The Book and The Sword (51 page)

W
hen Chen had gone, Qian Long dismissed the eunuchs and opened the small box. He read the Emperor Yong Zheng's note and the letter written by his natural mother, which said correctly that he had a red birthmark on his left buttock. He sighed. There could no longer be any doubt about his true origins. He ordered a eunuch to bring him a brazier and threw the documents one by one into the fire. As the flames leapt up, he began to feel more at ease, and on an impulse, threw the small wooden box into the flames as well, filling the room with heat and smoke.

He stared for a moment at the jade vases on the table, then said to the eunuch: "Send her up." The eunuch disappeared, and returned on his knees to report: "Your slave deserves to die. The lady refuses to come."

Qian Long laughed shortly and glanced at the jade vases again. Then he stood up and went downstairs. Two eunuchs followed carrying the vase.

One floor down, a maid servant pulled aside a curtain and Qian Long walked through into a room full of fresh flowers. Two other maids servants took the vases from the eunuchs and carefully placed them on a table.

A girl wearing a white gown was sitting facing the wall. With a wave of his hand, Qian Long dismissed the maid servants from the room. He had just opened his mouth to speak when the door curtains parted and two bodyguards came in and stood quietly by the entrance.

"What are you doing here? Get out," he said angrily.

"Your slaves have orders from the Empress Dowager to protect Your Highness," said one of the bodyguards.

"I'm fine. What do I need protection for?"

"The Empress Dowager knows she… that the lady is not… that she is strong-willed, and is afraid that she will inflict injury on Your Highness's precious self."

Qian Long glanced down at his bandaged hand, and shouted: "There's no need. Get out!"

The two bodyguards kowtowed frantically but did not retire. He knew that no matter what, they would not dare to disobey the Empress Dowager's orders, so he took no further notice of them, and turned back to face the girl in the white gown.

"Turn round, I have something to say," he said in the Muslim tongue. The girl took no notice. In her hand was a dagger. She gripped it even tighter.

Qian Long sighed. "Look at what is on the table," he said. The girl ignored him for a moment, but finally her curiosity got the better of her. She glanced round and saw the pair of jade vases, and at the same moment, the Emperor and the bodyguards were dazzled by the sight of her beauty: it was Princess Fragrance.

She had been captured by General Zhao Wei's army and sent to Beijing under special guard to the Emperor. Qian Long thought it would be more interesting to be able to talk to the girl directly, so he called for a teacher to teach him the Muslim tongue. He was an intelligent man and studied diligently, and after a few months he could talk in a halting fashion.

But Princess Fragrance was already tightly bound to Chen. Furthermore, Qian Long had been responsible for the death of her father, making her even more adament in her refusal of his advances. Several times she had been forced almost to the point of suicide, but each time she thought of Chen and restrained herself.

"I will be just like I was when surrounded by the wolves," she thought. "That large wolf wanted to eat me, but my knight finally saved me."

Qian Long watched her becoming more haggard day by day. He was afraid she would die of melancholy, so he called for the capital's best craftsmen and had the Precious Moon Pavilion built for her to live in.

But Princess Fragrance took not the slightest notice. The priceless treasures used to decorate the pavilion were ignored, except for the murals covering the walls. They depicted scenes of the Muslims areas, and she stared at them glassy-eyed, reliving over and over the carefree happiness of the days when she and Chen had been together.

Sometimes Qian Long spied on her secretly and saw her staring into distance, the trace of a smile playing around her lips. One day he could resist it no longer and he stretched out his hand to grasp her arm. There was a flash of a dagger, and only Princess Fragrance's ignorance of kung fu and his own sprightliness saved him. But his left hand had been cut and in a moment was covered in blood. He was so scared by the incident that from that moment on, he did not dare to risk annoying her again. When the Emperess Dowager heard of the matter, she ordered the eunuchs to take the dagger off her, but Princess Fragrance pointed it at her chest whenever anyone came near her and threatened to commit suicide. So Qian Long ordered them to stay away from her and not to interfere.

Princess Fragrance was also afraid they would put something in her food or drink, so apart from fresh fruit she had peeled herself, she would touch nothing. Qian Long had a Muslim-style bath constructed for her, but she refused to use it, and after many days of not bathing, her body's fragrance became even more pronounced. Originally naive and ignorant of worldly affairs, she became increasingly strong and knowledgeable as the weeks went past as a result of her exposure to the evil people who populated the palace.

As soon as she spotted the vases, she started in shock and quickly turned back to face the wall, gripping the hilt of the dagger tightly and wondering what Qian Long was up to.

He sighed. "When I first saw your image on the vases, I was certain that such a person could not exist in this world," he said. "But now I have seen you, I know that the greatest of craftsmen could not capture a ten thousandth of your beauty."

Princess Fragrance ignored him.

"If you continue to worry like this all day, you are going to become ill," he continued. "Do you miss your home? Go and look out of the window." He ordered the bodyguards to open the window shutters.

Seeing the two bodyguards and Qian Long standing near the window, Princess Fragrance harrumphed and turned away. Qian Long understood and walked to the other side of the room and ordered the bodyguards to do the same. Only then did Princess Fragrance slowly walk over to the window and look outside. She saw the expanse of sand and the Muslim tents and her heart twisted in pain. Two tears rolled slowly down her cheeks, and she picked up one of the vases on the table and threw it with all her strength at Qian Long's head.

One of the bodyguards shot forward and intercepted the vase, but it slipped from his grasp and shattered on the floor just as the second vase came flying after the first. The other bodyguard tried to catch it, but it slipped through his hands and smashed beside the first vase.

Afraid that she would try some other way of harming the Emperor, the bodyguards sprang across the room at her. Princess Fragrance immediately turned her dagger round and put it to her throat.

"Stop!" Qian Long shouted frantically, and the bodyguards halted in the tracks. Princess Fragrance retreated several steps, and as she did there was a clinking sound as something fell from her dress to the ground. The bodyguards were afraid it was some kind of weapon and quickly picked it up. Seeing it was a piece of jade, they handed it to the Emperor.

Qian Long took hold of it, and his face drained of colour. He recognised it instantly as the piece of warm jade he had given to Chen on the breakwater at Haining. When he had presented it, he had told Chen to give it to the lady of his heart as an expression of love.

"Do you know him?" he asked, flustered. He paused for a second, then said: "Where did this piece of jade come from?"

Princess Fragrance put out her hand. "Give it back to me," she said.

Qian Long's jealousy flared. "Tell me who gave it to you and I will return it."

"My husband gave it to me."

Qian Long was greatly surprised by this reply.

"Are you married already?"

"I have not married him in body yet, but my heart has long been married to him," she answered proudly. "He is the kindest and bravest person in the world. I know he will rescue me from you. He is not afraid of you and neither am I, even though you are Emperor."

"I know the man you are talking about," he said, his voice full of hatred. "He is the Great Helmsman of the Red Flower Society, Chen Jialuo. He is just a bandit leader. What is so special about him?"

Princess Fragrance's heart leapt for joy at the sound of Chen's name and her face lit up.

"So you know of him too. It would be better if you let me go."

Qian Long looked up and happened to catch a glimpse of his own face in a dressing table mirror. He thought of Chen, his features handsome and cultured, equally versed in scholarship and the martial arts and knew he was no match for him. Full of jealousy and hatred, he threw the jade piece at his image and smashed both it and the mirror, covering the floor in broken glass. Princess Fragrance rushed forward to pick up the jade, which was unharmed, and wiped it lovingly, making Qian Long even more angry. With a stamp of his foot, he stormed out of the room and down the stairs.

He went to the quiet study where he usually read and wrote poetry, and spotted a half-written poem on the desk entitled 'The Precious Moon Pavilion': "The Fairy Princess is in the Pavilion, A vision from the Son of Heaven's dreams of former days."

Now, in a flash of anger, he ripped the poem up, and then sat in silence for a long time.

Slowly, his temper cooled, and he thought: "I am the Son of Heaven, I am all-powerful. So it finally comes out that this barbarian girl's stubbornness is the result of interference by Chen Jialuo. His appeal to me to drive the Manchus out of China is a good idea, but if things do not go as planned, not only will the affair end in failure, but could end my life as well. I've been debating this matter for months now, unable to come to a decision. What should I do?"

And another thought rushed to the fore: "I can do whatever I like already, and if this affair is successful, it could mean I would be controlled by these people. Can I allow myself to become a puppet? Why abandon concrete assets for the sake of improving my reputation? This Muslim girl thinks of nothing but him. All right, we'll settle these two matters together."

He told a eunuch to call for Bai Zhen who appeared shortly afterwards. "Station four top-ranking bodyguards on each floor of the Precious Moon Pavilion and another twenty outside," he ordered. "There must be no slip-ups of any kind." Bai Zhen bowed. "And call for Chen Jialuo again. I have important business to discuss with him. Tell him to come alone."

W
hen Chen received the Imperial Command, he went to discuss the situation with the others. Master Lu and Wen were worried that the order to go alone could indicate a trap.

"The fact that he calls me back so soon after receiving the evidence I gave him must mean he wants to talk about it," said Chen. "This is the big chance for us to recover China for the Chinese. I have to go no matter what dangers are waiting for me. Second Brother," he added turning to Priest Wu Chen. "If I don't return, please take over command of the Red Flower Society and avenge me."

"Don't worry, Great Helmsman," the priest replied, deeply moved.

"There's no need to wait for me outside the palace this time. If he means to harm me, there is no way you could help me and trying would just cause needless casualties."

By the time Chen re-entered the forbidden precincts of the palace with Bai Zhen, it was already dark. Two eunuchs carrying lanterns led them through webs of tree-branch moon shadows to the Precious Moon Pavilion. This time, they ascended to the fourth floor, and as soon as the eunuchs reported Chen's arrival, Qian Long ordered him sent in. He was seated on a couch in a small room, a far-away look in his eyes. Chen knelt and kowtowed and Qian Long told him to be seated. He was silent for a while. Chen looked around him and noticed a poetic couplet on the wall written by Qian Long himself.

"What do you think?" Qian Long asked, seeing him reading the couplet.

"Your Highness has high aspirations and the spirit of an Emperor of great courage and intelligence. When the Great Endeavour is successfully accomplished, and the Manchus have been driven from China, your merit will far exceed even the Han dynasty emperor who expelled the Tartars or the Ming dynasty emperor who threw out the Mongols, and will be remembered for ten thousand generations."

Qian Long was delighted to hear such praise. He smiled and stroked his whiskers. "You and I may be servant and master, but in spirit we are brothers," he said after a moment's contemplation. "In future, you must assist me well."

Chen was overjoyed to hear these words: From his tone, Qian Long did not appear to be planning to go back on his oath. His doubts dispersed, Chen knelt down once again and kowtowed.

"Your Highness's wise decision is truly a great blessing for the people," he said.

Qian Long sighed. "I may be the Son of Heaven, but I am not as fortunate as you," he said. Chen wondered what he meant. "In August last year, when we were in Haining, I gave you a piece of jade," he added. "Do you have it with you?"

Chen was startled. "Your Highness told me to pass it on to someone else, and I have already done so," he replied.

"You standards are very high. Whoever it is must be one of the world's most beautiful women."

Chen's eyes reddened. "Unfortunately, I do not know if she is dead or alive, or where she might be. When our business is concluded, I will search to the ends of the earth to find her."

"Do you love this lady deeply?"

"Yes," said Chen quietly.

"The Empress is a Manchu, you know that?"

"Yes."

"She has served me for a long time and is very virtuous. If we go ahead with this plan, she will certainly fight to the death. What do you think should be done?"

Chen was unable to answer. "Your Highness's opinions are sacred," he finally said. "Your servant would not dare make any reckless suggestions."

"I cannot allow the nation to be split in two. This consideration has made me very hesitant of late. Also, at present I have a personal problem which unfortunately no-one can help me with."

"I will do whatever Your Highness orders."

"Gentlemen should not snatch prized possessions from others, but this is something decided by Fate," replied Qian Long. "Ah, when one's love is concentrated on one person, what can one do? Go over there and take a look."

He pointed to a doorway on the western side of the room, then stood up and walked out.

Chen was greatly confused by this strange speech, but he calmed himself and pulled aside the thick door curtain. He walked slowly through into what he saw was an extremely sumptuous bed chamber. A red candle burned in the corner, and a girl in a white gown sat staring at its flame.

Suddenly seeing Princess Fragrance in the depths of the Imperial Palace, Chen was dumbfounded. He swayed unsteadily and was unable to speak. Upon hearing the footsteps, Princess Fragrance had grasped the dagger hilt tightly. Then she looked round to see the very person she had been dreaming of day and night. Her angry glare immediately melted into an expression of delight. She cried out and threw herself across the room into Chen's arms.

"I knew you would come and save me," she cried. "I waited patiently, and finally you have come."

Chen held her warm body tightly. "Are we dreaming?" he asked. She looked up and shook her head as tears began to course down her cheeks.

Chen's first thought was that the Emperor had found out she was the lady of his heart and had brought her from the Muslim areas to be with him. He put his arms around her waist and then unself-consciously kissed her on the lips. In the midst of the sweetness of the long kiss, they became oblivious to everything around them.

After a long, long time, Chen finally looked at the pink flush on her cheeks. Behind her on a dressing table, he noticed a broken mirror, and the image of them both embracing in each segment.

"Look," he whispered. "There are one thousand me's, and every one is holding you."

Princess Fragrance glanced at the broken mirror, and then pulled the piece of warm jade from her pocket.

"He stole my jade piece and broke the mirror with it," she said. "Luckily it wasn't damaged."

"Who?" Chen asked, startled.

"That evil emperor."

"Why?" Chen asked, even more astonished.

"He bullied me, but I said I wasn't afraid because I knew you would rescue me. He was very angry and tried to grab me, but I have this dagger."

"Dagger?" he repeated distantly.

"Yes. I was with my father when they killed him. He gave me this dagger and told me to kill myself if the enemy violated me. People who commit suicide are sent to Hell, but if they are girls dying to protect their virtue then Allah makes an exception."

Chen looked down and wondered how many times this weak, naive girl had come close to death in the past few months. His heart was filled with love and pain and he embraced her again. After a while, he steadied himself and began to carefully consider the situation.

He now realized that Qian Long had had Princess Fragrance brought to Beijing because he wanted her himself. He had obviously ordered the construction of a desert in the Imperial Gardens to try to please her. But she had sworn never to give in. He had threatened and cajoled her in every way he could think of, all without effect. That must be why Qian Long had said that he was not as fortunate as himself.

He looked down at Princess Fragrance as he held her and saw she had closed her eyes and was fast asleep. Why did he let me see her? he wondered. He had raised the problem of the Empress and said that if the Great Endeavour was to accomplished, she would have to be discounted, and that a choice would have to be made between family and country. Yes, his meaning is…"

He shivered and began to sweat. He felt Princess Fragrance move slightly against him and heard her sigh. A smile appeared on her face like a flower bud opening.

"Should I break with the Emperor for her sake, or ask her to give in to him for the sake of the Great Endeavour?" The thought shot through his brain like a lightning bolt, and he cringed from it.

"She loves me so deeply. She's managed somehow to maintain her virtue for my sake, she believes firmly that I will rescue her. How can I really bring myself to reject her, to betray her? But if I think only of us two, I must break with my brother, and this rare opportunity to recover the throne will be lost. If I did that, would we not be cursed by generations to come?" His brain was in turmoil, and he had no idea what he should do.

Princess Fragrance opened her eyes. "Let's go," she said. "I'm afraid of seeing that evil Emperor again."

"Wait here for a moment. I'll go out for a while then come back." She nodded and took the dagger from his hand, then watched him leave the room with smiling eyes.

He went up the stairs and found Qian Long on the next floor up sitting on a couch, stony-faced and motionless.

"Affairs of state are of more importance than private concerns," Chen announced. "I will urge her to give in to you."

Qian Long jumped up off the couch in delight. "Really?" he exclaimed.

"Yes, but you must swear an oath." Chen stared at him as he spoke.

"What oath?" asked Qian Long, avoiding his gaze.

"If you do not honestly do all in your power to drive the Manchu barbarians out, what then?"

Qian Long thought for a moment. "If that is the case, then no matter how glorious my life may be, may my grave be dug up and my skeleton smashed to pieces."

The grave of an emperor was inviolable. Such an oath was extremely serious.

"All right," said Chen. "I will talk to her. But I will have to do it outside the palace."

"Outside?" Qian Long asked, startled.

Chen nodded. "At the moment, she hates you to her very bones. She won't be able to quietly listen to what I have to say here, so I wish to take her to the Great Wall to explain things."

"Why do you want to go so far?" said Qian Long suspiciously.

"I once promised to take her to the Great Wall. When I have done so, I will not see her ever again."

"You will definitely bring her back?"

"We members of the fighting community consider our word to be worth more than our lives. I will do what I have said."

Qian Long was uncertain of what to do. He wondered how he would ever find this beauty again if Chen escaped with her. But on the other hand, he knew the girl would never give in to him unless Chen could think of a way of convincing her to do so. He was sure Chen was committed to their Great Endeavour and would not give it up just for the sake of a girl.

"All right," he said finally, slapping the table. "Go, both of you."

He waited until Chen had gone, then said to the curtain behind him: "Take forty bodyguards and follow him the whole way. Whatever you do, don't let them get away."

Chen returned to the fourth floor and took hold of Princess Fragrance's hand. "Let's go," The two walked together out of the pavilion and out of the Forbidden City. The guards had already received their orders and made no attempt to stop them. Princess Fragrance's heart was full of joy. She had always believed her knight was capable of doing anything, and was in no way surprised that they could just walk out of the palace gates.

As they reached the outside, the sky was already growing light. Xin Yan was standing close by, the reins of the white horse in his hands, keeping watch, and when he spotted Chen, he rushed over. Seeing Princess Fragrance standing by his master's side, he was even more surprised and delighted.

Chen took the rein from him. "We are going on a trip out of the city for the day," he said. "We won't be back until late evening, so tell the others not to worry."

Xin Yan watched the two mount up and ride off north, and was about to leave when the sound of galloping hooves rose behind him and several dozen palace guards thundered past. He recognised the frail old man leading the troop as Bai Zhen, and returned quickly to Twin Willow Lane to report.

As the white horse left the city, it galloped ever faster. Princess Fragrance, snuggling into Chen's arms, watched the trees on either side of the road zip past, and all the distress and sorrow of the previous few months evaporated. The horse's strong legs carried them quickly past the small villages to the north of Beijing, and as they approached a crossroads, Chen said: "Let's go and see the tombs of the Ming dynasty emperors."

The horse galloped on. Just past the Jade Stone Bridge, they came upon a huge stone monument inscribed with the words: 'The Sacred Tombs of the Great Ming'. On the right-hand face of the monument were several lines of poetry in Qian Long's hand.

"What is it?" Princess Fragrance asked.

"It's a poem written by the Emperor."

"He's vile and horrible. Don't look at it," she urged. She took his hand and they continued on, and soon found themselves walking along an avenue flanked by stone lions, elephants, camels and strange mythical creatures. "I have only this one day left with her so I must make sure she enjoys it," Chen thought. "After today, we will neither of us ever pass another happy day again." So he roused his flagging spirits and smiled.

"You want to ride on the camel, don't you?" he said and lifted her up onto its back and sat behind her. With shouts and calls, they urged the stone camel forward. Princess Fragrance bent over double with laughter, then after a moment she sighed.

"If only this camel could really run and could carry us back to the Tianshan mountains," she said.

"What would you want to do there?"

She looked into the distance. "Oh, I would be very busy. I would have to pick flowers for you to eat, and look after the goats and feed the small deer. And I'd have to visit the graves of my father and mother and brother to keep them company, and think of some way to find my sister…"

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"She was ill the night the Manchus attacked. We were split up during the battle and I have heard no news of her since."

Chen was silent as they remounted the horse and started on their way. The road wound upwards and before long they arrived at Ju Yong Pass and caught sight of the Wall, writhing like a long snake through the clusters of hills.

"Why did they waste so much effort to build this thing?" Princess Fragrance asked.

"It was to stop the northern enemies from invading," Chen replied. "Countless people must have died on either side of this wall."

"Men are truly strange. Why don't they all live happily together and dance and sing instead of fighting? I really can't see the point of it all."