CHAPTER XVI.

"The rascal¹, it was just what he deserved," Wang cried hotly, and Tuen, her eyes shining like stars, said softly:

"It seems almost too wonderful to be true."

"Stranger things happen than have ever been told," Szu replied. "The affairs of life are past finding out, and who Tên Wang leads must follow, whether he will or not."

"This Woo How was very lucky," Tuen murmured. "She must have been loved by the gods."

"Ah, I have not yet done speaking of her," Szu answered. "Much yet remains²."

[Pg 150]

"How can there be anything to tell after she was married?" Tuen inquired incredulously.

"There comes the amazing part," Szu acknowledged. "It happened just as the Emperor had wished, that his bride proved as wise as she was beautiful, and soon she was not only beloved, but feared by every one. In court circles you will find out for yourself that an ounce of fear is worth a pound of love. When the lovely Woo How discovered this truth she became a power in the land—but not until then. As she grew older her beauty decreased, it is true, but her power increased, and on the death of the Emperor it was this same Woo How who set aside his lawful³ successor and became the Empress and sole ruler of this great country."

"It is but a play you are repeating to me," Tuen cried scornfully. "It was not and could not be."

"Youth does not know all things," the[Pg 151] old story-teller answered in an offended tone. "A few gems⁴ of thought, a few pearls of knowledge are reserved for age. That is its compensation. I have repeated to you the true account of Woo How. That she lived and reigned⁵ and died Confucius has told, therefore I would believe it though the daughters of a thousand Viceroys should dispute it."

"Then I was mistaken about it being only a tale if you learned it from the Sacred Books, Szu," Tuen answered. "But since I know that, I like it all the better. Now let us hear what else befell this most fortunate one."

"Perhaps it would not interest you," he said somewhat sullenly⁶. "Sufficient be it that being of a strong mind she had long controlled her husband, and even before his death she it was who in truth ruled the land. When she had seated herself upon the throne she was so well versed⁷ in the affairs of state that she[Pg 152] governed with much discretion⁸ and ability."

Here the garrulity⁹ of the old man gained the mastery over his anger, and he went on in his usual rapid, animated¹⁰ way:

"Great was Woo How of the dynasty of Tang. She sent her powerful armies out to battle, and the enemies fled before them like the birds before the storm. The proud Thibetans ran like the deer, leaving behind the unnumbered dead. Thick fell the arrows around them! Loud sounded the gongs of the hosts! Shrill¹¹ was the battle-cry and loud the shouts of victory!

"And none could stand before the warriors¹² of Woo How. Their journey was marked by the flames of burning towns, captives followed behind them, their groanings shaking the earth, when back to the court came the army of Woo How. Then she marshalled them again, and[Pg 153] sent them forth¹³ against the rebellious¹⁴ Khitans, and again did they return with conquering footsteps, bringing vast treasures and slaves, that reached on, on, like the waves of the ocean. Peace reigned after this, and prosperity walked abroad, and after twenty-two glorious years Woo How drove the fairy chariot and went the long journey."

When he finished speaking, Wang was loud in her praises of the pleasing narrative¹⁵, but Tuen locked her hands around her knees and sat silent, looking out over the throng¹⁶ of boats around her. Szu waited expectantly for some remarks and some questions from her, but when she did not speak, he lit his pipe and smoked away vigorously.

The afternoon was now drawing to a close. A blue haze¹⁷ crept over the distant landscape and smoothed out all ugliness, and made the scene soft and pleasing, and even the incessant¹⁸ cries of the boatmen[Pg 154] sounded less shrill. Tuen got up and walked about on the cramped¹⁹ deck, for she was weary with long sitting, but she was blind and deaf to all that went on. Wang was trying to engage Szu in conversation, but he only pulled his bamboo cap farther over his staring eyes, and did not answer, and finally, she gave up in despair and went within. After a while, Tuen came back and, squatting²⁰ down on a silken cushion beside Szu, said:

"Could a woman have done what that Woo How did?"

He removed the pipe from his mouth, and turned his face toward her.

"The sages²¹ have told you so," he replied, shortly.

"I know that," she said, impatiently, "but what I mean is, could it ever happen again?"

He screwed up his mouth, and repressed a smile.

"As long as women are born it could[Pg 155] happen, I suppose, and there is as yet no dearth²² of females."

"You are laughing at me!" she cried, flushing angrily. "I asked you a civil question. Why should you make sport of me?"

Now he smiled, openly, at her evident vexation, but he said, gravely:

"If you are born great, you will be great, no matter if you be man or woman, no matter when you live or where, but the great ones of earth are few and far between. Some who were not born great, have, by hard work and much patience, attained²³ to it. But a woman is usually a stupid thing, and her head is much too light for climbing."

"If she were very wise, could she have power, even in the Forbidden City?" Tuen persisted.

He nodded.

"If she were very wise, she would have power, it makes no difference where she[Pg 156] lived. Even on a desert island she would have power over the wild beasts, for knowledge is power the world over. It is because females do not possess it that they are weak and of little repute. When they become wise they will rule the earth, for a man is but clay in the hands of a skilful²⁴ woman. She pats him into whatever shape she wants him."

"I would like to be wise and great," Tuen said, with a sigh.

1 rascal   

n.流氓；不诚实的人

参考例句：

• If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做，我就认为他是个恶棍。
• The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

4 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

5 reigned   

vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式）

参考例句：

• Silence reigned in the hall. 全场肃静。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Night was deep and dead silence reigned everywhere. 夜深人静，一片死寂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 sullenly   

不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地

参考例句：

• 'so what?" Tom said sullenly. “那又怎么样呢？”汤姆绷着脸说。
• Emptiness after the paper, I sIt'sullenly in front of the stove. 报看完，想不出能找点什么事做，只好一人坐在火炉旁生气。

7 versed   

adj. 精通，熟练

参考例句：

• He is well versed in history.他精通历史。
• He versed himself in European literature. 他精通欧洲文学。

8 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

9 garrulity   

n.饶舌，多嘴

参考例句：

• She said nothing when met you,changing the former days garrulity.见了面她一改往日的喋喋不休，望着你不说话。
• The morning is waning fast amidst my garrulity.我这么一唠叨不要紧，上午的时间快要过去了。

10 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

11 shrill   

adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫

参考例句：

• Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
• The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

12 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

13 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

14 rebellious   

adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的

参考例句：

• They will be in danger if they are rebellious.如果他们造反，他们就要发生危险。
• Her reply was mild enough,but her thoughts were rebellious.她的回答虽然很温和，但她的心里十分反感。

15 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

16 throng   

n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集

参考例句：

• A patient throng was waiting in silence.一大群耐心的人在静静地等着。
• The crowds thronged into the mall.人群涌进大厅。

17 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

18 incessant   

adj.不停的，连续的

参考例句：

• We have had incessant snowfall since yesterday afternoon.从昨天下午开始就持续不断地下雪。
• She is tired of his incessant demands for affection.她厌倦了他对感情的不断索取。

19 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

20 squatting   

v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。

参考例句：

• They ended up squatting in the empty houses on Oxford Road. 他们落得在牛津路偷住空房的境地。
• They've been squatting in an apartment for the past two years. 他们过去两年来一直擅自占用一套公寓。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 sages   

n.圣人( sage的名词复数 )；智者；哲人；鼠尾草（可用作调料）

参考例句：

• Homage was paid to the great sages buried in the city. 向安葬在此城市的圣哲们表示敬意。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Confucius is considered the greatest of the ancient Chinese sages. 孔子被认为是古代中国最伟大的圣人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

22 dearth   

n.缺乏，粮食不足，饥谨

参考例句：

• There is a dearth of good children's plays.目前缺少优秀的儿童剧。
• Many people in that country died because of dearth of food.那个国家有许多人因为缺少粮食而死。

23 attained   

（通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）

参考例句：

• She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。
• Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。

24 skilful   

(=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的

参考例句：

• The more you practise,the more skilful you'll become.练习的次数越多，熟练的程度越高。
• He's not very skilful with his chopsticks.他用筷子不大熟练。