Science confirms – 3. Collection of scientific articles

The younger brothers themselves fell in love with that girl, but they did not dare to say it openly and therefore said nothing:

– No, we can’t let you go alone. We’re coming with you.

No matter how much he tried to persuade them not to go, they answered:

– We have to go!

In the end, the three of them headed out of the enchanted castle towards the Chinese capital. They traveled through many different cities until they reached the capital of China and stopped there in a caravanserai. The next day Afruz went to the bathhouse, washed himself thoroughly, anointed his hair and was about to go to the emperor. But then the middle brother Shahruz told him:

«You can’t do it that way. After all, the emperor probably won’t want to give his daughter to some alien. You better get to his daughter and make her love you. When you lure her and catch her in a snare, then – whether her father agrees or does not agree – she will still become your wife. Afruz replied to this:

– No, I won’t do that. I know that no one can get to this girl.

In short, he went to the palace of the Chinese emperor, introduced himself to the chief courtier and asked permission to see the emperor. And he allowed few people to come to him and the courtier replied:

– Find out, check carefully whether he is telling the truth that he is the son of the shah. Ask him if he brought me a message from his father or if his father was angry with him and he came here to ask for my mediation so that I could reconcile them. Or maybe he is seeking refuge in my palace? Anyway, if he brought any message, take it away and bring it to me.

When the courtier came out to Afruz and began to question him about everything, he was upset and said:

– It’s all wrong and wrong! I dreamed of going to China and seeing the emperor there. Of course, I have a request to him, but I can’t tell anyone but him about this request.

They negotiated for a long time. In the end, the emperor allowed Afruz to enter. He came, bowed low, laid gifts at the feet of the emperor, tried, as far as possible, to be sweet-spoken and show submission. When the emperor found out that Afruz was telling the truth, that he really was the king’s son, he began to treat him very graciously and said:

– You’re like my nephew. Since you have come to me, it is not appropriate for you to stay in a caravanserai (a caravanserai is a large public building in the Near and Middle East and Central Asia, in cities, on roads and in uninhabited places, serving as shelter and parking for travelers, as a rule – for trade caravans). I’ll have a whole house prepared for you.

Then he turned to the servant:

– Prepare for shahzade (Shahzade – Persian. «the king’s son, prince») one of my houses with a garden, slaves, maids, a gatekeeper and eunuchs, so that he does not stay in the caravanserai.

Afruz agreed, but did not say that he was not alone, but with his brothers, who also stopped at the caravanserai. For several days he lived in the house that was assigned to him. During this time, he made friends with slaves and maids and began to ask them quietly about Mei-Kui: what is she like, is she going to get married or not? Is she in love with someone or is someone in love with her? Does she have a betrothed fiance? About this, one of their maids, who knew everything about Mei-Kui well, told him:

– The princess in the whole vast Chinese country has no equal in beauty, and as beautiful as she is, she is just as reasonable. She wants to choose a groom that she would like. Many princes came to woo, but she did not want any of them, and even the son of the Indian padishah did not like her.

Afruz asked:

«What does her father say about it?»

The girl replied:

«She agreed with her father that she would question anyone who would woo her, and if he turned out to be reasonable, she would become his wife, even if he was a beggar, and if he was ignorant, she would not marry him, even if he was a padishah.

Let’s leave Afruz for now and talk about Shahruz and Behruz.

When they both saw that the elder brother did not appear for three or four days, they became worried and thought: «What if, God forbid, the emperor got angry with Afruz and killed him or threw him into prison?»

Distressed, alarmed, they sought out the palace of the Chinese emperor, came to the chief courtier and asked him about his brother:

– What happened to the man who came here a few days ago?

He answered them:

– The Emperor placed at his disposal a house with a garden, slaves and maids. He’s doing well.

The brothers asked him if they could, if possible, allow them to go to see Afruz. The courtier asked:

«Are you related to him?» Those say:

– Yes, he is our older brother.

Then the courtier led them to Afruz. Their arrival was very unpleasant for Tom. The younger brothers, as soon as they saw that the elder was alive and well, were very happy. We sat with him for two hours, talked and left. The courtier told the Chinese emperor about this visit, and he did not like Afruz’s act: why did he not say anything about the brothers, why did he leave them in the caravanserai? After that, the emperor stopped accepting Afruz with the same honor and respect, he began to treat him quite differently.

In the end, Afruz’s patience ran out, and one day he asked a courtier:

«If I ask the emperor for something, won’t he get angry?» Can I tell him everything directly, or should I tell someone else first so that they can tell him later?

The courtier replied:

– No, he won’t be angry. But you need to ask his permission first, and then make a request.

Afruz asked for permission and went to the emperor. He entered, bowed to the ground, kissed the threshold. And the emperor was in a good mood that day. Two people whom he considered thorns in his path, he managed to eliminate by cunning, two or three good news about such cases came from different parts of the country, and besides, a beautiful slave was brought from Kashmir, from India. And he was not averse to talking to someone or fulfilling someone’s request.

The prince, when he saw that the emperor was cheerful, thought: «Fate favors the fulfillment of my wish!»

Before speaking, he bowed to the ground once more and again asked for permission. The Emperor asked him:

– Why didn’t you tell me the day you came to us that you had two more brothers with you and didn’t ask me to put them in my place? After all, these brothers did not want to leave you alone, they came with you from the other end of the world, they would have been near you in a difficult moment. Why did you leave them when you were lucky? I don’t like what you did!

Afruz then realized why the emperor was not as merciful to him as before. And he also told him:

– Tell me, what do you want from me? Money? Honors? Afruz replied:

– I ask of you what is above all this, that you make me a slave of your threshold!

The emperor turned to the courtier and said:

«He’s obviously asking for Mei-Kui’s hand in marriage?» Explain to him well what my daughter Mei-Kui is like. I have a big disagreement with her. I want her to become the wife of a rich padishah or shahzada, but she does not agree, she wants her future husband to be smart and reasonable. Says: «I will become the wife of a clever beggar, but I will not become the wife of a stupid padishah.» Five years ago, when her mother died and she was in great grief, I promised her that I would give her only for someone she would love herself, and since then I have not been forced to. Tell this shahzada: if he really wants to take my daughter as a wife, let him go to her so that she looks at him and asks about something. If he can answer all her questions, his wish will be fulfilled, and if not, I will not give up my daughter for anything.

Afruz listened, bowed to the ground and left the palace. The next day, he placed a crown studded with emeralds on his head, put on gold-woven robes, girded himself with a jeweled sword and headed for the Mei-Kui house, which adjoined the imperial palace. He sees: the place is quiet and peaceful, there is only one gatekeeper at the door, no voices are heard. He entered the room where the girl was. As soon as I looked at her, I immediately lost consciousness and fell down. They brought rose water, splashed it in his face, he woke up and saw: she is a hundred times more beautiful than her image in the enchanted castle! He lost consciousness again, regained consciousness, got up and, panting, pale, approached her.