There lived in the capital of the state of Baekje a man named To Mi. And he had a wife, and such a beauty that you couldn’t find another in the whole world. And how virtuous she is! Rumors about her spread from the capital to the most remote corners of the country and finally reached the ears of the fourth king of Baekje, the powerful Ke Ru-wan.
[Baekje was a kingdom on the Korean Peninsula (18 BC - 600 AD).]
Only the king did not believe in the virtue of his wife To Mi, he thought with a grin: “There are no virtuous women, and even more so there are no beauties.” And the king ordered To Mi to be brought to the palace.
To Mi appeared before the king, froze in a deep bow, awaiting orders.
- Are you To Mi? - asks the king.
“I am, my lord,” To Mi answers.
- Tell me, To Mi, which of the virtues, in your opinion, is the most important? - the king asks again.
“Women’s fidelity, my lord,” To Mi replies.
“And you think a woman can remain faithful to her husband all her life?” - asks the king.
“Maybe, my lord,” To Mi replies.
- Can he resist flattering speeches and not succumb to temptation? - the king asks again.
“You can’t look into the soul of every woman, but I’m confident in my wife,” To Mi answers proudly.
And the king decided to test To Mi’s wife. To Mi himself left in the palace, took him into his service, and sent a dignitary dressed as a king to his wife.
A servant galloped forward to announce the arrival of the powerful king, and a magnificent royal procession followed the servant.
It was late evening when the dignitary arrived at To Mi's house.
To Mi's wife saw the royal procession, bowed low, and did not dare move.
And the imaginary king got off the palanquin, sat down on the terrace and asked, so threateningly:
-Where is To Mi's wife?
“It’s me,” the woman answers, and her voice trembles.
“I’ve heard about your beauty for a long time and wanted to take you to the palace, but I decided to talk to your husband first.” The day before yesterday he appeared before me, we sat down to play cards, and I was lucky - your husband lost you. So from now on you belong to me. Tomorrow I will take you to the palace. Get ready to go! Alive!
It was like thunder struck from a clear sky. To Mi's wife realized that this was a deception. That her husband wouldn’t play cards with her. That he believes in her virtue...
Unless he was forced to give it up by force.
“I would rather violate the king’s order than marital fidelity,” the woman decided. “To Mi couldn’t refuse me.”
If it weren’t for the king in front of her, she would have spat in the scoundrel’s face and ran away, but the king is not to be trifled with, and the woman respectfully replied:
“Go to the bedchamber, Your Majesty, and I’ll change clothes in a moment.”
The woman escorted the uninvited guest to the bedchamber, and she herself went into
next room to collect my thoughts. While she was thinking and wondering, a maid appeared and suggested that the mistress hide and entrust this task to her - she knows what to do.
To Mi's wife quietly left, and the maid changed into her dress and went to the bedchamber.
Imagine the king’s rage when a few days later he learned how cleverly his wife To Mi had tricked him.
Disgraced, the king decided to brutally deal with the husband and wife.
By order of the king, To Mi was declared a criminal, his eyes were gouged out, he was put in a boat without a rudder or sail, and the boat was launched into a stormy river.
To Mi's wife was taken to the palace - the king decided to make her his concubine.
“I have no choice but to submit to the will of your Majesty,” the woman said, barely restraining her anger. “I’m orphaned, I have no one to rely on. Just be generous, allow me to return home for a while and take care of my affairs.
The king believed the woman and let her go.
And To Mi’s wife left the palace and ran to the river, in case she saw a boat with her husband. But the river rolled its waters as if nothing had happened, the waves splashed against the shore, and the seagulls rushed with sad cries. The boats are gone.
The woman cried out loud, cursing her unhappy lot, but she herself looked at the water, maybe at least her husband’s body would float up. He looks and laments:
“My husband died innocently!” How can I live without him now! There is only one thing left...
The woman had already decided to throw herself into the river, and out of nowhere - the boat was empty, there was no one in it. The boat sailed to the shore and stopped right in front of To Mi’s wife.
“Strange,” thought To Mi’s wife, but she got into the boat and sailed to Hwangseong-do Island.
A woman jumped out onto the shore and looked - her husband was lying unconscious.
He lay there for a long time, then woke up. The husband and wife hugged each other and cried with joy.
They ate some roots, satisfied their hunger, got into a boat and left the country forever
Baekje - the king treated them very cruelly.
The boat sailed to the neighboring state of Koguryo, to the town of Sansan.
The people of Koguryo feel sorry for the husband and wife, they console them as best they can, but they condemned the king, a ruthless tyrant!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru