yellow-green fairy tale book

Chapter 40 The Silent Princess (1)
Once upon a time, there was a pasha (a high official) in Turkey who, since he had only one son, loved him very much and let him play all day long instead of learning useful things like his friends.

One of the boy's favorite toys was a golden ball, which he could play with from morning to night without giving anyone trouble.One day he was sitting in the gazebo in the garden playing, throwing a ball against the wall and catching it again.At this time, he saw an old woman carrying a clay pot to draw water from a well in the corner of the garden.He seized the golden ball and threw it at her clay pot, which shattered and fell to the floor.The old woman was taken aback, but said nothing, turned around and went back to get another one.As soon as she left, the little boy ran to get his ball back, and just as he ran back to the gazebo, he saw the old woman coming to the well with another clay pot on her shoulder.She just grabbed the handle of the clay pot and put it down to fill the water, only to hear a "bang", and the clay pot at her feet was smashed to pieces again!Of course the old woman was very angry, but because she was afraid of the pasha, she didn't dare to speak out, so she had to spend her last pennies to buy a new clay pot.But this new clay pot was also doomed, and was smashed into pieces by the golden ball thrown by the little boy.The old woman couldn't hold back any longer, she waved her fist and shouted at the boy hiding in the gazebo:

"I hope you will be punished for falling in love with the silent princess!" Then he left.

For a while, the little boy didn't take these words to heart, he simply forgot them.However, as time passed year by year, he began to think more and more, and the words of the old woman kept ringing in his ears.

"Who is the silent princess? Why is falling in love with her a punishment?" He kept asking himself, but couldn't find the answer.But that didn't stop him from asking himself again and again.In the end, he was so exhausted by the problem that he fell ill, couldn't eat anything, and ended up bedridden.His father, Pasha, was frightened by his strange disease and invited all the doctors in the kingdom to see him, but no one could cure him.

"How did you get this disease, my child!" the pasha asked his son one day. "If we knew, there might be a better way to cure you."

So the young man told his father what had happened many years ago, when he was a boy, and what the old woman had said.

"I beg you," he added, when he had finished his story, "please, let me go out and find this princess, and it may cure me." Though it would be hard for him to be separated from his only son , but Pasha knew that if he kept him at home, he would definitely die.

"Go! You'll be all right!" he said.Then he went out and called his most trusted servant, and ordered him to go with his young master.

Soon, they will be ready.One morning, the two of them set off.But neither the old servant nor the young master knew where to go or what to do.At first they wandered about in a great dense forest, and then they went into a wilderness, where they wandered for six months, seeing not a single living person or animal, and hardly any food or drink. .The people were all skinny, and their clothes were in tatters, hanging on them like rags.At this time, they had forgotten all about the princess, and only thought about whether they could return home alive.One day they found themselves standing on the ridge of a mountain with stones shining like diamonds beneath their feet.

When a small old man walked in front of them, they were so happy that their hearts almost jumped out.Seeing the old man, they seemed to come back to reality again, and the feeling of being in a trance like enchantment disappeared.They greeted the newcomers excitedly: "Friends, where are we?" The old man told them that they were on the mountain where the Sudanese daughter lived. Her head was covered with seven layers of veils. reflection of brilliance.

Hearing this news, all the dangers and hardships I had experienced before disappeared in smoke.

"How can I get to her as soon as possible?" asked the young man impatiently.But the old man only replied:
"Be patient, my child, be patient. It's six months' journey to get to the palace where the princess and the ladies live. And even there you have to think, if you can't get her to talk, You'll have to lose your head like everyone else. Be careful!"

But the young man only smiled at his advice. ——It was the same with other young people before.

After walking for three months, they found themselves on the top of another mountain.The young man was amazed to see that the surroundings of the mountain were beautiful red.On the cliff not far away, there is a small village.The young man proposed to take a rest there.The people in the village welcomed them very warmly, brought them food and arranged beds for them to sleep in.Two passers-by were grateful for a place to rest their weary feet.

The next morning, they asked their master how many days it would take to get to the place where the princess lived. Why is the color of this mountain redder than other mountains?
"You still have three and a half months to travel," said the master to them. "At that time, you will see that you have reached the gate of the palace where the princess lives. As for the color of the mountain, it is the princess's ruddy face and the color of the mountain. The lips are reflected through the seven layers of veil. But no one has seen her face, she sat there without saying a word. But it is said that many people lost their lives because of her."

The young man was not ready to hear any more, thanked his kind master, stood up with his servant, and began to climb up the hill.

They kept walking in the mountains.When it was dark, I slept under a big tree or in a cave; when I was hungry, I ate berries or fish I caught from the river.In the end, their clothes were almost torn into rags, and their legs were too tired to take another step.At this time, they saw a yellow marble palace on the top of the opposite mountain.

"Look! That's it, it's here at last!" cried the young man, and the blood in his veins boiled again.However, when he and his partner started to climb to the top of the mountain, they stopped in horror.The ground is covered with white skeletons!The young man first recovered his composure, and said to his companion with an effort to pretend that nothing had happened:

"These must be the skulls of those who failed to try to get the princess to speak. Well! If we fail too, our bones will remain here too."

"Ah! Let's turn back! My son, before it's too late!" the servant begged him, "Your father asked me to take care of you, but when I came out, I didn't expect that death was waiting for us."

"Courage! Oh, Lara! Take courage!" answered the young man. "A man must die once in his life. Besides, the Princess must speak some day! Is that so?"

So, they continued to walk forward with many bones.Later, they came to a village where they decided to take a break in order to recharge their batteries for the challenges that lay ahead of them.But this time, even though the people who received them were also very kind and friendly, their faces were covered with shadows, and from time to time, voices of grief came to their ears:

"Ah! my brother, have you left me forever?" "Ah! my child! shall I never see you again?" When the young man and his servant asked these When people cry about what is going on, the answer is already obvious.

"Alas! You have come here to die! This city belongs to the princess's father, the sultan. Any reckless person who wants to make the princess speak must first ask the sultan's permission. After he has permission, he will be banned Bring it to the princess. After seeing these bones, you may understand what happened in the future."

The young man nodded his thanks. He stood there thinking for a while, then turned to his servant Lala and said:
"Okay, the time to decide our fate has come! Be as thoughtful and safe as possible, and don't act recklessly!"

For two or three days in a row, they wandered around the market, watching and listening carefully.One morning they saw a man carrying a birdcage with a nightingale in it.The nightingale's song was so beautiful that the young man could not help but stop and admire it, and immediately offered to buy it.

"Hey, isn't it cumbersome to buy such useless things?" Lala said dissatisfiedly, "Do you feel that there are too few troubles at hand and in your mind, and you have to add more burdens to yourself?" But young people always like Going her own way, ignoring Lala's dissatisfaction, bought Nightingale at a high price, brought it back to the inn, and hung it in the room.That night, the young man sat there alone in a daze, trying hard to think of any way to make the princess speak, but he couldn't do anything, and couldn't think of any way.Nightingale gently removed the small stick tied to the cage, opened the door of the cage and flew out. Standing on the young man's shoulder, she asked softly in his ear:

"My son, what troubled you so much?" The young man was startled.In his hometown, the birds can't talk!Like most people, he was initially a little intimidated by things he didn't understand, but he was immediately ashamed of his stupidity.So, in order to get the princess's love, he spent more than a year trekking across mountains and rivers to come here; now that he has arrived at the destination, he can't think of a way to make the princess speak, etc. Ten said it.

"Ah, you don't need to worry about this!" Nightingale said, "It's not difficult to do. Go to the princess's room tonight and take me with you. After entering the princess's room, take me Stealthily placed in the pedestal under the great golden candlestick. The princess's head was wrapped in a thick seven-layered veil, and nothing could be seen, and of course, her face could not be seen by others. Then, you go to pay her respects, However, she will definitely not answer you. Then, you say sorry to bother her, and now you have to say a few words to Jin Candlestick. As soon as you open your mouth, I will promise you. "

The young man hid the nightingale in the cloak he wore, and set out to the palace, and asked to see the Sultan, and he was soon granted permission.He left the cloak that hid the nightingale in a dark corner outside the door, then went up to the throne where the Sultan sat, and bowed to him.

"What do you want?" Sudan asked carefully, looking at the tall and handsome young man in front of him.But when he heard the young man's intention, he shook his head sympathetically.

"If you can get her to talk, of course she will marry you," said the Sultan, "but if you can't, do you notice the skulls scattered here and there on the hills outside?"

"Oh, someday someone will break the spell, Sultan!" answered the young man bravely. "Why can't it be me? Anyway, I have sworn it, and I can't take it back."

"Well, since you must go, go!" said the Sultan.He ordered his attendants to lead the young man into the princess' chambers, but he was only allowed to enter by himself.

It was already night, and he came to the corridor, taking advantage of the darkness and no one to see, and took up his cloak and birdcage.

The young man entered a room and saw nothing in it but a silk cushion and a large gold candlestick.Looking at the cushion, his heart skipped a beat, "plop, plop".He knew that beneath those shimmering veils was the princess he dreamed of day and night.With great apprehension, he hastily placed the bird in the base of the candlestick, lest others should see it.Then, he turned around, calmed himself down, cleared his voice, and said hello to the princess.

The princess didn't even move her hand to show that she didn't hear.Of course the young man was mentally prepared, so he began to tell how he had traveled long distances and traveled through many strange countries to come here.But none of these could break the princess' silence. "I see that you have no interest in what I have to say," said the young man at last, "but I have been silenced for several months along the way, and I feel that I need someone to speak to now. So, I had no choice but to talk to the candlestick." Then, he walked around the princess, came to the candlestick, and said loudly: "Ah, the extremely exquisite candlestick, how are you?"

"Very well, my lord." Nightingale replied, "I feel that I have not been spoken to for many years, and now that you have come, I beg you to listen to my story."

"Very willing." The young man said, and sat cross-legged on the ground, because there was no cushion for him to sit on.

"Once upon a time," began the Nightingale, "there was a Sultan whose princess was the most beautiful girl in the whole kingdom, and who had been courted by countless people. However, she did not fall in love with anyone so easily. In the end, there were three young people who she thought she could still consider. But which one of the three would she choose? She couldn't make up her mind, so she went to her father to discuss it. The father called the three young people and asked them to meet at six. In one month, everyone must learn a craft, and whoever learns the best will be married to the princess.

"The three suitors might be a little disappointed in secret, but they felt that this kind of test was indeed reasonable, so they walked out of the palace together, discussing what they should learn. It was a very hot day, and they came to a mountain spring , stopped to drink water and rest. At this point, one of them said:
"'It seems we'd better go our separate ways to find our own fortunes, and we'll hide our rings under this stone, and go our separate ways. Whoever comes back from his studies will take his own ring, so that we'll know whether each Everyone did what the Sultan said, or someone had an accident.'"'Okay. ' said two others.They each put their rings in a small hole, and carefully placed stones on it, and they went their separate ways.For six months, they didn't know each other what the other was doing or learning.On the appointed day, they met again by the spring.Everyone is very happy, you talk about the skills you have learned and how you spent the days of learning skills.

(End of this chapter)