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unaware that he came home every evening. The Minister's wife became pregnant. Her mother-in-law said that she must have had another man, but the wife said that it was the Minister's child. The mother-in-law said, "My son has gone to Court, and has not returned. How can you be pregnant?" The minister's wife said that her husband, the Minister, was accustomed to return home every night to sleep - he flew home using two strips of bamboo. If the mother-in-law did not believe her, she could spend the night sleeping in the wife's bed, and see for herself that the wife was not lying. The mother-in-law agreed, and slept that night in her daughter-in-law's bed. During the night, the Minister flew home, and came to land touching his wife's bed. His mother said, "I am your mother, not your wife." Because the mother was a woman, and had touched the bamboo strips used by the Minister, these bamboo strips were not able to fly any more.
In the house of the Minister, there grew some bamboo which was without sections. The Minister took two strips of this to fly on back to Court, but because these strips were not strong enough, they could only fly half-way. When the Emperor was in Court, calling the roll, he saw Ho, the Minister of the Left, fly in, and decided then and there to have him killed.
The Emperor ordered the Minister to return home. He was to ask people three times for things which could live with their heads cut off. If he could do this, then he need not die. Ho, the Minister of the Left, went off to ask. He came across an old woman, and asked her if sweet potato could live when its head was cut off, and the old woman said it could. In a second place, he asked another old lady if water-spinach could live when its head was cut off, and the old lady said it could. The Minister returned home to his mother. When she saw her son return, she killed a chicken for a meal. The Minister asked her, "Can a chicken with its head cut off live or not?" The mother said, "Stupid boy! Of course, a chicken with its head cut off cannot live!"
As soon as she said this, the Minister's head fell off onto the ground. He could, however, still speak. He told his wife to bury him in a certain place, and to mourn for him for seven days and seven nights. A tree would sprout at the head of the grave, and at the end of this period, that tree would have grown so tall that it would touch the wife's nose, and then the son in the wife's womb would be born, and a sprig of the tree would fly...
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unaware that he came home every evening. The Minister's wife became pregnant Her mother-in-law said that she must have had another man, but the wife said that it was the Minister's child. The mother-in-law sard. "My son has gone to Court, and has not returned How can you be pregnant?" The minister's wife said that her husband, the Minister, was accustomed to return home every night to sleep - he flew home using two strips of bamboo If the mother-in-law did not believe her, she could spend the night sleeping in the wife's bed, and see for herself that the wife was not lying The mother-in-law agreed, and slept that night in her daughter-in-law's bed During the night, the Minister flew home, and came to land touching his wife's bed. His mother said. "I am your mother, not your wife Because the mother was a woman, and had touched the bamboo strips used by the Minister, these bamboo strips were not able to fly any more
In the house of the Minister there grew some bamboo which was without sections The Minister took two strips of this to fly on back to Court but, because these strips were not strong enough, they could only fly half-way When the Emperor was in Court, calling the roll, he saw Ho, the Minister of the left, fly in, and decided then and there to have him killed
The Emperor ordered the Minister to return home. He was to ask people three times for things which could live with then heads cut off. If he could do this, then he need not die. Ho, the Minister of the Left, went off to ask. He came across an old woman, and asked her if sweet potato could live when its head was cut off, and the old woman said it could. In a second place, he asked another old lady, if water-spinach could live when its head was cut off, and the old lady said it could. The Minister retuned home, to his mother When she saw her son return, she killed a chicken for a meal The Minister asked her, "Can a chicken with us head cut off live or not?". The mother said, "Stupid boy! Of course a chicken with its head cut off cannot live!"
As soon as she said this, the Minister's head fell off onto the ground He could, however, still speak. He told his wife to bury him in a certai place, and to mourn for him for seven days and seven nights. A tree would sprout at the head of the grave, and at the end of this period, that tree would have grown so tall that it would touch the wife's nose, and then the son in the wife's womb would be born, and a sprig of the tree would fly
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