Chapter IV In the Guise of a Priestess

YANG now made his way from Nakyang to
the western capital, found a lodging-house
and disposed of his baggage. Learning that
the day set for the examination was still distant, he
called the host and inquired of him about his mother's
cousin. He was told that she resided outside the
South Gate. So he prepared something in the way
of a present and went to find her. She was now a
little over sixty years of age, was held in great re-
spect, and was the head of the Taoist sect of women.
The master appeared before her with due cere-
mony and gave his mother's letter, while the priestess
inquired about his health, and with evident emotion
said : " It is twenty years and more since your mother
and I parted, and now here is a young man of the
second generation, so handsome and strong. Surely
time goes by like galloping horses or swift running
water. I am an old woman now and am tired of living
in the noise and confusion of the capital. I was just
on the point of going off to the hills, where I could
meet some sage and give my mind to non-earthly
things, but now I find in my sister's letter a com-
mission that she has for me, so I must stay and carry
it out on your behalf."

Yang's appearance was most attractive, and his
young countenance like that of the gods. The priest-
ess realised that it would be very difficult indeed to
find a fitting mate for^him from the homes of the

54

In the Guise of a Priestess

gentry. Still she would try. " Come and see me often
in your moments of leisure," said she,

Yang's answer was : " Your humble nephew be-
longs to a family that is poor and unknown, with
only his aged mother left to him. He is now nearing
twenty, and living in an unfrequented part of the
country had no chance to find a companion. In these
straits, and with the question of food and clothing
added, he had to remember first the law of faithful-
ness to his mother. Between fears and hopes he has
come to solicit help from his excellent aunt, and she
has so kindly consented to assist him that he is very
grateful indeed. There are no words by which he
can express this." He said good-bye and withdrew.

The time for the examination drew gradually
nearer, but now that a question of marriage had
arisen, his desire for fame and literary distinction
little by little declined. A few days later he went
again to see his aunt.

The priestess met him laughingly, and said :
" There is a maiden of whom I have thought whose
beauty and intelligence are a match indeed for the
young master ; but her family is terribly proud
and exclusive, with dukes and barons and ministers
of state and so forth in its train for generations. I
fear this family is quite unapproachable. If you could
but win the first place in the examination you might
think of this as a possibility. Otherwise I fear there is
no hope. My advice to you is not to come visiting
me so often, but to spend your efforts in the way of
preparation so as to win the first place of honour
when the examination takes place."

Yang asked : " To whose home do you refer ? "

55

The Cloud Dream of the Nine

" Just outside the Chong-5aing Gate," said she,
" is Justice Cheung's house. That is the one I refer
to. Before it is an approach-way ornamented with
red arrows. This Justice has a daughter who is a
veritable fairy, evidently some angelic visitor to the
earth."

Yang then thought of what Moonlight had told
him, and said to himself : " How is it that this girl
is praised so highly ? " Then he asked of the priestess,
" My honoured aunt, did you ever see this daughter
of Cheung ? "

" See her ? Of course I've seen her, and she is
indeed an angel from heaven. No words can express
how wonderful she is."

The young master then said : "I don't like to
boast, but I am sure I shall win first place in the ex-
amination as easily as drawing my hand from my
pocket. Don't be anxious on that score, please. But
I have had one foolish wish all my life, and that is
not to ask in marriage one vviiom I have never seen.
Please, excellent aunt, take pity on me and help me
to see what the lady is like ? "

The priestess replied : " How could you ever
hope to see this daughter of a high minister of
state ? [17] You do not trust what I say ? "

He replied : " How could I ever doubt your
words ? But still we each have our own likes and
dislikes. Your eyes could never be just the same as
mine."

" There is no such danger," said she. " Even
children know that the phoenix and the unicorn mean
good luck, and the lowest classes in the world under-
stand that the blue sky and the bright sun are

56

In the Guise of a Priestess

exalted and glorious. A man who has any eyes at
all would know that Cha-do was a beauty."

Yang returned home unsatisfied in heart, and
next day went once more, greatly desiring to obtain
his aunt's definite permission. The priestess mfet
him and laughingly said : " You have come early
to-day; you must have some special news to tell me."

Yang smiled and made reply : " Only by seeing
Justice Cheung's daughter can your humble servant
rid himself of his doubts and fears. Think once again,
please, of my mother's commission and my earnest
desire, and tell me some plan by which I can look
upon her face. If you will only do this I will thank
you for such kind favour by a never ending gratitude."

The priestess shook her head, saying : " That's
a very difficult thing indeed." She thought for a time
and then asked : " You are so highly accomplished
otherwise, have you ever had leisure in your studies
for music ? "

Yang replied : " Your humble nephew once met
a great teacher of the genii, and took from him a
special course, and so knows something of the Five
Notes and the Six Accords of the gamut."

The priestess then said to him : " Justice Cheung's
home is a very large one, and has five successive
gates of entrance. It is a long way into the inner
quarters, and the walls about are high and forbid-
ding. Without wings to fly, there is no possible way
of entrance. The Justice himself follows the Books
of Rites and Poetry carefully and conforms his house-
hold in every particular to their teachings, so that
members of the former never come here to offer
incense, nor do they seek sacrifice in the Buddhist

57

The Cloud Dream of the Nine

temples. The Feast of Lanterns [i8] of the first
moon, and the celebration on the Kok River [19] of
the third have no attractions for them. How could
an outsider ever expect to gain entrance to such a
family ? I have thought of a plan, however, but do
not know whether you would care to try it."

Yang replied : "If it be a matter of seeing the
maiden Cheung, I'll go up to heaven or down into
Hades ; I'll carry fire on my back or walk on the
water, if you just say the word."

The priestess made answer : " Justice Cheung
is now advanced in years, is in poor health, and has
little interest in the affairs of state. His chief delight
is in sight-seeing and in hearing music. His wife,
Choi See, is extravagantly fond of the harp, and the
daughter being so quick and intelligent and able to
grasp the thought of any and every question, has
acquired a thorough knowledge of the ancient
masters. A single hearing and she understands at
once a player's excellences or defects. The mother,
Choi See, likes to hear something new, and con-
stantly calls people to play for her, keeping her
daughter at hand to comment and to listen. Thus
she deUghts her old age with the charm of music. My
idea is this, that since you understand how to play,
you should practise some special selections and then
wait till the last day of the third moon, the birthday
of No-ja. They always send a servant on that day
from Cheung's house with candles to bum in the
temple here. You might take advantage of this oppor-
tunity to dress as a Taoist priestess and play so that
the servant could hear you, and the servant will
assuredly take the news of it to her mistress. The

58

In the Guise of a Priestess

lady, when she learns this, will unquestionably call
you. In this way you might gain admission. As for
seeing or not seeing the daughter, that depends on
the decrees of fate, of which I am not the master.
Apart from this I have no other suggestion to offer."
She added also : " Your face is quite like a girl's,
and you have no beard. Priestesses, too, do not do
up their hair as other girls do, or cover their ears
with it. I see nothing difficult in the matter of your
disguise."

Yang, greatly delighted, took his departure. He
counted over on his fingers the days that must elapse
before the end of the month.

Justice Cheung, it seems, had no other child but
this daughter. When she was born the mother, Choi
See, half unconscious, saw a fairy angel come down
from heaven and drop a sparkling gem into the
room before her. Then it was that the child was
bom. She was called Kyong-pai, Gem-Treasure,
and grew up little by little, more and more beautiful,
more and more graceful, more and more gifted, so
that none from ancient times was ever like her. Her
parents greatly loved her and sought someone to be
a fitting husband, but as yet none had been found
to suit them. She was sixteen now and yet no mar-
riage had been arranged.

On a certain day Choi See called her nurse,
old Chon, and said : " To-day is the anniversary
of the great teacher No-ja. Take four candles
and go to the Taoist temple and give them to the
priestess Too-ryon. Take these cloth gifts as well
and refreshments, and present them with my kindest
greetings."

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The Cloud Dream of the Nine

Old Chon took her orders, entered a little palanquin
and went to the temple. The priestess received the
candles and lit them before No-ja's portrait. She
said a hundred thanks and made her bow for the
presents ; treated Chon royally and sent her on her
way rejoicing.

Meantime, in the guise of a young priestess. Master
Yang had come into the temple, tuned his harp and
had begun to play. Just as the old nurse had said
good-bye and was about to step into the chair, she
suddenly heard the sound of music from before the
portrait in the main hall. Lovely music it was, clear
and sweet, such as belongs beyond the clouds.
Chon, ordering the chair to wait for a moment,
inclined her head and listened.

She turned to the priestess Too-ryon and said :
" While I have waited on the lady Cheung I have
heard sweet music, but never in my life have I
heard anything like this. It is wonderful. Who is
playing ? "

The priestess replied : " Recently a young acolyte
from Cho has come to visit me, desiring greatly to
see the capital. It is she who plays. Certainly her
powers of execution are wonderful, but I am not a
musician myself, and cannot well distinguish one
part from the other. Still I am sure after what you
say that she must be very gifted indeed."

Chon said : "If the lady Cheung knows of this
she will certainly invite her. Ask her to stay for a
little, please."

The priestess replied : " Very well, I'll do so."
So she sent her on her way and then she told
Master Yang what old Chon had said. Yang was

60

In the Guise of a Priestess

delighted, and awaited impatiently his summons to
the house of Cheung.

On her return the old nurse said to the lady
Cheung : " In the Taoist Temple there is a young
priestess who plays the harp as I have never heard
it played in my life ; it is the most wonderful play-
ing in the world."

The lady Cheung replied : " I wish I could hear
her." The following day she sent a closed chair and
a servant to the temple bearing a message to the
teacher Too-ryon, saying : " Even though the young
priestess should not wish to come, please use your
kind offices to have her visit me."

The priestess then said to Yang before the servant :
" This high and noble lady invites you ; you must
not refuse to go."

" It is not fitting," said Yang, " that one born of
the low classes in a distant part of the country should
go into the presence of nobility, and yet how can I
refuse to do what your ladyship commands ? "

So he donned the robe and hat of a priestess, took
his harp and went forth. Truly he was as startling
in appearance and as sweet as the ancient favourites
of China. The servant of the Cheungs was beside
herself with joy.

Master Yang, in the closed chair, safely reached
Cheung's. The servant then led the way into the
inner quarters. The lady Cheung, with dignified but
kindly countenance, was seated in the main hall.

The musician bowed twice before the step-way,
and then the lady ordered her to be seated, saying :
" My servant went yesterday to the temple and was
so fortunate as to hear the music of the gods. She

6i

The Cloud Dream of the Nine

returned and expressed a wish that I might hear it
also. Now indeed I realise what the saying means
that the beautiful presence of the genii drives all
worldly thoughts from the soul."

The young priestess arose from her seat. " Your
humble servant," said she, " is from the land of
Cho, and is making a hasty journey like a passing
cloud. Because of my slight attainments in music
your ladyship has called me to play before you. How
could I ever have dreamed of such an honour ? "

The lady Cheung told the servant to place the
harp in order. She touched it lightly herself, saying :
" This is a beautiful instrument indeed."

The young priestess answered : " It is made of
o-dong wood that has dried for a hundred years on
the Yong-moon mountain. Its fibre is close knit and
hard like metal or marble. It was a gift to me that I
never could have purchased with money."

As they talked together the shades of the after-
noon began to fall upon the white stone entry, but
still there was no sign of the daughter.

The musician, in a state of great inward impatience
and doubt, said to the lady : " Though your servant
knows many ancient tunes and prefers them to the
modern, I play them only, but do not know their
names or history. I have heard the priestess in the
temple say that your excellent daughter's knowledge
of music is equal to that of the famous Sa-kwan. I
should like to have her hear and comment concern-
ing my poor efforts."

The lady then sent a servant to call the daughter.
In a little the embroidered door slid open and a
breath of sweet fragrance issued forth. The maiden

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In the Guise of a Priestess

came sweetly out and sat down beside her mother.
The musician arose, made two bows and slightly
lifted his eyes to see, and lo, it was as when the first
rays of the morning bursts upon one, or as when
the fresh bloom of the lotus shows above the water.
His mind was all in a daze, his spirit intoxicated so
that he dared not look. He was sitting at a distance
where he had difficulty in seeing, so he said to the
lady : "I should like to hear more clearly what the
young mistress says. The hall is so large and her
voice so soft that I cannot catch the words."

The lady then told one of the servants to bring
the priestess's cushion up closer. The servant did
so and arranged the seat just in front of the lady
Cheung and to the right of the young mistress, and
adjusted it so that they could not look straight at
each other. Yang was disturbed by this, but did not
dare to suggest a second change. The servant then
placed the incense table in front and brought in-
cense. Then Yang, the pretended priestess, touched
the strings of his harp and began with the tune,
" The Feathery Robes of the Fairy."

The young lady said : "Oh, how beautiful ! This
is proof indeed of the happy world of Tang Myong
days. The maiden's playing is beyond human
conception, but, alas, it is said of this tune that the
0-yang barbarian with the sound of the drum came
thundering in, shaking the earth and drowning out
the notes of the ' Feathery Robes.' This is a tune
associated with wild war, and though wonderful in
its power it has fearsome associations connected
with it ; try another, please."

Yang played again. Then the young mistress said :

63

The Cloud Dream of the Nine

" This is a beautiful tune too, but it suggests a wild,
reckless life that rushes to extremes. King Hoo-joo
of China enjoyed this tune to the undoing of his
kingdom, and its name to-day is famous, ' The
Garden of Green Gems and Trees.' The saying
runs : * Even though you were to meet Hoo-joo in
Hades it would be out of place to ask him about
' Green Gems and Trees.' This is a tune that caused
the loss of a kingdom, and is one not to be honoured.
Won't you play another ? "

Yang played another tune. Then the young lady
remarked : " This tune is sad, glad, sweet and
tender. It is the tune of Cha Moon-heui, who was
caught in a war and carried off by the barbarian,
Cho-cho gave a fabulous ransom for her and had
her brought home. When she bade good-bye to her
half -barbarian sons Cha Moon-heui wrote this tune.
It is said, ' The barbarians on hearing it dropped their
tears upon the grass, while the minister from Han was
melted by the strains of it.' It is a very beautiful
tune, and yet she is a woman who forsook her virtue.
Why should we talk of it ? Try another, please."

Then Yang played again. The young mistress said:
" This is ' The Distant Barbarian,' written by Wang
So-gun [20]. Wang So-gun thought of her former
king and longed for her native land. She put into
her song her lost country, and a wail of sorrow over
the portrait that was her undoing. She herself had
said : ' Who will write a tune that will move the
hearts of the people for a thousand years as they
think of me ? ' Still it is born of life with the bar-
barian and is a half -foreign tune, and not just what
we should call correct. Have you another ? "

64

In Guise of a Priestess

In the Guise of a Priestess

Yang then tried another. Then the young lady's
expression changed, and she said : " It is long
since I heard this tune. You are surely not an in-
habitant of the earth. This calls up the history of a
great and wonderful man who had fallen on evil
days and had given up all thought of worldly things.
His faithful heart was bewildered over the mystery
of life, and he wrote this tune called * The Hill of
the Wide Tomb.' As he was beheaded in the East
market he looked at the setting sun and sang it, add-
ing the words ' Alas, alas, will anyone ever desire
to learn it ? I have kept it to myself ; now I grieve
that there is no chance to pass it on.' You must indeed .
have met the spirit of the Buddha Sok-ya to have
learnt it."

Yang, kneeling as he was, replied : " The young
mistress's wisdom is unequalled by any other on
earth. I learned this from a great teacher, and his
words were indeed the very words of your ladyship."

He played still another. Then Cheung See said :
" Enough, enough, 'tis the sadness of the autumn.
The brown hills are bare and craggy, the waters of
the river wide and far across. The footprints of the
fairy are seen upon the dust of earth. This is the
tune of the * Water Fairy.' My priestess musician
has all the knowledge of a hundred generations."

The young master played again, while the lady
adjusted her dress and knelt circumspectly, saying :
" This is the supreme expression of all music. The
Sage alights on an evil world, travels through all
parts of it, desiring to help the distressed and the
needy. If not Confucius, who ever would have written
a song like this ? It is no other than ' The Fragrant

65 E

The Cloud Dream of the Nine

Orchid.' The thought runs : * He travelled through
all the nine provinces and found no place in which
to rest his heart.' Is this not so ? "

Yang, kneeling, cast more incense on the fire,
then played again, whereupon the young lady said :
" Refined and beautiful is ' The Fragrant Orchid ' as
it came from the mind of the great Sage, who
sorrowed over the world and desifed to save it ; but
there is a strain of hopelessness in it. In the song,
however, all is bright and happy like the opening
buds of May, free and gladsome ; there are no words
by which to tell it. This is the famous tune of the
' Nam-hoon Palace of King Soon.' Concerning it, it is
written : ' The south wind is warm and sweet and bears
away on its wings the sorrows of the world.' This is
lovely,and fills one's heart to overflowing. Even though
you know others I have no desire to hear them."

Yang bowed and said in reply : " Your humble
servant has heard that you must play nine before the
spirit of God comes down. I have already played
eight ; one still remains, which, with your kind per-
mission, I will play. He straightened the bridge of
the harp, tuned it once again, and began.

The music seemed far distant at first, miles away,-
awakening a sense of delight and calling the soul in
a fast and lively way. The flowers in the court opened
out at the sound of it ; the swallows in pairs swung
through their delightful dancings ; the orioles sang
in chorus to each other. The young mistress dropped
her head, closed her eyes, and sat silent for a moment
till the part was reached which tells how the phoenix
came back to his native land, gliding across the wide
expanse of sea looking fof" his mate.

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In the Guise of a Priestess

The young mistress opened her eyes and looked
once straight at the priestess. Then she bent her head
as though to adjust her dress. The red blushes
mounted to her cheeks and drove even the paler
colour from her brow, until she looked like one who
was red with wine. She quietly arose and went into
her own room.

Yang gave a start of surprise, pushed away his
harp, got up, looked straight before him towards
the place where the young lady had gone. His spirit
seemed to leave him, and his soul to die away, so
that he stood like a porcelain image. Her ladyship
told him to be seated, asking : ** What was it that
you played just now ? "

Yang replied : " I got this tune from my teacher,
but do not know what its name is. I should like the
young lady kindly to tell me." But though they
waited long she did not reappear. The lady Cheung
then asked the cause from the servant, who returned
to say that her young mistress had been exposed to
the draught somewhat and was feeling unwell, so
that she would not be able to rejoin them.

In doubt whether he had been discovered or not
Yang felt uncomfortable, and did not dare to stay
longer. He arose and made a courteous bow to the
lady Cheung, saying : " I am so sorry to hear that
the young mistress is feeling unwell. I am afraid I
may have upset her by some lack of good form on
my part. Your ladyship will be anxious, too. May I
ask leave to go ? "

The lady gave money and silk by way of reward,
but the priestess refused it. " Though I know some-
thing of music I have studied it only as a pastime,"

67

The Cloud Dream of the Nine

said she, " and must not accept these rich presents."
She then bowed her thanks, went down the stone
steps and was gone.

The lady made anxious inquiry about her daughter
but found that there was nothing serious the matter.

Later Cheung See entered her mother's room
and asked of the servant there : " How is Cloudlet
feeling to-day ? "

The servant replied : " She is better. Finding
that your ladyship was enjoying the music, she got
up and made her toilet."

Now Cloudlet's family name was Ka and her
birthplace was So-ho. Her father had come up to
the capital, and was a secretary in one of the offices
of the ministry. He had proved himself a faithful
servant to Chief Justice Cheung, and shortly after
his death, when Cloudlet was about thirteen years
of age, the Justice and his wife took pity on the
orphan and made her a member of their family and
the playmate of their daughter. There was a differ-
ence of a month only between the ages of the two
girls.

Every line and feature of Cloudlet's face was a
model of comeliness. She was the equal of the young
mistress in literature, in penmanship, and in em-
broidery, and she was treated in every way like a
sister, and one whom the young lady would scarcely
let go out of her sight. Though there was the re-
lationship between the two of mistress and maid,
they loved each other as only bosom friends do.
Cloudlet's name originally was Cho-oon, a Cloud
from Cho, but her young mistress was so in love
with her beauty that she borrowed an expression

68

In the Guise of a Priestess

from the writings of Han Toi-jee which says,
" Beauty is Uke a cloud of springtime," and called
her instead Choon-oon, " Spring Cloud," and so
all the members of the family called her familiarly,
Cloudlet.

Cloudlet inquired of the young mistress, saying :
" The servants were all excited about the visitor,
telling me that the priestess who played the harp
was like a fairy and that her execution was most
wonderful. Your praising her so made me anxious
to forget my little ailments and get a glimpse too.
Why has she left so suddenly ? "

The young lady blushed, and said hesitatingly in
reply : " Cloudlet, my dear, you know how I have
been as careful of my behaviour as the Book of Rites
requires ; and how I have guarded my thoughts as
the pearls and jewels of my life ; that my feet have
never ventured outside the middle gates ; and that
in conversation I have not even met my friends.
Would you believe it, I have been deceived and have
had put upon me a disgrace that will never be wiped
out. How shall I bear it or lift up my face again to
the light of day ? "

Cloudlet was greatly alarmed and asked : " What
do you mean ? "

The young lady replied : " I did really say of the
priestess who came just now that she was very, very
beautiful, and her playing simply marvellous." Then
she hesitated and did not finish what she was about
to say.

Cloudlet made answer : " But what of that ? "

The young lady replied : " The priestess began
by playing the ' Feathery Mantle,' and then went

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The Cloud Dream of the Nine

on playing one by one, till she came to ' King Soon's
Palace.' They were all in keeping, each selection
following the other, so I asked her to stop there.
She said, however, that she had one more that she
would like to play. It was none other than the tune
by which General Sa-ma fascinated the heart of
Princess Tak-moon, the song of the phoenix seeking
his mate. I was in doubt the minute I heard this,
and so looked closely at her face, and assuredly it
was not a girl's face at all. Some cunning fellow,
wanting to see me, has pushed his way in here in
disguise. I am so sorry for one thing ; if only you,
Cloudlet, had been well enough to have shared in
this, and had seen him, you would have detected
the disguise at once. I, an unmarried girl qf the
inner quarters, have sat for two full hours face to
face with a strange man unblushingly talking to
him. Did anyone ever hear of such a thing in the
world before ? I cannot tell this even to my mother.
If I hadn't you to whom I could unburden my heart,
what should I do ? "

Cloudlet laughed and said in reply : " Even
though you are an unmarried girl why shouldn't
you hear the tune of General Sa-ma looking for his
mate ? The young mistress is mistaken and has seen
a snake's shadow in her glass of wine."

The young lady replied : " Not so, there is a law
that governs the selection of tunes. If there was no
meaning in the search of the phoenix for his mate,
why should it have been played last of all ? While
there are those among women who are delicate and
refined, there are also those who are coarse and ugly,
but I never saw anyone just like this person before,

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In the Guise of a Priestess

so beautiful and yet so commanding. I have a con-
viction now that the examination is close at hand and
candidates are gathering, that some one among them
has heard a false rumour of me, and has taken this
way to spy out and see my face."

Cloudlet said : " If this priestess be really a man,
and her face so beautiful, her manner so free and
fresh, and her knowledge of music so astounding,
one can only conclude that she is a most wonderfully
gifted person. How do you know that it may not be
General Sa-ma himself ? "

The lady replied : " Even though it be Sa-ma
Sang-yo I certainly am not Princess Tak-moon."

" But," said Cloudlet, " your ladyship must not
talk nonsense. Princess Tak-moon was a widow
and you are an unmarried girl. Princess Tak-moon
followed her lord intentionally. You have heard it
without being responsible in any way, or being
influenced. How can you compare yourself with
Tak-moon Koon ? "

So the two laughed and talked together for the
rest of the day.

Some time later, when the young lady was seated
with her mother, Justice Cheung came into the room
with the announcement of the successful candidates.
He gave it to his wife, saying : " We have not yet
made arrangements for the marriage of our daughter,
and I had intended to make a selection from this
company of successful scholars. However, I find
that the winner is not of the capital, but is a certain
Yang So-yoo from Hoi-nam. His age is eighteen,
and every one is loud in his praises, saying that he
has ability of the first order. I hear also that he is

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The Cloud Dream of the Nine

remarkably handsome, with commanding presence
for so young a man, altogether a person who has
before him a great career. They say he is not yet
married. I should think he would be a very suitable
person for a son-in-law."

The lady replied : " To hear of him is one thing ;
to see him may be quite another. Even though others
praise him you cannot trust to that. After you have
seen and met him, let us talk the matter over."

The Justice replied : " That's a very easy thing."

72