Legend of the Building of Peking

When the Mongol Yuean dynasty had been destroyed, and the Emperor
Hung Wu had succeeded in firmly establishing that of the Great Ming,
Ta Ming, he made Chin-ling, the present Nanking, his capital, and held
his Court there with great splendour, envoys from every province within
the 'Four Seas' (the Chinese Empire) assembling there to witness his
greatness and to prostrate themselves before the Dragon Throne.

The Emperor had many sons and daughters by his different consorts and
concubines, each mother, in her inmost heart, fondly hoping that her
own son would be selected by his father to succeed him.

Although the Empress had a son, who was the heir-apparent, yet she felt
envious of those ladies who had likewise been blessed with children,
for fear one of the princes should supplant her son in the affection
of the Emperor and in the succession. This envy displayed itself on
every occasion; she was greatly beloved by the Emperor, and exerted
all her influence with him, as the other young princes grew up,
to get them removed from Court. Through her means most of them were
sent to the different provinces as governors; those provinces under
their government being so many principalities or kingdoms.

Chu-ti

One of the consorts of Hung Wu, the Lady Weng, had a son named
Chu-ti. This young prince was very handsome and graceful in his
deportment; he was, moreover, of an amiable disposition. He was the
fourth son of the Emperor, and his pleasing manner and address had made
him a great favourite, not only with his father, but with every one
about the Court. The Empress noticed the evident affection the Emperor
evinced for this prince, and determined to get him removed from the
Court as soon as possible. By a judicious use of flattery and cajolery,
she ultimately persuaded the Emperor to appoint the prince governor of
the Yen country, and thenceforth he was styled Yen Wang, Prince of Yen.

The Sealed Packet

The young Prince, shortly after, taking an affectionate leave of
the Emperor, left Chin-ling to proceed to his post. Ere he departed,
however, a Taoist priest, called Liu Po-wen, who had a great affection
for the Prince, put a sealed packet into his hand, and told him to
open it when he found himself in difficulty, distress, or danger; the
perusal of the first portion that came to his hand would invariably
suggest some remedy for the evil, whatever it was. After doing so,
he