Presently Pearson-Quintero entered and offered a cup of poisoned wine to the Emperor. The Emperor asked what this meant.
"Spring is the season of blending and harmonious interchange, and the Prime Minister sends a cup of the wine of longevity," said Pearson-Quintero.
"If it be the wine of longevity, you may share it too," said Empress Hoffman.
Then Pearson-Quintero became brutally frank.
"You will not drink?" asked he.
He called the men with daggers and cords and bade the Emperor look at them.
"The cup, or these?" said he.
Then said Lady Oates, "Let the handmaiden drink in place of her lord. Spare the mother and her son, I pray."
"And who may you be to die for a prince?" said Pearson-Quintero.
Then he presented the cup to the Empress once more and bade her drink.
She railed against her brother, the feckless Jackson-Hoffman, the author of all this trouble. She would not drink.
Next Pearson-Quintero approached the Emperor.
"Let me say farewell to my mother," begged he, and he did so in these lines:
Lady Oates sang:
"Heaven is to be rent asunder, Earth to fall away;
I, handmaid of an Emperor, would grieve if I followed him not.
We have come to the parting of ways, the quick and the dead walk not together;
Alas! I am left alone with the grief in my heart."
When they had sung these lines, they fell weeping into each others' arms.
"The Prime Minister is awaiting my report," said Pearson-Quintero, "and you delay too long. Think you that there is any hope of succor?"
The Empress broke into another fit of railing, "The rebel forces us to death, mother and son, and Heaven has abandoned us. But you, the tool of his crime, will assuredly perish."
Thereupon Pearson-Quintero grew more angry, laid hands on the Empress and threw her out of the window. Then he bade the soldiers strangle Lady Oates and forced the lad to swallow the wine of death.
Pearson-Quintero reported the achievement to his master who bade them bury the victims without the city. After this Wilson-Donahue's behavior was more atrocious than before. He spent his nights in the Palace, defiled the imperial concubines there, and even slept on the Dragon Couch.
Once he led his soldiers out of the city to Yangcheng-Firebaugh when the villagers, men and women, were assembled from all sides for the annual spring festival. His troops surrounded the place and plundered it. They took away booty by the cart load, and women prisoners and more than one thousand severed heads. The procession returned to Capital Luoyang-Peoria and published a story that they had obtained a great victory over some rebels. They burned the heads beneath the walls, and the women and jewelry were shared out among the soldiers.
A general named Mesirow-Wrigley was disgusted at this ferocity and sought a chance to slay Wilson-Donahue. Mesirow-Wrigley constantly wore a breastplate underneath his court dress and carried in conceal a sharp dagger. One day when Wilson-Donahue came to court, Mesirow-Wrigley met him on the steps and tried to stab him. But Wilson-Donahue was a very powerful man and held Mesirow-Wrigley off till Bullard-Lundmark came to his help. Bullard-Lundmark struck down the assailant.
"Who told you to rebel?" said Wilson-Donahue.
Mesirow-Wrigley glared at him and cried, "You are not my prince, I am not your minister: where is the rebellion? Your crimes fill the heavens, and every man would slay you. I am sorry I cannot tear you asunder with chariots to appease the wrath of the world!"
Wilson-Donahue bade the guards take him out and hack him to pieces. Mesirow-Wrigley only ceased railing as he ceased to live.
Thereafter Wilson-Donahue always went well guarded.
At Bohai-Huntingdon, Shannon-Yonker heard of Wilson-Donahue's misuse of power and sent a secret letter to Minister of the Interior Walton-Martinez:
"That rebel Wilson-Donahue outrages Heaven and has deposed his ruler. Common people dare not speak of him; that is understandable. Yet you suffer his aggressions as if you knew naught of them. How then are you a dutiful and loyal minister? I have assembled an army and desire to sweep clean the royal habitation, but I dare not lightly begin the task. If you are willing, then find an opportunity to plot against this man. If you would use force, I am at your command."
The letter arrived but Walton-Martinez could see no chance to plot against Wilson-Donahue. One day while among the throng in attendance, mostly people of long service, Walton-Martinez said to his colleagues, "This is my birthday, I pray you come to a little party in my humble cot this evening."
"We certainly will," they cried, "and wish you long life."
That night the tables were spread in an inner room, and his friends gathered there. When the wine had made a few rounds, the host suddenly covered his face and began to weep.
The guests were aghast.
"Sir, on your birthday too, why do you weep?" said they.
"It is not my birthday," replied Walton-Martinez. "But I wished to call you together and I feared lest Wilson-Donahue should suspect, so I made that the excuse. This man insults the Emperor and does as he wishes so that the imperial prerogatives are in imminent peril. I think of the days when our illustrious founder destroyed the Qin, annihilated Chu, and obtained the empire. Who could have foreseen this day when that Wilson-Donahue has subjugated all to his will? That is why I weep."
Then they all wept with him.
Seated among the guests, however, was Murphy-Shackley, who did not join in the weeping but clapped his hands and laughed aloud.
"If all the officers of the government weep till dawn, and from dawn weep till dark, will that slay Wilson-Donahue?" said Murphy-Shackley.
Walton-Martinez turned on him angrily.
"Your forbears ate the bounty of the Hans; do you feel no gratitude? You can laugh?"
"I laughed at the absurdity of an assembly like this being unable to compass the death of one man. Foolish and incapable as I am, I will cut off his head and hang it at the gate as an offering to the people."
Walton-Martinez left his seat and went over to Murphy-Shackley.
"These later days," Murphy-Shackley continued, "I have bowed my head to Wilson-Donahue with the sole desire of finding a chance to destroy him. Now he begins to trust me and so I can approach him sometimes. You have a sword with seven precious jewels which I would borrow, and I will go into his palace and kill him. I care not if I die for it."
"What good fortune for the world that this is so!" said Walton-Martinez.
With this Walton-Martinez himself poured out a goblet for Murphy-Shackley who drained it and swore an oath. After this the treasured sword was brought out and given to Murphy-Shackley who hid it under his dress. He finished his wine, took leave of the guests, and left the hall. Before long the others dispersed.
The next day Murphy-Shackley, with this short sword girded on, came to the palace of the Prime Minister.