Not daring to believe, yet trembling for fear his father should be the traitor to the Mings that his submission to Chun-ti had proclaimed him, Nicholas followed the procession that conducted Chin-Chi-Loong to the palace appointed for his residence in Pekin; nor could he help remarking the absence of Chinese faces among the soldiers and attendants who followed him. Again, when he entered the palace, the courtyards, and the passages, nought could he see but Tartars. "Surely," he thought, "my beloved father must be a prisoner of state;" and, much vexed at his unfilial misgivings of his parent's loyalty, he sent to the chief a message by one of the attendants, that "the bearer of his letter from the south to the north" craved an immediate audience of the King Pacifier of the South; when, as the chief knew that it could be no other than Nicholas, in another minute the father and son had met again, after their long absence from each other. "Is it possible that my father can have become so terrified by the tempestuous fortunes of the imperial Ming, that he should seek the sunshine of the barbarian's court?" said Nicholas, sadly, when the first greeting was past. "This is, indeed, the most unfortunate day in the life of Chin-Chi-Loong, if his son can believe him willingly guilty of so great a crime," said the chief. "What words are these, my noble parent? for if thou art not a receiver of stolen things, how camest thou by this kingdom of Fokien? for surely it was not given to thee by the Emperor Yong-Li," replied Nicholas. "Is my son blind, that he cannot see that his parent is a prisoner to these Tartar dogs?" "A prisoner, my father! Do the Tartars confer kingdoms upon their prisoners?" said Nicholas. "Even as thou wilt hear," replied the chief; adding, "The commission sent by the Emperor Wey-t-song created his servant lord of the four seas. Once in possession of that office I sought to sweep the rebels and thieves from the sea-coast provinces, but by the time I had effected this great end, the news came that the rebel Li-Kong had slain the Emperor and usurped the throne; then I determined to hold possession of the seas, towns, and cities for the Prince Yong-Li, and so for many months kept the miserable Tartars who had invaded those provinces at bay; and even when the barbarians poured into the empire like locusts, I still kept possession of the sea-coast towns and cities. Then, afraid of my power, the Tartar king and his brother Amavan sent a great embassy, assuring me they were allies of the great Woo-san-Kwei, who, to quell the rebellion and hunt the robbers from the face of the land, had prayed their assistance; moreover, they swore that when they had purged the empire of all such rogues, they would place it in the hands of the Prince Yong-Li and leave the land." "Surely my father was too wise to believe the artful thieves," said Nicholas.