After closely observing Poonguzhali, the Emperor asked, “I have not seen this girl before, have I? Yet, her face seems somewhat familiar. Brahmarayar! Who is she?”

“She is the daughter of Thyaga Vidangar from Kodikkarai. Her name is Poonguzhali!”

“Ah! That explains it!” exclaimed the Emperor. Then, speaking softly to himself, he muttered, “She bears a slight resemblance to her aunt! But she is not quite like her; there is a great difference.”

These mutterings of the Emperor reached Poonguzhali’s ears faintly. Until that moment, Poonguzhali had never seen the Emperor. She had heard tales that he surpassed even Manmatha in beauty. She had always imagined that the father of the prince must indeed be such a man. But now, seeing the Emperor, whose form was worn by bodily ailments and tormented by mental anguish, she was struck with astonishment. She remembered how she had once thought to quarrel with the Emperor for abandoning her aunt, and now she felt ashamed of that thought. Fear, wonder, and shyness overwhelmed her so much that, upon beholding the Emperor, she even forgot to offer her salutations.

“Child! Is your father Thyaga Vidangar well?” the Emperor asked, turning to her.

Only then did Poonguzhali regain her senses. She realized she was standing in the presence of the Emperor, who ruled under one royal umbrella from Lanka to the Krishna River. At once, she fell to the ground in obeisance, then rose and stood with folded hands in respectful greeting.

Sundara Chozhar turned to Aniruddhar and asked, “This girl can speak, can’t she? Or is she, like her aunt, mute in one respect?”

At this, his face shrank with the pain of memory.

“Emperor! This girl can speak. She alone can speak as much as nine women put together! She must have been struck dumb with shock at beholding Your Majesty,” replied Aniruddhar.

“Yes, it seems that whenever anyone sees me, they fall silent. No one ever says a word to me!” said the Emperor. Once again, looking at Poonguzhali, Sundara Chozhar asked, “Girl! The Prime Minister says that you saved Prince Arulmozhi from the raging sea. Is that true?”

Poonguzhali hesitated, faltering, “Yes, my lord!… If that is a crime…”

The Emperor laughed; the sound of his laughter echoed with a terrible resonance.

“Brahmarayar! Listen to what this girl says! She asks, ‘If that is a crime.’ She says that saving the prince’s life is a crime. It seems as if I wished for my son to drown and die in the sea. Has someone told her that I am such a monster? Prime Minister, do all the people of the land think of me in this way?”

“Lord! She has spoken out of fear. Please do not take it to heart. Girl! For saving the prince, the entire Chozha kingdom owes you a debt of gratitude. The Emperor too has received boundless joy. For that, whatever reward you desire, you may ask and receive it. Now, narrate everything that happened in detail