PRINCESS PÄ’S CUNNING (April 26, 2020)
There are many stories about Emperor Khah and Emperor Dö, but most of them are untrustworthy. It is far from certain that they reigned in the same period, let alone that they had any relations during their reigns. One such story that beggars belief is about Emperor Khah’s son, Prince Xoo, and Emperor Dö’s daughter, Princess Pä. Namely, Prince Xoo had heard of Princess Pä’s unsurpassed beauty, and so he wanted to marry her. His father approved of his choice. Princess Pä was no less than disgusted by this possibility, though. Apparently, she had heard that Prince Xoo was about twice her height, which she considered outright revolting. But Emperor Dö was perplexed about his daughter’s refusal to even meet Emperor Khah’s son in her father’s court. According to the story, it was essential to both emperors to keep respectable relations between the two courts and the two empires. In the end, Princess Pä was persuaded by her father to receive Prince Xoo in court before she made her final decision. Realizing that it would be foolish to reject her father’s offer, Princes Pä immediately engaged all her servants to teach her how to walk on stilts. And she chose stilts that would make her at least a head taller than Prince Xoo. When they finally met at Emperor Dö’s court, everybody was stupefied to see Princess Pä, who towered above Prince Xoo. The encounter followed all the rules of ceremony, but Prince Xoo was glad when it was finally over. Although it was expected that he would propose to the princess during the ceremony, he failed to even hint at it. He and his retinue left the court at their earliest opportunity, too. As it turned out, Emperor Khah was not annoyed by his son’s change of mind, and Emperor Dö made sure that the encounter between the prince and princess remained a court secret of highest rank. Following this event, the entire court was in awe of Princess Pä’s cunning. Soon enough, she became known for it far and wide. And this is the only part of this story that is considered trustworthy to this day.