earlier than usual that morning for
the Court was returning to the Forbidden City at noon. His Majesty, the
Emperor Kwang Hsu, was to pray at the Forbidden City and Her Majesty
always wanted to accompany him wherever he went. It was nine o'clock in
the morning when the audience was over. She ordered me not to bring any
jewels for her to the Forbidden City this time, for she would not need
them at all. I went to the jewel-room and locked everything up, and
placed the keys in a yellow envelope, sealed it, and placed the envelope
among the others, and gave them to a eunuch who takes care of these
things. We packed all her favorite things. Her gowns were the most
important things to pack, she had so many and it was impossible to take
all. I noticed that the Court lady who was looking after her gowns was
the busiest amongst us. She had to select gowns enough to last four or
five days. She told me that she had selected about fifty different ones.
I told her that Lao Tsu Tsung might stay at the Forbidden City four or
five days, and that she would not need so many gowns. She said it was
safer to bring many, for one was not sure what would be Her Majesty's
idea for the day. Packing at the Court was very simple. Eunuchs brought
many yellow trays, which are made of wood, painted yellow, about five
feet by four feet and one foot deep. We placed a large yellow silk scarf
in the tray, then the gowns, and covered them with a thick yellow cloth.
Everything was packed the same way. It took us about two hours to pack
fifty-six trays. These things always started off first, carried by the
eunuchs. His Majesty, the Emperor Kwang Hsu, the Young Empress and all
the Court ladies, had to kneel on the ground for Her Majesty's sedan
chair to pass the Palace Gate, then we went in search of our own chairs.
The procession as usual was pretty, soldiers marching in front of her
chair, four young Princes riding on horseback on each side of her, and
from forty to fifty eunuchs also on horseback behind her, all dressed in
their official robes. The Emperor's chair and the Young Empress' chair
were of the same color as Her Majesty's. The Secondary wife of the
Emperor had a deep yellow chair. The chairs of the Court ladies were
red, and were carried by four chair bearers, instead of eight like their
Majesties. Our own eunuchs also rode on horseback, behind us. We rode a
long time, it seemed to me, before I noticed the Emperor's chair begin
to descend from the