was again to seal the packet, without further looking into its
contents, till some other emergency arose necessitating advice or
assistance, when he would again find it. The Prince departed on his
journey, and in the course of time, without meeting with any adventures
worth recording, arrived safely at his destination.

A Desolate Region

The place where Peking now stands was originally called Yu Chou; in the
T'ang dynasty it was called Pei-p'ing Fu; and afterward became known
as Shun-t'ien Fu--but that was after the city now called Peking was
built. The name of the country in which this place was situated was
Yen. It was a mere barren wilderness, with very few inhabitants; these
lived in huts and scattered hamlets, and there was no city to afford
protection to the people and to check the depredations of robbers.

When the Prince saw what a desolate-looking place he had been appointed
to, and thought of the long years he was probably destined to spend
there, he grew very melancholy, and nothing his attendants essayed
to do in hope of alleviating his sorrow succeeded.

The Prince opens the Sealed Packet

All at once the Prince bethought himself of the packet which the old
Taoist priest had given him; he forthwith proceeded to make search for
it--for in the bustle and excitement of travelling he had forgotten
all about it--in hope that it might suggest something to better the
prospects before him. Having found the packet, he hastily broke it
open to see what instructions it contained; taking out the first
paper which came to hand, he read the following:

"When you reach Pei-p'ing Fu you must build a city there and name
it No-cha Ch'eng, the City of No-cha. [26] But, as the work will
be costly, you must issue a proclamation inviting the wealthy to
subscribe the necessary funds for building it. At the back of this
paper is a plan of the city; you must be careful to act according to
the instructions accompanying it."

The Prince inspected the plan, carefully read the instructions, and
found even the minutest details fully explained. He was struck with
the grandeur of the design of the proposed city, and at once acted on
the instructions contained in the packet; proclamations were posted up,
and large sums were speedily subscribed, ten of the wealthiest families
who had accompanied him from Chin-ling being the largest contributors,
supporting the plan not only with their purses, by giving immense sums,
but by th