‘Will you tell me what her Imperial Majesty desires me to do?’
‘Her Majesty graciously condescends to confide in you. Her slaves who
reside among the Western viceroys have assured her that you respect
the precept of the great Khung--“The counsellor who betrays his
lord’s secret and the child who bites his mother, these are too base
to be pardoned.”’
‘Go on,’ I said, becoming slightly impatient.
‘It being impossible to do what the German Viceroy asks, and her
Majesty being benevolently anxious to spare him the humiliation of a
refusal, there has been sought out a man of the people, a barber in
the Tartar city of Pekin, whose features Heaven has permitted to bear
a certain resemblance to those of his Imperial Highness, Prince Chung.
‘This respectable person, whose intelligence is remarkable for his
station in life, has been provided with a dress sufficiently like
that worn by the Imperial Family to deceive the barbarians. He has
further received some lessons in etiquette and deportment during the
last few weeks. He will now proceed to the regions of the West, and
gratify the absurd pride of the Viceroy in the manner agreed upon.’
‘He will pass himself off as the Prince?’
‘It is necessary that he should do so, in order to soothe the
Viceroy. It is better that the Prince’s name should incur this
obloquy, than that the barbarian soldiery should continue their
ravages in the Heavenly Kingdom.’
The scheme sounded daring, and yet it seemed to have a very good
chance of success. To a European eye one Chinaman is very like
another. And there were not likely to be many people in Berlin
capable of distinguishing between the manners of a prince and a
barber, apart from their surroundings.
‘I don’t see why the plan shouldn’t succeed,’ I said aloud. ‘Its very
boldness ought to carry it through.’
I observed a distinct look of satisfaction on the face of the
formidable Empress as I made this comment. The interpreter hastened
to respond--
‘Your words are those of a prudent man. Her Imperial Majesty offers
you the honour of accompanying the Prince’s substitute, nominally as
his courier, but really as his protector. You will be on the watch
against any chance of detection, and will warn him against imprudent
conduct.’
‘I accept her Majesty’s commission,’ was my answer.
Before the courtier could go through the form of interpreting the
words, the Empress said something to him in Chinese, which caused him
to start like a man who can hardly believe what he has heard.
Her Majesty made an impatient gesture at this piece of pantomime.
Instantly he turned towards me.
‘Will your Excellency permit me to offer you my most respectful
congratulations? The Queen of Heaven has ordered you a cup of tea!’
I realised that I was as much exalted as if a mere barbarian empress
had bestowed on me an embrace. The tea was brought; a whisper from my
adviser warned me that I must merely touch the cup with my finger and
retire.
The interpreter, whose name I learned was Wu Tang, accompanied me
from the presence to make the necessary preparations. Once away from
the dreaded eye of his Imperial mistress, he proved to be a very
agreeable, well-informed man, and I regretted that he was not coming
on the mission to Europe.
He introduced me to the pretended Prince, who had already got quite
used to his part, and received me with all the airs of a Cousin of
the Sun and Moon, and Brother-in-Law of the whole Milky Way.
Of our journey westward it is needless for me to write, since our
progress was fully reported in the barbarian press. The barber was
kodaked more than once, the apprehensions of the Chinese Court on
this head being fully justified.
The principal incident which marked the progress of the Embassy must
also be fresh in the public mind--namely, the demand of the German
Court that the Prince should perform the _kowtow_, and his refusal.
It was at this stage that I first felt myself to be doing something
to earn the lavish rewards of the Dowager Empress. Left to himself, I
believe the barber would have given way, and performed the degrading
obeisance, thereby lowering the honour of the Imperial House beyond
redemption. The wretched man was thoroughly frightened at finding
himself so far from home; and, in his ignorance of Western manners,
he really thought that the Kaiser might have him imprisoned and
beheaded if he provoked his Majesty.
Fortunately we were on Swiss territory at the time, and by means of
my secret agency I was able to procure a written despatch from the
Chinese Ambassador at another Court, in the name of the Empress,
positively forbidding Prince Chung’s substitute to comply with the
offensive demand.
The circumstances of our public audience in the Palace of Berlin
were sufficient to daunt any impostor. I confess to some slight
nervousness on my own part, though I was, of course, disguised beyond
the possibility of recognition, as I stood before the monarch who had
so often trusted me in his most confidential affairs, and listened to
the faltering speech of the false Prince.
The Kaiser was attired in his most magnificent costume, wearing
the famous winged helmet on his head, and surrounded by a galaxy of
ministers and great officers, all arrayed in the utmost military
splendour. It was a sight calculated to strike terror into an
Oriental mind, and I admired the theatrical completeness of the
spectacle, almost regretting that it should be wasted on an obscure
underling. Had the real Prince been there he might have learned a
valuable lesson, and given some good advice to the Empress of China
on his return.
On the evening after the ceremony the Prince’s substitute was
compelled to attend a banquet, given in order to mark the termination
of strife, and the restoration of good feeling between the two
empires.
At this banquet I was unable to be present, my position being too low
for me to receive an invitation, and too high for me to appear as an
attendant on the Prince. What incident it was that occurred to rouse
the Kaiser’s suspicion, I have never been able to learn--the luckless
barber himself could not tell me. But late that night a wire reached
me from my office in Paris, to this effect--
‘_Urgent wire received from German Emperor requiring you immediately
in Berlin. What reply?_’
With the reception of that telegram a light burst upon my mind. A
doubt which I had tried in vain to stifle had vexed me all along as
to the sufficiency of the Empress’s motive for retaining my services,
at a high cost, to do practically nothing.
Now at last it seemed to me that I understood. This extraordinary
woman had doubtless consulted her representatives in Europe as to the
dangers of detection, and they had informed her that I was Wilhelm
II.’s favourite confidential agent, who would almost certainly be
called in if any suspicion arose. Thereupon she had adopted the
artful device of retaining me on her own side in advance, placing me
in the extremely delicate position of being bound by loyalty to her
to hoodwink my other patron.
What was I to do? A bare refusal or neglect to answer the Kaiser’s
summons would leave him free to employ another agent, whom I might
find it hard to outwit. On the other hand, I should violate my
lifelong rule, if I accepted a commission which I could not loyally
discharge.
After much painful thought, I decided on what seemed to me the only
wise and honourable course. Disguised as I was, I went straight round
to the palace, and asked to see the Kaiser.
‘Impossible!’ declared the private secretary on duty, to whom I was
first shown in. ‘His Majesty is retiring. Who are you?’
‘Go and tell the Emperor that the man whom he has just telegraphed to
Paris for is here.’
The secretary gave me an astonished look, as he well might, and left
the room.
In a minute he was back with instructions to conduct me to the
Kaiser’s presence.