THE PEONY PRINCE
Revised Aug
4, 2023
Story by
BoSt
Prickly’s
travels took him far and wide. Eventually he crossed the ocean and,
disembarking from the merchant vessel he had sailed on, set foot on an island
that was strangely mysterious and exciting at the same time.
By now he’d
learned the art of camouflage so quickly disguising himself he, with active
curiosity and quick intelligence, set upon a mission to accumulate all the
pertinent data of this new land; the language, history, geography, customs and
so forth, all the better to blend in with the crowds of this fantastic land.
Before long he was wizened to their ways and came and went without anyone
noticing him. He would sit endlessly at the teahouses and temples and eavesdrop
to the conversations around him.
Once, while
milling about at a peony festival and enjoying the fantastic blooms, he came
across a storyteller who had attracted a large gathering. He was animatedly
retelling an old legend about a Peony Prince. The present audience/listeners
were vastly divided in their opinions about which character had the truest
depiction of love in this story. Many expressed their deep disappointment in the
beautiful, human Princess, who was perceived as a dutiful daughter but one
seriously lacking genuine emotion and the true understanding of love. She was swayed,
infatuated with the spirit of Peony Prince perhaps, but love...? That was
debatable. The spirit Peony Prince's
love meanwhile was seen as unadulterated, pure, a true and unwavering one, that
in the end, caused his broken heart, unable to deal with the grievous loss, to
tragically expire. Prickly liked this story so much that he imprinted it in his
mind so as to share it with us now.
~
Once upon a
time at Makonwa, in the Country of Yonar, there was a grand old castle called
Wataozi, surrounded by high walls and a deep moat deceptively carpeted with
lotus lilies.
In this
castle resided the powerful feudal King Kongzuozhi, who was an unbending, stern
ruler.
He’d not
always been that way; he’d changed drastically after the sudden loss of his
only son and heir and the tragic demise of his bellowed wife. Sadly, that had
occurred before the eventual cessation of his prolonged wars with the
neighboring states.
It was a
small consolation that the truce, after years of devastating wars had left
thousands dead and the land ravaged, lasted long after the treaty was signed.
Upon the demise of his beloved wife, something had died in King Kongzuozhi and
from then on, forsaking love, His Highness concentrated only on his
administrative duties and an occasional hunt.
Unfortunately,
his beautiful daughter became another, unacknowledged casualty and was pretty
much left to grow up on her own. Without a loving mother's guidance, she had
grown up introverted and somewhat stunted (for lack of better word) of key
human emotions, chief one being love.
King
Kongzuozhi's ever vigilant chief councilors, noting that Sovereign's daughter,
Princess Juanjing, was now eighteen and at good marriageable age collectively
proposed to have her be suitably married.
After
careful consideration His Majesty perceived this to be the perfect opportunity
to solidify the truce with his most formidable foe, King Akono of Goakan.
It so
happened that his arch nemesis had a second son that might be a suitable match
and so he coolly consented to have the two royal houses allied through a
binding marriage.
A meeting
between The Majesties was soon arranged and an agreement reached that satisfied
both fathers.
The two
betrothed were then, in the company of a sizeable entourage, briefly allowed to
see each other and exchange pleasantries before being summarily whisked away.
The
prospective groom Prince Daro could hardly contain his good fortune and
returned to his quarters as if in a daze, for Princess Juanjing was the most
beautiful girl he’d ever set eyes on. She not only was an enchanting beauty,
but also had a lovely, poised figure and appeared quite intelligent and sweet.
Ever the
dutiful daughter, Princess Juanjing for her part found her intended not
entirely objectionable and promised herself to be the most loving and caring
wife to her prospective husband. She was also relieved to learn that she and
her husband would be living in the same castle she grew up in until the Title
passed to their firstborn son upon the death of her father.
And so,
everything on the surface appeared up and up, but in fact the capricious fate
had thrown in her path, an unexpected curve (event). One fine evening, as sleep
averted her, Princess Juanjing accompanied by her maids, decided to take a long
stroll in the magnificent gardens. She delighted at the cool breeze caressing
her cheeks and puffing up her sleeves as she cast her eyes lovingly on the huge
blooms of her favorite peonies, planted in stands hither and thither all along
the path. She lingered by the pond where some water lilies were also in bloom.
Absently she gazed at her reflection on the pond then watched the fireflies
dancing in air as she listened to the harmonious croaks of the mating frogs.
“What’s
this?” A curious image drew her attention and she bent over to see it more
clearly. The slippery ground at the edge of the pond suddenly gave way, making
her lose her balance and so, she was in imminent danger of falling into the
water.
But just in
time a handsome young man appeared and, gently cradled Princess Juanjing in his
arms as he pulled her to safety.
He
disappeared the moment her feet touched solid ground and she was out of harm’s
way. But the pleasant scent of peony lingered about her.
Her maids
in attendance on her had seen the slip and, as they rushed to save the
Princess, they also noticed a glimmer of light about her as the Princess was
returned to the safety of solid ground, but of the handsome young man they saw
nothing.
Princess
Juanjing’s heart was captivated from that moment on, truly smitten by this most
handsome young man with fine features and bedecked in floral patterned
fineries.
He was clad
in what she deemed to be a noble warrior’s court attire of the highest order. Clearly,
he was a Prince. For one thing the intrigue, near invisible pattern on his silk
garment was that of a thousand exquisitely embroidered peonies and his sword’s
scabbard was encrusted with rare jewels in the same pattern. She longed to see
him again, if only, to thank him for saving her from the water.
She could
not help but wonder how he’d happened to be there. Moreover, how could he have
entered the private gardens without alerting the guards? More puzzling still
was the fact that none of her maids had seen him. Could he have been a ghost?
…A Fairy perhaps? Regardless, she cautioned all those in attendance to keep
this a secret for she feared most of all that word of this would reach her
father and cause a stir.
If he was
for real, this infringement of security, however innocent, and the resulting trespassing
charge, would place his life in direst jeopardy. Harboring a certain fondness
in her heart for him already, she could not bear to see him decapitated.
Unfortunately,
during the subsequent days and nights she was kept busy, hardly a moment to
spare. Having no mother, she was herself charged with the responsibilities of
overseeing certain preparations of her trousseau and the impending nuptials.
And so, even though she longed to visit the pond on the slight chance of
encountering the young man again, for it secretly thrilled her to have had that
near brush with danger, she could never seem to get away. That is not to say
she did not think of him often, particularly during the onerous, mundane moments
of her day.
Her
seemingly unending duties and obligations meanwhile, had created unmanageable
stress and this, coupled with her secret obsession with the mysterious young
man, eventually took its toll and the Princess soon fell ill. She could not eat
or sleep and her pallor grew ghostly pale. She grew thinner and thinner… The
Princess was wasting away regardless of any treatment. The attending physicians
were baffled because they could not pinpoint the reason for her progressing
ailment.
Naturally
the day of Princess Juanjing’s marriage to the young Prince Daro had to be
postponed, if not, in the event of her demise, altogether aborted.
The King
Akono of Goakan did not take this change of plan too kindly. Deeming it a
personal affront, or at best a ruse, the relationships between the two
countries became further strained.
King
Kongzuozhi , her father, was both infuriated and deeply grieved by this turn of
events. He set up a commission to investigate this matter further and to
resolve this dreadful predicament. The thorough search finally uncovered
certain facts and brought to light the peculiar events of the specific night
that was at the start of Princess Juanjing’s personal crisis. Princess’s
confident and friend maid, Nieju, was detained, severely and repeatedly
interrogated. In the end she broke down and, through her confession, the Lord
was able to uncover the source of his daughter’s infirmity.
King
Kongzuozhi ’s first reaction was one of extreme fury. He was not a
superstitious King, so he expected the source to be an intruder. The guards on
duty that night were all rounded up and severely punished. Those on duty in the
garden lost their lives. His Majesty’s fury not spent however, he next wanted
to have the gardens, specifically the peony beds that had once been his
deceased wife’s personal project destroyed. The pond would not be spared
either, nor would be any of the living creatures about. His closest advisors
braved his wrath to in the end talk some moderation into King Kongzuozhi and so
the decimation was averted in the nick of time.
They
insisted that Princess Juanjing growing up so sheltered and being at such
tender age, her unusual malady was one of the excited-heart. She had fallen
deeply in love, a serious infatuation perhaps with the phantom, by then dubbed
“The Peony Prince”, that she’d seen for so brief a span. He could be a fox
spirit or other fey. They feared that Princess Juanjing would soon meet her
untimely demise if something drastic was not done.
Unfortunately,
there was no account in the books of legend that matched the description of
such a being.
King
Kongzuozhi‘s ancestors had exercised domain over these lands for many
generations yet the books did not speak of any tragedy or untimely demise of
such a warrior Prince in this castle. Clearly this was a matter for the
priests, for only they could exorcise this evil spirit that must have snuck
into the garden in order to take possession of a pure soul like Princess
Juanjing. If nothing was done soon, they warned His Majesty, Princess’s life
would be forfeited.
King
Kongzuozhi , with some skepticism, reluctantly agreed with this and so the
Priests were called in to perform their exorcism at her sleeping quarters, in
the garden and around the pond.
Princess
Juanjing seemed a bit better after this though she remained downcast and
listless in spirit. It was another full moon then and her vigilant attendants,
seizing this opportunity to enliven her spirit a little obtained the King’s
permission to engage the services of Meing Sheju, a celebrated player on the
Tazuo, that evening. The weather was particularly hot and in the absence of any
breeze, they arranged seating in the gallery to enjoy the performance of
musicians as they played “Dannoura”. Suddenly, to the amazement of all, that
same handsome Prince manifested from the bed of peonies. He was unmistakably visible
all this time, right down to the elaborate peonies embroidered on his fine
garments.
“There he
is! There he is! I see him!” Many cried out and pointed, at which time he
suddenly vanished. Princess Juanjing seemed to have regained her zeal, she was
up and smiling, with a tint of colour gracing her cheeks.
When the
word of this reached His Majesty, her father, he was infuriated and puzzled at
the same time. “I knew those priests are all useless!” He scoffed; but he could
not at the same time deny the sudden change that had come over his daughter.
The
following night, while Mei played the flute and Sujikoa played the Koto for
their mistresses the figure of the Peony Prince manifested again, though
briefly. A thorough search of the garden, the peony beds and the pond continued
into the subsequent day and produced no results, with not even the shallowest
of footprints or even a bent blade of grass.
King
Kongzuozhi’s fury knew no bounds. Eventually his ire dissipated, and he agreed
to engage a renowned mage of great strength and ability, Tao Yonume, to capture
the phantom Peony Prince.
It was
decided that, since music seemed to hold a special fascination for the
apparition, it would be used to trap the phantom warrior, Prince. Well before
the music began playing, however, Tao Yonume all dressed in black, found a good
spot to hide and evoked a spell to conceal his person.
Then he
crouched among the peonies and waited. On cue, Meing Sheju and Osono started
their concert, while all in attendance pinned their eager gaze on the peony
beds. Princess Juanjing was at first concerned about the welfare of the
apparition, but her longing to see him soon overcame her trepidation. As the
music played “Sofuren” sure enough there materialized from the peony bed the
figure of the prince dressed splendidly in his fine embroidered garments. The
attendants were puzzled as to why Tao Yonume did not jump up at this juncture
to capture the apparition.
If the
truth be known, Tao Yonume was so entranced by the noble bearing of the phantom
Prince that at first he’d remained reluctant to capture him. His sense of duty
overcame his hesitation, however. He stealthily approached the apparition from
behind and seized the Peony Prince round the waist, holding on with all his
prodigious strength. After the phantom Prince was in his grasp, still clinging
tightly to the apparition, Tao Yonume felt a strange wet vapor falling on his
face. This by degrees made him fall in a swoon to the ground. Determined to
hang on and still grasping the apparition, Tao Yonume forced himself to remain
conscious and shouted, “I caught him… Don't let him get away!”
But when he
looked at what was in his grasp, he saw only a large peony.
By then
everyone had witnessed this struggle and armed guards hastened to the spot to
apprehend the culprit. In their trail King Kongzuozhi also ran to the spot where
Tao Yonume lay, followed by the Princess Juanjing and her maids.
The
metamorphosis of a phantom Prince into a Peony astounded and mystified all
except King Kongzuozhi who grumbled: “Ah, it is as I figured. This is no fox
fairy or ghost. It is the noble sprit of the peony flower who has taken the
form of a Noble warrior.” Then turning to his daughter, he mumbled, “Fear not,
no ordinary mortal could breach the security. Nevertheless, this is no ordinary
apparition.”
Tao Yonume nodded in agreement. “By your leave
my Liege, may I add that this should be regarded as a high compliment from the
Heavens.”
King
Kongzuozhi after a thoughtful silence concurred. “This is high praise indeed!
You must all pay great respect to all the peonies and show this one caught by
Tao Yonume particular respect by taking good care of it.”
The King’s
last words were directed at Princess Juanjing who immediately took charge and
carried the peony flower back to her room. Her close attendants at once fetched
her favorite vase and filled it with fresh water. She carefully placed the
peony in the vase and placed it on a table near her bed. As nothing else
happened that night, soon all retired to their quarters to get a good night’s
sleep.
At one
point after midnight Princess Juanjing was suddenly woke, having received a
gentle kiss on the lips. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and looked about her. All
was as it had been when she had dozed off, nothing stirred, yet there was an
intoxicating perfume that permeated the air. She smiled looking at the peony in
the vase and reached out and gently ran her fingers over the petals.
When she
reclined and closed her eyes a strange sensation took hold of her. She felt as
though her beloved peony spirit was beside her. He held her tight in his caress
and showered her face with gentle kisses.
She drifted
at once to a deep sleep, to awaken the next morning refreshed and full of
vigour.
Day by day
she got better and better. Soon she was her vigorous, radiant self again. Each
day she tended the peony with meticulous care, and though a cut flower, the
peony seemed to never wither but instead a perfect bloom grew more brilliant in
color and still more fragrant with her ministrations.
The news of
her recovery had of course reached King Akono of Goakan. He sent his emissaries
with word that now Princess Juanjing was well, in keeping with their previous
arrangement he expected the wedding to go on.
King
Kongzuozhi inwardly weighing the advantages of such an alliance over future
impending war, saw no reason to put off the wedding any further and so picked
the time for the ceremony. No one consulted Princess Juanjing’s wishes and she,
being a dutiful daughter expressed no outward objection to the already arranged
marriage; inwardly however, she remained tad angry.
Princess
Juanjing’s closest friend and confidant patiently listened to her subsequent
night's reservations and then reasoned with Princess that it was not possible
for any human to live with an apparition or fairy forever. Meanwhile Princess
Juanjing was reminded that she had her duty to fulfill, and certain obligations
were expected of her. She could not, and must not, renege on her filial duty to
her father and ancestors. Lasting peace was ensured with this arrangement, and
all would prosper. The prospective groom was handsome in his own right and had
other attractive attributes, so how bad could it be?
Princess
Juanjing after some ponderance, being pragmatic, nodded her agreement and
shelving all emotions and concerns aside, she went to her bed. She slept
soundly that night, not even realizing the obvious absence of the apparition.
In truth the Peony Prince's spirit was devastated; for his was a one and only
true love.
A month
later the King Akono of Goakan and his family with much fanfare and rich gifts
for the bride arrived at the Castle. On the appointed date, Prince Daro married
off to Princess Juanjing in an elaborate ceremony and festivities that lasted
for weeks.
But a
curious thing happened on the wedding night; an occurrence that quickly became
a closely guarded secret between Princess Juanjing and her attendants. In
preparation for the wedding Princess Juanjing insisted the peony and the vase
be removed from her quarters that would henceforth serve as the matrimonial
chamber and be placed in the adjoining room. In all the fanfare few had paid
attention to the pallid, withering flower after this.
The morning
after the marriage was consummated; the peony was found still in its vase, but
stone dead. Princess Juanjing shed copious, guilty tears upon seeing this but,
of course, Prince Daro was never told. Later that afternoon, when she could get
away, she visited the peony garden and, squatting by the side of the pond,
unfolded her silk handkerchief, removed the dead peony and uttering her deep
felt regret and apologies, gently placed it in the water. Her eyes moistened, she then quietly said her
final farewell.
She watched
it sink deep under the lily pads until it was hidden from view. Then, wiping
her tears, she turned to begin the new chapter in her life.
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