yellow-green fairy tale book

Chapter 17 Kupti and Imani

Once upon a time there was a king who had two daughters, and their names were Kupti and Imani.He loved his two daughters so much that he could talk to them for hours.One day he said to his elder daughter Kupti:
"Are you willing to entrust your life and destiny to my arrangement?"

"Very willing." The eldest princess felt very strange about this question, and replied, "If it is not for you to arrange, then who is it for?"

However, when the king asked his youngest daughter this question, Imani replied:
"I don't want to, really! If there is a chance, I will arrange it myself."

Hearing this answer, the king was very displeased and said:
"You are too young to know what these words mean. Anyway, I will give you a chance to make your wish come true."

The king sent for an old and lame ascetic in a ramshackle hut on the outskirts of the city.When he came to the palace, the king said to him:

"No doubt you are very old and handicapped, and you would be delighted to have a young man living with you and taking care of you. Therefore, I will send my little girl to you. She thought Earn money by herself and live with you, and she can realize her wish."

Of course, the monk had nothing to say, and even if he had something to say, he would be speechless because of surprise and anxiety.However, the little princess went out with him with a smile on her face, happily along the way.The old man was full of doubts, and he limped home without saying a word along the way.

As soon as they entered the house, the monk began to think how to make arrangements for the princess' comfort.But he was just a monk after all, and there was nothing in the room except a bed, two old cooking pots, and a clay pot for water.

It is impossible to feel comfortable with these things.However, the Princess quickly reassured him, saying:
"Do you have money?"

"I have a penny, but I don't know where to put it," said the ascetic.

"Very well!" said the Princess; "give me the money, and go out and borrow a spinning-wheel and a loom."

The monk searched for a long time to find the penny, and when he gave it to the princess, he went out to borrow things, and the princess went out to buy things.First she bought oil for a quarterpence, and then flax for a three-quarterpence.When she came back, she made the old man lie on the bed and massaged his lame leg with oil.After the old man had gone to bed, she sat down and spun, and she kept spinning all night.By the next morning, she was spinning the finest yarn ever.Then she went to the loom again, and wove on till evening, and wove very beautiful silver-white linen.

"Now," she said to the fakir, "go to the market and sell these cloths, and I will rest."

"How should I sell it?" asked the old man.

"Two gold pieces," replied the princess.

So the fakir limped to the market and stood there selling cloth.It happened that the eldest princess was passing by in a car, and when she saw the piece of cloth, she stopped to ask the price.

"Two gold coins," said the old man.The eldest princess bought it happily.The ascetic limped home with the money.Since then, Imani has been doing these things day after day.Every time she bought oil and flax for a penny, when she came back, she first massaged the old man's lame leg, and then spun the thread, wove the most beautiful cloth, and sold it at a high price.Gradually, the city also became famous for the goodness of its weaving.The old man's lame leg became straighter and stronger, and the money hole in the hut was filled more and more with gold coins.Finally one day, the princess said to the old man:
"I think we have earned enough money, and we can live comfortably." She recruited house builders and built a beautiful house for the old monk and herself.There is no finer house in the city than the palace.Soon the news reached the king, and he asked whose house it was.He was told it belonged to his daughter.

"Well!" said the king, "she wanted to order her own destiny, and in a way it seems she has."

After a while, the king was going to another country on business.Before leaving, he asked his eldest daughter what presents he would like him to bring back to her.

"A ruby ​​necklace," she said.Then, the king thought, it was time to ask Imani, too.So he sent a man to ask her what kind of gift she wanted.Unfortunately, the yarn on the loom was tangled when the man arrived, and she was busy trying to untangle it.The king's messenger bowed to the little princess and said:

"The king is going to the country of Duer, and he sent me to ask His Royal Highness, what gift do you want His Majesty to bring to you?"

But at this moment, Imani was only thinking about how to untie the knot without breaking the thread, so he said casually:

"Patience!" She meant to let the messenger wait patiently, but unexpectedly, the messenger took this sentence as Imani's reply.He went back and told the king that Princess Imani only wanted one thing, and that was "patience".

"Ah!" said the King, "I don't know if it's available in Durr! I've never used it myself, but if it's available, I'll buy it for her."

The next day the king set out.After he finished his business in Duer, he bought Kuputi a beautiful ruby ​​necklace.Then he said to a servant:

"Princess Imani wants something called 'patience'. I don't know if there is such a thing. Go to the market and ask. If there is, you can buy it and bring it back to me."

The servant bowed and exited.He walked around the market for a while, shouting as he walked: "Is there anyone selling 'Patience'? Is there anyone selling 'Patience'?"

Some taunted him, and some (the impatient ones) told him to fuck off.Some said: "This guy is crazy thinking 'patience' can be bought and sold!"

Later, this matter reached the ears of King Dole, saying that there was a lunatic in the market who wanted to buy "Patience".The king laughed and said:
"I want to meet this guy and bring him to me."

The entourage went at once to fetch him, and brought him before the king.the king asked:

"What do you want to buy?"

He replied: "Your Majesty! My master asked me to come out and buy 'Patience'."

"Well!" said the king, "your master is very strange. What does he want it for?"

"My master wants it as a present for his daughter Imani," replied the servant.

"Well!" said the King, "I've heard of a thing called 'Patience,' and the young lady can have it if she wants it. But it's not for sale."

It turned out that the king's name was Subal Khan.Subal also means "patience".Of course the servant didn't know this and thought the king was joking.So he said that Princess Imani was not only young and beautiful, but also extremely smart, hardworking and kind.If the king hadn't smiled and waved his hand to stop him, he would have continued to praise the princess's virtues.The king interrupted him and said:
"Okay, okay, wait a moment, I'll see if I can get it for you."

With that said, he stood up, went back to his room, and took out a small box.Putting a fan in the box, he closed it carefully, carried it back to the servant, and said:

"It's a box that has neither lock nor key, but which opens at the touch of anyone who needs what's inside—and whoever can open it gets patience. But I'm not sure if it's just The kind of 'patience' you want." The servant bowed deeply and took the box.When he asked the king how much he wanted, the king said nothing.In this way, he went back, gave the box to the king, and told what had happened.

As soon as the king returned home, Kupti and Imani each received a gift from their father.Imani was surprised when she took the box from the servant.

"But," said she, "what is it? I never said I wanted anything! I had no time to think about what I wanted, and the messenger ran away before I could untie the knot!"

But the servant said that the box was for her, so she took it curiously and handed it to the old monk.The old man tried to open it, but the lid was so tight that it wouldn't budge.There's nothing you can do with it, though there's no lock on it, no bolt or spring or anything like that to hold it tight.When he got impatient, he gave it to the princess again.Just as she was about to lift it, the box opened automatically, and there was a beautiful fan inside.Imani let out a cry of surprise, picked up the fan and fanned it.

She had just slapped it three times, and Subal Khan, King of Dur, appeared out of nowhere.The princess was taken aback and rubbed her eyes.The old monk sat there stunned and speechless, and after a while he asked:

"My dear sir, can you please tell us who you are?"

"My name is Subal Khan, and I am from the country of Dur." He bowed to the princess and continued, "This lady summoned me, so here I am!"

"Me?" the princess stammered, "I summoned you? I have never seen you, nor heard your name. How could I possibly summon you?"

So, the king told them how he heard that a person wanted to buy "Patience" in the country of Duer, and how he put the fan in a box and gave it to that person.

"Both of these things have magical powers," he went on, "as soon as someone lifts the fan and fanes it three times, I will come to him. If I fold the fan and tap it three times on the table, I will Will go back to my own home. This box is not for anyone to open. You see, this beautiful lady needs 'patience' and that's my name, so here I am, more than happy to help you. "

Princess Imani was in high spirits, and she couldn't wait to close her fan, knock three times on the table, and send the king back.But the old monk liked his guest very much, so they went one way or another, and had a good evening until Subal Khan took his leave.

Since then, the king has often been called.Both he and the monk liked to play chess very well.They often stay half night at a time.Later, a small room in this house became the king's room.Whenever he played chess too late, he would sleep here and go home the next morning.

Soon, Princess Kupti heard that there was a handsome and rich young man who often visited her sister, and Kupti was very jealous.So one day she came to see her sister too, pretending to be interested and interested in their house, their life, and their noble and mysterious guest.As they looked around together, Imani showed her Subal Khan's room as well.After a while, Cupti found an excuse, sneaked into the king's small room, and scattered the many poisoned glass shards he brought with him under the bed sheet.After a little while, she said goodbye to her sister, saying that she hadn't come to see them all this time, it was unforgivable, and she would make up for her mistakes in the future.

That night, King Subal Khan came again and played chess with the old monk as usual, very late.Feeling tired, he said good night to the monk and the princess, and went to sleep in his bed.As soon as he lay down, countless tiny pieces of poisonous glass pierced into his skin.He didn't know what was going on, and kept turning over and over until his whole body was stabbed all over.He felt as if he was burning from head to toe, and he guessed that he might have been poisoned, and it turned out that he had been poisoned in Imani's house, but he didn't say a word, but sat all night, bearing the pain of his flesh. Pain and greater pain inside.The next morning, although he was on the verge of fainting, he said nothing.The magic fan sent him home as usual.The king sent for the best doctors and pharmacists in the country.But no one could tell what disease he had.Week after week passed, he endured, tried all kinds of treatments, and spent every day and night in sleeplessness, pain, high fever and torture.Finally, he has come to the brink of death.

During this period, Princess Imani and the old monk were very confused.Although they waved their fans again and again, Subal Khan never showed his face.They guessed that perhaps the king found them annoying, or some bad luck had befallen him.At last, the princess felt very uneasy and worried, and she decided to go to the country of Duer herself to see what was going on.She put on men's clothes, dressed as a young monk, and set off on foot like an ascetic.One night she lay down under a big tree in the forest, and was going to spend the night there.I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about Subal Khan and not knowing what had happened to him.At this time, she heard two monkeys talking in the tree above her head.

"Good evening, brother," said a monkey. "Where are you from? Is there any news."

"I come from the country of Dur," said the other monkey, "and I have news that the king is dying."

"Ah!" said the first monkey, "I'm sorry for the news! For he's a good hunter, especially for leopards and such damned beasts. What's the matter with him?"

"No one knows," said the second monkey, "but the birds who see everything and spread the news say that he was poisoned by the poisonous glass that Kupti, the eldest daughter of the King, sprinkled on his bed, Killed like this."

"Ah!" said the first monkey, "too bad. But if only they knew, the fruit from the tree we are sitting on will save him. Just soak the fruit in hot water and It can be used to treat this disease, and it will take at most three days."

"That's right!" said another monkey, "such a simple cure can save a good man's life, but it's a pity we can't tell anyone about it. People are so stupid that they shut themselves up in closed rooms." In cities and closed houses, they don't want to live in the forest with fresh air, so there are many good things they don't know."

When Imani heard that Subal Khan was going to die, she slowly shed tears.Later, she wiped away her tears and sat up.As soon as the sky turned gray, she began to gather berries from the trees, and did not stop until her clothes could no longer hold them.Then, she rushed to Duer City as fast as she could.The first thing she did when she entered the city two days later was to go to the market place and cry:
"Sell medicine! Is there anyone who is sick and needs my medicine?"

A man said to his neighbor:
"There is a young monk selling medicine, maybe he can heal the king."

"Bah!" Another person replied, "So many people with white beards can't do it. What's the use of such a young man?"

"Let him try it," said the first person.So they went together to the palace, and announced that another physician had come to try and see if he could cure the king.

After a while, Imani was allowed into the king's bedroom.She was so well disguised that the King could hardly recognize her; and the King was so disfigured by disease that she almost did not recognize him either.The princess was full of hope, and she asked at once for a room, and a pot for boiling water, in which she was to be alone.When the water was hot, she soaked some of the berries she had brought, and gave it to the king's entourage to wash the king's body with them.The first scrub was very effective, and the king slept very peacefully all night.The next day she did the same thing again, and this time after washing, the king said he was hungry and wanted something to eat.By the third day he was almost well, only feeling weak from a long illness.On the fourth day the king rose from his bed, mounted his throne, and sent for the doctor who had saved his life.

When Imani walked in, everyone was very surprised. They didn't expect such a young doctor to be so skilled!The king will give her a lot of money and all kinds of expensive gifts.At first, Imani wanted nothing.She said afterward that if she had to, she would have the King's signet ring and handkerchief.Seeing that she wanted nothing else, the king gave her these two things.So she set off in haste to return to her own country as quickly as possible.

After she got home, she immediately told the monk what had happened.They used the magic fan to find King Subal Khan.When he showed up, they asked him why he hadn't been here for so long.The king told them about his illness and how to be saved.After he finished speaking, the princess stood up, opened the cabinet, took out the ring and handkerchief, and asked with a smile:
"Is this your gift to the doctor?"

The king looked, and finally recognized her as the doctor, and understood what had happened.

Immediately he stood up, put the magic fan in his pocket, and declared that no one could send him back to his country unless Imani went with him to be his wife.

That's it.The old monk and Princess Imani went to the country of Duer with him.There, Imani married the king, and the two of them have lived happily ever after.

(End of this chapter)