Two Years in the Forbidden City | Page 9

was made of about
three thousand five hundred pearls the size of a canary bird's egg, all
exactly alike in color and perfectly round. It was made on the fish net
pattern and had a fringe of jade pendants and was joined with two pure
jade clasps. In addition to this Her Majesty wore two pairs of pearl
bracelets, one pair of jade bracelets, several jade rings and on her third
and little fingers of her right hand she wore gold finger nail protectors
about three inches long and on the left hand two finger nail protectors
made of jade and about the same length. Her shoes were trimmed with
small tassels made of pearls and embroidered with tiny pieces of
different colored jade.
Her Majesty stood up when she saw us and shook hands with us. She
had a most fascinating smile and was very much surprised that we
knew the Court etiquette so well. After she had greeted us, she said to
my mother: "Yu tai tai (Lady Yu), you are a wonder the way you have
brought your daughters up. They speak Chinese just as well as I do,
although I know they have been abroad for so many years, and how is it
that they have such beautiful manners?" "Their father was always very
strict with them," my mother replied; "he made them study their own

language first and they had to study very hard." "I am pleased to hear
their father has been so careful with them," Her Majesty said, "and
given them such a fine education." She took my hands and looked into
my face and smiled and kissed me on both cheeks and said to my
mother: "I wish to have your daughters and hope they will stay with
me." We were very much pleased at this and thanked her for her
kindness. Her Majesty asked all sorts of questions about our Paris
gowns and said we must wear them all the time, as she had very little
chance to see them at the Court. She was particularly in love with our
Louis XV high heel shoes. While we were talking to her we saw a
gentleman standing at a little distance and after a while she said, "Let
me introduce you to the Emperor Kwang Hsu, but you must call him
Wan Sway Yeh (Master of 10,000 years) and call me Lao Tsu Tsung
(the Great Ancestor)." His Majesty shyly shook hands with us. He was
a man about five feet, seven inches in height, very thin, but with very
strong features; high nose and forehead, large, brilliant black eyes,
strong mouth, very white, even teeth; altogether good looking. I noticed
he had a very sad look, although he was smiling all the time we were
there. At this juncture the head eunuch came, knelt down on the marble
floor and announced that Her Majesty's chair was ready and she asked
us to go with her to the Audience Hall, distant about two minutes' walk,
where she was going to receive the heads of the different Boards. It was
a beautiful day and her open chair was waiting. This chair is carried by
eight eunuchs all dressed in official robes, a most unusual sight. The
head eunuch walked on her left side and the second eunuch on her right
side, each with a steadying hand on the chair pole. Four eunuchs of the
fifth rank in front and twelve eunuchs of the sixth rank walked behind.
Each eunuch carried something in his hand, such as Her Majesty's
clothes, shoes, handkerchiefs, combs, brushes, powder boxes, looking
glasses of different sizes, perfumes, pins, black and red ink, yellow
paper, cigarettes, water pipes, and the last one carried her yellow
satin-covered stool. Besides this there were two amahs (old women
servants) and four servant girls all carrying something. This procession
was most interesting to see and made one think it a lady's dressing
room on legs. The Emperor walked on Her Majesty's right and the
Young Empress on the left, as did also the Court ladies.

The Audience Hall was about two hundred feet long by about one
hundred and fifty feet wide, and at the left side was a long table
covered with yellow satin. When Her Majesty came down from the
chair she went into the Hall and mounted her throne just behind this
table, and His Majesty mounted a smaller one at her left side, the
Ministers all kneeling on the floor in front of her and on the opposite
side of the table.
At the back of the Hall was a large dais about twenty feet long by about
eighteen feet wide, enclosed by a magnificently carved railing about
two feet high running all the way round, open only in the front in