The king decided to go and see this mystery for himself.  When he arrived at that place, what do you think he saw?  Indeed, it was the same lotus that carried Shim Chung.  As soon as the king came near, the flower opened and Shim Chung awoke and emerged.  Can you be surprised?  She was the very person the king had dreamed of for so long.

A miraculous reunion.  The king immediately asked Shim Chung to explain who she was and how she came to arrive in his kingdom in such an incredible manner.  So the beautiful girl told of her search for her father, and the young man was deeply moved. 

The king ordered his ministers and servants to search among all his subjects and to bring all the blindmen of the kingdom to the court.  Then the king told Shim Chung of his love for her, of his lifetime of dreaming of her, and of his wish that she become his bride and queen.

Shim Chung humbly accepted the king’s proposal.  Then, with much rejoicing, the happy couple retreated to the palace.  The court was soon busy, and preparations for the wedding began immediately.  Shim Chung was happy at her fortune, but she still longed for her father.  Every day, the blindmen of the kingdom arrived at the palace, but she could never find her father among them.  Her disappointment grew and grew.  Finally, on the very day of her wedding, Shim Chung heard the tap-tapping of a cane as the last of the blindmen arrived.

Finally, it was her father.  When she approached him, however, he could not believe that his daughter had returned.  Even though Shim Chung wept, he denied that this miracle could be true.  Only when he was persuaded to touch her face did he recognize the truth.  And at that very moment, his sight was finally restored.  Indeed all of the blindmen who had attended the young queen received their sight.  The miracle was complete.  Shim Chung and her father were joyfully reunited.  The king and queen rejoiced, and the court and all the people celebrated their marriage.  And for generations ever since, the tale has been told of the triumph of the blindman’s humble daughter, the great daughter of filial piety.

Ed Street is a freelance writer living in Maryland.