to reach the end of their journey. By good luck they all met in
the temple San-i Ko, and related to each other the various hardships
they had undergone. But when they eventually reached the capital
the examination was over, and they were out in the streets without
resources. So they took an oath of brotherhood for life and death. They
pawned some of the few clothes they possessed, and buying some musical
instruments formed themselves into a band of strolling musicians.

The first bought a drum, the second a seven-stringed guitar, the
third a mandolin, the fourth a clarinet, and the fifth and youngest
composed songs.

Thus they went through the streets of the capital giving their
concerts, and Fate decreed that Li Shih-min should hear their
melodies. Charmed with the sweet sounds, he asked Hsue Mao-kung
whence came this band of musicians, whose skill was certainly
exceptional. Having made inquiries, the minister related their
experiences to the Emperor. Li Shih-min ordered them to be brought
into his presence, and after hearing them play and sing appointed them
to his private suite, and henceforth they accompanied him wherever
he went.

The Emperors Strategy

The Emperor bore malice toward Chang T'ien-shih, the Master of
the Taoists, because he refused to pay the taxes on his property,
and conceived a plan to bring about his destruction. He caused a
spacious subterranean chamber to be dug under the reception-hall of
his palace. A wire passed through the ceiling to where the Emperor
sat. He could thus at will give the signal for the music to begin
or stop. Having stationed the five musicians in this subterranean
chamber, he summoned the Master of the Taoists to his presence and
invited him to a banquet. During the course of this he pulled the wire,
and a subterranean babel began.

The Emperor pretended to be terrified, and allowed himself to fall
to the ground. Then, addressing himself to the T'ien-shih, he said:
"I know that you can at will catch the devilish hobgoblins which
molest human beings. You can hear for yourself the infernal row they
make in my palace. I order you under penalty of death to put a stop
to their pranks and to exterminate them."

The Musicians are Slain

Having spoken thus, the Emperor rose and left. The Master of the
Taoists brought his projecting mirror, and began to seek for the
evil spirits. In vain he inspected the palace and its precincts;
he could discover nothing. Fearing tha