At these words the crown prince was deeply distressed, and he said to himself in his grief, “Perhaps I shouldn't believe what he says, but it does seem to be rather convincing. But if I do believe him, however can I face my father in the palace?” He was indeed
Caught upon the horns of a dilemma,
Wondering what on earth he ought to do.
Seeing that he was unable to make up his mind, Monkey went up to him and said, “No need for all these doubts, Your Highness. Why don't you ride back to the capital and ask Her Majesty the queen how the love between her and your father is compared with three years ago. That's the only question that will prove that I'm telling the truth.”
That changed the prince's mind for him. “That's it,” he said, “I'll ask my mother.” He sprang to his feet, put the scepter in his sleeve and was just about to go when Monkey tugged at his clothes and said, “If all your men and horses go back it'll give the game away and make it much harder for me to succeed. You must ride back alone and not draw attention to yourself or make a fuss. Don't go in through the main gate; use one of the back gates instead. And when you enter the women's quarters in the palace to see your mother, don't shout or make a lot of noise. You must keep your voice down and talk very quietly. That fiend probably has tremendous magical powers, and once the cat is out of the bag your mum's life won't be worth tuppence.”
The crown prince accepted these instructions with great respect, then went outside the monastery gates to give these orders to his officers: “Stay encamped here and do not move. I have some business to attend to. Wait till I come back and then we shall all return to the capital together.” Watch him:
Giving his orders to the army to encamp,
He rides back to the city as if on wings.
If you don't know what was said when he met the queen, listen to the explanation in the next installment.
Chapter 38
Questioning His Mother, the Boy Sorts Right from Wrong
When Metal and Wood Join in the Mystery, Truth and Falsehood Are Clear
If you speak only of the causation arising from birth,
You can be present at the Buddha's assembly.
The Buddha of the dusty world thinks only peaceful thoughts;
People of all quarters watch while the spirit is subdued.
If you wish to know who is the true monarch,
You must ask the mother who bore you.
You have never yet seen another world;
At every step a new flower appears.
Soon after taking his leave of the Great Sage, the crown prince of Wuji was back in the city. As instructed, he did not make for the main palace gates or announce his arrival, but went straight to a back gate that was kept by some eunuchs. Not daring to stop him, they let him in. The splendid prince rode his horse straight to the foot of the Brocade Fragrance Pavilion, in which sat the queen attended by some dozens of consorts and concubines holding fans. The queen was in tears, leaning against a carved balustrade. Do you know why? It was because she half remembered but had half forgotten a dream she had had in the small hours of the morning. Now she was deep in thought.
The prince dismounted, knelt at the foot of the pavilion and called, “Mother.”
The queen forced herself to look cheerful and called to him, “What a pleasure to see you, my child, what a pleasure. I've been worried about you for two or three years. Despite all my requests to His Majesty your father in the hall of audience I haven't been able to see you. How ever were you able to get leave to see me today? I'm so, so happy. But why do you sound so sad, child? Your father is getting on now. One day the dragon will have to return to the jade-green sea and the phoenix to the crimson clouds. Then the throne will be yours. So why be so miserable?”
To this the prince replied with a kowtow, “Mother, who is it who now occupies the throne? Who is it who uses the royal 'we?'”
“The boy's gone mad,” exclaimed the queen. “It's your father who's king. Why do you ask?”
“I beg you, Mother,” said the prince, kowtowing again, “to forgive your son's crime so that I may ask once more. If you can't pardon me, I can't ask.”
“There can't be criminal proceedings between mother and son,” the queen said. “You're forgiven. Now, hurry up and ask.”
“Mother,” said the prince, “I want to ask you whether there is any difference in the affection between you and my father now compared with three years ago.”
The moment the queen heard this her souls went flying and she rushed down to the foot of the pavilion to hug the prince close to her. “Child,” she said as tears flowed from her eyes, “why do you come to the harem after we've been kept apart for such a long time to ask me this?”
“Mother,” said the prince in great anger, “tell me at once what you have to say or you will ruin everything.”
The queen ordered her attendants to withdraw, then said in a low and tearful voice, “If you hadn't asked me about it I would have taken the secret to the grave with me. Now that you have asked, listen while I tell you:
He used to be so passionate and tender,
But three years later on he's turned to frost.
If I whisper to him warmly on the pillow
He pleads old age and says the urge is lost.”
At this the crown prince broke away from his mother's embrace and remounted his horse. “What's up, child?” the queen asked, holding on to him. “Why are you off before we've even finished our conversation?”
The prince then knelt before her and said, “I hardly dare tell you, Mother. When I went out hunting this morning with the falcons and hounds His Majesty kindly lent me I happened to meet a holy monk who was on his way to fetch the scriptures. His senior disciple is Sun the Novice, or Brother Sun. He is very good at exorcising demons. It appears that His Majesty my father is dead in the eight-sided well with glazed tiles in the palace gardens, and that the wizard turned himself into my father's double in order to usurp the throne. In the middle of last night my father came to him in a dream. He asked the priest to come here to capture the fiend. I came to ask you that question because I couldn't quite bring myself to believe them. From what you have just told me, Mother, I'm now sure he is an evil spirit.”
“You shouldn't believe what strangers tell you, my son,” said the queen.
“I wouldn't have believed him at all,” replied the crown prince, “except that His Majesty my father left proof with him.” When the queen asked what it was, the prince produced the gold-bordered white jade scepter from his sleeve and handed it to her. The queen saw it and recognized it as the king's treasure. She could not hold back her tears.
“My lord,” she cried out, “why did you never come to me in the three years since you died? Why did you appear to the holy monk and then to the prince first?”
“What do you mean, Mother?” the prince asked.
“My child,” said the queen, “I too had a dream in the small hours of the morning. I saw your father standing soaking wet in front of me. He told me himself that he had been killed and that his ghost had called on the Tang Priest to ask him to capture the impostor on the throne and rescue him. I can remember him saying all this, but only very vaguely. I was just wondering about it when you came, asked that question, and showed me the scepter. I'll keep it, and you go and ask that holy monk to be as quick as possible. Then the evil mists can be swept away, truth can be separated from falsehood, and you can repay His Majesty your father for his kindness in raising you.”