Portrait of a Girl from the Palace

In the Yishan Mountains, there are two places. One is called Jiulongkou — the Valley of Nine Dragons, and the other is Qilongkou — the Valley of Seven Dragons. Near the Valley of Nine Dragons, there was a small village, and in that village lived an old woman with her only son, nicknamed Tiantai. By the age of nine, Tiantai could already catch badgers in the mountains, and by twelve, he was fearless enough to snatch wolf cubs from their dens. The young man grew up handsome and strong, unmatched by anyone. He had a kind face, a cheerful gaze, was strong, clever, and tall. He would leave early in the morning to gather firewood in the mountains and return home in the evening. He climbed high mountains, descended steep cliffs, crossed raging rivers, and navigated narrow, winding paths.

One autumn, during the rainy season, it poured for several days in a row, and in Tiantai's house, as the saying goes, there was neither a twig of firewood nor a grain of rice to be found. They waited and waited for the rain to stop and for clear weather to return, but they grew tired of waiting. The young man took a rope, a carrying pole, grabbed his axe, and set off into the mountains to chop firewood. It should be noted that his axe was four times heavier than usual, as the blacksmith had deliberately forged it that way. Tiantai crossed a mountain gorge where the water roared like thunder, climbed a slope washed by rainwater, walked along a narrow path, and finally reached a wooded area. He had just managed to chop some firewood when the wind brought rain. The downpour was so heavy that stones tumbled down the mountain, and everything around rumbled and roared. The young man waited for the rain to subside, climbed to the very top of a tree, and looked around — the entire gorge was filled with water, and the rivers had overflowed their banks. He looked in the direction of his village and thought, "Mother has probably come to the gate, worried that the raging current might have swept me away, waiting anxiously." Frustration gripped the young man, and he wished he could fly home right then! But he couldn't overcome the mountain torrent — it was too fierce! As he pondered, he accidentally dropped his axe. Clang! — the axe fell on a large black stone. The young man bent down to pick it up. Ai-ya! The stone shifted, and suddenly, out of nowhere, an old woman appeared. She asked in a loud voice:

"Who is knocking at my door? Who is knocking at my door? Who is knocking at my door?"

Twice the young man said nothing, but on the third time, he mustered his courage, climbed down from the tree, and replied:

"It is I who knocked!"

And the old woman asked him again:

"What do you need? Why did you knock?"

The young man decided to tell the old woman everything as it was and said:

"Good woman, you probably don't know that I go out every day to gather firewood, descend steep cliffs, climb high mountains — it's hard work, but that's not the point. Today, everything is flooded. How can I return home? My mother is waiting there all alone. I need to sell the firewood and buy rice, or there will be nothing to put in the pot."

The old woman listened to him, rose from her reed mat, gave it to Tiantai, and said:

"Just sit on this mat and think of where you want to be, and you'll be there in an instant."

Having said this, the old woman disappeared. The stone shifted and returned to its original place.

Tiantai sat on the mat and thought, "It would be nice to rise into the air first," and the mat slowly and smoothly began to ascend. When he wanted to descend to the ground, the mat gently lowered him.

Tiantai slung the carrying pole with firewood over his shoulder, sat on the mat, and flew home faster than the wind. Before, he would bring firewood only once a day, returning after dark. But now, he flew back and forth on the mat, managing to make four or even five trips with firewood. Soon, he had a whole pile of firewood at home, which he exchanged for grain — enough for many days. Then Tiantai said to his mother:

"Mother, I've grown up, become an adult, but I've never been more than a hundred li from home. Now that you have food and clothing, allow me to wander the world and admire its wonders."

"Where do you want to go, my son?"

Tiantai thought for a moment and said:

"I've heard that the capital is full of all kinds of people and wonders, so I want to go there and see for myself."

His mother said to him:

"The emperor himself lives in the capital. Be careful, my son, go quickly and return soon."

Tiantai promised his mother to do as she said, sat on the mat, and soared into the sky — neither wind nor dust could touch him. Before he knew it, he found himself in the capital city. He looked down — rows of walls rose high, with beautiful octagonal towers attached to them. The streets and alleys were teeming with people. In the Forbidden City, there were palaces and pavilions of every kind, dazzling with colors and shimmering. The trees were like emerald green, and white pagodas stood among them. Boats rocked on the blue water. Tiantai looked at all this, descended from the sky, and walked the wide streets, marveling at the wonders he had never seen before. He felt an irresistible desire to sneak into the Forbidden City — it was so beautiful! He waited until the shops and taverns closed and the drums signaled the third watch, then sat on the magic mat and flew into the Forbidden City. There, the scenery was so marvelous that one could talk about it endlessly, and the treasures were beyond counting. Lotuses grew in the ponds, round red lanterns hung under the eaves, and dragons with terrifying fangs and sharp claws were carved on jade railings. The walls were adorned with paintings, drawings, reliefs, carvings, and patterns.
Tian-tai quietly passed by the lions—lions taller than him, made of bronze—and made his way through a tunnel carved into an artificial mountain, winding like a snake. Suddenly, the young man noticed a palace pavilion standing among the trees and flowers. Its roof was covered with green tiles in two slopes, its columns were red, and its windows were intricately patterned. Tian-tai looked around—no one was in sight—and climbed the jade steps. He was eager to get a closer look at the cornice, painted with flowers and plants, and to touch the round, lacquered columns. But what he wanted most was to peek inside, into the chambers and rooms. After admiring the flowers, examining the plants, and touching the round columns, he approached a carved window. Gently, he peeled away the silk glued to the frame and peered inside—it was pitch dark, so dark he couldn’t see a thing. Just as he was about to step back, he suddenly heard a rustling sound—hua-la-la—and the room lit up with colorful rays, sparkling brilliantly. In the room, the young man saw a tower carved from ivory, bamboo made of gold, and next to the bamboo, a beautiful maiden. On her wrists were golden bracelets, from which golden trails flowed; in her hair were silver flowers, from which silver trails spread in all directions. In her ears were earrings made of precious red stones, and over her shoulders was a multicolored shawl. Her slender waist was cinched with a silk belt, her long skirt almost reached her ankles, and tears like pearls rolled down her rouged cheeks. Tian-tai felt pity for the girl. Why had such a delicate and fragile creature been punished? Why had she been locked in an empty house in the dark of night? There was no bed to lie on, no mat to sit on, no blanket to cover herself with! As the young man pondered, the silk belt suddenly floated in the air—the maiden began to approach him. Tian-tai shuddered, wanting to run away, but then a gentle girl’s voice called out:

“Hey, where are you going? Wait! I have something to tell you!”

Tian-tai involuntarily stopped and heard the girl say:

“Long ago, I was locked in this palace and kept in captivity, not allowed to see my loved ones. Morning turns to evening, summer to winter, but my sorrow never fades. Save me, kind young man!”

The young man couldn’t bear such injustice and agreed. But there was a problem—he didn’t know how to save the girl. Guards and night patrols surrounded the place on all sides, the window frames were sturdy, and the doors were thick. The young man stayed silent but didn’t leave.

The girl said to him:

“All you need to do is take away the painting of the palace maiden, and I will be saved.”

The young man was about to ask where the painting was when suddenly he heard footsteps behind him. The room turned dark again, and the girl disappeared. Troubled, Tian-tai had no choice but to sit on his mat and ascend to the sky. He noticed that dawn was approaching. It was time to return home. As soon as he thought this, his mat instantly carried him home.

Tian-tai returned home, told his mother everything, sat on his mat, and headed to the Yishan Mountains. He climbed a tree to its very top, dropped an ax on a black stone, and the stone shifted, revealing the same old woman:

The old woman asked:

“Who is knocking at my door?”

Tian-tai didn’t wait for her to ask a second time, jumped down from the tree, and replied:

“I am the one knocking at your door.”

“You’ve already received the magic mat from me. What more do you need?”

“Don’t be angry, wise mother! Listen to what I have to say! All under heaven, the grass is green, the flowers are red, but there are still those in distress who know neither peace nor joy. Thanks to you, I no longer suffer from hunger or backbreaking labor. Tell me, how can I abandon an unfortunate girl in her time of need? Do you know where the painting of the palace maiden is kept?”

The sorceress listened, stopped being angry, and spoke kindly:

“You have a good heart, young man, and your words are just. All under heaven, the grass should be green, the flowers should bloom, and people should live happily. I agree to help you, my child. Now listen carefully. If you want to save that girl, go to the Mengshan Mountains and find Baidixian—the immortal spirit of the White Land. But remember, finding him won’t be easy. When you see a reed three zhang tall, grab it, pull hard, and you’ll enter the gates. If the immortal is asleep, don’t wait for him to wake—he sleeps for one hundred and twenty years at a time. You won’t wake him by shouting or shaking him. Then go to the Red Sands River and find Mother Black Fish. Ask her for the magic needle.”

With that, the old woman disappeared, and the stone shifted back to its place.

Tian-tai obeyed the kind sorceress, sat on his mat, and rushed to the Mengshan Mountains. Around the mountains were countless ridges, high peaks, and deep gorges. The slopes were covered with all kinds of trees, and the ground was overgrown with flowers and grass. Steep cliffs were dotted with golden and silver flowers, and a wonderful fragrance filled the air. Tian-tai walked bent over, searching along riverbanks and through forests, not lifting his head. He climbed all the mountain peaks—some too high to reach—and explored all the gorges, where trees were so densely intertwined that the sky was hidden.

Finally, he came to a sheer cliff where even a goat couldn’t stand. He saw a reed three zhang tall growing there. He grabbed it, pulled, and in that instant, a path appeared. He followed it deep into the mountains and came to a spacious, tall stone house. Inside, he saw a stone bed, a stone table, and even stone pillows. On the bed lay an immortal elder, nearly a zhang tall, with a stone pillow under his head. The elder was snoring loudly, his eyes tightly shut, clearly in a deep sleep. Tian-tai approached, took his hand, and tried to shake him. The hand weighed at least a thousand jin—it was impossible to lift even with both hands. The young man poked the immortal’s finger—his flesh was harder than stone. After standing there for a while, Tian-tai turned and left. He sat on his mat and set off to find the Red Sands River.

Tian-tai flew through the sky, passing four rivers—one crooked, one straight, one yellow, one green, and then another crooked and another straight. He soared over mountain rivers with shallow water and white foam, and over turbulent rivers with waves like fish scales. He flew over ninety-nine rivers, covering thousands of miles, and one morning he saw a river with clear, transparent water, its bottom visible. He landed on the shore, where red sand sparkled, turning the water red. In the river, countless black fish swam back and forth like shuttles. The young man thought, “This must be the Red Sands River. But how do I find Mother Black Fish?” He walked along the shore, thinking, and finally came up with an idea. He went to a village to ask for a net to catch fish. When people heard this, they tried to dissuade him...
— Young man, do not seek your death, do not go to catch the black fish, for their mother is the Black Fish herself. Let our nets rot idle rather than face her wrath.

Tian-tai heard this, and anxiety overcame him. He stood there, pondering, pondering, then took his nets and went to the river. Tian-tai stood on the magic mat, cast his nets into the river, and began to pull them in slowly. A multitude of black fishlets were caught in the nets, thrashing and leaping over one another. Before the young man could even glance back, the river began to churn and swirl. The wind howled: *whoosh*, and a torrent of water crashed down upon Tian-tai. The young man saw that things were dire and cried out:

— Fly!

Instantly, the mat rose into the air. But the water swirled and rose higher and higher. The young man grabbed the nets, holding them tightly with both hands, and shouted:

— Fly, fly, whistle in the wind!

The mat rose a hundred *zhang* into the air, but the water pursued it, surging ninety-nine *zhang* into the sky like a column. Tian-tai rose higher than the tallest mountain, and then the wind calmed, and the water returned to its banks. Tian-tai looked down and saw the black fish adorned in golden attire standing on the water—none other than the mother herself. She raised her head and shouted:

— Hey, young man! You have bested me! Release my children and ask for whatever you desire!

Just as the young man thought about returning to the ground, the mat gently descended, stopping at the treetop.

The young man said to the Black Fish mother:

— I do not need gold, nor do I need silver. Instead, give me a magic needle and tell me how to awaken the immortal from Mount Mengshan.

The mother agreed and said:

— If you wish to awaken the immortal from Mount Mengshan, take the needle and prick him once—he will awaken instantly. But first, go to the upper reaches of the river, to the Old Dragon's Cove, to Aunt Tuandanyan. She stole my magic needle just as the water overflowed its banks. But this misfortune can be remedied. I will give you a ladle-spoon; use it to scoop out all the water from the cove, and the needle will be found.

So spoke the Black Fish mother, pulling a shiny white spoon from her ear and tossing it to the young man. Tian-tai released her children—the black fishlets—from the net. The mother gathered them and disappeared beneath the water. Tian-tai returned to the village, gave the nets back to their owner, sat on the mat, and flew off. As he flew, he looked down at the river. The river twisted like a snake, turning left and right, left and right. Suddenly, the young man saw a low mountain appear before him, entirely red, covered in red stones, with green pines growing on it. The beauty was indescribable. "So this is where the Red Sands River flows," thought the young man. He noticed a pool in the gorge—a green emerald—and descended to the ground. He dipped the ladle-spoon into the water and scooped once—the water in the pool immediately halved. Tian-tai scooped again, and soon the pool was nearly dry. At the bottom, there was nothing but giant turtles crawling about. The largest weighed several hundred *jin*, almost too heavy to lift. It retracted its head into its shell and transformed into a woman with a black face. The young man said to her:

— Quickly return the magic needle you stole, or I will scoop all the water from your pool.

The turtle glared at Tian-tai angrily but had no choice and handed over the magic needle. The young man took the needle in his hands—it was only two fingers thick but so heavy it was hard to lift.

Tian-tai took the magic needle, sat on the mat, and flew to Mount Mengshan. When he arrived, he grabbed a reed three *zhang* tall, pulled it with force, and in that instant, a path opened before him. He followed the path to the immortal, who was still asleep on a stone bed, snoring so loudly it thundered in the sky. The young man took out the needle, gently pricked the immortal's hand, and the old man turned, sat up, and shouted:

— Who bit me?

The young man replied:

— I did not bite you, kind elder. I woke you so you could help me with a good deed.

The immortal laughed heartily and said:

— It must have been the old woman from Yishan who told you about me. Very well! What is this deed of yours? Speak!
The youth replied to him:

"I ask for one thing! Help me obtain a painting from the imperial chambers, one that depicts a palace maiden."

At that, the immortal slapped his hand against the stone and said:

"There's nothing complicated about that. I'll gladly help you, but know this: I never see anything through to the end. And now it's time for me to go—night is approaching. Lie down on my pillow and sleep. In your dreams, you'll see what I will do."

Having said this, the immortal gave the youth a push! Tian-Tai fell onto the stone bench, dropped his head onto the stone pillow, and began to snore.

In his dream, the youth saw various wonders. He saw how the giant elder swayed from side to side and transformed into a white kitten. The kitten raced and flew toward the capital city, leaping over the red wall. By that time, the second watch had already sounded. The kitten darted into the imperial chambers. The emperor and empress were asleep behind the royal curtain embroidered with golden dragons, while the maids stood by the curtain, their legs aching and eyes closing, yet they dared not sit or doze. Meanwhile, the white kitten stealthily snatched the empress's jade-adorned belt, quietly and without a sound, as they say: neither the good spirits nor the evil demons noticed. The kitten grabbed the belt in its teeth, leaped over one palace wall, then another, ran out of the city, found a dried-up well, and tossed the jade belt into it. At this, Tian-Tai stirred, cried out, and woke up. The giant elder was already standing beside him. The youth jumped up, and the immortal yawned with his enormous mouth and said:

"Well, lad, I've helped as much as I could. Now it's up to you to figure out what to do next. I'm going to sleep now, and you'd better hurry to the capital!"

Tian-Tai jumped off the stone bench, and the elder lay down, rested his head on the stone pillow, and began to snore. His snoring was like thunder in the sky.

As soon as dawn broke, Tian-Tai sat on his magical mat and flew to the capital. The sun had already risen three poles high when the empress got out of bed, began to comb her hair, wash, and dress. She went to put on her dress but couldn't find her jade belt. The empress was missing one belt, and what an uproar and commotion ensued! As they say, the heavens were disturbed, and the earth was shaken. I don't even know how many people were sent to search for that belt! How many innocent people suffered because of it! They searched everywhere but couldn't find it. Then the emperor issued a decree, and immediately it was posted on boards on every major street and in every small alley. It was written in black ink: "Whoever finds the empress's jade belt will receive a rank if they wish to become an official. If they ask for gold and silver, they shall receive gold and silver."

Tian-Tai saw the imperial board, approached it, and tore it down. The officials who were guarding the board surrounded the youth and took him to the emperor. Tian-Tai gathered his courage and said:

"Since ancient times, I have had prophetic dreams. Just last night, I dreamed that someone threw the empress's jade belt into a high well outside the city."

Having said this, the youth led all the officials and generals outside the city walls to the dried-up well. A man climbed into the well and immediately found the belt.

The emperor asked the youth:

"Shall I grant you a rank, or do you want money?"

Tian-Tai replied:

"I need neither a rank nor money. I've heard that there is a painting in the palace depicting a palace maiden. Give it to me!"

The emperor was delighted: the painting wasn't a treasure, not made of gold—just paper.

He immediately ordered the painting to be brought and handed it to the youth without even looking at it.

Tian-Tai took the painting, left the city, sat on his mat, and in an instant found himself back home in his reed hut, divided into three parts. The youth unrolled the painting, and there was the very maiden he had seen that night in the palace. The youth gazed at the painting, thinking of the poor girl. Suddenly, the maiden stepped out of the painting and sat beside him. On her wrists were golden bracelets, from which golden trails flowed, and in her hair were silver flowers, from which silver trails spread in all directions. The maiden brightened, her cheeks flushed, and she became even more beautiful. She didn't disdain poverty and, still wearing her golden bracelets, began to help Tian-Tai's mother with the cooking. Soon, the palace maiden and Tian-Tai married and lived their entire lives in the Yishan Mountains.

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Portrait of a Girl from the Palace

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