534
History of the Southern Sung Dynasty.
Ост.
gentlemen tried, but did not succeed, until Kwang stepped forward, and with a single effort broke a bow to pieces. And trying the second he succeeded, to the great admiration of his companions, who forthwith over a cup of wine declared him their leader, and promised that they would follow him. A star-gazer about the same time dis- covered the destiny of the future hero, and his fame grew more and more, though he had not yet reached his eighteenth year.
One of the comedians sent by the Tang prince had not been in- troduced to the emperor when Kwang formed a connection with her. In a drunken fit he visited the imperial theater, and soon began to fight with the guards, in which he was supported by his comrades. His father hearing of the brawl punished him severely, and the hope- ful son vowed vengeance upon the informers. For this purpose he climbed over the walls of the harem, and killed the two favorite dam- sels of the emperor, and then wrote a distich on the wall, declaring himself the perpetrator of the murder, and straight returned to the house of his beloved. Here he might have remained hidden, for all thought he had fled, but hearing of the inprisonment of his father, he have himself up to justice, to free him. The jailor, one day per- ceived a halo encircling his forehead while he was sleep, and thence concluding that he was destined to play a memorable part, he struck off his fetters, and fled with him.
The first night they spent in a temple, and were met by a sooth- sayer, who told Kwing, that he had read his great fortune in the stars, and he would one day ascend the imperial throne. This announcement kept the hero's spirit alive; he was moreover glad dened by the arrival of his brother, who brought him some money to pay his expenses, and presented him with a magic red, which afterwards proved of great service.
Kwang was now fairly ready to seek adventures, and like a knight errant, he went to a military station, where he found a great number of disbanded soldiers whom he joined. He slew in single combat many a robber, and gained a great name for his exploits. Twice he joined the army, and performed feats of valor, in order to redeem his character, but though the generals reported his heroic behavior to the emperor, the ministers who were his personal enemies would not permit his return. Seeing himself thus exiled, he resolved to make his own way through the world. Once he was pursued by some officers, whom he had offended at a review, and took refuge in a butcher's house. During the night a demon came to his chamber, and exclaimed with astonishment, Do I find the future emperor
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