<h2 class="label">XX</h2>
<h2 class="main">THE RESOURCEFUL WIFE</h2></div>
<div class="divBody">
<p class="par first">In the last year of Yon-san terrible evils were
abroad among the people. Such wickedness as the world had never seen
before was perpetrated, of which his Majesty was the evil genius. He
even gave orders to his eunuchs and underlings to bring to him any
women of special beauty that they might see in the homes of the highest
nobility, and whoever pleased him he used as his own. “Never mind
objections,” said he, “take them by force and come.”
Such were his orders. No one escaped him. He even went so far as to
publish abroad that Minister So and So’s wife preferred him to
her husband and would like to live always in the Palace. It was the
common talk of the city, and people were dumbfounded.</p>
<p class="par">For that reason all hearts forsook him, and because of
this he was dethroned, and King Choong-jong reigned in his stead.</p>
<p class="par">In these days of trouble there was a young wife of a
certain minister, who was very beautiful in form and face. One day it
fell about that she was <span class="pagenum">[<SPAN name="xd21e1701" href="#xd21e1701" name="xd21e1701">103</SPAN>]</span>ordered into the Palace.
Other women, when called, would cry and behave as though their lives
were forfeited, but this young woman showed not the slightest sign of
fear. She dressed and went straight into the Palace. King Yon-san saw
her, and ordered her to come close to him. She came, and then in a
sudden manner the most terrible odour imaginable was noticeable. The
King held his fan before his face, turned aside, spat, and said,
“Dear me, I cannot stand this one, take her away,” and so
she escaped undefiled.</p>
<p class="par">How it came about was thus: She knew that she was likely
to be called at any moment, and so had planned a ruse by which to
escape. Two slices of meat she had kept constantly on hand, decayed and
foul-smelling, but always ready. She placed these under her arms as she
dressed and went into the Palace, and so provided this awful and
unaccountable odour.</p>
<p class="par">All that knew of it praised her bravery and
sagacity.</p>
<p class="par signed"><span class="sc">Im Bang.</span> <span class="pagenum">[<SPAN name="xd21e1711" href="#xd21e1711" name=
"xd21e1711">104</SPAN>]</span></p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="ch21" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<SPAN href="#xd21e400">Contents</SPAN>]</span>
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