was received in audience. Her Majesty said to him:
"Now, you are one of the oldest officials in the country, and I want you
to give me your unbiased opinion as to what effect this war is going to
have on China. Do not be afraid to give your firm opinion, as I want to
be prepared for anything which is likely to happen." He answered that
no matter what the result of the war might be, China would in all
probability have to make certain concessions to the Powers with regard
to Manchuria for trade purposes, but that we should not otherwise be
interfered with. Her Majesty repeated what had been discussed at the
previous audiences on this subject and also regarding reform in China.
Chang Chih Tung replied that we had plenty of time for reform, and that
if we were in too great a hurry, we should not accomplish anything at
all. He suggested that the matter be discussed at length before deciding
upon anything definite. In his opinion it would be foolish to go to
extremes in the matter of reform. He said that ten or fifteen years ago
he would have been very much against any reform whatsoever, but that
he now saw the need for it to a certain extent, as circumstances had
changed very much. He said that we should adhere strictly to our own
mode of living and not abandon the traditions of our ancestors. In other
words, he simply advised the adoption of western civilization where
it was an improvement on our own, and nothing more. Her Majesty was
delighted with the interview, for Chang Chih Tung's opinions coincided
exactly with her own.

During the whole of these audiences the Emperor, although present each
time, never opened his lips to say a word, but sat listening all the
time. As a rule, Her Majesty would ask his opinion, just as a matter of
form, but he invariably replied that he was quite in accord with what
Her Majesty had said or decided upon.

Of the many religious ceremonies in connection with the Buddhist
religion the "La-pachow" was the most important. This was held on the
8th day of the twelfth moon each year. According to the common belief,
on this eighth day of the twelfth moon, many centuries ago, a certain
Buddhist priest Ju Lai set out to beg for food, and after receiving a
good supply of rice and beans from the people, he returned and divided
it with his brother priests, giving each an equal share, and he became
celebrated for his great charity. This day was therefore set apart as
an anniversary to commemorate the event. The idea was that by practising
self-denial on this day, one would gain favor in the sight of this
Buddha Ju Lai, therefore the only food eaten was rice, grain and beans,
all mixed together in a sort of porridge, but without any salt or
other flavoring. It was not at all pleasant to eat, being absolutely
tasteless.



CHAPTER EIGHTEEN--THE NEW YEAR FESTIVALS

WE now reached the time set apart for cleaning the Palace in preparation
for the New Year festivals. Everything had to be taken down and
thoroughly overhauled, and all the images, pictures, furniture and
everything else were subjected to a thorough scrubbing. Her Majesty
again consulted her book in order to choose a lucky day on which to
commence these operations, finally choosing the twelfth day as being
most favorable. As we had all received our orders previously, we
commenced early on the morning of the twelfth. Several of the Court
ladies were told off to take down and clean the images of Buddha and
prepare new curtains for them. The rest of the cleaning was done by the
eunuchs. I asked Her Majesty whether I was to clean her jewelry, but
she answered that as nobody but herself ever wore it, it didn't need
cleaning.

After everything had been cleaned to Her Majesty's satisfaction,
she prepared a list of names of the people she desired to attend the
ceremony of Tzu Sui. This ceremony was held on the last day of each year
and was something like the midnight services usually held in Europe on
the last night of each old year--just a farewell ceremony to bid the old
year adieu. The guests were invited about a fortnight ahead, so as to
give them plenty of time to get ready. Her Majesty also ordered new
winter clothing for the Court ladies. The only difference between these
new garments and those we were then wearing was that they were trimmed
with the fur of the silver fox instead of the gray squirrel.

The next thing was to prepare cakes, which were to be placed before the
Buddhas and ancestors, during the New Year. It was necessary that Her
Majesty should make the first one herself. So when Her Majesty decided
that it was time to prepare these cakes the whole Court went into a
room specially prepared for the purpose and the eunuchs brought in the
ingredients-ground rice, sugar and yeast. These were mixed together into
a sort of dough and then steamed instead of baked, which caused it to
rise just like ordinary bread, it being believed that the higher the
cake rises, the better pleased are the gods and the more fortunate
the maker. The first cake turned out fine and we all congratulated Her
Majesty, who was evidently much pleased herself at the result. Then
she ordered each of the Court ladies to make one, which we did, with
disastrous results, not one turning out as it should. This being my
first year, there was some excuse for my failure, but I was surprised
that none of the older Court ladies fared any better, and on inquiring
from one of them the reason, she replied: "Why, I did it purposely, of
course, so as to flatter Her Majesty's vanity. Certainly I could make
them just as well as she, if not better, but it would not be good
policy." After we had all finished making our cakes, the eunuchs were
ordered to make the rest, and needless to say they were perfect in every
way.

The next thing was to prepare small plates of dates and fresh fruits
of every kind. These were decorated with evergreens, etc., and placed
before the images of Buddha. Then we prepared glass dishes of candy,
which were to be offered to the God of the Kitchen. On the twenty-third
day of the last moon the God of the Kitchen left this earth to go on a
visit to the King of Heaven, to whom he reported all that we had been
doing during the past year, returning to earth again on the last day of
the year. The idea of offering him these sweets was in order that they
should stick to his mouth and prevent him from telling too much. When
these candies were prepared, we all adjourned to the kitchen and placed
the offering on a table specially placed for the purpose. Turning to
the head cook, she said: "You had better look out now; the God of the
Kitchen will tell how much you have stolen during the past year, and you
will be punished."

The following day another ceremony had to be gone through, that of
writing out the New Year Greetings for the guests and Court, so in the
morning we all went with Her Majesty to the Audience Hall, where the
eunuchs had prepared large sheets of yellow, red and pale green paper.
Her Majesty took up a large brush and commenced to write. On some of
these sheets she wrote the character "Shou" (Long Life) and on others
"Fu" (Prosperity). By and bye, when she began to feel tired, she would
get either one of the Court ladies or one of the official writers to
finish them for her. When finished, they were distributed to the guests
and different officials, the ones Her Majesty had written herself being
reserved for her special favorites. These were given out a few days
before the New Year.

Her Majesty received New Year presents from all the Viceroys and
principal officials. She would examine each present as it was received,
and if it found favor in her eyes, she would use it, but if not, she
would have it locked away in one of the storerooms and probably never
see it again. These presents consisted of small pieces of furniture,
curios, jewelry, silks, in fact everything--even clothing. The present
sent by Viceroy Yuan Shih Kai was a yellow satin robe, embroidered with
different colored precious stones and pearls designed to represent the
peony flower; the leaves were of green jade. It was really a magnificent
thing, and must have cost a fortune. The only drawback was its weight;
it was too heavy to wear comfortably. Her Majesty appeared delighted
with this gown, and wore it the first day, after which it was discarded
altogether, although I often suggested that she should wear it, as it
was the most magnificent gown I ever saw. Once when Her Majesty was
granting an audience to the Diplomatic Corps, I suggested that she
should wear this dress, but she refused, giving no reason, so nobody
outside the Court has ever seen this wonderful garment.

Another costly present was received from the Viceroy of Canton, and
consisted of four bags of pearls, each bag containing several thousands.
They were all perfect in shape and color, and would have brought
fabulous prices in Europe or America. However, Her Majesty had so many
jewels, especially pearls, that she hardly paid any attention to them
beyond remarking that they were very nice.

The Young Empress and the Court ladies were also expected to give
presents to Her Majesty each New Year. These were for the most part
articles that we had made ourselves, such as shoes, handkerchiefs,
collars, bags, etc. My mother, my sister and myself made presents of
mirrors, perfumes, soaps and similar toilet accessories which we had
brought with us from Paris. These Her Majesty appreciated very much; she
was very vain. The eunuchs and servant girls gave fancy cakes and other
food stuffs.

The presents were so numerous that they filled several rooms, but we
were not allowed to remove them until Her Majesty gave orders to do so.

The Court ladies also exchanged presents among themselves, which often
led to confusion and amusement. On this occasion I had received some
ten or a dozen different presents, and when it came my turn to give
something, I decided to use up some of the presents I had received from
my companions. To my surprise, the next day I received from one of the
Court ladies an embroidered handkerchief which I immediately recognized
as the identical handkerchief I had myself sent her as my New Year's
present. On mentioning the fact, this lady turned and said: "Well, that
is rather funny; I was just wondering what had made you return the
shoes I sent you." Of course everybody laughed very heartily, and still
further merriment was caused when, on comparing all the presents, it was
found that quite half of us had received back our own presents. In order
to settle the matter, we threw them all into a heap and divided them as
evenly as possible, everybody being satisfied with the result.

About a week before New Year's day all audiences ceased and the seals
were put away until after the holidays. During this time no business was
transacted by Her Majesty. Everything was much more comfortable and we
could see that Her Majesty also appreciated the change from bustle to
quietness. We had nothing whatever to do but to take things easy until
the last day of the year.

Early on the morning of the thirtieth Her Majesty went to worship before
the Buddhas and Ancestral Tablets. After this ceremony was finished, the
guests began to arrive, until by midday, all the guests, numbering about
fifty, were present. The principal guests were: The Imperial Princess
(Empress Dowager's adopted daughter), Princess Chung (wife of Emperor
Kwang Hsu's brother), Princesses Shun and Tao (wives of the Emperor's
younger brothers), Princess hung (wife of the nephew of the Imperial
Princess), and Prince Ching's family. All these ladies were frequent
visitors to the Court. Next day many other Princesses, not of the
Imperial family, but whose titles were honorary titles bestowed by
previous rulers, came. Next, the daughters of the high Manchu officials
and many other people whom I had never seen before. By midday all the
guests had arrived, and, after being presented to Her Majesty, were
taken to their different apartments and told to rest a while. At two
o'clock in the afternoon everybody assembled in the Audience Hall, lined
up according to their different ranks and, led by the Young Empress,
kowtowed to Her Majesty. This was the ceremony Tzu Sui already referred
to, and was simply a last goodbye to Her Majesty before the New Year set
in. When it was all over, Her Majesty gave each of us a small purse made
of red satin embroidered with gold, containing a sum of money. This is
to enable each one to commence the New Year with a kind of reserve fund
for a rainy day, when they would have this money to fall back upon. It
is an old Manchu custom and is still kept up.

The evening was spent in music and enjoyment, and was carried on right
through the night, none of us going to bed. At Her Majesty's suggestion
we commenced gambling with dice, Her Majesty providing each of us with
money, sometimes as much as $200. She told us to be serious about it,
and to try and win, but of course we took good care not to win from Her
Majesty. When Her Majesty began to tire, she stopped the game and said:
"Now, all this money I have won I am going to throw on the floor, and
you girls can scramble for it." We knew that she wanted to see some fun,
so we fought for it as hard as we could.

At midnight the eunuchs brought into the room a large brass brazier
containing live charcoal. Her Majesty pulled a leaf from a large
evergreen tree, which had been placed there for the purpose, and threw
it into the fire. We each followed her example, adding large pieces of
resin, which perfumed the whole atmosphere. This ceremony was supposed
to bring good luck during the coming year.

The next item was making cakes or pies for New Year's day. On the first
of the New Year, nobody is allowed to eat rice, these cakes taking its
place. They were made of flour paste, with minced meat inside. While
some of us were preparing these cakes, others were peeling lotus seeds
for Her Majesty's breakfast.

It was now well on into the morning hours and Her Majesty said that she
was tired and would go and rest a while. She was not going to sleep,
however, so we could carry on our noise as much as we liked. This we did
for some time, and on visiting Her Majesty's bedroom, we found that she
was fast asleep. We then all repaired to our various rooms and commenced
to make ourselves tidy for the day. As soon as Her Majesty was awake,
we all proceeded to her bedroom, taking with us plates of apples
(representing "Peace"), olives ("Long Life"), lotus seeds (Blessing).
She suitably acknowledged these gifts and wished us all good luck in
return. She inquired whether we had been to bed and, on learning that
we had been up all night, she said that was right. She herself had not
meant to sleep, only to rest a little, but somehow she had not been able
to keep awake, and gave as a reason that she was an old woman. We waited
on her until she had finished her toilet and then wished her a Happy New
Year. We then proceeded to pay our respects to the Emperor and to
the Young Empress. There was nothing further to be done in the way of
ceremonies, and we therefore all accompanied Her Majesty to the theatre.
The performance took place on a stage erected in the courtyard, and Her
Majesty closed in one part of her veranda for the use of the guests and
Court ladies. During the performance I began to feel very drowsy, and
eventually fell fast asleep leaning against one of the pillars. I awoke
rather suddenly to find that something had been dropped into my mouth,
but on investigation I found it was nothing worse than a piece of candy,
which I immediately proceeded to eat. On approaching Her Majesty, she
asked me how I had enjoyed the candy, and told me not to sleep, but to
have a good time like the rest. I never saw Her Majesty in better
humor. She played with us just like a young girl, and one could hardly
recognize in her the severe Empress Dowager we knew her to be.

The guests also all seemed to be enjoying themselves very much. In the
evening, after the theatrical performance was over, Her Majesty ordered
the eunuchs to bring in their instruments and give us some music. She
herself sang several songs, and we all sang at intervals. Then Her
Majesty ordered the eunuchs to sing. Some were trained singers, and sang
very nicely, but others could not sing at all and caused quite a lot of
amusement by their efforts to please Her Majesty. The Emperor appeared
to be the only one present who was not having a good time; he never
smiled once. On meeting him outside, I asked him why he looked so sad,
but he only answered: "A Happy New Year" in English, smiled once, and
walked away.

Her Majesty rose very early next morning and proceeded to the Audience
Hall to worship the God of Wealth. We all accompanied her and took part
in the ceremony. During the next few days we did nothing but gamble and
scramble for Her Majesty's winnings. This was all very nice in its way,
until one day one of the Court ladies began to cry, and accused me of
stepping on her toes in the scramble. This made Her Majesty angry and
she ordered the offender to go to her room and stay there for three
days, saying that she did not deserve to be enjoying herself if she
could not stand a little thing like that.

The tenth of the first moon was the birthday of the Young Empress, and
we asked Her Majesty whether we would be allowed to give presents. She
gave us permission to give whatever presents we might wish to. However,
we submitted all our presents to Her Majesty for her approval, before
giving them to the Young Empress, and we had to be very discreet and not
choose anything which Her Majesty might think was too good. It was very
difficult to tell what to send, as Her Majesty might take a fancy to
any of the presents herself, even though they might not be of much value
intrinsically. In such a case Her Majesty would tell us that she would
keep it, and to give the Young Empress something else.

The celebration was very similar to that of the Emperor's birthday, but
not on such an elaborate scale. We presented the Ru Yee to the Young
Empress and kowtowed to her. She was supposed to receive these tokens of
respect sitting on her throne, but out of deference to Her Majesty
(we were Her Majesty's Court ladies) she stood up. She always was very
polite to us under all circumstances.

On this day, as on the Emperor's birthday, the Emperor, Young Empress
and Secondary wife dined together. These were the only two occasions
when they did so, always dining separately at other times. Her Majesty
sent two of her Court ladies to wait upon the Empress, I myself being
one of them. I was very pleased, as I wanted to see for myself how they
conducted themselves when together. I went into the Young Empress' room
and informed her that Her Majesty had ordered us to wait upon them, to
which she simply answered: "Very well." So we went to the dining room
and set the table, placing the chairs into position. The meal was much
different from what I expected. Instead of being stiff and serious
like Her Majesty when dining they were quite free and easy, and we were
allowed to join in the conversation and partake of some of the food and
wine. A very pretty ceremony was gone through at the commencement of the
meal. The Emperor and Young Empress seated themselves, and the Secondary
wife filled their cups with wine and presented it to them in turn as a
sign of respect, the Emperor first. When the meal was over we returned
to Her Majesty's apartment and told her that everything had passed off
nicely. We knew very well that we had been sent simply to act as spies,
but we had nothing interesting to tell Her Majesty. She asked if the
Emperor had been very serious and we answered "Yes."

The New Year celebrations terminated with the Festival of Lanterns on
the fifteenth day of the first moon. These lanterns were of different
shapes, representing animals, flowers, fruits, etc., etc. They were made
of white gauze, painted in different colors. One lantern representing
a dragon about fifteen feet long was fastened to ten poles, and ten
eunuchs were required to hold it in position. In front of this dragon
a eunuch was holding a lantern representing a large pearl, which the
dragon was supposed to devour. This ceremony was gone through to the
accompaniment of music.

After the lanterns came a firework display. These fireworks represented
different scenes in the history of China, grape vines, wisteria
blossoms, and many other flowers. It was a very imposing sight. Portable
wooden houses had been placed near the fireworks from which Her Majesty
and the rest of the Court could see them without being out in the cold
air. This display lasted for several hours without a stop, and thousands
of firecrackers were set off during the time. Her Majesty seemed to
enjoy the noise very much. Altogether it was a good finish to the
celebrations and we all enjoyed it very much.

The next morning all the guests departed from the Palace and we
re-commenced our everyday life.

As usual after the guests had departed Her Majesty began to criticise
their mode of dressing, their ignorance of Court etiquette, etc., but
added that she was rather glad, as she didn't want them to know anything
about Court life.

As Spring soon arrived it was time for the farmers to commence sowing
seed for the rice crop, and of course there was another ceremony. The
Emperor visited the Temple of Agriculture where he prayed for a good
harvest. Then he proceeded to a small plot of ground situated in the
temple and after turning the earth over with a hand plow he sowed the
first seeds of the season. This was to show the farmers that their
labors were not despised and that even the Emperor was not ashamed to
engage in this work. Anybody could attend this ceremony, it being quite
a public affair, and many farmers were present.

About this same time the Young Empress went to see the silkworms and
watch for the eggs to be hatched. As soon as they were out, the Young
Empress gathered mulberry leaves for the worms to feed upon and watched
them until they were big enough to commence spinning. Each day a fresh
supply of leaves were gathered and they were fed four or five times
daily. Several of the Court ladies were told off to feed the worms
during the night and see that they did not escape. These silkworms grow
very rapidly and we could see the difference each day. Of course when
they became full grown they required more food and we were kept busy
constantly feeding them. The Young Empress was able to tell by holding
them up to the light when they were ready to spin. If they were
transparent then they were ready, and were placed on paper and left
there. When spinning the silkworm does not eat, therefore all we had to
do was to watch that they did not get away. After spinning for four or
five days their supply of silk becomes exhausted and they shrivel up and
apparently die. These apparently dead worms were collected by the Young
Empress and placed in a box where they were kept until they developed
into moths. They were then placed on thick paper and left there to lay
their eggs.

If left to themselves, the silkworms when ready for spinning will spin
the silk around their bodies until they are completely covered up,
gradually forming a cocoon. In order to determine when they have
finished spinning it was customary to take the cocoon and rattle it
near the ear. If the worm was exhausted you could plainly hear the body
rattle inside the cocoon. The cocoon is then placed in boiling water
until it becomes soft. This, of course, kills the worm. In order to
separate the silk a needle is used to pick up the end of the thread
which is then wound on to a spool and is ready for weaving. A few of the
cocoons were kept until the worms had turned into moths, which soon ate
their way out of the cocoons when they were placed on sheets of paper
and left to lay their eggs, which are taken away and kept in a cool
place until the following Spring, when the eggs are hatched and become
worms.

When the silk had all been separated we took it to Her Majesty for
inspection and approval. On this particular occasion Her Majesty ordered
one of the eunuchs to bring in some silk which she herself had woven
when a young girl in the Palace, and on comparing it with the new silk
it was found to be just as good in every way although many years had
passed since it was made.

All this was done with the same object as the Emperor sowing the seeds,
viz.:--to set the people a good example and to encourage them in their
work.



CHAPTER NINETEEN--THE SEA PALACE

THIS year we had a very hot spring and Her Majesty was desirous of
getting back again to the Sea Palace. However, as war had already been
declared between Russia and Japan it was thought best to remain in the
Forbidden City until things were more settled. Her Majesty was very much
worried over this war and spent most of her time in offering prayers
to the different divinities for the welfare of China and we, of course,
were expected to join her. Things were very monotonous about this time
and nothing particular occurred until the beginning of the second moon.
By this time Her Majesty was quite sick of staying in the Forbidden City
and said that no matter what happened she would remove the Court to
the Sea Palace, where Miss Carl could get along and finish the portrait
which had been hanging on for nearly a year. So on the sixth day of the
second moon we moved back to the Sea Palace. Everything looked fresh and
green and many of the trees had commenced to blossom. Her Majesty took
us around the lake and we were in such good spirits that Her Majesty
remarked that we acted more like a lot of wild animals escaped from a
menagerie than human beings. She was much brighter now, but said that
she would be happier still to get to the Summer Palace.

Miss Carl was summoned to the Palace, and Her Majesty visited her and
asked to see the portrait. She again asked me how long it would be
before it was finished, and I told her that unless she gave a little
more of her time to posing it might not be finished for quite a long
time. After a lot of consideration Her Majesty finally agreed to give
Miss Carl five minutes each day after the morning audience, but that she
desired it to be distinctly understood that she did not intend to pose
for anything but the face. She accordingly sat for two mornings, but
on the third morning she made an excuse saying that she was not feeling
well. I told her that Miss Carl could not proceed further unless she sat
for the face, so, although she was very angry, she gave Miss Carl a few
more sittings until the face was finished. She absolutely refused to sit
again whether it was finished or not, saying that she would have nothing
more to do with the portrait. I myself sat for the remainder of the
portrait, viz.:--for Her Majesty's dress, jewels, etc., and so by
degrees the portrait was completed.

When Her Majesty learned that the portrait was nearing completion she
was very much pleased, and I thought it a good opportunity to again
broach the subject of payment. Her Majesty asked me whether I really
thought it necessary to pay cash for the portrait and how much. I told
her that as painting was Miss Carl's profession, if she had not been
engaged on painting Her Majesty's portrait she would most probably have
been engaged on other similar work for which she would have received
compensation, and that therefore she would naturally expect to be paid
even more handsomely in this instance. It was difficult to make Her
Majesty understand this and she asked if I was quite certain that Miss
Carl would not be offended by an offer of money, also Mrs. Conger who
had presented her. I explained that in America and Europe it was quite
customary for ladies to earn their own living either by painting,
teaching or in some other similar manner, and that it was no disgrace
but rather the opposite. Her Majesty seemed very much surprised to learn
this, and asked why Miss Carl's brother did not support her himself. I
told Her Majesty that Miss Carl did not desire him to provide for her,
besides which he was married and had a family to support. Her Majesty
gave it as her opinion that this was a funny kind of civilization. In
China when the parents were dead it was the duty of the sons to provide
for their unmarried sisters until such time as they married. She also
said that if Chinese ladies were to work for their living it would only
set people talking about them. However, she promised to speak with Her
Ministers about paying Miss Carl, and I felt somewhat relieved as there
seemed to be a probability of something satisfactory being arranged
after all.

The twelfth day of the second moon was the anniversary of another
interesting ceremony, viz.:--the birthday of the flowers and trees.
After the morning audience we all went into the Palace grounds, where
the eunuchs were waiting with huge rolls of red silk. These we all
commenced to cut into narrow strips about two inches wide and three feet
long. When we had cut sufficient Her Majesty took a strip of red silk
and another of yellow silk which she tied round the stem of one of
the peony trees (in China the peony is considered to be the queen of
flowers). Then all the Court ladies, eunuchs and servant girls set to
work to decorate every single tree and plant in the grounds with red
silk ribbons, in the same manner as Her Majesty had done. This took up
nearly the entire morning and it made a very pretty picture, with the
bright costumes of the Court ladies, green trees and beautiful flowers.

We then went to a theatrical performance. This represented all the
tree fairies and flower fairies celebrating their birthday. The Chinese
believe that all the trees and flowers have their own particular
fairies, the tree fairies being men and the flower fairies being women.
The costumes were very pretty and were chosen to blend with the green
trees and flowers which were on the stage. One of the costumes worn by a
lotus fairy was made of pink silk, worked so as to represent the petals
of the flower, the skirt being of green silk to represent the lotus
leaves. Whenever this fairy moved about the petals would move just
as though wafted by the breeze, like a natural flower. Several other
costumes representing different flowers were made in the same manner.
The scene was a woodland dell, surrounded with huge rocks perforated
with caves, out of which came innumerable small fairies bearing
decanters of wine. These small fairies represented the smaller flowers,
daisies, pomegranate blossoms, etc. The result can be better imagined
than described. All the fairies gathered together and drank the wine,
after which they commenced to sing, accompanied by stringed instruments,
played very softly. The final scene was a very fitting ending to the
performance. It represented a small rainbow which gradually descended
until it rested on the rocks; then each fairy in turn would sit upon
the rainbow which rose again and conveyed them through the clouds into
Heaven. This completed the celebration and we all retired to our rooms.

On the fourteenth day of the second moon (March 2, 1904), I completed my
first year at Court. I had quite forgotten this fact until Her Majesty
reminded me of it. She asked whether I was comfortable and happy where
I was or did I long to return to Paris. I answered truly that although
I had enjoyed myself while in France still I preferred the life of the
Court, it was so interesting, besides which I was in my own native land
and among all my friends and relations, and naturally I preferred that
to living in a strange land. Her Majesty smiled and said she was afraid
that sooner or later I would tire of the life in the Palace and fly away
again across the ocean. She said that the only way to make sure of me
was to marry me off. She again asked me what was my objection to getting
married; was I afraid of having a mother-in-law, or what was it? If
that was all, I need not worry, for so long as she was alive there was
nothing to be afraid of. Her Majesty said that even if I were married it
would not be necessary for me to stay at home all the time, but that I
would be able to spend my time in the Palace as usual. Continuing, she
said: "Last year when this marriage question came up I was willing to
make allowances as you had been brought up somewhat differently from the
rest of my Court ladies, but do not run away with the idea that I have
forgotten all about it. I am still on the lookout for a suitable husband
for you." I simply answered as before--that I had absolutely no desire
to marry, but that I wanted to stay where I was and live at the Court so
long as Her Majesty was willing to have me there. She made some remark
about my being stubborn and said that I should probably change my mind
before long.

During the latter part of the second moon Miss Carl worked very hard to
get the portrait finished and Her Majesty again consulted her book in
order to select a lucky day on which to put the final touches to the
picture. The 19th of April, 1904, was chosen by Her Majesty as the
best time, and Miss Carl was duly notified. Miss Carl most emphatically
stated that it was quite impossible to finish the portrait properly by
the time named, and I told Her Majesty what Miss Carl said, explaining
that there were many small finishing touches to be added and I suggested
it would be better to give Miss Carl a few days longer if possible.
However, Her Majesty said that it must be finished by four o'clock on
the 19th day of April, and therefore there was nothing further to be
said.

About a week before the time fixed for completion Her Majesty paid a
visit to the studio to finally inspect the picture. She seemed very much
pleased with it, but still objected to her face being painted dark on
one side and light on the other. As I have said before, I had explained
that this was the shading, but Her Majesty insisted on my telling Miss
Carl to make both sides of her face alike. This led to a pretty hot
discussion between Miss Carl and myself but she finally saw that it was
no use going against Her Majesty's wishes in the matter, so consented
to make some slight alteration. Happening to catch sight of some foreign
characters at the foot of the painting Her Majesty inquired what they
were and on being informed that they were simply the artist's name,
said: "Well, I know foreigners do some funny things, but I think this
about the funniest I ever heard of. Fancy putting her own name on my
picture. This will naturally convey the impression that it is a portrait
of Miss Carl, and not a portrait of myself at all." I again had to
explain the reason for this, saying that it was always customary for
foreign artists to write their names at the foot of any picture they
painted, whether portrait or otherwise. So Her Majesty said she supposed
it was all right, and would have to remain, but she looked anything but
satisfied with it.

By working practically all night and all day, Miss Carl managed to get
the portrait finished by the time stipulated, and Her Majesty arranged
that Mrs. Conger and the other ladies of the Diplomatic Corps should
come to the Palace and see the portrait. This was quite a private
audience and Her Majesty received them in one of the small Audience
Halls. After the usual greetings Her Majesty ordered us to conduct the
ladies to the studio, which we did, Her Majesty bidding them good-bye
and remaining in her own apartments. The Young Empress in accordance
with instructions from Her Majesty, accompanied us to the studio, and
acted as hostess. Everybody expressed great admiration for the portrait
and it was voted a marvellous likeness. After inspecting the picture we
all adjourned for refreshments. The Young Empress sat at the head of
the table and asked me to sit next to her. Shortly after everybody was
seated a eunuch came and asked the Young Empress to inform these ladies
that the Emperor was slightly indisposed and was unable to be present. I
interpreted this, and everybody appeared satisfied. As a matter of fact
the Emperor was quite well, but we had forgotten all about him. And so
the guests departed without seeing him on this occasion.

On reporting everything to Her Majesty as usual, she asked what they
thought of the portrait, and we told her that they had admired it very
much. Her Majesty said: "Of course they did, it was painted by a foreign
artist." She didn't appear to be very much interested and was quite
cross about something, which caused me great disappointment after all
the trouble Miss Carl had taken to finish the portrait. Her Majesty
then remarked that Miss Carl had taken a long time to get the portrait
finished, and asked why nobody had reminded her to inform the Emperor
about the audience, being particularly angry with the head eunuch on
this occasion. Her Majesty said that as soon as she remembered, she
immediately sent a eunuch to make excuses, as the ladies might very
well think that something had happened to the Emperor and it might cause
talk. I told her that I explained to them that the Emperor was not well
and they evidently thought nothing further of his absence.

By the next day the carpenters in the Palace had finished the frame for
the portrait and when it had been properly fitted Her Majesty ordered my
brother to take a photograph of it. This photograph turned out so well
that Her Majesty said it was better than the portrait itself.

The picture being now quite finished, Miss Carl prepared to take her
leave, which she did a few days later, having received a handsome
present in cash from Her Majesty in addition to a decoration and many
other presents as remuneration for her services. For quite a long time
after Miss Carl had left the Palace I felt very lonely, as during her
stay I had found her a genial companion and we had many things in common
to talk about. Her Majesty noticed that I was rather quiet, and asked me
the cause. She said: "I suppose you are beginning to miss your friend,
the lady artist." I did not care to admit that this was so, for fear she
might think me ungrateful to herself, besides which I knew she did not
like the idea of my being too friendly with foreigners. So I explained
to Her Majesty that I always did regret losing old friends but that I
would get used to the change very soon. Her Majesty was very nice about
it and said she wished that she was a little more sentimental over such
small things, but that when I got to her age I should be able to take
things more philosophically.

After Miss Carl had left the Court, Her Majesty asked me one day: "Did
she ever ask you much about the Boxer movement of 1900?" I told her that
I knew very little of the Boxer movement myself, as I was in Paris at
the time and I could not say very much. I assured her that the lady
artist never mentioned the subject to me. Her Majesty said: "I hate to
mention about that affair and I would not like to have foreigners ask my
people questions on that subject. Do you know, I have often thought that
I am the most clever woman that ever lived and others cannot compare
with me. Although I have heard much about Queen Victoria and read a part
of her life which someone has translated into Chinese, still I don't
think her life was half so interesting and eventful as mine. My life is
not finished yet and no one knows what is going to happen in the future.
I may surprise the foreigners some day with something extraordinary and
do something quite contrary to anything I have yet done. England is one
of great powers of the world, but this has not been brought about by
Queen Victoria's absolute rule. She had the able men of parliament back
of her at all times and of course they discussed everything until the
best result was obtained, then she would sign the necessary documents
and really had nothing to say about the policy of the country. Now look
at me. I have 400,000,000 people, all dependent on my judgment. Although
I have the Grand Council to consult with, they only look after the
different appointments, but anything of an important nature I must
decide myself. What does the Emperor know? I have been very successful
so far, but I never dreamt that the Boxer movement would end with such
serious results for China. That is the only mistake I have made in
my life. I should have issued an Edict at once to stop the Boxers
practising their belief, but both Prince Tuan and Duke Lan told me that
they firmly believed the Boxers were sent by Heaven to enable China
to get rid of all the undesirable and hated foreigners. Of course they
meant mostly missionaries, and you know how I hate them and how very
religious I always am, so I thought I would not say anything then but
would wait and see what would happen. I felt sure they were going too
far as one day Prince Tuan brought the Boxer leader to the Summer Palace
and summoned all the eunuchs into the courtyard of the Audience Hall and
examined each eunuch on the head to see if there was a cross. He said,
'This cross is not visible to you, but I can identify a Christian by
finding a cross on the head.' Prince Tuan then came to my private Palace
and told me that the Boxer leader was at the Palace Gate and had found
two eunuchs who were Christians and asked me what was to be done. I
immediately became very angry and told him that he had no right to bring
any Boxers to the Palace without my permission; but he said this leader
was so powerful that he was able to kill all the foreigners and was not
afraid of the foreign guns, as all the gods were protecting him. Prince
Tuan told me that he had witnessed this himself. A Boxer shot another
with a revolver and the bullet hit him, but did not harm him in the
least. Then Prince Tuan suggested that I hand these two eunuchs supposed
to be Christians to the Boxer leader, which I did. I heard afterwards
that these two eunuchs were beheaded right in the country somewhere near
here. This chief Boxer came to the Palace the next day, accompanied by
Prince Tuan and Duke Lan, to make all the eunuchs burn incense sticks
to prove that they were not Christians. After that Prince Tuan also
suggested that we had better let the chief Boxer come every day and
teach the eunuchs their belief; that nearly all of Peking was studying
with the Boxers. The next day I was very much surprised to see all my
eunuchs dressed as Boxers. They wore red jackets, red turbans and yellow
trousers. I was sorry to see all my attendants discard their official
robes and wear a funny costume like that. Duke Lan presented me with
a suit of Boxer clothes. At that time Yung Lu, who was the head of the
Grand Council, was ill and asked leave of absence for a month. While he
was sick, I used to send one of the eunuchs to see him every day, and
that day the eunuch returned and informed me that Yung Lu was quite well
and would come to the Palace the next day, although he still had fifteen
days more leave. I was puzzled to know why he should give up the balance
of his leave. However, I was very anxious to see him, as I wished to
consult him about this chief Boxer. Yung Lu looked grieved when he
learned what had taken place at the Palace, and said that these Boxers
were nothing but revolutionaries and agitators. They were trying to get
the people to help them to kill the foreigners, but he was very much
afraid the result would be against the Government. I told him that
probably he was right, and asked him what should be done. He told me
that he would talk to Prince Tuan, but the next day Prince Tuan told me
that he had had a fight with Yung Lu about the Boxer question, and said
that all of Peking had become Boxers, and if we tried to turn them, they
would do all they could to kill everyone in Peking, including the Court;
that they (the Boxer party) had the day selected to kill all the foreign
representatives; that Tung Fou Hsiang, a very conservative General and
one of the Boxers, had promised to bring his troops out to help the
Boxers to fire on the Legations. When I heard this I was very much
worried and anticipated serious trouble, so I sent for Yung Lu at once
and kept Prince Tuan with me. Yung Lu came, looking very much worried,
and he was more so after I had told him what the Boxers were going to
do. He immediately suggested that I should issue an Edict, saying that
these Boxers were a secret society and that no one should believe their
teaching, and to instruct the Generals of the nine gates to drive all
the Boxers out of the city at once. When Prince Tuan heard this he was
very angry and told Yung Lu that if such an Edict was issued, the Boxers
would come to the Court and kill everybody. When Prince Tuan told me
this, I thought I had better leave everything to him. After he left the
Palace, Yung Lu said that Prince Tuan was absolutely crazy and that he
was sure these Boxers would be the cause of a great deal of trouble.
Yung Lu also said that Prince Tuan must be insane to be helping the
Boxers to destroy the Legations; that these Boxers were a very common
lot, without education, and they imagined the few foreigners in China
were the only ones on the earth and if they were killed it would be the
end of them. They forgot how very strong these foreign countries are,
and that if the foreigners in China were all killed, thousands would
come to avenge their death. Yung Lu assured me that one foreign soldier
could kill one hundred Boxers without the slightest trouble, and begged
me to give him instructions to order General Nieh, who was afterwards
killed by the Boxers, to bring his troops to protect the Legations. Of
course I gave him this instruction at once, and also told him that he
must see Prince Tuan at once and Duke Lan to tell them that this was
a very serious affair and that they had better not interfere with Yung
Lu's plans. Matters became worse day by day and Yung Lu was the only one
against the Boxers, but what could one man accomplish against so many?
One day Prince Tuan and Duke Lan came and asked me to issue an Edict
ordering the Boxers to kill all the Legation people first and then all
remaining foreigners. I was very angry and refused to issue this Edict.
After we had talked a very long time, Prince Tuan said that this must
be done without delay, for the Boxers were getting ready to fire on the
Legations and would do so the very next day. I was furious and ordered
several of the eunuchs to drive him out, and he said as he was going
out: 'If you refuse to issue that Edict, I will do it for you whether
you are willing or not,' and he did. After that you know what happened.
He issued these Edicts unknown to me and was responsible for a great
many deaths. He found that he could not carry his plans through and
heard that the foreign troops were not very far from Peking. He was so
frightened that he made us all leave Peking." As she finished saying
this, she started to cry, and I told her that I felt very sorry for her.
She said: "You need not feel sorry for me for what I have gone through;
but you must feel sorry that my fair name is ruined. That is the only
mistake I have made in my whole life and it was done in a moment of
weakness. Before I was just like a piece of pure jade; everyone admired
me for what I have done for my country, but the jade has a flaw in it
since this Boxer movement and it will remain there to the end of my
life. I have regretted many, many times that I had such confidence
in, and believed that wicked Prince Tuan; he was responsible for
everything."

By the end of the third moon Her Majesty had had enough of the Sea
Palace and the Court moved into the Summer Palace. This time we
travelled by boat as it was very beautiful weather. On reaching the
water-gates of the Palace we found everything just lovely and the peach
blossoms were in full bloom. Her Majesty plainly showed how glad she
was to be back once more and for the time being seemed to have forgotten
everything else, even the war.



CHAPTER TWENTY--CONCLUSION

MY second year at the Palace was very much the same as the first. We
celebrated each anniversary and festival in the same way as before: the
usual audience was held each morning by Her Majesty, after which the day
was given up to enjoyment. Amongst other things Her Majesty took great
interest in her vegetable gardens, and superintended the planting of the
different seeds. When vegetables were ready for pulling, from time to
time, all the Court ladies were supplied with a kind of small pruning
fork and gathered in the crop. Her Majesty seemed to enjoy seeing us
work in the fields, and when the fit seized her she would come along and
help. In order to encourage us in this work, Her Majesty would give a
small present to the one who showed the best results so we naturally
did our best in order to please her, as much as for the reward. Another
hobby of Her Majesty's was the rearing of chickens, and a certain number
of birds were allotted to each of the Court ladies. We were supposed to
look after these ourselves and the eggs had to be taken to Her Majesty
every morning. I could not understand why it was that my chickens gave
less eggs than any of the others until one day my eunuch informed me
that he had seen one of the other eunuchs stealing the eggs from my hen
house and transferring them to another, in order to help his mistress to
head the list.

Her Majesty was very particular not to encourage untidyness or
extravagance among the Court ladies. On one occasion she told me to open
a parcel which was lying in her room. I was about to cut the string when
Her Majesty stopped me and told me to untie it. This I managed to do
after a lot of trouble, and opened the parcel. Her Majesty next made me
fold the paper neatly and place it in a drawer along with the string so
that I would know where to find it should it be wanted again. From time
to time Her Majesty would give each of us money for our own private
use and whenever we wanted to buy anything, say flowers, handkerchiefs,
shoes, ribbons, etc., these could be bought from the servant girls who
used to make them in the Palace and we would enter each item in a small
note book supplied by Her Majesty for the purpose. At the end of each
month Her Majesty examined our accounts and in case she considered that
we had been extravagant she would give us a good scolding, while on the
other hand, if we managed to show a good balance she would compliment us
on our good management. Thus under Her Majesty's tuition we learned to
be careful and tidy against such time as we might be called upon to look
after homes of our own.

About this time my father began to show signs of breaking down and asked
for permission to withdraw from public life. However, Her Majesty would
not hear of this and decided to give him another six months vacation
instead. It was his intention to go to Shanghai and see the family
physician, but Her Majesty did not approve of this, maintaining that
her own doctors were quite as good as any foreign doctor. These doctors
therefore attended him for some time, prescribing all kinds of different
concoctions daily. After a while he seemed to pick up a little but was
still unable to get about on account of having chronic rheumatism. We
therefore again suggested that it would be better for him to see his own
doctor in Shanghai, who understood my father thoroughly, but Her Majesty
could not be made to see it in that light. She said that what we wanted
was a little patience, that the Chinese doctors might be slow, but they
were sure, and she was convinced they would completely cure my father
very soon. The fact of the matter was she was afraid that if my father
went to stay in Shanghai the rest of the family would want to be there
with him, which was not in her programme at all. So we decided to remain
in Peking unless my father showed signs of getting worse.

In due course the time arrived on which it had been arranged to hold the
Spring Garden Party for the Diplomatic Corps, and as usual one day was
set apart for the Ministers, Secretaries and members of the various
Legations, and the following day for their wives, etc. This year very
few guests attended the Garden Party but among those who did come were
several strangers. About half a dozen ladies from the Japanese Legation
came with Madame Uchida, wife of the Japanese Minister. Her Majesty
was always very pleased to see this lady whom she very much admired
on account of her extreme politeness. After the usual presentation we
conducted the ladies to luncheon, showed them over the Palace grounds,
after which we wished them good-bye and they took their leave. We
reported everything to Her Majesty, and as usual were asked many
questions. Among the guests there was one lady (English so far as I
could make out) dressed in a heavy tweed travelling costume, having
enormous pockets, into which she thrust her hands as though it were
extremely cold. She wore a cap of the same material. Her Majesty asked
if I had noticed this lady with the clothes made out of "rice bags," and
wasn't it rather unusual to be presented at Court in such a dress. Her
Majesty wanted to know who she was and where she came from. I replied
that she certainly did not belong to any of the Legations as I was
acquainted with everybody there. Her Majesty said that whoever she was
she certainly was not accustomed to moving in decent society as she
(Her Majesty) was quite certain that it was not the thing to appear at a
European Court in such a costume. "I can tell in a moment," Her Majesty
added, "whether any of these people are desirous of showing proper
respect to me, or whether they consider that I am not entitled to it.
These foreigners seem to have the idea that the Chinese are ignorant and
that therefore they need not be so particular as in European Society. I
think it would be best to let it be understood for the future what dress
should be worn at the different Court Functions, and at the same time
use a certain amount of discretion in issuing invitations. In that way I
can also keep the missionary element out, as well as other undesirables.
I like to meet any distinguished foreigners who may be visiting in
China, but I do not want any common people at my Court." I suggested
that the Japanese custom could be followed, viz.: to issue proper
invitation cards, stipulating at the foot the dress to be worn on each
particular occasion. Her Majesty thought this would meet the case and it
was decided to introduce a similar rule in China.

Whenever the weather permitted, Her Majesty would pass quite a lot of
her time in the open air watching the eunuchs at work in the gardens.
During the early Spring the lotus plants were transplanted and she would
take keen interest in this work. All the old roots had to be cut away
and the new bulbs planted in fresh soil. Although the lotus grew in the
shallowest part of the lake (the West side) it was necessary for the
eunuchs to wade into the water sometimes up to their waists in order to
weed out the old plants and set the young ones. Her Majesty would
sit for hours on her favorite bridge (The Jade Girdle Bridge) and
superintend the eunuchs at their work, suggesting from time to time as
to how the bulbs were to be planted. This work generally took three or
four days, and the Court ladies in attendance would stand beside
Her Majesty and pass the time making fancy tassels for Her Majesty's
cushions, in fact doing anything so long as we did not idle.

It was during the Spring that Yuan Shih Kai paid another visit to the
Palace, and among other subjects discussed was the Russo-Japan war. He
told Her Majesty that it was developing into a very serious affair and
that he feared China would be the principal sufferer in the long run.
Her Majesty was very much upset by this news, and mentioned that she had
been advised by one of the censors to make a present to the Japanese of
a large quantity of rice, but had decided to take no action whatever in
the matter, which resolve Yuan Shih Kai strongly supported.

I was still working each day translating the various newspaper reports
and telegrams relating to the war and one morning, seeing a paragraph to
the effect that Kang Yu Wei (Leader of the Reform Movement in China in
1898) had arrived at Singapore from Batavia, I thought it might interest
Her Majesty and so translated it along with the rest. Her Majesty
immediately became very much excited which made me feel frightened as I
did not know what could be the matter. However, she explained to me that
this man had caused all kinds of trouble in China, that before meeting
Kang Yu Wei the Emperor had been a zealous adherent to the traditions of
his ancestors but since then had plainly shown his desire to introduce
reforms and even Christianity into the country. "On one occasion,"
continued Her Majesty, "he caused the Emperor to issue instructions for
the Summer Palace to be surrounded by soldiers so as to keep me
prisoner until these reforms could be put into effect, but through the
faithfulness of Yung Lu, a member of the Grand Council, and Yuan Shill
Kai, Viceroy of Chihli, I was able to frustrate the plot. I immediately
proceeded to the Forbidden City, where the Emperor was then staying and
after discussing the question with him he replied that he realized his
mistake and asked me to take over the reins of government and act in his
stead."

     (The result of this was, of course, the Edict of 1898
     appointing the Empress Dowager as Regent of China.)

Her Majesty had immediately ordered the capture of Kang Yu Wei and his
followers, but he had managed to effect his escape and she had heard
nothing further about him until I translated this report in the
newspaper. She seemed relieved, however, to know where he was, and
seemed anxious to hear what he was doing. She suddenly became very
angry again and asked why it was that the foreign governments offered
protection to Chinese political agitators and criminals. Why couldn't
they leave China to deal with her own subjects and mind their own
business a little more? She gave me instructions to keep a lookout for
any further news of this gentleman and report to her immediately, but I
made up my mind that in any case, I would not mention anything about him
again and so the matter gradually died away.

During one of our visits to the Sea Palace Her Majesty drew attention
to a large piece of vacant ground and said that it had formerly been the
site of the Audience Hall which had been destroyed by fire during
the Boxer trouble. Her Majesty explained that this had been purely an
accident and was not deliberately destroyed by the foreign troops. She
said that it had long been an eyesore to her as it was so ugly, and that
she had now determined to build another Audience Hall on the same site,
as the present Audience Hall was too small to accommodate the foreign
guests when they paid their respects at New Year. She therefore
commanded the Board of Works to prepare a model of the new building in
accordance with her own ideas, and submit it for her approval. Up to
that time all the buildings in the Palace Grounds were typically Chinese
but this new Audience Hall was to be more or less on the foreign plan
and up to date in every respect. This model was accordingly prepared
and submitted to Her Majesty. It was only a small wooden model but was
complete in every detail, even to the pattern of the windows and the
carving on the ceilings and panels. However, I never knew anything to
quite come up to Her Majesty's ideas, and this was no exception. She
criticised the model from every standpoint, ordering this room to be
enlarged and that room to be made smaller: this window to be moved to
another place, etc., etc. So the model went back for reconstruction.
When it was again brought for Her Majesty's inspection everybody agreed
that it was an improvement on the first one, and even Her Majesty
expressed great satisfaction. The next thing was to find a name for the
new building and after serious and mature consideration it was decided
to name it Hai Yen Tang (Sea Coast Audience Hall). Building operations
were commenced immediately and Her Majesty took great interest in the
progress of the work. It had already been decided that this Audience
Hall was to be furnished throughout in foreign style, with the exception
of the throne, which, of course, retained its Manchu appearance. Her
Majesty compared the different styles of furniture with the catalogues
we had brought with us from France and finally decided on the Louis
Fifteenth style, but everything was to be covered with Imperial Yellow,
with curtains and carpets to match. When everything had been selected
to Her Majesty's satisfaction, my mother asked permission to defray the
expense herself and make a present of this furniture. This Her Majesty
agreed to and the order was accordingly placed with a well-known Paris
firm from whom we had purchased furniture when in France. By the time
the building was completed the furniture had arrived, and it was quickly
installed. Her Majesty went to inspect it and, of course, had to find
fault as usual. She didn't seem at all pleased with the result of the
experiment and said that after all a Chinese building would have been
the best as it would have had a more dignified appearance. However, the
thing was finished and it was no use finding fault now, as it could not
be changed.

During the Summer months I had plenty of leisure time and devoted about
an hour each day to helping the Emperor with his English. He was a most
intelligent man with a wonderful memory and learned very quickly. His
pronunciation, however, was not good. In a very short time he was able
to read short stories out of an ordinary school reader and could write
from dictation fairly well. His handwriting was exceptionally fine,
while in copying old English and ornamental characters, he was an
expert. Her Majesty seemed pleased that the Emperor had taken up this
study, and said she thought of taking it up herself as she was quite
sure she would learn it very quickly if she tried. After two lessons she
lost patience, and did not mention the matter again.

Of course these lessons gave me plenty of opportunity to talk with His
Majesty, and on one occasion he ventured the remark that I didn't seem
to have made much progress with Her Majesty in the matter of reform.
I told him that many things had been accomplished since my arrival at
Court, and mentioned the new Audience Hall as an instance. He didn't
appear to think that anything worth talking about, and advised me to
give up the matter altogether. He said when the proper time arrived--if
it ever did arrive--then I might be of use, but expressed grave doubts
on the subject. He also enquired about my father and I told him that
unless his health improved very soon it would be necessary for us to
leave the Court for a while at any rate. He replied that although he
should very much regret such a necessity, he really believed that it
would be for the best. He said he felt certain that I should never be
able to settle down permanently to Court life after spending so many
years abroad, and for his part would put no obstacles in the way of my
leaving the Court if I desired to do so.

Her Majesty had given me permission to visit my father twice every
month, and everything appeared to be going along nicely until one day
one of Her Majesty's servant girls told me that Her Majesty was trying
to arrange another marriage for me. At first I did not take any notice
of this, but shortly afterwards Her Majesty informed me that everything
was arranged and that I was to be married to a certain Prince whom
she had chosen. I could see that Her Majesty was waiting for me to say
something, so I told her that I was very much worried at that time about
my father and begged her to allow the matter to stand over for the time
being at any rate. This made Her Majesty very angry, and she told me
that she considered me very ungrateful after all she had done for me. I
didn't reply, and as her Majesty did not say anything more at the time,
I tried to forget about it. However, on my next visit home, I told my
father all about it, and as before he was strongly opposed to such a
marriage. He suggested that on my return to the Palace I should lay
the whole matter before Li Lien Ying, the head eunuch, and explain my
position, for if anybody could influence Her Majesty, he was the one.
I, therefore, took the first opportunity of speaking to him. At first he
appeared very reluctant to interfere in the matter, and said he thought
I ought to do as Her Majesty wished, but on my stating that I had no
desire to marry at all, but was quite willing to remain at Court in
my present position, he promised to do his best for me. I never heard
anything further about my marriage, either from Her Majesty or Li Lien
Ying, and therefore concluded that he had been able to arrange the
matter satisfactorily.

The Summer passed without anything further important occurring. During
the eighth moon the bamboos were cut down and here again the Court
ladies were called upon to assist, our work being to carve designs
and characters on the cut trees, Her Majesty assisting. These were
afterwards made into chairs, tables and other useful articles for Her
Majesty's teahouse. During the long Autumn evenings Her Majesty would
teach us Chinese history and poetry and every tenth day would put us
through an examination in order to find out how much we had learned,
prizes being awarded for proficiency. The younger eunuchs also took part
in these lessons and some of their answers to Her Majesty's questions
were very amusing. If Her Majesty were in a good humor she would laugh
with the rest of us, but sometimes she would order them to be punished
for their ignorance and stupidity. However, as they were quite
accustomed to being punished they did not seem to mind very much and
forgot all about it the next minute.

As Her Majesty's seventieth birthday was approaching the Emperor
proposed to celebrate this event on an unusually grand scale, but Her
Majesty would not give her consent to this proposal on account of the
war trouble, for fear people might comment on it. The only difference,
therefore, between this birthday and former ones was that Her Majesty
gave presents to the Court, in addition to receiving them. These
included the bestowal of titles, promotions and increases in salary.
Among the titles conferred by Her Majesty, my sister and myself received
the title of Chun Chu Hsien (Princess). These titles, however, were
confined to members of the Court, and were granted specially by the
Empress Dowager. Similar promotions to outside officials were always
conferred by the Emperor. It was proposed to hold the celebrations in
the Forbidden City as it was more suited for such an important
event. However, Her Majesty did not like this idea at all, and gave
instructions that the Court should not be moved until three days before
the 10th of the tenth moon, the date of her birthday. This entailed a
lot of unnecessary work as it necessitated decorating both the Summer
Palace and the Forbidden City. Everything was hurry and bustle. To add
to this, it snowed very heavily during the few days previous to the
tenth. Her Majesty was in a very good mood. She was very fond of being
out in the snow and expressed a wish to have some photographs taken
of herself on the hillside. So my brother was commanded to bring his
camera, and took several very good pictures of Her Majesty.

On the seventh day the Court moved into the Forbidden City and the
celebrations commenced. The decorations were beautiful; the Courtyards
being covered with glass roofs to keep out the snow. The theatres were
in full swing each day. The actual ceremony, which took place on the
tenth, did not differ in any respect from previous ones. Everything
passed off smoothly, and the Court removed again into the Sea Palace.

While at the Sea Palace we received news that my father's condition was
becoming serious, and he again tendered his resignation to Her Majesty.
She sent her eunuchs to find out exactly what the matter was, and on
learning that he was really very ill, accepted his resignation. Her
Majesty agreed that it might be better for him to go to Shanghai and see
if the foreign physicians could do him any good. She said she supposed
it would be necessary for my mother to accompany him to Shanghai, but
did not consider it serious enough to send my sister and myself along
also. I tried to explain that it was my duty to go along with him as he
might be taken worse and die before I could get down to see him again,
and I begged Her Majesty to allow me to go. She offered all kinds of
objections but eventually, seeing that I was bent on going, she said:
"Well, he is your father, and I suppose you want to be with him, so you
may go on the understanding that you return to Court as soon as ever
possible." We did not get away until the middle of the eleventh moon, as
Her Majesty insisted on making clothes for us and other preparations
for our journey. Of course we could do nothing but await Her Majesty's
pleasure.

When everything was ready Her Majesty referred to her book to choose a
suitable day for our departure, and fixed on the thirteenth as being the
best. We therefore left the Palace for our own house on the twelfth.
We kowtowed and said good-bye to Her Majesty, thanking her for her many
kindnesses during our stay with her. Everybody cried, even Her Majesty.
We then went to say good-bye to the Emperor and Young Empress. The
Emperor simply shook hands and wished us "Good Luck" in English.
Everybody appeared sorry to see us leave. After standing about for a
long time Her Majesty said it was no use wasting any more time and that
we had better start. At the gate the head eunuch bade us good-bye and
we entered our carriage and drove to my father's house, our own eunuchs
accompanying us to the door. We found everything prepared for our
journey, and early the next morning we took train to Tientsin where
we just managed to catch the last steamer of the season leaving for
Shanghai. As it was, the water was so shallow that we ran aground on the
Taku bar.

On arrival in Shanghai my father immediately consulted his physician
who examined him and prescribed medicine. The trip itself seemed to have
done him a lot of good. I very soon began to miss my life at Court,
and, although I had many friends in Shanghai and was invited to dinner
parties and dances; still I did not seem to be able to enjoy myself.
Everything seemed different to what I had been accustomed to in Peking
and I simply longed for the time when I should be able to return to Her
Majesty. About two weeks after our arrival, Her Majesty sent a special
messenger down to Shanghai to see how we were getting along. He brought
us many beautiful presents and also a lot of medicine for my father. We
were very glad to see him. He informed us that we were missed very much
at Court and advised us to return as soon as it was possible for us to
do so. As my father began to show signs of improvement he suggested that
there was no further need for me to stay in Shanghai, and thought it
better that I should return to Peking and resume my duties at Court. I
therefore returned early in the New Year. The river was frozen and I had
to travel by boat to Chinwantao, from thence by rail to Peking. It was a
most miserable journey and I was very glad when it was over. Her Majesty
had sent my eunuchs to the station to meet me and I at once proceeded
to the Palace. On meeting Her Majesty we both cried again by way of
expressing our happiness. I informed her that my father was progressing
favorably and that I hoped to be able to remain with her permanently.

I resumed my previous duties, but this time I had neither my sister for
a companion nor my mother to chat with and everything appeared changed.
Her Majesty was just the same, however, and treated me most kindly.
Still, I was not comfortable, and heartily wished myself back again
in Shanghai. I stayed at the Court, going through pretty much the same
daily routine as before until the second moon (March 1905), when I
received a telegram summoning me to Shanghai as my father had become
worse, and was in a critical condition and wished to see me. I showed
Her Majesty the telegram and waited for her decision. She commenced by
telling me that my father was a very old man, and therefore his chances
of recovery were not so great as if he were younger, finally winding up
by telling me that I could go to him at once. I again wished everybody
good-bye, fully expecting to return very soon; but this was not to be.
I found my father in a very dangerous condition, and after a lingering
illness, he died on the 18th of December, 1905. Of course we went into
mourning for one hundred days which in itself prevented my returning to
the Court.

While in Shanghai I made many new friends and acquaintances and
gradually began to realize that after all, the attractions of Court life
had not been able to eradicate the influences which had been brought to
bear upon me while in Europe. At heart I was a foreigner, educated in a
foreign country, and, having already met my husband the matter was soon
settled and I became an American citizen. However, I often look back to
the two years I spent at the Court of Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager
of China, the most eventful and happiest days of my girlhood.

Although I was not able to do much towards influencing Her Majesty in
the matter of reform, I still hope to live to see the day when China
shall wake up and take her proper place among the nations of the world.





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