Judge Bao and the Swapped Prince · chapter 6 of 6
Mother and Son
母子相见
In the quiet before dawn, an emperor kneels before an old woman who cannot see him. A little jade lock, a tiny bite mark and twenty years of tears say the rest.
Read what you hear
- Court Clerk 大人！皇上来了！他一个人，穿着普通的衣服！
Dàrén! Huángshang lái le! Tā yí gè rén, chuānzhe pǔtōng de yīfu!
Sir! The emperor has come! He's alone, in plain clothes!
- Judge Bao 老人家，请站起来。有一个人想见你。
Lǎorenjia, qǐng zhàn qǐlái. Yǒu yí gè rén xiǎng jiàn nǐ.
Old lady, please stand up. Someone wants to see you.
- Old Lady Li 是谁？我的心，怎么跳得这么快……
Shì shéi? Wǒ de xīn, zěnme tiào de zhème kuài…
Who is it? Why is my heart beating so fast...
Chapter 6 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Judge Bao and the Swapped Prince is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Emperor Renzong 老人家，我想先问你一件事。你的孩子脖子上，挂着什么？
Lǎorenjia, wǒ xiǎng xiān wèn nǐ yí jiàn shì. Nǐ de háizi bózi shàng, guà zhe shénme?
Old lady, I want to ask you one thing first. What hung around your child's neck?
- Old Lady Li 一把玉锁，红绳子。……你的声音，为什么这么像……
Yì bǎ yùsuǒ, hóng shéngzi. … nǐ de shēngyīn, wèishénme zhème xiàng…
A jade lock on a red string. ...Your voice, why does it sound so much like...
- Emperor Renzong 是这一把吗？请你摸一摸。
Shì zhè yì bǎ ma? Qǐng nǐ mō yi mō.
Is it this one? Please touch it.
- Old Lady Li 是它……是它！这里有一个小缺口，是他三个月大，自己咬出来的！
Shì tā… shì tā! Zhèlǐ yǒu yí gè xiǎo quēkǒu, shì tā sān gè yuè dà, zìjǐ yǎo chūlái de!
It's this one... it is! This little chip here, he bit it himself when he was three months old!
- Emperor Renzong 母亲……
Mǔqīn…
Mother...
- Old Lady Li 你……你刚才叫我什么？
Nǐ… nǐ gāngcái jiào wǒ shénme?
You... what did you just call me?
- Emperor Renzong 母亲。孩儿来晚了。二十年了，孩儿来晚了！
Mǔqīn. Hái'ér lái wǎn le. Èrshí nián le, hái'ér lái wǎn le!
Mother. Your child is late. Twenty years, your child is late!
- Old Lady Li 我的孩子！让我摸摸你的脸。你长这么大了……
Wǒ de háizi! Ràng wǒ mōmo nǐ de liǎn. Nǐ zhǎng zhème dà le…
My child! Let me touch your face. You have grown so big...
- Court Clerk 大人，我没有哭。我……我只是有一点感冒。
Dàrén, wǒ méiyǒu kū. Wǒ… wǒ zhǐshì yǒu yìdiǎn gǎnmào.
Sir, I'm not crying. I... I just have a little cold.
- Judge Bao 衙役，你的脸都湿了，鼻子也红了。
Yáyì, nǐ de liǎn dōu shī le, bízi yě hóng le.
Clerk, your whole face is wet, and your nose is red too.
- Old Lady Li 你像你的父亲。你笑起来，和他一模一样。
Nǐ xiàng nǐ de fùqīn. Nǐ xiào qǐlái, hé tā yìmú yíyàng.
You look like your father. When you smile, you are just like him.
- Emperor Renzong 母亲，我们回宫吧。您再也不用住在破窑里了。
Mǔqīn, wǒmen huígōng ba. Nín zài yě búyòng zhù zài pòyáo lǐ le.
Mother, let's go back to the palace. You will never have to live in a broken kiln again.
- Old Lady Li 回宫？孩子，我不想再进那个地方了。可是……只要你在那里，我就去。
Huígōng? Háizi, wǒ bù xiǎng zài jìn nà ge dìfang le. Kěshì… zhǐyào nǐ zài nàlǐ, wǒ jiù qù.
Back to the palace? Child, I never wanted to enter that place again. But... if you are there, I will go.
- Empress Dowager Liu 皇儿！等等我！
Huáng'ér! Děngdeng wǒ!
My son! Wait for me!
- Emperor Renzong 母后。您养了我二十年，我都记得。可是这位，也是我的母亲。
Mǔhòu. Nín yǎng le wǒ èrshí nián, wǒ dōu jìde. Kěshì zhè wèi, yě shì wǒ de mǔqīn.
Mother. You raised me for twenty years and I remember it all. But this lady is also my mother.
- Empress Dowager Liu 我……我怕。我怕你知道以后，就不要我了。
Wǒ… wǒ pà. Wǒ pà nǐ zhīdao yǐhòu, jiù bú yào wǒ le.
I... I was afraid. I was afraid that once you knew, you would not want me anymore.
- Emperor Renzong 母后做错了事。可是您给我做过冬天的衣服，教我写字，这些我不会忘。
Mǔhòu zuò cuò le shì. Kěshì nín gěi wǒ zuò guò dōngtiān de yīfu, jiào wǒ xiězì, zhèxiē wǒ bú huì wàng.
Mother, you did wrong. But you made me winter clothes and taught me to write, and I will not forget that.
- Judge Bao 皇上，太后，做错了事，总要有一个交代。但不是今晚。
Huángshang, tàihòu, zuò cuò le shì, zǒngyào yǒu yí gè jiāodài. Dàn bú shì jīnwǎn.
Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, a wrong must be answered for. But not tonight.
- Empress Dowager Liu 李……李妹妹。我对不起你。
Lǐ… Lǐ mèimei. Wǒ duìbuqǐ nǐ.
Sister... Sister Li. I am sorry.
- Old Lady Li 你让我哭了二十年。可是今天，我等到了我的孩子。我不想再恨了。
Nǐ ràng wǒ kū le èrshí nián. Kěshì jīntiān, wǒ děngdào le wǒ de háizi. Wǒ bù xiǎng zài hèn le.
You made me cry for twenty years. But today I have my child again. I do not want to hate anymore.
- Emperor Renzong 从今天起，母亲住在皇宫里最好的房间。谁也不能再让您受苦。
Cóng jīntiān qǐ, mǔqīn zhù zài huánggōng lǐ zuìhǎo de fángjiān. Shéi yě bù néng zài ràng nín shòukǔ.
From today, Mother will live in the best room in the palace. No one will ever make you suffer again.
- Judge Bao 皇上，请最好的大夫，来看看老人家的眼睛吧。
Huángshang, qǐng zuìhǎo de dàifu, lái kàn kan lǎorenjia de yǎnjing ba.
Your Majesty, please have the best doctor look at the old lady's eyes.
- Emperor Renzong 好！明天一早就请。
Hǎo! Míngtiān yì zǎo jiù qǐng.
Yes! First thing tomorrow.
- Old Lady Li 孩子，你能告诉我，这二十年，你都做了什么吗？
Háizi, nǐ néng gàosu wǒ, zhè èrshí nián, nǐ dōu zuò le shénme ma?
My child, will you tell me what you did in these twenty years?
- Emperor Renzong 母亲，我说一个晚上也说不完。
Mǔqīn, wǒ shuō yí gè wǎnshang yě shuōbuwán.
Mother, I couldn't finish telling you in a whole night.
- Old Lady Li 那就慢慢说。我有很多个晚上。
Nà jiù mànmàn shuō. Wǒ yǒu hěn duō gè wǎnshang.
Then tell it slowly. I have many nights.
- Emperor Renzong 母亲，我会天天来陪您。每天早上，我先来看您，再去上朝。
Mǔqīn, wǒ huì tiāntiān lái péi nín. Měitiān zǎoshang, wǒ xiān lái kàn nín, zài qù shàngcháo.
Mother, I will come to keep you company every day. Every morning I will see you first, and then go to court.
- Judge Bao 太阳快出来了。这个故事，终于有了一个好结尾。
Tàiyáng kuài chūlái le. Zhège gùshi, zhōngyú yǒu le yí gè hǎo jiéwěi.
The sun is about to rise. This story has finally found a good ending.
- Court Clerk 大人！衙门口有人在敲大鼓！他说，有一件天大的冤案！
Dàrén! Yámén kǒu yǒu rén zài qiāo dàgǔ! Tā shuō, yǒu yí jiàn tiāndà de yuān'àn!
Sir! Someone is beating the big drum at the court gate! He says there is a terrible case of injustice!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How does the old woman know the visitor is her son?
“这里有一个小缺口，是他三个月大，自己咬出来的”
- What does the emperor call the old woman?
“母亲。孩儿来晚了”
- What does the clerk claim when he cries?
“我只是有一点感冒”
- What does the old woman decide about the empress dowager?
“我不想再恨了”
- What interrupts the happy ending?
“衙门口有人在敲大鼓”