Page:A Chinese Biographical Dictionary.djvu/441

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A Chinese Biographical Dictionary

wished to do all he could for her while he had etill the ehance. On another occasion, when he himself was very ill, the doctor declared that nothing conld save him but ashes from the burnt hair of a dragon's beard. When the Emperor heard this, he at once cut off his own beard and sent it to the sick man. In •his last illness he would see no doctor at all; and with his dying words instructed his brother to beat, even to death, any of his descendants who might prove unworthy. Canonised as ^ ^.

1103 no:) Ll Ch*i ^ ^ (T. itt: ^). Died A.D. 338. The fourth sovereign of the Chafing dynasty. An unworthy ruler, whose cruelties led to his deposition by Li Shou. He was sent into banishment, and there committed suicide.

1104 Li CU-lung ^ jjlg |il (T. ^ g ). Died A.D. 1005. A distinguished military commander under the Sung dynasty. In 965, returning home after the pacification of Sstich^uan, he was crossing by night a deep chasm spanned by a rude bridge of trees which had been rendered slippery by rain. He and his horse fell over the side; but he was fortunately caught by a tree and held suspended in the air. His men went forward to a village some miles distant, and procured lanterns and a rope, with which he was fished up. His chief exploits were performed against the Eitan Tartars, whose frontier incursions were a great source of trouble during the whole of his life.

1105 Ll Chia-ming ^ ^ l|g . 10th cent. A.D. A native of ^ 5^0 T'ai-ho iu Kiangsi, who was a musician and wit at the Court of Li Yd, last ruler of the T'ang dynasty. On one occasion the latter drew attention to some gatheriug clouds which appeared about to bring rain. "They may come," said Li Chia-ming, "but they wiU not venture to enter the city." "Why not?" asked the prince. "Because," replied the wit, "the octroi is so high." Li Yii took the hint, and gave orders that the duties should be reduced by one