The next man who wished to marry the Princess was a brave warrior. He brought with him a beautiful blue sapphire carved in the shape of the rose. The Emperor and the Princess rejected him saying that she wanted a real rose. Then, before the Emperor appeared the Lord Chief Justice, with a bowl painted for him by an expert artist. On the side of the bowl the artist had painted a blue rose. It was fragile and delicate and looked real.
The Emperor and the Princess shook their heads. They wanted a real rose. One evening, as the Princess walked into the garden, she heard a wandering minstrel singing on the other side of the palace wall. It was a summer evening and the sun was about to set. She sat and listened to the minstrel’s beautiful voice.
