Her prayer ended, Miao Shan took a bamboo hairpin from her hair, pricked the roof of her mouth with it, and spat the flowing blood toward Heaven.  Immediately great clouds gathered in all parts of the sky and sent down inundating showers, which put out the fire that threatened the nunnery.  The nuns threw themselves on their knees and thanked her effusively for having saved their lives.

Hu Pi-li retired, and went in haste to inform the King of this extraordinary occurrence.  The King, enraged, ordered him to go back at once, bring his daughter in chains, and behead her on the spot.

The Execution of Miao Shan

But the Queen, who had heard of this new plot, begged the King to grant her daughter a last chance.  “If you will give permission,” she said, “I will have a magnificent pavilion built at the side of the road where Miao Shan will pass in chains on the way to her execution, and will go there with our two other daughters and our sons-in-law.  As she passes we will have music, songs, feasting, everything likely to impress her and make her contrast our luxurious life with her miserable plight.  This will surely bring her to repentance.”

“I agree,” said the King, “to counter-order her execution until your preparations are complete.”  Nevertheless, when the time came, Miao Shan showed nothing but disdain for all this worldly show, and to all advances replied only:  “I love not these pompous vanities; I swear that I prefer death to the so-called joys of this world.”  She was then led to the place of execution.  All the Court was present.  Sacrifices were made to her as to one already dead.  A Grand Minister pronounced the sacrificial oration.

In the midst of all this the Queen appeared, and ordered the officials to return to their posts, that she might once more exhort her daughter to repent.  But Miao Shan only listened in silence with downcast eyes.

The King felt great repugnance to shedding his daughter’s blood, and ordered her to be imprisoned in the palace, in order that he might make a last effort to save her.  “I am the King,” he said; “my orders cannot be lightly set aside.  Disobedience to them involves punishment, and in spite of my paternal love for you, if you persist in your present attitude, you will be executed to-morrow in front of the palace gate.”

The t’u-ti, hearing the King’s verdict, went with all speed to Yue Huang, and reported to him the sentence which had been pronounced against Miao Shan.  Yue Huang exclaimed:  “Save Buddha, there is none in the west so noble as this Princess.  To-morrow, at the appointed hour, go to the scene of execution, break the swords, and splinter the lances they will use to kill her.  See that she suffers no pain.  At the moment of her death transform yourself into a tiger, and bring her body to the pine-wood.  Having deposited it in a safe place, put a magic pill in her mouth to arrest decay.  Her triumphant soul on its return from the lower regions must find it in a perfect state of preservation in order to be able to re-enter it and animate it afresh.  After that, she must betake herself to Hsiang Shan on P’u T’o Island, where she will reach the highest state of perfection.”