Chapter 64 63. Monkey's Palace

Once upon a time there was a king who had twin sons: Giovanni and Antonio.Since it was not known which son belonged to the husband, there were different opinions in the palace as to who would inherit the throne.Finally, the king decided: "In order not to wrong anyone, you two go outside to find your wife. Whoever's wife gave me the most beautiful and rarest gift, I will let him inherit my throne." The two twins mounted their horses and set off in different directions.Two days later, Giovanni arrived in a large city.He got acquainted with the daughter of a marquis, told her about gifts, and she gave him a sealed locket to give to the king, and they had a formal engagement.The king did not open the box after receiving it, but waited to open it with the gift from Antonio's wife.

Antonio rode on and on, but he couldn't see the city. He walked into a dense forest with no roads, and it seemed as if he would never end.He had to move forward while cutting a path for himself with his sword.Suddenly he came across a clearing in the woods, at the end of which stood a palace of marble with windows of shining glass.Antonio went up and knocked on the palace gate.Who opened the door for him?a monkey.It was a monkey in charge. It bowed to him and made a gesture with one hand, and invited him into the palace. Two monkeys came up to help him off the horse, and then took the rein to drive him to the palace. The horses were taken to the stables.After passing a section of carpeted stone steps, he entered the hall and saw many monkeys squatting on the railings on both sides, all watching him quietly. Antonio walked into a room with a card table.A monkey asked him to sit down, and the other monkeys sat down separately, so Antonio played cards with the monkeys, and after a while, the monkeys asked him with gestures if he wanted to eat, and then brought him to the dining room .At the table, the servants are all monkeys in aprons; and those who sit at the table eating are also monkeys, and they all wear hats decorated with feathers.After eating, the monkeys took him to a bedroom with a torch, and made him sleep there.

Although Antonio was a little frightened and disturbed, he fell asleep soon due to excessive fatigue.While he was soundly asleep, he was awakened by a voice, and in the darkness, he heard someone shouting, "Antonio!" "Who's calling me?" he said, curling up on the bed. "Antonio, what are you looking for here?" "I'm here looking for a wife who will give my father a finer gift than Giovanni's, so that I can inherit the throne." "If you agree to marry me," said the voice in the darkness, "you will have the most beautiful presents and crowns."

"Then let's get married!" whispered Antonio. "Well, tomorrow you write a letter to your father." The next day, Antonio wrote a letter to his father, telling him that he was well here and would soon return home with his bride.After writing, he handed the letter to a monkey.The monkey jumped from one tree to another, and thus came to the king's capital. Although the king was surprised by this wonderful messenger, he was very happy when he heard the good news about his son, and arranged for the monkey The monkey lives in the palace. On the second night, Antonio was awakened by a voice in the darkness: "Antonio, have you not changed your mind?"

He replied, "Of course not." The voice said again, "Well, write another letter to your father tomorrow." The next day Antonio wrote another letter to tell his father that he was doing well here, and after finishing writing, he gave the letter to a monkey, who was also left in the palace by the king. And so, every night the voice asked Antonio if he had changed his mind, and told him to write to his father, and every day a monkey went to deliver him a letter.A month passed like this, and the king's capital had become full of monkeys.Monkeys can be seen everywhere on trees, on roofs, and on monuments. When shoemakers nailed their shoes, a monkey stood on their shoulders to learn their movements. Taken away, there is also a monkey sitting on a parasol as the women walk in the street.The king also became helpless about this.

A month passed, and the voice in the darkness finally said, "Tomorrow we will go to the king together and have a wedding." The next morning, when Antonio went out, he saw a very beautiful carriage at the door, with a monkey coachman in front and two monkeys in the back.In the carriage, sitting on that velvet cushion, covered in jewels, and adorned with ostrich feathers, who is it?a monkey.Antonio got into the carriage, sat beside it, and the carriage set off. When they arrived at the king's city, people lined up to see the never-before-seen carriage, and they were all amazed at the strange fact that the prince married a monkey bride.Everyone focused their attention on the king standing on the steps of the palace to greet his son, wanting to see his attitude.But the king didn't respond, didn't even blink his eyelids, as if marrying a monkey was the most natural thing in the world, but said: "Since he has made his choice, he should marry it. A king's promise is a king's promise. As he said, he took a small box from the monkey, which was exactly the same as the gift box given by Giovanni's wife. The two gift boxes will be opened at the same time at the wedding the next day.The monkey was led to its room, where it wanted to be alone.

The next day, Antonio went to pick up the bride.Entering the room, he saw the monkey trying on the wedding dress in front of the mirror.The monkey said to him, "See if you like it?" Then he turned around.Antonio was stunned for a moment.When the monkey turned around, it turned into a beautiful young girl with blond hair and a tall and beautiful figure. It was a kind of happiness to just look at her. He rubbed his eyes because he couldn't believe what he saw. .But she said, "Yes, I am your bride." After speaking, the two hugged each other. The outside of the palace was full of people who came to watch Prince Antonio marry a monkey as a bride, but when they saw such a beautiful girl walking out holding the prince's arm, they all opened their mouths and couldn't speak.On both sides of the road, all the monkeys also lined up, standing on trees, on roofs, and on window sills.When the bride and groom walked by, they all turned around and returned to their original forms: some became ladies, wearing long skirts and long trains; some became knights, wearing ornaments on their heads. hats of feathers, and swords at their waists; some became priests; some peasants; still others court servants.They all lined up to follow the bride and groom to the wedding.

The king opened the gift box.Giovanni's wife's gift box contained a bird in flight, and it was a miracle that it had been kept in the box for so long.In the beak of the bird was a walnut, and inside the walnut was a golden kernel. There was also a live bird in a gift box for Antonio's wife.In the beak of the little bird was a little lizard that didn't know how to get in, and the little lizard had a walnut in the beak, and people don't know how it was put in.Opening the walnut, there was a well-folded handkerchief woven with a hundred strands of silk. The king was ready to declare Antonio his successor, and Giovanni turned blue.Then Antonio's bride said, "Antonio doesn't need his father's throne, he already has the one I brought him as a dowry, because his marriage to me undoes the magic that made us monkeys." All those The monkey-turned-men cheered and made Antonio their king.In this way, Giovanni inherited his father's throne and lived in harmony with his brother.

That's how they enjoy life, I got nothing. (Montale Pistoia area)