Judge Bao and the Swapped Prince · chapter 5 of 6
The Jade Lock
皇上的玉锁
At midnight in the palace, Judge Bao asks the young emperor one small question about a jade lock. Then a sharp voice at the door says one word too many.
Read what you hear
- Emperor Renzong 包大人，这么晚进宫，一定有大事。说吧。
Bāo dàrén, zhème wǎn jìngōng, yídìng yǒu dà shì. Shuō ba.
Lord Bao, you come to the palace this late, so it must be important. Speak.
- Judge Bao 皇上，臣只想问一件小事。皇上的脖子上，是不是挂着一把玉锁？
Huángshang, chén zhǐ xiǎng wèn yí jiàn xiǎoshì. Huángshang de bózi shàng, shì bu shì guà zhe yì bǎ yùsuǒ?
Your Majesty, I only want to ask a small thing. Do you wear a jade lock around your neck?
- Emperor Renzong 你怎么知道？这是八王爷给我的。他说，这是我出生的时候戴的。
Nǐ zěnme zhīdao? Zhè shì Bā wángyé gěi wǒ de. Tā shuō, zhè shì wǒ chūshēng de shíhou dài de.
How do you know? Prince Ba gave it to me. He said I wore it when I was born.
Chapter 5 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.
- Judge Bao 皇上，请看这位老人。陈琳，进来吧。
Huángshang, qǐng kàn zhè wèi lǎorén. Chén Lín, jìnlái ba.
Your Majesty, please look at this old man. Chen Lin, come in.
- Old Chen Lin 皇……皇上！老奴陈琳，给皇上请安。
Huáng… huángshang! Lǎonú Chén Lín, gěi huángshang qǐng'ān.
Y-Your Majesty! This old servant Chen Lin pays you his respects.
- Emperor Renzong 陈琳？你是八王爷府里的人。你为什么在发抖？
Chén Lín? Nǐ shì Bā wángyé fǔlǐ de rén. Nǐ wèishénme zài fādǒu?
Chen Lin? You are from Prince Ba's household. Why are you shaking?
- Old Chen Lin 皇上，这件事，老奴二十年没有说。今天不说，死了也不能闭眼。
Huángshang, zhè jiàn shì, lǎonú èrshí nián méiyǒu shuō. Jīntiān bù shuō, sǐ le yě bù néng bìyǎn.
Your Majesty, this old servant has kept silent for twenty years. If I don't speak today, I will not rest even in death.
- Emperor Renzong 什么事？你说，我听着。
Shénme shì? Nǐ shuō, wǒ tīng zhe.
What is it? Speak. I am listening.
- Old Chen Lin 皇上的亲生母亲，是李娘娘。当年，刘娘娘用一只狸猫，换走了您。
Huángshang de qīnshēng mǔqīn, shì Lǐ niángniang. Dāngnián, Liú niángniang yòng yì zhī límāo, huàn zǒu le nín.
Your Majesty's true mother is Lady Li. Back then, Lady Liu swapped you for a civet cat.
- Emperor Renzong 胡说！这样的话，怎么能乱说！
Húshuō! Zhèyàng de huà, zěnme néng luàn shuō!
Nonsense! How can you say such things so carelessly!
- Old Chen Lin 皇上，请您看一看玉锁的后面。那里刻着一个“福”字，是寇珠亲手挂上的。
Huángshang, qǐng nín kàn yi kàn yùsuǒ de hòumiàn. Nàlǐ kèzhe yí gè “fú” zì, shì Kòu Zhū qīnshǒu guà shàng de.
Your Majesty, please look at the back of the jade lock. A character for luck is carved there. Kou Zhu hung it on you with her own hands.
- Emperor Renzong 福字……真的有。……可是，这也许只是巧合。
Fú zì… zhēnde yǒu. … kěshì, zhè yěxǔ zhǐshì qiǎohé.
The character for luck... it is really there. ...But maybe it is only a coincidence.
- Judge Bao 皇上息怒。这不是巧合。臣有证人，有玉锁，还有一个人在等着皇上。
Huángshang xī nù. Zhè bú shì qiǎohé. Chén yǒu zhèngrén, yǒu yùsuǒ, háiyǒu yí gè rén zài děng zhe huángshang.
Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. It is no coincidence. I have a witness, the jade lock, and one more person waiting for you.
- Emperor Renzong 谁？
Shéi?
Who?
- Judge Bao 一位老人家。二十年来，她一个人住在破窑里，眼睛都哭得看不见了。
Yí wèi lǎorenjia. Èrshí nián lái, tā yí gè rén zhù zài pòyáo lǐ, yǎnjing dōu kū de kànbujiàn le.
An old lady. For twenty years she has lived alone in a broken kiln, and she has cried until she cannot see.
- Emperor Renzong 二十年……破窑……可是母后养了我二十年。她给我做衣服，教我读书……
Èrshí nián… pòyáo… kěshì mǔhòu yǎng le wǒ èrshí nián. Tā gěi wǒ zuò yīfu, jiào wǒ dúshū…
Twenty years... a broken kiln... but Mother raised me for twenty years. She made my clothes and taught me to read...
- Emperor Renzong 包大人，我的头好乱。你要我怎么办？
Bāo dàrén, wǒ de tóu hǎo luàn. Nǐ yào wǒ zěnme bàn?
Lord Bao, my head is in a mess. What do you want me to do?
- Judge Bao 请皇上亲自去看，亲自去听。然后，请皇上自己决定。
Qǐng huángshang qīnzì qù kàn, qīnzì qù tīng. Ránhòu, qǐng huángshang zìjǐ juédìng.
Please go and see for yourself, and hear for yourself. Then decide for yourself.
- Emperor Renzong 好。可是包大人，如果这是假的，我不会原谅你。
Hǎo. Kěshì Bāo dàrén, rúguǒ zhè shì jiǎ de, wǒ bú huì yuánliàng nǐ.
All right. But Lord Bao, if this is false, I will not forgive you.
- Judge Bao 臣愿意。请皇上放心。
Chén yuànyì. Qǐng huángshang fàngxīn.
I accept that. Please rest assured, Your Majesty.
- Empress Dowager Liu 皇儿，这么晚了，你要去哪里？
Huáng'ér, zhème wǎn le, nǐ yào qù nǎlǐ?
My son, it is so late. Where are you going?
- Emperor Renzong 母后！儿臣……儿臣想出去走一走。
Mǔhòu! Érchén… érchén xiǎng chūqù zǒu yi zǒu.
Mother! I... I wanted to go out for a walk.
- Empress Dowager Liu 包大人也在。你们半夜进宫，是有什么事要瞒着我吗？
Bāo dàrén yě zài. Nǐmen bànyè jìngōng, shì yǒu shénme shì yào mán zhe wǒ ma?
Lord Bao is here too. You come into the palace at midnight. Is there something you are hiding from me?
- Judge Bao 太后，臣是来给皇上讲一个二十年前的故事。
Tàihòu, chén shì lái gěi huángshang jiǎng yí gè èrshí nián qián de gùshi.
Empress Dowager, I came to tell His Majesty a story from twenty years ago.
- Empress Dowager Liu 二十年前？……什么故事？
Èrshí nián qián? … shénme gùshi?
Twenty years ago? ...What story?
- Judge Bao 一个关于狸猫的故事。
Yí gè guānyú límāo de gùshi.
A story about a civet cat.
- Empress Dowager Liu 来人！包大人喝多了，把他带出去！
Lái rén! Bāo dàrén hē duō le, bǎ tā dài chūqù!
Guards! Lord Bao has had too much to drink. Take him out!
- Emperor Renzong 母后……您为什么这么怕一个故事？
Mǔhòu… nín wèishénme zhème pà yí gè gùshi?
Mother... why are you so afraid of a story?
- Empress Dowager Liu 我没有怕。皇儿，你不要相信他。
Wǒ méiyǒu pà. Huáng'ér, nǐ bú yào xiāngxìn tā.
I am not afraid. My son, do not believe him.
- Emperor Renzong 母后，我想去看一位老人家。今天晚上就去。
Mǔhòu, wǒ xiǎng qù kàn yí wèi lǎorenjia. Jīntiān wǎnshang jiù qù.
Mother, I want to go and see an old lady. Tonight.
- Empress Dowager Liu 不许去！那个女人是骗子，她会毁了你！
Bùxǔ qù! Nà ge nǚrén shì piànzi, tā huì huǐ le nǐ!
You are forbidden! That woman is a liar, and she will ruin you!
- Emperor Renzong 母后……我只说了一位老人家。您怎么知道，她是一个女人？
Mǔhòu… wǒ zhǐ shuō le yí wèi lǎorenjia. Nín zěnme zhīdao, tā shì yí gè nǚrén?
Mother... I only said an old person. How do you know she is a woman?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does the emperor wear around his neck?
“这是八王爷给我的”
- What does Chen Lin tell the emperor?
“皇上的亲生母亲，是李娘娘……刘娘娘用一只狸猫，换走了您”
- How does the emperor first react?
“胡说！这样的话，怎么能乱说”
- How does the empress dowager react to "a story about a civet cat"?
“一个关于狸猫的故事……来人！包大人喝多了，把他带出去”
- What slip does the empress dowager make?
“您怎么知道，她是一个女人”