At length his body was found, and was encoffined, together with those of
the Empresses, by order of Li Tz{u}-ch`êng, by-and-by to receive fit and
proper burial at the hands of the Manchus.

Li Tz{u}-ch`êng further possessed himself of the persons of Wu
San-kuei's father and affianced bride, the latter of whom, a very
beautiful girl, he intended to keep for himself. He next sent off a
letter to Wu San-kuei, offering an alliance against the Manchus, which
was fortified by another letter from Wu San-kuei's father, urging his
son to fall in which Li's wishes, especially as his own life would be
dependent upon the success of the missions. Wu San-kuei had already
started on his way to relieve the capital when he heard of the events
above recorded; and it seems probable that he would have yielded to
circumstances and persuasion but for the fact that Li had seized the
girl he intended to marry. This decided him; he retraced his steps,
shaved his head after the required style, and joined the Manchus.

It was not very long before Li Tz{u}-ch`êng's army was in full pursuit,
with the twofold object of destroying Wu San-kuei and recovering Chinese
territory already occupied by the Manchus. In the battle which ensued,
all these hopes were dashed; Li sustained a crushing defeat, and fled
to Peking. There he put to death the Ming princes who were in his hands,
and completely exterminated Wu San-kuei's family, with the exception of
the girl above mentioned, whom he carried off after having looted and
burnt the palace and other public buildings. Now was the opportunity of
the Manchus; and with the connivance and loyal aid of Wu San-kuei, the
Great Ch`ing Dynasty was established.

Li Tz{u}-ch`êng, who had officially mounted the Dragon Throne as Emperor
of China nine days after his capture of Peking, was now hotly pursued