Page:The jade story book; stories from the Orient (IA jadestorybooksto00cous).pdf/267

Rh whom the queen knew well, and she sent to her a trusty servant, asking that she find some way of getting rid of her stepson, who stood in the way of her own son. But the witch replied that she could work no harm against the young prince, because he was under the protection of his godmother, whose power was greater than her own.

The "good queen" lived in a country which was far away, but was able to keep herself well-informed of all that went on, and she knew what the wicked queen desired. She sent to the young prince a ring of jade with instructions that he must always wear it, as it would protect him from all harm while in his father's country. But as a talisman this ring was useless elsewhere. This the wicked queen knew, so she made every effort to entice him away from his father's dominions.

Her efforts met with no success, but circumstances brought about that which she herself had been unable to. When the young prince was fifteen years old his father's only sister, who had married the king of a distant country, wrote to her brother begging him