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The Book and The Sword 

Copyright Graham Earnshaw 1995



PART FIVE

** 1 **

`Mastermind' Xu went later to see the Muslim envoy.

"I will take you to see the Emperor," he said, and they left, accompanied by 
Meng carrying the leather box containing the vases. Unknown to the envoy, one of 
the vases had been removed.

When they arrived at the Commander-in-Chief's Yamen, Meng handed the leather box 
to the envoy and pointed to the main gate.

"Go in on your own," he said.

That afternoon, an attendant handed a visiting card to Great Helmsman Chen. It 
was signed 'Your servant Deng Tunan', the trusted lieutenant of Commander Li 
Keshou.

"Your plan has probably worked, Brother Xu," Chen said. "Brother Wei, please go 
and receive him."

'Leopard' Wei went to the reception room and saw a robust military official 
seated in a chair. "What is it you wish to see our master about, Master Deng?" 
he asked.

"I have come with instructions from Commander-in-Chief Li to see the Great 
Helmsman of your society to discuss a certain matter with him," Deng replied.

"Our master is not free at present. It is the same if you talk to me."

"It concerns a Muslim vase," he said.

Wei frowned enquiringly.

"The Muslims dispatched an envoy with a pair of vases to plead for peace. But 
when the Emperor opened the box, only one of the vases was inside. He was very 
angry and questioned the envoy, who said that he had already had an audience 
with the Commander-in-Chief of Zhejiang Province. The Emperor called in 
Commander Li, who was naturally mystified. Luckily, the Emperor knew Commander 
Li would not do such a thing, that there must be some good explanation."

"That is good," said Wei, nodding.

"But the Emperor said that Commander Li would be held responsible for the 
affair and gave him three days to find and return the other vase. This presents 
a great difficulty."

"He's afraid that if he doesn't find the vase, he will be removed from office, 
is that it? It's probably easier not being an official. If one's whole family 
could to be executed and all one's possessions seized, it must be rather 
distressing."

Deng ignored his sarcasm. "Let us not deceive each other. I have come to ask 
your society to return the vase."

"We have not heard of any such vase," replied Wei. "But as Commander Li has 
encountered this difficulty, there is no reason why we shouldn't help him find 
it. We may possibly come across some clue to its whereabouts in a year or two."

"Commander Li said he had great respect for Master Chen. He sent me today to 
ask your assistance, but would not feel at ease if he was unable to do anything 
in return. Please do not hesitate to inform us of Master Chen's wishes."

"You are very frank, General Deng. That is excellent," Wei replied. "Our Master 
Chen has two wishes. Firstly, the Red Flower Society has offended Commander Li, 
and he would like to ask him to let bygones be bygones."

"That goes without saying. I can guarantee that the Commander will never make 
difficulties for your society over this matter. And the second thing?"

"Our Fourth Brother Wen Tailai is imprisoned in the Commander's Yamen."

Deng grunted.

"He is an Imperial criminal," Wei continued. "No matter how courageous Commander 
Li is, he would never dare to release him. We understand that. But Master Chen 
misses him greatly and would like to see him alone tonight."

Deng thought for a second. "This is an extremely serious matter. I will have to 
ask the Commander and return with the reply."

Deng returned two hours later.

"The Commander says that Master Wen's crimes are serious in the extreme, and 
that normally no-one would be allowed to visit him," he said.

"Normally!" Wei exclaimed.

"But as Master Chen has agreed to return the vase, the Commander will risk his 
neck and allow Master Chen to see him. However, there are two small conditions 
he must agree to. First, the Commander has recklessly agreed to this purely in 
order to cement his friendship with Master Chen. If anyone else found out about 
it, it would be disastrous."

"Commander Li wants Master Chen to agree not to reveal a word about the affair 
to anyone, is that it?"

"Exactly."

"I can agree to that on our Master's behalf," Wei said.

"The second point is that only Master Chen will be allowed to make the visit."

Wei smiled. "Commander Li is naturally afraid that we will take advantage of 
the opportunity to try to rescue Master Wen. All right, we agree. Master Chen 
will go by himself. But we have not agreed not to attempt a rescue."

"You are a good man, Brother Wei, and I value your word. Please ask Master Chen 
to come to the Yamen this evening."

"If Zhang Zhaozhong is around when Master Chen and Master Wen meet, it will 
naturally be impossible to preserve the secrecy of the agreement, which could 
be extremely inconvenient for Commander Li."

"That is true," Deng replied. "The Commander will think of some excuse for 
getting him away."

When Deng had left, the heroes gathered in the Great Hall to await their orders 
for Wen's rescue.

"Brother Xu, I will leave the arrangements to you," Chen said.

Xu was silent for a moment. "Now that we know Zhang Zhaozhong will be elsewhere 
and that the Great Helmsman can get inside, it will of course be much easier to 
rescue Brother Wen," he said. "But Li is also certain to prepare for that 
eventuality. We must first work out what he plans to do and then do something 
unexpected."

"He will gather a large contingent of troops and surround the entrance to the 
dungeon and may even enlist the support of some Imperial Bodyguards," Yang 
pointed out. "They will allow only the Great Helmsman in, and only the Great 
Helmsman out."

"We had better be waiting outside the Yamen just in case the Turtles try 
anything against the Great Helmsman," said one of the Twin Knights.

"We will of course be waiting outside," answered Xu. "But I don't think Li will 
dare to harm the Great Helmsman with the vase in our hands."

"I've got it," Chen said suddenly. "When I go to see Fourth Brother, I will 
wear a wide cape and a large hat with a face cover..."

Xu knew what he meant. "But that way, we would gain one man only to lose 
another. It's not a good idea."

"Finish what you were saying, Great Helmsman," said Priest Wu Chen.

"Once I am in the dungeon, I will exchange clothes with Fourth Brother and then 
let him leave. The guards will think it is me. You can be waiting outside to 
receive him."

"But what about you?"

"The Emperor and I have a special relationship. Once they discover the switch, 
they will let me go."

The heroes were unhappy that their leader was placing himself in such danger, 
but they were forced to agree it was probably the best plan.

All the arrangements were completed. Chen threw on a large cape with the collar 
turned up, pulled a hat well down over his face, and set off for the Commander-
in-Chief's Yamen accompanied by 'Leopard' Wei. By the time they arrived, it was 
already close to dusk and the first stars had began to appear at the edge of the 
sky. A man came out to meet them.

"Is that Master Chen?" he whispered. Wei nodded. "Please come with me. This 
other gentleman, please stay here."

Wei stood and watched as Chen followed the man into the Yamen. A flight of 
ravens flew overhead through the evening mist on their way home, cawing as they 
went, and Wei's heart beat wildly as he wondered what would happened to the 
Great Helmsman. After a while, the rest of the heroes arrived and spread out 
around the Yamen.

As he entered the gate, Chen saw the Yamen was filled with thousands of 
soldiers on guard. The man led him through three courtyards and into a room.

"Please take a seat," he said, and left. A moment later, Commander Li entered 
and saluted Chen. "It is an honour to meet you," he said.

Chen opened his cape and revealed his face. "We met the day before yesterday on 
the lake," he answered with a smile.

"You may now see the prisoner," said Li. "Please follow me."

As they reached the door, an attendant rushed breathlessly towards them.

"Commander, the Emperor has arrived," he reported. "Master Deng has gone out to 
meet him."

Li started in surprise and turned to Chen. "You had better wait here for a 
while," he said.

Li ran through to the front courtyard and saw Qian Long with a large contingent 
of Imperial Guardsmen. He hurriedly knelt down before him and kowtowed.

"Arrange a well-guarded room," said Qian Long. "I want to personally 
interrogate Wen Tailai."

Li invited the Emperor into his own study, and the Imperial Bodyguards 
established themselves on all sides of the study and even on the roof.

"I have important matters of a confidential nature to discuss with this 
prisoner. No-one else must hear," Qian Long told Bodyguard Bai Zhen.

"Yes, Your Highness," Bai replied and retired.

A moment later, four bodyguards entered carrying a stretcher on which Wen, 
handcuffed and chained, lay asleep. The bodyguards retired and there was 
silence for a time.

"How are your injuries?" Qian Long asked. Wen's eyes opened and he sat up. His 
wounds had not yet healed, but his mind was clear. He had seen Qian Long once 
before when he had entered the Imperial Palace with Master Yu, but was 
surprised at suddenly meeting him again in Hangzhou.

"I'm not dead yet," he said coldly.

"I asked my men to invite you to come to see me because there is something I 
wish to discuss with you."

Wen grunted.

"When you visited me with that leader of yours, Master Yu, I discussed an 
important matter with him. Unfortunately, I hear he became ill and died very 
soon afterwards. It was a great pity."

"If Master Yu had not died, I expect he would be imprisoned here with me," 
replied Wen.

Qian Long laughed. "You underworld fighters, you're very frank. You say 
whatever you are thinking. Now, Master Wen, I have only one question for you. 
Answer me honestly, and I will immediately release you."

"Release me? Ha! Do you think I am a three-year-old child? I know that you 
cannot eat or sleep easy knowing that I'm still alive. You have stayed your hand 
until today only because you wish to question me."

"You're much too suspicious," said Qian Long with a smile. He walked forward 
two paces.

"Did Master Yu tell you what it was he talked to me about?" he asked.

"What did you talk about?"

Qian Long stared at him, and Wen returned the gaze unflinchingly. After a 
while, Qian Long turned his head away.

"About my origins," he said quietly.

"He didn't say. You are the Emperor, the son of the late Emperor and Empress. 
Everyone knows about your origins. What more is there to say?"

Qian Long breathed a sigh of relief. "That night you visited me, you must have 
known what the reason was?"

"Master Yu said that he had helped you once over some important matter. The Red 
Flower Society was short of funds and he went to ask you for three million 
taels of silver. But you refused the request, and have even had me seized. If I 
ever get out of this, I will reveal how ungrateful you are."

Qian Long laughed out loud. He glanced at Wen: his anger did not appear to be a 
pretence. "If that is the case, I had better have you killed," he said, half-
believing him. "Otherwise, if I let you go, it could damage my reputation."

"Why didn't you kill me earlier? If you had, you wouldn't have had to harbour 
such evil schemes against your mother."

"What about my mother?" Qian Long asked, turning pale.

"You understand."

"So you know everything?"

"No, not everything. Master Yu said the Empress Dowager knew he had helped you 
and had asked you to repay him, but that you were still unwilling to part with 
the silver. You have mountains of money. Three million taels should be nothing 
to you. But you insist on being petty."

Qian Long laughed nervously. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped away the 
beads of sweat on his brow. He paced the room to steady himself, then smiled. 
"You show no fear at all before the Emperor. You are indeed a man of steel," he 
said.

"What have I to be afraid of? I doubt if you would dare to kill me," said Wen.

"Wouldn't dare?"

"You want to kill me because you're afraid your secret will be revealed but as 
soon as you kill me, your secret will be impossible to keep."

"Can dead men talk?"

"As soon as I die, someone will open a certain letter and reveal the evidence 
to the world. Then you will be in a real predicament."

"What letter?" Qian Long asked.

"Before we went to the palace to see you, Master Yu wrote down every detail of 
the affair and sealed the document in an envelope together with two important 
pieces of evidence and left it with a friend."

"Was he afraid that something untoward might happen?"

"Of course. How could he trust you? Master Yu told his friend that if we were 
both to die suddenly, he should open the letter and do what it said, but if one 
of us was still alive, not to open it under any circumstances. Master Yu has 
already passed away, so I don't think you'll dare to kill me."

Qian Long wrung his hands, anxiety written all over his face.

"Wouldn't it be worth spending three million taels of silver to buy that letter 
and the two pieces of evidence?" Wen asked.

"The silver? I had always planned to hand it over and then release you. Write a 
letter to your friend telling him to bring the letter to me and I will 
immediately pay up the money."

"Ha, ha. Once I tell you his name, you can send your bodyguards to kill or 
capture him. Actually, I'm very comfortable here. I would be happy to stay the 
rest of my life. You and I have the same fate. If I die first, you won't live 
much longer." 

Qian Long bit his lip. "If you won't write the letter, it is of no importance," 
he said after a pause. "I will give you two days. If you persist in being 
stubborn, I will have no alternative but to kill you. No-one else will know 
about it and your friend will think you're still alive. And even if I don't kill 
you, I can still have your eyes gouged out, your tongue removed, your arms cut 
off...Think about it over the next two days."

He pushed open the door and walked out. His bodyguards re-assembled around him, 
and Commander Li saw him out of the Yamen.

Wen was carried back to the dungeon by the Commander's personal guards with 
Zhang Zhaozhong providing an escort. Once in the cell, one of the guards handed 
Zhang a letter.

"Commander Li asked me to give you this," he said. Zhang opened and read the 
letter, then left. 

Wen lay on the bed thinking about his wife and friends. He hoped none of them 
would be harmed if they should attempt a rescue.

Just then, the iron door to his cell opened with a clang and a man walked in. 
Wen thought it was Zhang returning and did not open his eyes.

The man walked over to the bed. "Fourth Brother," he said quietly.

Wen was stunned. He looked up and saw it was Chen. "Great Helmsman!" he 
exclaimed, sitting up.

Chen smiled and nodded. He pulled two steel files from his pocket, and began 
filing at Wen's manacles. After a few strong strokes, a series of light 
scratches appeared on the surface, but the file was ruined. The manacles were 
made of a specially-cast steel brought from the West, and an ordinary file was 
useless against it.

"Great Helmsman, only the finest of swords could break through these chains and 
manacles," said Wen.

Chen remembered the battle with Zhang Zhaozhong at the Yellow River crossing and 
how sharp Zhang's 'Frozen Emerald' sword had been.

"Does Zhang guard you night and day?" he asked quickly.

"He's never more than a step from me. He only left a short while ago."

"Good. We'll wait for him to return and steal his sword." Chen threw the files 
under the bed.

"It's possible I won't be able to get out of here," Wen said. "The Emperor 
wants to silence me because he's afraid I will reveal his secret. I had better 
tell you what it is, Great Helmsman, so that no matter if I live or die, there 
will be no delay."

Chen nodded.

"The night I went to the Imperial Palace with Master Yu, Qian Long was very 
surprised to see us. Master Yu said: 'A lady from the Chen family in Haining 
asked me to come,' and handed him a letter. The Emperor's face went pale as he 
read it, and he told me to wait outside. The two of them then talked for about 
two hours before Master Yu finally came out. On the way back, he told me the 
Emperor was not a Manchu at all, but a Chinese and also your elder brother."

Chen started in shock. "That's impossible," he said firmly. "My brother is in 
Haining."

"Master Yu said that on the day the Emperor Yong Zheng's wife gave birth to a 
girl, your mother by coincidence also gave birth to a boy. Yong Zheng ordered 
the Chen family's child to be brought for him to look at, and when it was 
returned, it had become a girl. The boy is now the Emperor Qian Long..."

Before he could finish, they heard the sound of footsteps in the corridor and a 
guard came in.

"What is it?" asked Chen.

"Master Zhang is returning. Commander Li is unable to detain him further and 
asks you to leave quickly."

"Thank you," Chen replied. His left hand shot out and touched a Yuedao point on 
the guard's body. The guard toppled to the floor without a sound, and Chen 
pushed him under the bed.

"With Zhang on his way, I don't have time to give you all the details," Wen 
continued. "Master Yu knew the Emperor was Chinese and went to urge him to 
overthrow the Manchus and restore China to the Chinese while remaining as 
Emperor himself. Qian Long appeared moved by the appeal, and asked Master Yu to 
bring evidence before making a decision. But as soon as Master Yu returned home, 
he fell ill and never recovered. His last wish was that you should be the Great 
Helmsman, and he said to me that this was a good opportunity for us to restore 
the honour of the Chinese people. The Emperor is your elder brother. If he is 
unwilling to overthrow the Manchus, then everyone will support you to take his 
place."

His words left Chen too stunned to speak. He thought back to when he had first 
seen Qian Long by the lake and afterwards crying before the tomb of his parents. 
Could it really be that the Emperor was born of his own mother and father?

"I understand your mother wrote down the full details of how the Emperor Yong 
Zheng swapped the girl for your brother in a letter which Master Yu gave along 
with several other pieces of evidence to your teacher, Master Yuan, to look 
after."

"Ah, so when the Twin Knights went to see my teacher this summer, they were 
carrying these things to him on Master Yu's orders?"

"That's right. It was so secret that not even you could be told. All that 
Master Yuan knows is that they are extremely important, but he does not know 
what they are. Just before Master Yu passed away, he said that after you became 
Great Helmsman, you should open the letter and make your plans accordingly. But 
I stupidly allowed myself to be captured and risked the whole enterprise. Great 
Helmsman, if you can't get me out today, you must go to the Muslim regions as 
quickly as possible to see your teacher. You must not endanger the great cause 
of restoration just for my sake."

Wen was clearly relieved to have completed what he had to say.

He was about to add something when footsteps sounded in the corridor again. He 
signalled quickly with his hand, and Chen hid under the bed. Wen then draped 
himself over the side of bed with his head resting on the floor.

Zhang entered the cell, and under the faint light of the room's single candle, 
saw Wen lying half on the floor as if dead. Shocked, he leapt forward and 
touched Wen's back, but there was no reaction. He started to lift Wen's body 
back onto the bed, but as he did so, Wen leapt up and attacked him. Zhang fell 
back in surprise, felt a sudden numbness in his lower abdomen, and knew he had 
been hit by someone waiting in ambush under the bed. He roared angrily, 
sidestepped two paces and suppressed his breathing to control the numbness. 
Chen, who was startled to see Zhang still standing, leapt out from beneath the 
bed and struck his face with his fists seven or eight times.

If he responded, Zhang knew his control would be lost and the paralysis in his 
abdomen would spread. He retreated as Chen's foot flew up and struck another 
yuedao point. This time, he could not sustain his control. His whole body went 
limp and he fell to the ground.

Chen searched him and was extremely disappointed to find he did not have the 
Frozen Emerald sword with him. He pulled a piece of paper out of Zhang's pocket 
and saw under the candlelight that it was a note from Commander Li asking Zhang 
to show his sword to an important official who was waiting to see it:this must 
have been the excuse Li had used to draw Zhang away. He guessed that Zhang had 
been anxious to get back to the dungeon to resume his guard duties and had left 
early without the sword.

Chen continued his search of Zhang's body, and suddenly leapt up jubilantly.

"What is it?" Wen asked. Chen held his hand up and displayed a set of keys. He 
tried one on the manacles and they opened immediately.

Finally freed, Wen exercised his arms and legs as Chen took off his cape and 
hat.

"Put these on and get out quickly," he said.

"What about you?"

"I'll wait here for a while. You get out."

Wen understood his meaning. "Great Helmsman, I am very grateful for your good 
intentions, but we cannot do it that way."

"Fourth Brother, you don't understand. I am in no danger if I stay here." He 
told Wen about how the Emperor and he had sworn an oath to each other.

"It is still impossible,," Wen said.

Chen frowned. "I am the Great Helmsman. All members of the Red Flower Society 
must follow my orders, is that not correct?"

"Of course."

"Fine. Then this my order. Put these on quickly and get out. The brothers are 
outside waiting for you."

"This time I am forced to disobey your order," Wen said. "I would prefer to 
accept whatever penalty you decide upon."

They were deadlocked. Chen pursed his lips and then had an idea.

"Well, we'll have to risk going out together then. Put on his clothes," he said 
pointing at Zhang.

"Excellent! Why didn't you say so earlier?" Wen exclaimed.

The two stripped Zhang of his clothes and exchanged them for Wen's, then locked 
the chains and manacles onto him. Zhang shook with rage, his eyes blood-red 
with hate, but he was unable to utter a sound.

The two walked quietly through the door and along the corridor. As they 
ascended a flight of stone steps, a bright light assailed their eyes and they 
saw the whole courtyard was filled with torches. Several dozen soldiers stood 
with shining spear tips pointed at the dungeon entrance. Behind them were 
several hundred archers with bows drawn. Commander Li stood with his right hand 
held high. Once it dropped, the spears and arrows would be loosed, and Chen and 
Wen would be dead.

Chen stepped back a pace. "How are your wounds?" he whispered to Wen. "Can you 
charge through?"

"No, my leg is not up to it," Wen replied with a rueful smile. "You go by 
yourself, Great Helmsman, don't worry about me."

"All right, pretend you're Zhang and we'll see how we do," Chen replied.

Wen pulled his cap down to his eyebrows and strode out. Commander Li's heart 
sank at the sight of Zhang and Chen together and he assumed that Zhang had 
arrested him. He turned to his daughter Yuanzhi.

"Give Zhang's sword back to him and distract him so that Chen can get away," he 
said.

Yuanzhi walked over with the 'Frozen Emerald' sword in her hand and held it out 
to Wen, positioning herself between the two men.

"Uncle Zhang, here is your sword," she said, giving Chen a slight nudge with 
her elbow. Wen grunted and moved to accept the sword, and suddenly under the 
torch light she recognized him.

"Wen Tailai! So you're trying to escape," she cried and thrust the sword at his 
chest.

Wen feinted to one side and caught the blade with his fingers while his right 
hand struck out at the Solar Yuedao points on her forehead. Frightened, Yuanzhi 
tried to retreat a step, but found that with his fingers still holding the 
sword, she was unable to move an inch. She let go of the sword and tried to slip 
away, but Wen struck her left shoulder and a bone-splitting pain surged through 
her. She cried out and squatted down. Looking back, Chen saw Wen was surrounded 
but he continued to fight fiercely.

"Stop or the archers will shoot," Commander Li roared.

The old wounds on Wen's thigh burst open with the sudden effort and blood 
poured out. He knew he did not have the strength to break out of the circle of 
soldiers.

"Great Helmsman, catch the sword and get out!" he shouted. He tried to throw 
the Frozen Emerald Sword, but with a sudden pain in his shoulder, his hand went 
limp and the sword fell to the ground only a few feet from him. He had been hit 
by an arrow.

Chen turned to Commander Li. "Stop shooting!" he shouted. Li waved his hand and 
the archers stopped.

"Get a doctor quickly to deal with Master Wen's wounds. I'm going," Chen said, 
and raced out of the Yamen. Following Li's orders, the guards pretended to give 
chase, without really obstructing him.

Once out of the Yamen, 'Leopard' Wei and Luo Bing came up to meet him. Chen 
smiled bitterly and shook his head. The eastern sky was already pale as with 
heavy hearts the heroes returned home.

** 2 **

They gathered later in the Great Hall to discuss the situation.

Chen said to Wei: "Ninth Brother, send the vase to Commander Li. We cannot 
betray our word." Wei bowed and left.

Master Ma's son entered the hall and walked over to Chen. "Great Helmsman, Zhang 
Zhaozhong has sent a letter to you," He said.

"Zhang? That is strange. I wonder what he has to say?"

He opened the letter and found it angrily accused him of deception and 
plotting, of behaviour unbefitting an honourable man, and challenged him to a 
duel at a time and place of his choice. "He wants to get revenge for last 
night," Chen told the others. "Huh, a duel! Does he think I'm scared?"

"We have to rescue Fourth Brother in the next two days," said Xu. "Why don't 
you ask Zhang to postpone the meeting for a few days? We should not allow this 
matter to interfere with our real purpose."

"That is true," said Chen. "Today is the twentieth, so I will set the meeting 
for noon on the twenty-third."

He immediately wrote a letter inviting Zhang to meet him alone on that day and 
ordered an attendant to take it to the Commander-in-Chief's Yamen.

An attendant entered and said to Master Ma: "Master, the old man Wang Weiyang 
still refuses to eat and does nothing but curse."

"Who does he curse?" Ma asked.

"The Imperial Bodyguard for their lack of sense. He says he doesn't understand 
why they have imprisoned him."

"The North China Earth-Shaker," Priest Wu Chen chuckled. "As soon as he comes 
down to the south, he has to put up with some hardship."

Xu's face suddenly brightened. "I have a plan that should make it easier for 
you to deal with Zhang, Great Helmsman," he said. He told them the plan and they 
all clapped and laughed in delight.

"Excellent, very cunning," said Priest Wu Chen. Zhou Qi smiled and shook her 
head.

"Mistress Zhou once again thinks that Seventh Brother is not being 
straightforward enough," Chen said with a smile. "But when dealing with 
dishonourable men, one does not have to be completely honourable. Brother Meng, 
go and have a talk with the North China Earth-Shaker."

In forty years, Wang Weiyang had never suffered a setback. Now, on his first 
trip to the south, he was in dire straights. He yelled and shouted, insisting 
that he should be allowed to see the Imperial Guard Commander to settle the 
matter. As he ranted, the door to his cell opened and Meng walked in wearing the 
uniform of an Imperial Guard officer.

"So you are the North China Earth-Shaker?" he said unceremoniously.

Wang raged inwardly. "Yes," he said. "It is a nickname given to me by my 
friends. If Commander Fu finds it unpleasing, I will change it immediately."

"Commander Fu is a confidante of the Emperor," said Meng coldly. "He has no 
interest in such things."

"I am escorting a quantity of precious articles to Hangzhou for the court. Why 
are you detaining me here?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Of course!"

"I am just afraid that at you age, you may not be able to stand the shock."

Wang hated references to his age more than anything. In a rage, he struck the 
corner of the table with his fist and splinters flew.

"I may be old, but my heart is still strong," he shouted. "What shock have I to 
be afraid of?"

Meng laughed. "Your're truly remarkable, Master Wang. There is a saying in the 
fighting community. 'Meeting the Devil is preferable to meeting old Wang, 
bumping into a spear is preferable to bumping into Zhang Zhaozhong', isn't that 
right?"

"That's the reputation I have amongst bandits."

"Why does 'old Wang' come before 'Zhang'? Could it be that old Wang's kung fu 
is better than Zhang's?"

Wang stood up. "Aha!" he exclaimed. "So the Fire Hand Judge wants to test me. 
I'm getting too slow in my old age. I never thought of that."

"Master Zhang is my superior, did you know that?"

"I knew that Master Zhang was in the Imperial Guard."

"Would you recognize him?" asked Meng.

"We both live in Beijing, But he is an official and I am an ordinary citizen. I 
have heard much about him, but have never had the good fortune to meet him."

"Master Zhang has also heard much about you," said Meng. "He says there are 
three matters he wants to raise with you. If you agree to them, you will be 
allowed to leave immediately."

"Well?"

"Firstly, he wants you to abandon the nickname 'North China Earth-Shaker."

"Huh! What's the second thing?"

"Please close down the Zhen Yuan Bodyguard Agency."

"My Bodyguard Agency has been operating for more than thirty years," Wang 
protested angrily. "Never have I suffered a loss at the hands of our friends in 
the fighting community, yet Master Zhang wants me to retire! And the third 
thing?"

"The third thing is to ask you to issue a proclamation asking members of the 
fighting community to reverse the order of the saying about you and Master 
Zhang. Master Zhang also says that as you are now getting on in age, your Eight 
Diagrams sword is probably no longer of much use to you, and suggests that you 
donate it to the Imperial Guard."

Wang's anger surged. "Zhang Zhaozhong and I have nothing against one another. 
He's carrying this too far!" he shouted.

"You have enjoyed a great name for forty years. Perhaps you ought to retire. As 
the saying goes, one mountain cannot contain two tigers. Surely you understand 
the sense of that?"

"So he wishes to humiliate me to promote his own name. Huh! And what if I don't 
agree. Will he continue to hold me here?"

"Master Zhang is an honourable man. He would not do such a thing," said Meng. 
"He invites you to duel with him at noon today on Lion Peak. If you win, the 
three conditions will not be mentioned again. If you lose, then he asks you to 
agree to all three. He says it would be rather inconvenient if the Emperor found 
out about this, and asks you to go alone. That is, if you dare."

Wang spluttered with rage. "Even if I was to die there, I would still go 
alone."

"Then please write out a letter and I will take it back to Master Zhang," said 
Meng. He pulled out some paper and a writing brush.

Wang, his hand shaking in anger, wrote out a short note:

"To His Excellency Master Zhang Zhaozhong. Your words and behaviour have gone 
too far. I will meet you today at noon on Lion Peak. If I lose, I will be at 
your disposal. Wang Weiyang."

Meng smiled, picked up the letter and walked out, closing the door of the cell 
behind him.

That morning, Master Han, the original owner of the white horse, was moved from 
one cell to another. Having fallen into the hands of Red Flower Society once 
again, he was afraid he would not be able to escape so easily again. As he 
morosely considered his dilemma, he heard someone shouting in the cell next to 
his, and recognized the voice of Wang Weiyang. He could hear he was cursing 
Zhang Zhaozhong. Greatly curious, he was just about to call out to Wang when the 
door opened and two men walked in.

"Please come with us to the Great Hall for a chat, Master Han," one of them 
said.

As they entered the hall, Han saw three men sitting on the left. In the middle 
was the Red Flower Society's Great Helmsman Chen, while on either side of him 
sat a dwarf and a man with a flowing white beard. Han bowed silently and sat 
down.

"Brother Han, I never thought that we would meet again here," said Chen. "Our 
fates seem to be tied."

Han hesitated for a moment. "I know I agreed to give up my sword and return 
home," he said finally. "But Master Wang insisted that I do this job. Out of 
feelings of friendship and because I knew the valuables belonged to your family, 
I..."

"Brother Han," Xu interrupted harshly. "We of the fighting community are very 
particular about two things: trust and honour. By your own word, you have 
proved to be untrustworthy. How do you think you should be dealt with?"

Han steeled himself. "What is there to say? If you're going to kill me then 
kill me."

"There's no need to talk like that," Chen said. "Master Wang has been grossly 
insulted by Zhang Zhaozhong, and says that no matter what, he must fight it out 
with him. We of the fighting community are very annoyed over this affair. What 
is your relationship with Zhang Zhaozhong?"

"I've met him a few times in Beijing, but we are from two different worlds. You 
couldn't say we had any relationship."

"As I thought. Have a look at this letter," said Chen, and handed him the note 
Wang had written.

Han knew that Wang always showed the greatest respect for officialdom. But if 
Zhang really had been that insulting, he would have been unable to swallow it. 
Having himself heard Wang cursing and now seeing the letter, there was no room 
for doubt.

"I would like to see Master Wang and discuss the situation with him," he said.

"There is not enough time," Chen replied. "I would like you to take this letter 
to Zhang now and you can see Master Wang when you return. Twelfth Brother, 
please come here," he called. 'Melancholy Ghost' Shi emerged from an inner 
chamber and Chen introduced him to Han. "Brother Shi will accompany you to see 
Zhang Zhaozhong. You are unaware of how Zhang has caused Master Wang to lose 
face, but there is no time to give you the details now. When you see Zhang, you 
can say that Brother Shi here is a lead escort with the bodyguard agency. Do 
exactly as he says."

Han's suspicions rose again and he hesitated once more.

"Do you have any doubts, Brother Han?"

"No, no," he answered hastily.

Xu knew that Han suspected. "Please wait a moment," he said. He left the hall 
for a moment, returning with a flask of wine and a wine cup into which he poured 
some wine.

"I was too abrupt in what I said just now," he said, offering the cup to Han. 
"Please accept this as a token of my apology. Let there be no hard feelings."

"Well said!" Han replied. He drained the cup, picked up the letter and walked 
towards the door.

"Oh no!" Xu suddenly exclaimed. "Brother Han, I've made a mistake. That cup of 
wine had poison in it!"

Han went pale, and he turned back towards them.

"I am truly sorry," said Xu. "That flask was poisoned for use whenever needed 
and one of the servants gave it to me by mistake. I didn't realize it until I 
smelt it. You've already drunk a cupful. Brother Han, oh dear, oh dear. Get the 
antidote quickly," he added to an attendant.

"The antidote is in the east city residence," the attendant replied.

"You fool. Ride over there and get it!" Xu shouted at him. The attendant bowed 
and left.

"I have been neglectful," Xu said apologetically to Han. "Please deliver the 
letter first. If you do exactly as Brother Shi says, you can take the antidote 
when you get back, and everything will be fine."

Han knew he either did as the Red Flower Society ordered or he was a dead man. 
He gave Xu a look of hatred, then turned and walked out without a word. Shi 
followed him.

Lord Zhou frowned as the two left. "Han doesn't appear to me to be all that 
evil," he said. "Poisoning him like that was not a very honourable thing to do."

"But there was no poison in the wine," Xu replied.

"No poison?"

"None." Xu poured himself a cup and drank it down.

"I was afraid he might mess up our plan in front of Zhang, so I scared him a 
little. When he comes back, he can drink another cup and it will all be over."

The others laughed.

Zhang was sitting beside Wen Tailai keeping watch when the cell door opened and 
a guard came in with a visiting card inscribed with the words: 'North China Earth-
Shaker Wang Weiyang.'

"Go and tell him that I cannot see visitors," he said.

The guard left, but returned a moment later to say: "The visitors won't leave. 
They have a letter for you."

Zhang read the letter, and was both angered and perplexed by it. He had never 
had any disputes with Wang and wondered why the old man should challenge him to 
a kung fu duel.

"Tell Commander Li that I have to see a visitor and ask him to send someone to 
stand watch in my place," he said to the guard.

Four bodyguards arrived to replace him, and Zhang went to the reception hall. 
He recognized Lead Escort Han and saluted him with his fists.

"Isn't Master Wang here?" he asked.

"This is Lead Escort Shi of our bodyguard agency," Han replied, pointing to his 
companion. "There are a number of things Master Wang wants him to say to you."

Zhang threw Wang's letter onto the table. "I have respected Wang from afar for 
a long time, but I have never had any dealings with him whatsoever," he said. 
"How can he say that my words and behaviour have gone too far? There appears to 
be some misunderstanding here."

"Master Wang is a leading member of the fighting community," said Shi coldly. 
"When the community produces scum, he considers it to be his business 
regardless of whether there is a direct connection."

Zhang stood up, absolutely furious. "So Wang Weiyang says I am scum, does he?"

Shi said nothing in silent confirmation.

"Please enlighten me as to just how I have dishonoured the fighting community," 
demanded Zhang.

"Members of the fighting community abhor disrespect for superiors above all 
else," Shi replied. "You, Master Zhang, are a senior member of the Wudang 
School. It is said that you have not only turned hostile towards your own 
martial brothers, but have also attempted to arrest one of them for the Manchu 
court. Is this true?"

"The affairs of my martial brothers and I are of no concern to anyone else," 
Zhang said angrily.

"Secondly, there is no personal emnity between yourself and the Red Flower 
Society and yet purely for the purpose of your own career and enrichment, you 
seized Master Wen Tailai, and caused the death of the young son of Lord Zhou of 
Iron Gall Manor. Is your mind at ease over such things?"

"I am employed by the Emperor and I am loyal to him. What has that got to do 
with the Zhen Yuan Bodyguard Agency?"

"Did you not work to implicate the Zhen Yuan Bodyguard Agency in your schemes, 
as a result of which many of our men were killed and wounded?" said Shi.

"You really did do wrong there, Master Zhang," Han added. "You can't blame 
Master Wang for being angry."

"We will ignore other examples for the moment," Shi continued coldly. "How do 
you think these three questions should be handled?" He rolled up his eyes and 
struck an expression of dignified authority.

Zhang was incensed at being treated like a criminal in the dock. "All right, 
you," he shouted, striding forward. "You're obviously looking for trouble!"

Shi retreated a pace. "What's this?" he asked. "You want to take me on because 
you don't dare to accept the North China Earth-Shaker's challenge, is that it?"

"Who says I don't dare?" Zhang roared. "I will be there on Lion Peak at noon 
today."

"If you decide not to go, then never again consider yourself to be a member of 
the fighting community," Shi said. "Master Wang says that if you have any guts 
at all, you will go alone. There will be no one else from the Bodyguard Agency 
there."

"Why should I need help? Do you think I am afraid of this egotistical, stupid 
old man?"

"Master Wang is not a great orator," Shi continued, ignoring Zhang's comment. 
"When you meet him, the issue will be decided by kung fu alone. If you want to 
curse and swear, please feel free to do so now."

Zhang was speechless with rage.

Shi laughed coldly, then turned on his heel and left with Han following.

While the two had argued, Han's mind had been on the poison he had taken, and 
wished that Shi would hurry up and finish so that he could get back and take 
the antidote.

"We agreed to meet at noon," Shi reported on their return to the mansion at 
Solitary Peak.

Han collapsed on a chair with what appeared to be stomach cramps. Xu poured out 
a cup of wine and handed it to him.

"This is the antidote. Drink it up, Brother Han."

Han quickly stretched out his hand to take it, but Lord Zhou snatched the cup 
away first and drank it down at one draught. Han stared at him an amazement.

"We have joked with you enough, Master Han," Zhou said with a smile. "You 
didn't take any poison at all. He was just playing with you. Master Xu, come and 
apologise."

Xu walked over, grinning and bowed. "Please forgive me, Brother Han," he said.

Meng went in once more to see Wang Weiyang. "Master Zhang has agreed," he said. 
"You can go now. And by the way, he does not like naggers, so if you have 
anything to say, say it now. When you get to Lion Peak, the matter will be 
decided with fists and blades. If you try talking to him even to beg for mercy, 
I doubt if he will listen to you. If you are afraid, there is still time to pull 
out."

"I am prepared to die today if need be," Wang shouted, huffily stroking his 
beard. He stood up and strode out. Meng motioned with his hands to an attendant 
who handed Wang his sword and a bag of projectiles.

Han was standing by the door. "Please be careful Master Wang," he said.

"You know about this too?"

Han nodded. "I have seen Zhang."

"What did he call me?"

"It was demeaning. You would not wish to hear it."

"Speak," ordered Wang.

"He called you ... an egotistical, stupid old man."

Wang grunted. "We shall see whether or not I am egotistical. Brother Han, if 
anything should happen to me, please look after the agency and the affairs of 
my family for me." He hesitated. "And tell my two sons not to rush into taking 
revenge. Their kung fu is still not good enough, and they would lose their lives 
to no good purpose."

He then started out for Lion Peak and the duel.

** 3 **

The slopes of Lion Peak produce abundant quantities of tea, one of the most 
exquisite varieties of the leaf under heaven. The mountain itself is high and 
precipitous, and few people go to the very top.

Wang Weiyang, his great sword slung across his back, clambered up the steep 
slope and emerged through the tea bushes onto an expanse of open ground on the 
summit. He noticed walking towards him a tall, robust man wearing a short 
jacket. The man stared at him for a moment.

"Are you Wang Weiyang?" he asked.

"Yes. And you are the Fire Hand Judge, Zhang Zhaozhong?"

"I am. Do you wish to fight bare-handed or with weapons?" Zhang was a very 
thorough man. He had searched about carefully during his climb up the peak, but 
had found no sign of anyone lying in ambush.

Wang was startled to see Zhang's mouth and nose were swollen and with his right 
eye ringed in black, injuries caused by Chen the night before. "We have no 
great grudges against each other," thought Wang. "Why risk killing him with a 
sword-stroke? The consequences of killing an official of his rank are 
unthinkable. It will be enough to humiliate him with my Eight Diagram Kung Fu. 
I'll show him I'm not egotistical."

"I would be honoured to pit myself against your famous Limitless Occult Kung 
Fu, Master Zhang," he said out loud.

"Fine," Zhang replied. He brought his fists together in salute and waited for 
the other to attack.

"If I may..." Wang said, and as he spoke, his left fist shot out and his right 
hand sliced across towards Zhang's right shoulder. Then in a flash, his left 
fist flipped over and aimed for the right shoulder while the right hand went for 
the chest. Zhang retreated three paces and fended off the blows. The two circled 
around, surprised at the extent of the other's ability.

"His moves are fast and powerful," Zhang thought. "He's a strong adversary."

"He avoided those blows of mine with ease," Wang thought. "Fire Hand Judge is 
no misnomer."

Suddenly, Zhang stepped forward and swept his left leg across at Wang, who 
jumped clear off the ground to avoid it and countered with a fist aimed at 
Zhang's face.

They were evenly matched and fought close and fast. The sun was riding high and 
their two shadows danced on the ground, merging and separating in a flash. Wang 
knew that at his age, a long battle would finish him. So he quickly changed his 
style, and with one hand protecting his body and the other facing outwards, he 
raced round Zhang, his feet following the pattern of the Eight Diagrams.

The style dictated that he keep moving, circling round Zhang to the left and 
right, waiting for an opportunity to strike. It would make even a kung fu master 
dizzy after a few circuits.

Zhang knew how ferocious this style was, and lunged at his opponent. But Wang 
had already circled round the other way. Suddenly he struck at Zhang with both 
fists, one of which slammed into his shoulder. Zhang caught hold of Wang's wrist 
and struck out at his elbow in retaliation. With his free hand, Wang swung at 
Zhang's other shoulder and the two leapt apart.

Zhang had had the worst of the encounter. "Your kung fu is excellent," he 
shouted. "Let us duel with swords."

He drew his Frozen Emerald sword, Wang also drew his sword and the two stood 
facing each other.

Zhang's mind was bent on recovering face, and he struck out with a series of 
attacking sword strokes, fast and vicious. Wang could tell from the way the 
light glinted on the Frozen Emerald sword that it was a superb weapon, and knew 
that if the two swords clashed, his own blade would come off the worst. So he 
did not dare to directly parry the strokes.

They fought round and round. Wang began to sweat and he secretly worked a number 
of darts into his palm and then swapped his sword over to his left hand. He 
slashed out with a left-handed stoke, and simultaneously flung the darts at 
Zhang. Zhang managed to dodge both dangers, but he was becoming flustered by the 
onslaught. He swept his sword across at Wang's waist, and as the two swords 
clashed, Wang's blade snapped cleanly in two.

Wang roared and hurled the remaining half at Zhang, and followed it with his 
remaining three darts. With a cry, Zhang fell over backwards and the Frozen 
Emerald Sword dropped to the ground.

"Master Zhang, forgive me!" Wang cried out anxiously. "I have some Golden Scar 
Ointment here."

Zhang was silent. Wang feared he was dead, and killing a court official was no 
laughing matter so he rushed across and bent down to examine Zhang.

As he did so, he saw flashes of gold before his eyes. Cursing himself, he leant 
over backwards as fast as he could, but too late. He felt stabs of pain in his 
left chest and shoulder as the needles plunged home. He gave another angry roar 
and jumped up ready to fight Zhang to the death. But as he swung his sword, the 
pain in his chest and shoulder was so extreme that he fell back to the ground 
with a groan. Zhang laughed out loud. He pulled one of Wang's darts from his 
wrist, ripped a strip of cloth off his jacket, bound the wound then stood up.

"How could you attack me when I was coming to see if you were injured?" Wang 
demanded angrily. "What sort of man are you to do such a despicable thing? 
We'll see if you have the effrontery to face the rest of the fighting community 
after today."

"There's only the two of us here. Who else knows about it?" asked Zhang with a 
smile. "Having lived to such a ripe old age, it's about time you went to meet 
your forefathers." 

He picked up half of Wang's snapped sword and dug a hole in the ground, then 
heaved Wang to the edge of it.

"So you're the North China Earth-Shaker," he said. "I'll give you some earth to 
shake." He kicked Wang into the hole and began to bury him alive.

As he worked, he heard a long, cold laugh from somewhere behind. He whirled 
round in fright and found Lead Escort Han standing there with an Iron Pipa in 
his hand.

"So that's it!" Zhang shouted angrily. "The Zhen Yuan Bodyguard Agency arranges 
a one-to-one duel and secretly sets up an ambush. Do you have no shame?"

"It is you that is shameless," Han replied pointing to Wang.

"All right, you can demonstrate your Iron Pipa kung fu for me," Zhang said. He 
flew at Han using Lightness Kung Fu and thrust his sword at him. Han retreated 
two steps and a sword struck out at Zhang from amongst the bushes. Zhang parried 
the stroke, and saw the swordsman was the other lead escort who had accompanied 
Han to see him earlier.

"Come on, fight me together. It is of no consequence to the Fire Hand Judge," 
he shouted.

Just as he was about to strike, he heard a noise behind and turned to see eight 
or nine men walking towards him led by the Red Flower Society's Great Helmsman, 
Chen Jialuo. A shiver of panic passed through him, and he glanced about, looking 
for some avenue of escape.

"Brother Han, go and look after Master Wang," said Chen. Han ran over to the 
hole and helped Wang out.

"Master Wang said he wished to have a private duel with no observers or 
seconds," Zhang shouted.

"My brothers and I came to admire the scenery and happened to come across the 
two of you," Chen replied. "It was a very artistic display, but you did not win 
very honourably, Master Zhang."

"We were matching our strength and our wits. What is wrong with such a 
victory?"

"You are wise indeed, Master Zhang." Chen walked slowly forward. "We want to 
rescue Master Wen."

"Well?"

"His manacles are made of the finest steel which no file could get through. I 
therefore have no alternative but to ask you to lend us your excellent sword. 
As a member of the fighting community, I am sure you will be happy to oblige."

Zhang looked at the number of his adversaries and knew it would be difficult to 
get away.

"If you wish to borrow my sword, you will have to take it by force," he said. 
He turned and sprinted towards the southern path down the mountain slope. 
Suddenly, he saw in front of him the one-armed Taoist priest, and slung two 
Golden Needles at him. He knew there was no chance of hitting the priest, but he 
hoped that the needles would occupy him long enough to get past. Priest Wu Chen, 
however, deftly dodged out of the way then crouched down and thrust his sword at 
Zhang's right leg. Zhang brought his own blade down to parry the stroke and the 
two fought fiercely. Zhang found his strength beginning to wane. The priest gave 
a shout and the Frozen Emerald sword was jolted out of Zhang's hand. For a split 
second, Zhang stared at it in surprise, and the priest aimed a flying kick at 
his groin, knocking him to the ground. Zhang Jin and two of the other fighters 
then jumped on him while Luo Bing pulled out some rope and bound his hands. 
Remembering Zhang had led the capture of her husband at Iron Gall Manor, she 
punched him smartly on the nose.

Chen walked over.

"You have only won because of numerical superiority," Zhang shouted angrily. 
"If you bandits are going to kill me then get it over with."

"He ought to be buried in the hole that he dug," suggested 'Melancholy Ghost' 
Shi. The others shouted their agreement, and Zhang broke into a cold sweat.

"What do you say?" asked Chen. "If you admit defeat and swear never again to go 
against the Red Flower Society, we will spare you for the sake of your martial 
brother, Master Lu."

"Stop wasting words!" Zhang shouted stubbornly. "After all your crafty tricks, 
how can you expect anyone to concede defeat to you?"

"All right," said Chen. "I will kill you to relieve you of the horror of being 
buried alive." He pulled out his dagger and walked over to Zhang. "Are you not 
afraid of death?" he asked.

"Do your worst," Zhang replied, and laughed bitterly. He closed his eyes and 
waited for death.

Suddenly they heard shouts from the mountainside below, and turned to see two 
men running towards them, moving as fast as the wind with superb Lightness Kung 
Ku.

As they approached, the heroes saw that one was Lu Feiqing, and the other a 
kindly-looking old Taoist priest.

Just as Lu was about to introduce the old man, Zhang went up to him and bowed.

"Brother, we have not seen each other for many years," he said. "How are you?"

The heroes realized that it must be Ma Zhen, 'Scholar' Yu's teacher. They all 
bowed before him.

"We came as fast as we could when we heard about the duel," Lu said. He looked 
round and saw with relief that no-one had been injured.

Ma Zhen had long heard of Zhang's unsavoury record, but seeing his blood-
stained clothes and swollen face, he now found himself feeling almost sorry for 
him. "Brother Zhang, how did you get into such a mess?" he asked.

"With one against so many, how could I look any different?" Zhang replied 
indignantly.

The heroes were furious at his insinuation. "So you're blameless are you?" 
shouted Zhou Qi. She brandished her sword and made as to charge at Zhang, but 
her father held her back.

"His two martial brothers are here now," Lord Zhou said. "Let us see what they 
have to say." His words put the onus of dealing with Zhang squarely on Ma Zhen.

Ma Zhen looked at Lu, and then at Zhang. Suddenly, his knees folded and he 
knelt down before the heroes. Greatly surprised, Chen helped him up again.

"My brothers," he said, his voice choked with sobs. "This useless martial 
brother of mine has committed truly heinous crimes. To the shame of our school, 
we have failed to discipline him and have lost face before all our brothers in 
the fighting community...I...I..." He was overcome with emotion. "Brother Lu," 
he added. "Tell them what I mean."

"Brother Ma is very angry about Zhang's behaviour. But in memory of our late 
teacher, he wishes to ask you to spare him." 

The heroes looked at Chen and Lord Zhou, waiting for their decision.

"Master Zhou will be the arbiter," said Chen. "We will do whatever he says."

"Considering he had Iron Gall Manor burnt to the ground, I should not rest 
until revenge has been gained," Zhou said, then paused. "But having heard your 
words, Master Ma, I will hand him over to you with all past scores forgotten."

"Father!" Zhou Qi cried, horrified.

Zhou stroked her hair. "Forget about it, child," he said softly.

"Out of respect for your wishes, Master Ma, the Red Flower Society will also 
let bygones be bygones," added Chen.

Ma and Lu bowed to the heroes. "We will be eternally grateful," said Ma.

"Brother Ma, what do you intend to do if he does evil again?" Priest Wu Chen 
asked sternly.

"I will insist that he turn over a new leaf," Ma replied. "But if he does 
revert to his old ways, then I will be the first to strike, unless he kills me 
first! I will now take him back to Wudang Mountain so that he can reflect on his 
misdeeds in solitude. Brother Lu, once Master Wen is out of danger, please write 
and inform me so that my mind can rest easy. By the way, where is my pupil, Yu 
Yutong?"

"He was separated from us at the Yellow River," Chen replied. "We later heard 
that he had been rescued by a girl, but we have no further information. As soon 
as we have rescued Brother Wen, we will go and investigate. Please don't worry, 
sir."

"That pupil of mine is very clever but he is not steady enough. Please give him 
whatever direction is necessary, Master Chen."

"We treat our brothers as blood relations," Chen replied. "Brother Yu is a 
capable man. We place great faith in him."

"I am very grateful for what you have done today," said Ma. "My brothers! Next 
time any of you are in Hubei Province, please come to stay at Wudang Mountain." 
The heroes all thanked him.

"All right, let's go!" Ma told Zhang curtly. Zhang noticed that Luo Bing had 
slung his Frozen Emerald Sword across her back, and he knew that to try to 
retrieve it would only result in more punishment. So he bit his lip and followed 
after Ma Zhen, his head bowed.

When they had gone, the others asked Lu what had happened to him since they had 
parted. He told them that for a time he had searched unsuccessfully for 
Yuanzhi. Then, realising that Zhang was the key to the affair, he went south and 
asked Ma Zhen to help him. They hurried to Beijing only to discover that Zhang 
had gone to Hangzhou, so they travelled south once more.

The heroes walked slowly down from the peak, talking as they went. Chen turned 
to Wang and Han.

"You are both free to go," he said.

"Master Chen, I will never forget how you saved my life," Wang replied.

Chen laughed. "I must ask your forgiveness, Master Wang," he said and related 
how they had stolen the jade vases and provoked the duel between himself and 
Zhang. Having just escaped from the jaws of death, Wang did not seem to blame 
him for the deception.

"You are certainly a born leader," he said to Chen, and laughed. "So young and 
already a hero. I may be old, but I still have a thing or two to learn."

"When our affairs have been successfully concluded, we will drink a few cups of 
wine together," Chen replied.

They arrived at the lake and returned to Lonely Mountain by boat. Lu Feiqing 
extracted the Golden Needles from Wang's wounds with the use of a magnet, and 
then treated them with Golden Scar ointment.

By this time, evening was approaching.

"Most of the work on the tunnel has been completed," Master Ma, the Hangzhou 
Helmsman, reported. "We should be finished in another six hours."

Chen nodded. "Good, thank you Brother Ma. Thirteenth Brother, please go and 
supervise the work." 'Crocodile' Jiang bowed and left.

Chen turned once more to Wang and Han.

"We have been looking after a few members of your honourable bodyguard agency," 
he said. "Why don't you take them to the lake for some recreation?"

Wang watched the Red Flower Society fighters hurrying to and fro and guessed 
they were preparing to rescue Wen Tailai. He decided that if he were to go out 
by himself now and the plan should go wrong, they could easily suspect that he 
had informed the authorities.

"I am getting old, and what with these Golden Needle wounds, I am not feeling 
at all well," he replied. "I would like to rest here for a day."

"As you wish," said Chen.

** 4 **

The heroes ate a full meal and then returned to their rooms to rest. At six 
o'clock that evening, an attendant reported that the tunnel diggers were already 
under the Commander-in-Chief's Yamen, but that a large rock was blocking their 
path which they were trying to dig around. Chen and Xu assigned their forces: 
some were to attack from the left, some from the right, and some would be held 
in reserve. At about eight o'clock, the attendant returned to report that the 
diggers had come up against an iron plate and had decided to stop work for a 
while for fear of alerting those inside.

"We will wait another two hours and then make our move," Chen said.

During those two hours, the heroes could hardly control their impatience. Zhang 
Jin paced up and down the hall mumbling curses. Master Ma kept taking out a 
large gold watch and checking the time while Chen read a book.

"The time has arrived," Ma finally announced.

The heroes all charged for the door. They donned various disguises and made 
their way separately through the darkened streets of Hangzhou to a house just 
outside the Commander-in-Chief's Yamen.

'Crocodile' Jiang was waiting for them. "This area is being tightly patrolled 
by Manchu troops," he said. "Be as quiet as possible."

He stood at the entrance of the tunnel with his iron oar at the ready, as the 
heroes filed through one by one. The tunnel had been dug deep, and with Hangzhou 
being such a low-lying area, it was ankle-deep in water. By the time they 
reached the big rock, the muddy water was up to their chests, while several 
dozen yards further on, it rose to their heads.

Seven or eight attendants were waiting near the iron plate with torches and 
spades in hand.

"Start work!" Chen ordered.

With the Great Helmsman there watching them, the attendants worked like demons, 
and soon shifted the rock to the side of the iron plate. Another moment of 
furious digging and the iron plate was dislodged, and 'Leopard' Wei, his pair of 
hooks at the ready, went through first with the rest of the heroes behind. 

The attendants held the torches high to illuminate the way as Wei ran along a 
corridor towards Wen's cell, but found the way blocked by a locked iron gate.

"Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother," said Xu suddenly. "Go and guard the exit to 
the dungeon just in case the Manchus have some secret scheme."

Yang and Wei assented and left. Several of the attendants worked to loosen the 
stones to the side of the gate, and then with the help of several of the 
heroes, lifted the gate out of position. Luo Bing ran through, and into Wen's 
cell only to find it empty.

After so many disappointments, Luo Bing crumpled onto the floor and began to 
sob. Zhou Qi wanted to comfort her, but her father held her back.

"Let her be," he said. "A cry will do her good."

"Commander Li was afraid we would come to organise a jail break and has moved 
Fourth Brother somewhere else," Xu said. 

"But now we are in the Yamen, we will find him no matter what," Chen replied.

They went to the door of the dungeon and saw Yang fighting fiercely with a 
group of Manchu soldiers. Priest Wu Chen gave a shout and charged out of the 
dungeon and finished off two Manchu soldiers on the spot. Further on, they found 
Wei battling six or seven officers.

"Considering my relationship with Commander Li, I had better not reveal 
myself," Lu Feiqing thought. He ripped a strip off his gown and covered his face 
so that only the eyes were showing. Just then, the Manchu soldiers broke and 
retreated up to the Yamen courtyard in confusion with Wei and the others in hot 
pursuit.

Xu leapt up onto a nearby wall and saw soldiers standing guard throughout the 
whole Yamen. A drum sounded, and Xu guessed the commanders were still 
positioning their soldiers. Then he spotted a lonely two-storey building in the 
southern part of the main courtyard surrounded by several hundred troops. There 
was nothing special about the building except for the tight defences, and he 
decided that was probably where Wen was being held. He jumped down from the wall 
and whirled his sword around his head.

"Brothers, follow me!" he shouted, and charged towards the building.

The further they went, the more soldiers appeared. But despite their numerical 
superiority, the Manchu troops were unable to contain the Red Flower Society 
fighters, each of them a master of the martial arts. In only a short while, the 
heroes had fought to within a few yards of the building.

"Third Brother, let's go and have a look inside," Priest Wu Chen said to 
'Buddha' Zhao.

"Right," said Zhao, and they sprang over to the doorway with two long strides. 
A sword sliced towards them, but with one thrust from the priest's blade, the 
swordsman screamed and his weapon clattered to the ground. They raced into the 
building with Luo Bing and the others close behind.

As the fighting continued, the heroes found the numbers of Manchu soldiers 
diminishing. Suddenly they heard Priest Wu Chen yell from upstairs: "Fourth 
Brother is here! We've got him!" The heroes shouted in joy.

Zhou Qi raced up the stairs and saw everyone gathered round an iron cage. Chen 
was sawing at the bars with the Frozen Emerald Sword. Zhou Qi went close and 
noticed that inside the iron cage was another smaller cage in which Wen sat 
with his legs and arms manacled like a captured wild animal. Chen sawed through 
two bars, and Zhang Jin used brute strength to twist them back. Luo Bing, thanks 
to her slim figure, managed to wriggle into the outer cage, then took the sword 
from Chen and began to saw away at the lock on the small cage. The heroes were 
all smiling jubilantly. Suddenly they heard a bugle sound, and the remaining 
Manchu troops retreated out about one hundred feet and formed themselves into 
ranks around the building.

"Master Chen!" someone shouted from amongst the Manchu ranks. "I wish to speak 
with Master Chen!"

Chen went to the window and spotted Commander Li outside. "I am here. What is 
it, Commander?"

"Come out quickly or you will all die."

"We will not come out alone, even faced with death," Chen replied. "I am sorry, 
but today we intend to leave with Master Wen."

"Don't be so stubborn," Li shouted. "Start the fire!"

The troops pushed out huge piles of firewood and grass and surrounded the 
building with them. The firewood was soaked in oil and a second after a torch 
was thrown into it, a fiery ring sprang up with the heroes trapped inside.

Chen could see how dangerous the situation was, but he remained calm. "Everyone 
together," he said quietly. "Cut through the bars as quickly as you can."

A man walked out from behind Li and pointed angrily at Chen. "Death is staring 
you in the face and still you don't go down on your knees and beg for mercy?" he 
boomed. "Do you realize what we have in that building?"

As Chen stood thinking, he heard Xu exclaim in their secret code: "Oh no, 
they've packed the place with gunpowder."

Chen noticed a row of wooden barrels around the room they were in. With a quick 
movement, he smashed one of them open and black dust flew out in all 
directions, the smell of saltpetre filling their noses. His heart froze. "Is the 
whole Red Flower Society going to be blown to pieces today?" he wondered. He 
turned and saw the inner cage had been opened and Luo Bing helping Wen out.

"Sister Luo Bing, Brother Zhao!" he shouted. "You two look after Fourth 
Brother. Everyone else follow me." He charged down the stairs. Zhang Jin bent 
over and heaved Wen onto his back while Luo Bing and Zhao escorted them down to 
the ground floor. As they reached the door, they saw swarms of arrows like 
locusts flying at them. Wei and the Twin Knights tried several times to break 
out of the building, but each time they were forced back inside.

"You are standing in a gunpowder keg and I have the fuse here," Commander Li 
shouted. He raised a fiery torch and waved it.

"As soon as I light the fuse, you will all be burnt to ashes. Put Wen down 
immediately."

Chen knew that what he said was true, but he also guessed that because of Wen's 
importance to the Emperor, Li would not dare to light the fuse.

"Put Fourth Brother down!" he shouted. "Let's get out of here!" He brandished 
his long sword and charged out with Wei and the Twin Knights at his side.

Zhang Jin, running flat out with his head down, didn't hear what Chen had said.

"Put Fourth Brother down," Zhao told him. "It's too dangerous. We've got to get 
out or he'll get killed."

Zhang Jin placed Wen on the ground near the door. Luo Bing hesitated, but Zhang 
Jin grabbed her arm and charged on after the others. Li saw in the firelight 
that they had abandoned Wen, and with a wave of his hand ordered the archers to 
stop firing to prevent him being hit by mistake.

Having made it out of the building, the heroes regrouped by the wall.

"Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother and the Twin Knights, you five 
lead an attack on the Manchu troops and disperse them," ordered Chen. "Brother 
Xu, you think of a way to cut the gunpowder fuse. The rest of you, as soon as 
that's done, we will go back and rescue Fourth Brother."

Commander Li was just about to order someone over to keep watch on Wen when he 
spotted the Twin Knights approaching. He hastily shouted to a detachment of 
Imperial Bodyguards who raced over to intercept the Red Flower Society 
fighters.

Lu Feiqing was the first to spot a way out of the dilemma. He ran like an arrow 
straight for Commander Li. Li's bodyguards moved to stop him, but Lu dodged to 
left and right and slipped past them all. In a moment, he was at Li's side. 
Yuanzhi, wearing boy's clothes, was standing by her father's side. Seeing this 
strange masked man charging forward, she cried out shrilly: "How dare you!" and 
thrust her sword straight at his chest. Lu ducked under the stroke, then slipped 
round behind Commander Li and gave him a powerful shove which sent him reeling 
forward. Full of fear for her father, Yuanzhi struck out again with her sword, 
but Lu dodged out of the way once more, picked Li up in his arms and ran inside 
the circle of fire. The Manchu troops shouted in alarm, but the heat from the 
flames was so intense that none dared to follow him.

The Red Flower Society heroes saw Lu carrying Commander Li into the danger zone, 
and Zhang Jin and 'Crocodile' Jiang went in after them.

"That's enough," ordered Chen. "No-one else need go in."

The Manchu troops completely ignored the Red Flower Society fighters, and 
stared anxiously at the men in the centre of the ring of fire. Suddenly, someone 
with a torch leapt over to the gunpowder fuse and lit it. Deng Tunan recognized 
him as Imperial Bodyguard Fan who had shamed himself in front of the Emperor the 
day before. He bore such a deep grudge over the incident, that he wanted only to 
snatch victory away from the Red Flower Society with no concern for whether 
Commander Li lived or died.

The thread of sparks whirled off at an incredible speed. Once it reached the 
circle of fire, disaster would be inevitable. The Manchu troops scattered in 
panic and in the midst of the confusion, a figure, his face covered with a blue 
silk mask, raced forward and threw himself down on to the gunpowder. His clothes 
burst into flames, but the fuse was stopped.

The immediate danger past, Zhang Jin and 'Crocodile' Jiang charged out through 
the circle of fire with Wen Tailai in their arms. The flames were now even more 
fierce, and all three caught fire. The Twin Knights, racing forward to meet 
them, shouting: "Roll! Roll!" Zhang Jin and Jiang first put Wen down and rolled 
him about until all the flames on him had been extinguished, then put out their 
own fires. Luo Bing ran up to attend to Wen.

The Twin Knights meanwhile ran over to rescue the masked man, who had collapsed 
on the ground. By the time the flames had been extinguished, his body was a 
mass of burns.

Once Wen was out of danger, Lu slung Commander Li over his shoulder, took a deep 
breath and leapt back out of the circle like a great bird.

"We've done it!" Chen shouted. "Retreat, retreat!"

Priest Wu Chen led the way, his sword flying, and the others followed, the Twin 
Knights carrying the masked man, Zhang Jin carrying Wen and Lu with Commander Li 
over his shoulder.

The Manchu troops chased after them, shouting and yelling, but none dared get 
too close. The Imperial Bodyguards, however, were frantic at the sight of Wen 
escaping: his loss could cost them their heads. Among them was Fan, the one who 
had lit the fuse. Chen handed the Frozen Emerald sword to 'Buddha' Zhao.

"Cover the others as they retreat, Third Brother," he said. "I'm going to deal 
with this fellow." He pulled out his 'Pearl Strings', the ropes with steel balls 
fastened to the ends, and with a flick of his hand, sent them flying towards 
Fan.

Fan tried to leap out of the way, but he was not quick enough, and the strings 
wrapped themselves round his legs. Chen yanked them back fiercely, and threw 
Fan into the heart of the roaring flames.

By this time, almost all of the heroes had escaped over the Yamen walls. Chen 
raised his hand and shouted to the rest: "Retreat!"

'Leopard' Wei raced over to the gunpowder fuse and relit it, and the Manchu 
troops cried out in fear as the remaining Red Flower Society fighters retired.

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash, and a roar as the gunpowder stacked in 
the building ignited. Explosion followed explosion, black smoke swirled up and 
bricks flew in all directions. The soldiers and guardsmen threw themselves on 
the ground, but despite their great distance from the building, several dozen of 
them had their heads smashed to pieces by stray bricks and pieces of wood. By 
the time the rest crawled back onto their feet, the Red Flower Society heroes 
were gone.

Only when they were certain they were not being chased did the heroes relax. 
They rode out of Hangzhou and arrived at a river with more than a dozen boats 
lined up along the bank. The heroes joyfully boarded the craft.

"Master Chen," Lu Feiqing whispered. "I have had connections with Commander Li 
in the past. Now that Brother Wen is safe, why don't we let him go?"

"Whatever you say," Chen replied, and on his orders, an attendant untied Li's 
bonds and released him.

"Anchors aweigh!" Chen called. "Head for Jiaxing!" 

The rivers and canals of Zhejiang Province are an endless maze with countless 
twists and turns, and in a moment the boats had disappeared.

"We'll head west and take Fourth Brother to Heavenly Eye Mountain to 
convalesce," said Chen. "Let Commander Li race off to Jiaxing after us!"

The heroes all burst out laughing and the accumulated low spirits of several 
months were swept away.

Dawn was just breaking as Luo Bing wiped Wen's body clean. His manacles had been 
sawn off with the Frozen Emerald sword, and he was in a deep sleep.

"Great Helmsman," said Xu. "That masked man who saved Fourth Brother is very 
badly wounded. Shall we have a look at him?"

"Since he keeps his face covered, he obviously does not wish to be recognized. 
I don't think we should," said Lord Zhou.

Xin Yan gently applied white soya sauce to the masked man's burns, but his 
whole body had been blistered by the flames, and he cried out incessantly in 
pain. His hands were clawing about aimlessly as he screamed in pain, and 
suddenly ripped the mask off. The heroes all cried out in unison: "Fourteenth 
Brother!"

It was 'Scholar' Yu. They looked at his face, red-black and swollen with 
countless blisters, and were horrified. Luo Bing brought over a wet cloth and 
lightly wiped the dirt and gunpowder from his face then applied more white soya 
sauce. Whenever she thought about his disgraceful behaviour that night near Iron 
Gall Manor she still felt angry, but having seen what he was willing to go 
through to save her own husband, she knew that his infatuation was more than 
just lust. She looked down at him and wondered how she could ever repay him.

The boats docked and Master Ma sent someone hurrying off to find a doctor. When 
he came, the doctor examined Wen and said: "This gentleman's wounds are only 
superficial. He is strong and healthy, and with several months of recuperation 
there should be no problem." Pointing at Yu, he added: "This gentleman, however, 
has extremely serious burns. There is a danger that the fire poison will attack 
his heart. I will make out a prescription to counter it and have another look 
later." From his tone, he appeard to consider it hopeless.

The doctor went ashore. A while later, Wen opened his eyes and looked at 
everyone standing around him.

"What are you all doing here?" he asked wearily.

Luo Bing burst into tears. "Brother!" she cried happily. "You've come back. 
You've come back!"

Wen nodded slightly and closed his eyes again.

During the night battle at the Yellow River crossing, Yuanzhi had been cut off 
from the Red Flower Society fighters. She spotted a carriage and jumped into it, 
urged the mules and raced blindly away. It was only next morning when she had 
put a great distance between herself and the Manchu army that she stopped to 
rest. Opening the carriage curtain, she found 'Scholar' Yu lying inside 
unconscious and badly wounded. After carefully considering the situation, she 
climbed back onto the carriage and drove on to Wenguang town.

As the daughter of an official, she was used to doing things in an impressive 
manner. She chose the largest residence in the town and knocked on it's door to 
ask for lodgings. The residence belonged to the evil landowner, Tang, who took 
them in. When Tang was found murdered, Yu realized immediately that they could 
be implicated, and they escaped in the confusion. Yuanzhi was planning to go to 
Hangzhou to be with her parents and Yu, knowing that Hangzhou was also where Wen 
was being held, decided they may as well go together. He was still seriously 
wounded, and Yuanzhi looked after him carefully as they travelled.

When they reached Hangzhou, Yuanzhi told her parents that Yu had been wounded 
while saving her from bandits, and her father, Commander Li, allowed him to 
stay in the Yamen as an expression of his gratitude. A doctor was called to 
treat his injuries. When Li saw what a refined person Yu was, skilled in both 
scholarly and martial pursuits, he decided that once his wounds had healed he 
would invite Yu to become his son-in-law. Little did he know that Yu was also a 
key member of the Red Flower Society.

** 5 **

When Qian Long was told that the Red Flower Society had rescued Wen, he was both 
surprised and angry. But he decided there was nothing to be gained in punishing 
the Imperial Bodyguards. He could see from their wounds that they had fought 
bravely.

A while later, Commander Li also arrived, and was informed by the Emperor that 
a decision on whether or not he would lose his post would be deferred until 
later. Li was overjoyed at this unexpected luck.

After Li had left, Qian Long thought about Wen's escape and wondered if his 
secret would get out. From what Wen had said, it did not appear that he knew, 
but there was something about his manner which suggested there was still much he 
could tell. Wen had said there were two important pieces of evidence hidden 
somewhere and he wondered what the evidence could be. He was already almost 
certain he was a Chinese and not a Manchu, but what good could come of such 
knowledge leaking out?

He paced about the room, extremely angry that he, the Son of Heaven, should be 
out-witted by a band of brigands. If they discovered his secret, would he be 
forced to submit to them for the rest of his life on pain of having the secret 
revealed? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he picked up 
a large porcelain flower vase and threw it violently to the floor.

The guards and eunuchs waiting outside heard the crash clearly and trembled in 
their boots, not daring to enter.

Qian Long passed most of the day in a state of mental confusion. Towards 
evening, he heard the sound of gentle music drifting in from outside. The music 
moved closer and closer, passed by the gates of the Yamen then gradually 
receded. A moment later, another musical troupe passed by. He had always been 
very fond of music, and hearing it now, his mood suddenly changed. 

"Servants!" he shouted.

A senior bodyguard named He Jia, who had recently come to favour, hurried in. 
Hearing the Emperor's call, the others had pushed him forward.

"What is that music outside?" Qian Long asked. "Go and find out."

After a while, He Jia came back to report: "Your slave made enquiries and 
learned that all of the famous courtesans of Hangzhou will gather on the West 
Lake this evening to choose what they call the 'Top Candidate of the Boudoir', 
as well as second, third and fourth ranking candidates."

"How dare they make fun of the Imperial Civil Service Examinations in such a 
way!" Qian Long said, amused. "Ridiculous!"

Seeing the smile on the Emperor's face, he advanced a step and added in a low 
voice: "I heard that the Four Beauties of Qiantang River will be there."

"And who are the Four Beauties of Qiantang River?"

"Your slave was talking to a local just now who said that they are the four 
most famous prostitutes of Hangzhou. Everyone out in the streets is trying to 
guess which one will be the Top Candidate of the Boudoir this year."

"The Top Candidate in the Imperial Examination is chosen by me. Who chooses 
this Top Candidate of the Boudoir? Don't tell me there is an Emperor of the 
Boudoir as well?"

"I hear that each prostitute sits in a flower boat on which are displayed the 
gold and jewels presented by her customers. Then the winner is chosen by some of 
Hangzhou's most eminent gentlemen."

"When do they play this game?" Qian Long asked, fascinated.

"It starts soon," He Jia replied. "As soon as it gets a bit darker, the judging 
will begin. If Your Highness is interested, you could go and watch."

Qian Long smiled. "I'm afraid people may laugh at me," he said. "If the Empress 
should hear that I chose the Top Candidate manner which suggested there was 
still much he could tell. Wen had said there were two important pieces of 
evidence hidden somewhere and he wondered what the evidence could be. He was 
already almost certain he was a Chinese and not a Manchu, but what good could 
come of such knowledge leaking out?

He paced about the room, extremely angry that he, the Son of Heaven, should be 
out-witted by a band of brigands. If they discovered his secret, would he be 
forced to submit to them for the rest of his life on pain of having the secret 
revealed? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he picked up 
a large porcelain flower vase and threw it violently to the floor.

The guards and eunuchs waiting outside heard the crash clearly and trembled in 
their boots, not daring to enter.

Qian Long passed most of the day in a state of mental confusion. Towards 
evening, he heard the sound of gentle music drifting in from outside. The music 
moved closer and closer, passed by the gates of the Yamen then gradually 
receded. A moment later, another musical troupe passed by. He had always been 
very fond of music, and hearing it now, his mood suddenly changed. 

"Servants!" he shouted.

A senior bodyguard named He Jia, who had recently come to favour, hurried in. 
Hearing the Emperor's call, the others had pushed him forward.

"What is that music outside?" Qian Long asked. "Go and find out."

After a while, He Jia came back to report: "Your slave made enquiries and 
learned that all of the famous courtesans of Hangzhou will gather on the West 
Lake this evening to choose what they call the 'Top Candidate of the Boudoir', 
as well as second, third and fourth ranking candidates."

"How dare they make fun of the Imperial Civil Service Examinations in such a 
way!" Qian Long said, amused. "Ridiculous!"

Seeing the smile on the Emperor's face, he advanced a step and added in a low 
voice: "I heard that the Four Beauties of Qiantang River will be there."

"And who are the Four Beauties of Qiantang River?"

"Your slave was talking to a local just now who said that they are the four 
most famous prostitutes of Hangzhou. Everyone out in the streets is trying to 
guess which one will be the Top Candidate of the Boudoir this year."

"The Top Candidate in the Imperial Examination is chosen by me. Who chooses 
this Top Candidate of the Boudoir? Don't tell me there is an Emperor of the 
Boudoir as well?"

"I hear that each prostitute sits in a flower boat on which are displayed the 
gold and jewels presented by her customers. Then the winner is chosen by some of 
Hangzhou's most eminent gentlemen."

"When do they play this game?" Qian Long asked, fascinated.

"It starts soon,"He Jia replied. "As soon as it gets a bit darker, the judging 
will begin. If Your Highness is interested, you could go and watch."

Qian Long smiled. "I'm afraid people may laugh at me,"he said. "If the Empress 
should hear that I chose the Top Candidate of the Boudoir, she may have 
something to say about it. Ha, ha!"

"If Your Highness dressed up as a member of the common people, no one would 
know," He Jia suggested.

"All right, we'll go and have a quiet look and then come back. But tell 
everyone not to attract attention,"said Qian Long. 

He Jia quickly helped Qian Long change into a long silk gown and a closely-
embroidered jacket, the attire of a member of the gentry. Then they left for the 
West Lake together with Bai Zhen and several dozen bodyguards.

Once at the lakeside, a bodyguard steered a boat up to meet them. Music and 
singing could be heard coming from different parts of the lake, while the 
multitude of lanterns provided a sumptuous sight. They watched as more than 
twenty flower boats glided lazily back and forth over the water, each boat 
draped with silk curtains and lanterns. Qian Long ordered the oarsman to steer 
close to the flower boats. Some of them were decorated with flowers and animals 
cleverly constructed out of silk and lit with lanterns. Qian Long sighed in 
praise for the richness of life in the south of China with which the north could 
not hope to compete. As many as a hundred other small boats moved to and fro 
carrying well-to-do pleasure seekers.

A gong sounded and the music from the boats ceased. One rocket after another 
soared up into the air and burst in a dazzling array of colours before falling 
into the lake with a hiss. As the firework display ended, the curtains on each 
flower boat were drawn apart simultaneously to reveal a gorgeously-attired woman 
seated inside. Thunderous cheers and applause arose from every part of the lake.

Servants produced wine and food for the Emperor to partake of while enjoying 
the scene. The boat slid slowly over the lake past the flower boats. Qian Long, 
who kept three thousand concubines in his palace, had seen countless beauties in 
his time. But now, with the lanterns reflecting on the water, the splash of the 
oars and the slight waft of perfume, he was completely captivated. They neared 
the boats of the Four Beauties of the Qiantang River, and saw they were 
different from the other flower boats. One was decorated entirely with paper 
water lilies while the second was topped by two pagodas. The third was decked 
out as the Lunar Palace and lit with lanterns shaped as toads and hares, the 
animals which are supposed to inhabit the moon.

Qian Long gasped in delight. As they glided towards the fourth, he saw it was 
decorated entirely with real bushes and flowers, the branches criss-crossing 
each other and covered with a thick foliage, as simple as nature, and as 
beautiful as a painting. The courtezan, dressed all in white, was seated with 
her back to them, but she had an air of other-worldliness about her, as of a 
goddess.

Overwhelmed, Qian Long could not help but sing out a line from the opera, 'The 
Western Chamber': "Oh, will you not turn your face to me?"

The prostitute, hearing the snatch of song, did indeed turn and smiled. Qian 
Long's heart leapt: it was the girl he had met on the West Lake several days 
before, Beautiful Jade.

He heard the tinkle of a feminine voice as the courtesan on the water lily boat 
began to sing. At the end of the song, the crowd applauded and a pile of ingots, 
big and small mounted on the table in front of her. Then the courtesan in the 
Twin-Pagoda boat picked up a pipa and lightly strummed a tune, following which 
the third played the flute. Qian Long ordered He Jia to give her ten taels of 
gold.

The pleasure launches then crowded round Beautiful Jade's boat. She opened her 
ruby lips, revealing her sparkling white teeth, and began to sing accompanied 
by a flute.

It was the middle of the eighth month and it was already cool on the lake, but 
Beautiful Jade's voice suggested warm breezes and fragrant flowers.

"Such talent," Qian Long sighed.

To his great delight, Beautiful Jade's dew-drop eyes constantly looked over in 
his direction as she sang. Qian Long loved demonstrating his talents in art, 
calligraphy and poetry and his ministers, not surprisingly, praised everything 
he did. But for a beautiful woman to favour him not because of reverence for his 
position as Emperor, but because of his real worth meant she had recognized his 
ardour, good looks and talent. Famous courtesans are truly discerning, he 
thought. He immediately ordered He Jia to present Beautiful Jade with fifty 
taels of gold.

The boats of all the courtesans were piled up with gifts, especially those of 
the Four Beauties. Midnight approached and the judge began the job of inspecting 
the gifts. As with the imperial examinations, not only the courtesans, but also 
the spectators on the lake, were anxious about the outcome.

Qian Long said a few quiet words to He Jia, who nodded and hurried back to the 
Yamen. He returned a while later with a package.

The inspection over, the boats all clustered round the launch on which the 
judge sat to hear him announce the winners.

"The gifts presented to Miss Twin Pagodas are the most numerous," he announced. 
There was a roar from the other boats as some applauded and some groaned.

"Not so fast," someone shouted. "I will present one hundred taels of gold to 
Miss Water Lily."

"And I present Miss Lunar Palace with a jade bracelet and ten pearls," another 
wealthy gentleman called out. The crowd saw the green bracelet and the large 
round pearls sparkling under the lantern light and knew that they must be worth 
well over a hundred taels of gold. All concluded that Miss Lunar Palace was 
certain to be chosen at the Top Candidate for the years.

Suddenly He Jia called out: "Our master has a number of items he would like to 
present to Miss Beautiful Jade!"

A servant carried the package over to the judge, a man of about forty with a 
lean, handsome face and a wisp of moustache. He opened it to find it contained 
three scrolls. He turned to the old man on his left and said: "Master Fan, this 
is indeed a refined gentleman. I wonder what treasures he has presented?" He 
ordered the servants to unrill the scrolls.

As the first scroll was unrolled, the judge and the others started in surprise: 
it was a poem written in the hand of the famous cillgrapher, Zu Yunning.

"This is extremely valuable," exclaimed the man called Master Fan. They 
hurriedly opened the second scroll and saw it was a painting of flowers on the 
top of which was the Imperial vermilion seal of Qian Long. Yuan Mei was puzzled 
and turned to ask his colleagues if they knew who the benefactor was. They 
looked at the scrolls and pondered silently.

"Why don't we go over and meet him?" one finally suggested.

"If we do that, people will accuse us of being unfair," replied another. "With 
such treasures as these two scrolls, the Top Candidate is obviously Beautiful 
Jade."

"Let us have a look at the third scroll," suggested a third.

They unrolled it and saw it was a piece of unsigned calligraphy.

"Not very graceful," remarked one of the experts. "The writing style lacks 
strength."

"Shh! It's written in the Emperor's hand," another whispered urgently. The 
others all jumped in fright and dared not discuss the matter further.

"The judging of the gifts has been completed," Yuan Mei announced in a loud 
voice. "The Top Candidate is Miss Beautiful Jade, second is Miss Lunar Palace, 
third is Miss Water Lily."

Applause arose from all corners of the lake.

Beutiful Jade began to sing again, and her tender voice penetrated Qian Long's 
bones, making his heart itch unbearably.

"Go and tell that girl to come over," he said to He Jia. "And don't say who I 
am."

The boat glided over to Beautiful Jade's and He Jia leapt across. After an 
interval, he returned with a piece of paper and handed it to Qian Long and said: 
"She told me to give this to you."

Qian Long peered at the note under the lamplight and saw it read: "Tomorrow."

The calligraphy was very poor, but the paper was heavily scented with a 
fragrance that made his heart quiver.

"Why wait until tomorrow? I am here now," he said. But when he looked up again, 
he saw Beautiful Jade's boat was already moving off. As Emperor, the concubines 
of the palace tried every trick they could think of to be favoured by him. When 
had a woman ever rejected his advances? But the more she kept him at arms 
length, the more he desired her. He hurriedly issued an Imperial command: "Chase 
after that boat!"

Qian Long stood silently on the prow, his heart pursuing the boat ahead. The 
lights on the lake were going out but the music had not yet been extinguished. 
He indistinctly heard what he thought was the sound of laughter and soft words 
from the boat in front.

The distance between the two boats gradually closed. Suddenly the curtain on 
the flower boat parted for a second and a object was flung in the direction of 
Qian Long. Bai Zhen lunged forward to intercept it, and as it hit his hand he 
noticed the object was not a dart as he had expected but a red handkerchief with 
all four corners knotted together. He quickly presented it to the Emperor.

Qian Long untied it and inside he found a lotus sweet and a lily bulb: both 
were symbols of a well-matched couple. How could he fail to catch the meaning of 
such a romantic message?

The flower boat reached the bank, and Beautiful Jade stepped off and into a 
small horse-drawn carriage. She looked out of the carriage window and smiled 
seductively at Qian Long, then released the carriage curtain.

"Hey! Wait a moment, don't go!" He Jia yelled, but the driver took no notice 
and with a clatter of horses' hooves, the carriage moved off south.

"Get another carriage quickly!" He Jia called. The bodyguards soon found a 
carriage and forced its occupants out. Qian Long stepped inside and it raced off 
after the other carriage.

Bodyguard Bai Zhen saw they were heading towards the prosperous district of the 
city, and decided everything was all right: the Emperor had obviously decided 
to spend the night at the home of the courtesan. But having seen her only a few 
days before with the Red Flower Society men, he had to take precautions against 
a trap. He quickly ordered Rui Dalin to bring extra men to help protect the 
Emperor.

Beautiful Jade's carriage passed along several streets, then turned into an 
alley and stopped in front of a pair of black-painted gates. An attendant on the 
carriage jumped down and knocked on them just as Qian Long was descending from 
his carriage. With a long squeak, the gates were opened, and an old woman came 
out, pulled aside the carriage curtain and greeted Beautiful Jade. She stepped 
out of the carriage and, seeing Qian Long standing to one side, hurried over to 
greet him.

"Aiya, Master Dongfang," she said. "Thank you so much for your gifts just now. 
Please come in and have some tea." Qian Long smiled and walked through the 
gates.

One of the bodyguards rushed in ahead of the Emperor, his hand on the hilt of 
his sword, checking for assassins or perhaps a customer of the prostitute who 
would wish to protest that he was first.

Beyond the gates was a courtyard. A wave of flowery fragrance assailed their 
noses and tree shadows danced on the ground around two cinnamon bushes which 
were in full bloom. Qian Long followed Beautiful Jade into a small, elegantly-
decorated chamber lit by two tall, red candles.

A maid brought in wine and food. Qian Long looked at the plates of delicacies, 
including marinated chicken and Thousand-Year-Old eggs, and marvelled at how 
exquisite they were compared to the heavy food he was served in the Imperial 
palace. The maid strained two cups of aged, deeply-fragrant rice wine.

Beautiful Jade took a sip and smiled. "Master Dongfang, how can I ever thank 
you?" she said.

Qian Long raised his cup and drained it in one draught. "Sing a song first," he 
said, also smiling. "We will discuss at our leisure how you can thank me."

Beautiful Jade picked up a pipa and began to play softly.

While the Emperor drank and enjoyed himself inside, Commander-in-Chief Li 
arrived with a detachment of troops and encircled the alley with ring after ring 
of guards. His officers searched every nearby house thoroughly, leaving only 
Beautiful Jade's room untouched. Bai Zhen ordered a group of guardsmen to patrol 
the roof tops with bows and arrows at the ready. Countless men have been to 
brothels over the centuries, but Qian Long's visit was surely the most imposing 
and awe-inspiring visit of all.

The guards and soldiers were kept busy the whole night, but dawn finally broke 
without anything untoward having happened. The sun rose, and He Jia tiptoed 
over to Beautiful Jade's bed-chamber to peek through a crack in the window. He 
spied Qian Long's boots lying by the bed and retreated. Eight o'clock passed, 
nine o'clock and ten o'clock and still there was no sign of the Emperor rising. 
Becoming anxious, He Jia returned to the window and called quietly: "Master, 
would you like some breakfast?" He called several times, but there was no 
response.

He went to the door and gave it a push, but it was barred from inside. 
"Master!" he called out loudly. Still no answer from the room. He Jia was very 
concerned, but he didn't dare break the door down. Instead, he went to discuss 
the situation with Commander Li and Bai Zhen.

"Why don't we tell the old house woman to go and knock on the door with some 
breakfast. His Highness won't be offended," suggested Li.

"An excellent idea, Commander," Bai Zhen said.

The three went off to look for the old woman, but found the whole establishment 
was deserted. Greatly alarmed at the situation, they began banging frantically 
on Beautiful Jade's door.

"Force it open!" ordered Li. Bai Zhen put both of his palms on the door, and 
with a sight push, snapped the door bar.

He Jia went in first and carefully pulled apart the bed curtains to find the 
bed clothes in disarray but absolutely no sign of Qian Long or Beautiful Jade. 
He fainted to the floor in fright.

Bai Zhen hastily called in some guards and searched the establishment, but they 
failed to find so much as half a clue. How could the Emperor have disappeared 
when the guard they had mounted was so tight that not even a sparrow could have 
escaped without being noticed? Bai Zhen toured round the room once more looking 
for a secret door, but he knocked and banged for a long time without finding 
anything suspicious. The Imperial Guard Commander Fu Kangan and the provincial 
governor arrived having received news of Qian Long's disappearance, and they all 
gathered in the middle of Beautiful Jade's boudoir, pale frightened and 
completely at a loss for what to do.

** 6 **

After listening to Beautiful Jade sing for a while and drinking a few cups of 
wine, Qian Long had begun to feel a little sleepy.

Beautiful Jade smiled. "Would you like to lie down?" she asked. He nodded in 
answer, and she helped him take off his clothes and boots, led him over to the 
bed and covered him with the bed clothes.

"I'll just go out for a second, then come back to you," she said. Feeling 
lulled and drowsy from the scented pillow and sheets, Qian Long heard a faint 
sound in front of the bed.

"You mischievous girl," he said with a smile. "What's the hold up?"

The curtain opened and a head appeared. Under the candlelight Qian Long could 
see it had a pock-marked face, and thick sideburns, very different from 
Beautiful Jade's fair features. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and looked again 
just as the intruder placed a shining dagger by his neck and said quietly in 
Cantonese: "Damn your ancestors, you bastard Emperor, make one sound and I'll 
use this."

Qian Long's lust dissipated in a flash as if he had been doused with a bucket 
of iced water. The man said nothing more, but stuffed a handkerchief into Qian 
Long's mouth, then rolled him up tightly in the eiderdown and carried him off.

Unable to move or make a sound, Qian Long's eyes stared at the blackness and 
felt himself being carried down a flight of steps. His nose caught the musty 
smell of mud and dank humidity, then after a moment, he felt himself being 
carried upwards again. He realized the man must have emerged from a hidden 
tunnel in the room.

He felt himself being shaken and heard the sound of wheels starting to move, 
and knew he was in a carriage. In his terror, he wondered who had kidnapped him 
and where they were taking him.

The carriage travelled for a long time. After a while the road became uneven, 
and the carriage shook and bumped about, indicating they had left the city. 
Finally they stopped, and Qian Long felt himself lifted out of the carriage and 
carried upwards, one step after another endlessly until he thought they must be 
ascending a high peak. He was so frightened, his whole body quaked, and 
surrounded by darkness inside the quilt, he almost began to cry.

Finally, he was put down with a bump. He waited quietly, not daring to speak, 
but a long while passed without anything happening. He slowly pushed aside the 
quilt in which he was wrapped and looked out to find everything in total 
darkness. He fancied he could hear the sound of waves breaking a long way off, 
and concentating he also heard the wind rippling through fir trees and the 
clear, steady chime of a brass bell. The wind became stronger and stronger, 
gusting angrily, and he thought he felt the structure he was in rocking 
slightly. Even more afraid, he moved as if to stand up.

"If you want to live, don't move," a deep voice close by growled. Qian Long 
jumped in fright and stayed as still as he could. 

Gradually, the wind subsided and it began to grow light until he could see he 
was in a small room. Having climbed for so long to reach it, he wondered if it 
was a house on the peak of a mountain. He heard a series of snuffling noises, 
and listening carefully, realised the guards were eating noodles. From the sound 
of it there were two of them, chewing great mouthfuls with relish. Having been 
awake all night, he felt hungry and his appetite sharpened as the smell of the 
noodles wafted over to him.

The two finished eating. One of the guards walked over and placed a full bowl 
of prawn and eel noodle soup about five feet from his head.

"Is that for me?" Qian Long wondered to himself. But the guards said nothing, 
and despite his hunger he did not dare to open his mouth to ask.

"That bowl of noodles is for you," one of the guards finally said. "There's no 
poison in it."

Qian Long was overjoyed. He sat up to get the bowl, but a wave of cold struck 
his body and he remembered that he was naked. He hastily lay down again and 
wrapped himself in the quilt. How could he stand up in front of strangers 
without a stitch on?

"Damn your ancestors, so you're afraid of poison are you?" one of the guards 
said. "All right, I'll eat it to show you." He picked up the bowl and guzzled 
its contents down.

Qian Long looked at his scar-covered face in fright. "I am not wearing 
anything," he said. "Please get me some clothing."

Even though he said please, his words still smacked of an Imperial order. The 
man grunted. "I don't have time," he replied. It was 'Melancholy Ghost' Shi.

Qian Long's anger surged up, but remembering his life was in their hands, he 
swallowed his Imperial pride.

"Are you Red Flower Society men?" he asked. "I want to see your leader, Chen."

"You had our Brother Wen treated so badly, his body is a mass of wounds. The 
Great Helmsman is busy finding a doctor to help heal him. He has no time to see 
you," Shi replied. "Maybe when Brother Wen has recovered, we'll think about 
it."

Qian Long wondered how many months or years it might take for Wen to recover.

"And if Brother Wen doesn't recover," said the other guard, 'Iron Pagoda' Yang, 
"that's it for you. A life for a life."

Qian Long pretended he hadn't heard.

The two guards began talking at once, cursing the Manchu invaders for seizing 
the lands of the Chinese people, and the officials and landlords for the way 
they oppressed the common folk. Qian Long was shocked by the hatred evident in 
every word. At noon, two other guards arrived to relieve them, and as the new 
pair ate, they discussed the sadistic ways in which magistrates punished and 
tortured honest citizens, describing in great detail how slivers of bamboo were 
forced under finger nails, buttocks branded with red-hot iron bars and bodies 
stretched on racks.

"When we have seized all these corrupt officials," said one, "we'll give them a 
taste of their own medicine."

"First we have to deal with their leader," replied the other.

To Qian Long, that day seemed as long as a year. Towards evening, the Twin 
Knights took over. First, they drank in dour silence. Then, when they were 
slightly drunk, they began discussing the cruel and unusual methods used by the 
fighting community to take vengeance on enemies: how Black Tiger Kao had once 
been arrested, and later went back and gouged out the eyes of the official 
responsible; how White Horse Tan had avenged his brother's death by burying 
alive the murderer's family.

Hungry and frightened, Qian Long covered his ears, but every word still found 
its way in. The twins displayed great staying-power, and talked until morning, 
cursing the "Turtles" an untold number of times. The candlelight flickering on 
the Twin Knights' features made them look like living ghosts, and Qian Long was 
unable to close his eyes once during the night.

The next morning, 'Buddha' Zhao and 'Leopard' Wei came. Qian Long looked at the 
kindly face of Zhao and the handsome face of Wei, very different from the demon-
like guards they replaced and he relaxed slightly. But his hunger was becoming 
too much to bear.

"I want to see your leader, Chen," he said to Zhao. "Please pass on the message 
for me."

"The Great Helmsman is busy today," Zhao replied. "Maybe in a few days time."

Qian Long wondered if he would still be alive after a few more days of such 
treatment. "Well, please get me something to eat first to ease my hunger."

"All right," replied Zhao. "His Imperial Highness wants a banquet," he shouted 
at the top of his voice. "Make preparations quickly!" Wei bowed and left.

Qian Long was overjoyed. "Get a set of clothing for me," he said.

"His Imperial Highness wants some clothes! Bring a gown for him quickly!" Zhao 
bawled out again.

"You're a good man," said Qian Long. "What's your name? I will reward you well 
later." Zhao smiled slightly but did not answer. Qian Long suddenly recogized 
him. "Ah, now I remember," he said. "You're the one who is so good at Dart Kung 
Fu."

Meng brought a set of clothing in and placed it on the quilt. Qian Long sat up, 
then saw it was a suit of chinese clothes in the style of the Ming dynasty which 
the Manchus had overthrown. He hesitated.

"That's the only set of clothes we have," Zhao said. "Wear them or not, as you 
like."

Qian Long considered the situation. How could he, as the Emperor of the Manchu 
dynasty, wear a set of Ming dynasty chinese clothes? But if he didn't put 
something on, he would not be able to eat, and after one day and two nights of 
hunger, he dispensed with his misgivings and donned the garments.

The clothes felt unfamiliar, but there was something dashing and elegant about 
them. He walked the few steps over to the window and looked out, and started 
involuntarily. Forests and fields were spread out before him like a chess 
board, and in the far distance was a great river spotted with sails. He realised 
he was at the top of a tall pagoda, and from its position and design, recognized 
it as the famous Six Harmonies Pagoda near Hangzhou.

Several more hours passed before someone came to announce: "The banquet is 
ready. Please come down and eat."

Qian Long followed Zhao and Wei down one floor where a large round table had 
been set up in the centre of the room. All the seats around the table were 
already occupied except for three, and as Qian Long descended, the diners stood 
up and saluted him. Qian Long was secretly ecstatic at this sudden display of 
respect.

"Our Great Helmsman says Your Highness and he have been close friends ever since 
you first met," said Priest Wu Chen. "As a result, he has invited you here to 
stay for a few days to provide an opportunity for the two of you to have a 
discussion. However, important matters have suddenly come up which require the 
Great Helmsman's attention and he has asked me to convey his sincere apologies."

Qian Long grunted noncommitally. Priest Wu Chen invited him to take a seat, and 
Qian Long took the guest of honour's place.

A servant brought up a flask of wine and the priest took it from him.

"We brothers are very uncouth, completely incapable of waiting on Your Highness 
properly. Please do not be offended," he said, pouring wine into Qian Long's 
cup. But as it reached the rim, his face darkened.

"His Majesty must have the very best wine," he shouted angrily at the servant. 
"How dare you bring us this tepid spirit?" He picked up the cup and threw its 
contents into the servant's face.

"This is only wine we have here, sir," replied the servant apologetically. "I 
will immediately go to the city and buy some of better quality."

"And be quick about it," shouted Priest Wu Chen. "Wine such as this is all 
right for coarse people like ourselves, but how can you offer it to His 
Highness?"

'Mastermind' Xu took the wine flask from him and poured out a cup for everyone 
else, leaving only Qian Long's cup empty, apologising effusively as he did so.

A moment later, another servant brought in four steaming dishes of food, one of 
lightly-fried shrimps, another piled with salted pork ribs, a third with 
steamed fish, and a fourth of fried chicken slices. Qian Long breathed in the 
fragrant aroma of the food, but Priest Wu Chen frowned.

"Who cooked this food?" he demanded. A man took two steps forward. "I did," he 
said.

"What sort of object are you? Why didn't you arrange for His Majesty's 
favourite cook, Zhang Anguan, to come to prepare some dishes? How can you expect 
His Majesty to eat such rough Hangzhou food?"

"These dishes look delicious," protested Qian Long. "They certainly cannot be 
called rough." He picked up his chopsticks and stretched over to pick up some 
food. Lu Feiqing, sitting next to him, stretched out his own chopsticks and 
caught Qian Long's between them.

"These dishes are too coarse for Your Highness. You would not wish to have an 
upset stomach," he said, and applying a slight amount of pressure, snapped Qian 
Long's chopsticks in two.

Qian Long's face flushed deep red and he slammed the chopstick ends down onto 
the table. The others pretended not to notice and began eating.

"Go and get His Highness's personal cook to prepare some food quickly," Xu 
shouted. "His Highness is hungry, do you hear?"

The cook hastily retired. Qian Long knew they were playing with him. Hunger 
burned in his stomach as he watched the others eating and drinking voraciously. 
He was livid with rage, but he could not risk displaying his feelings. When they 
had finished, a servant came in with some tea.

"This tea is not too bad," said Xu. "Your Highness may like to drink a cupful."

Qian Long drank the cup dry in two mouthfuls, but it only served to aggravate 
his hunger. 'Crocodile' Jiang rubbed his belly appreciatively and said: "I'm 
full!"

"We are making arrangements for a proper banquet for you, Your Highness," 
'Buddha' Zhao said.

Priest Wu Chen stamped his foot and exclaimed that the Great Helmsman would be 
very displeased to find his honoured guest had been kept waiting.

Lord Zhou began clicking his iron gallstones together. "Are you hungry, Your 
Majesty?" he asked. Qian Long said nothing. 

"What do you mean, hungry?" asked 'Crocodile' Jiang. "I'm full!"

"The well-fed never appreciate the anguish of the hungry," added Xu. "There are 
countless millions of common people who are starving, but when have those in 
authority ever spared a thought for them? Having been a little bit hungry 
today, perhaps Your Highness will in future understand more about how the common 
people suffer when they starve."

"Some people are hungry for months and years on end. Some never eat their fill 
once in a whole lifetime," said one of the Twin Knights. "What's so special 
about not eating anything for a day or two?"

Most of the Red Flower Society heroes had been born into poverty. Their anger 
rose as they thought of the past and they all began talking at once, swapping 
stories.

Qian Long's face went pale as he listened. He found himself moved by their 
sincerity. "Could such misery really exist in the world?" he asked himself. The 
more he heard, the more embarrassed he felt, and finally he rose and went back 
upstairs. The heroes did not try to stop him.

A few hours later, he smelt the aroma of mutton with onions and green peppers 
wafting up from below. This was a speciality of the Imperial chef, Zhang 
Anguan, and just as Qian Long was wondering if it could really be him, Zhang 
Anguan ran up and kowtowed, saying: "Please come and eat, Your Highness."

"What are you doing here?" Qian Long asked in amazement. 

"Your slave was watching an opera performance in a park yesterday when I was 
kidnapped. Today, I was asked to wait on you, and your slave was delighted to 
have the opportunity."

Qian Long nodded and went downstairs. The table had been set with a number of 
dishes including the mutton, all them his personal favorites. As well as the 
main dishes, there were also a dozen or so plates of small delicacies, and his 
heart leapt for joy at the sight of the feast. Chef Zhang filled a bowl of rice 
for him.

"Please eat, Your Highness," said Priest Wu Chen.

Qian Long wondered whether they would allow him to eat this time. He was just 
about to raise his chopsticks when a young girl came in carrying a cat.

"Daddy," she said to Lord Zhou. "Kitty is hungry."

The cat struggled to free itself and jumped onto the table. The animal ate a 
couple of mouthfuls from the dishes spread before Qian Long, then it suddenly 
went rigid, dropped onto the table top, dead.

Qian Long's face went white, and Chef Zhang, shaking from fright, knelt down 
and said: "Your Highness...Your Highness...the food...they've poisoned the 
food...don't eat it!"

Qian Long laughed out loud. "You have committed rebellion and other heinous 
crimes. Now you wish to assassinate me," he said. "If you are going to kill me, 
do it cleanly. Why go to the trouble of poisoning the food?" He pushed his chair 
back and stood up.

"Your Highness, are you sure this meal is inedible?" asked Priest Wu Chen.

"You traitorous thieves!" Qian Long shouted, his anger breaking through. "We'll 
see what sort of an end you all come to!"

Priest Wu Chen slammed his hand down on the table. "For a real man, life and 
death are decided by Heaven!" he shouted. "If you won't eat, then I will! Who 
has the guts to join me?"

He picked up his chopsticks, took some food from one of the dishes the cat had 
tried, and began chewing noisily. The other heroes sat down again too, all 
saying: "If we die, we die. What does it matter?" Qian Long was stunned at the 
sight of these criminals eating poisoned food.

The heroes, who had fed the cat poison in advance, ate all the dishes clean in 
a trice, and suffered no ill effects. Qian Long, having failed to eat even one 
mouthful, had lost yet another round.

** 7 **

While Qian Long went hungry, the official administration in Hangzhou was turned 
upside down. News of the Emperor's disappearance had not yet leaked out but the 
whole city had been searched. All exits from Hangzhou by both land and water 
were heavily guarded, and several thousand "suspected bandits" had been arrested 
until every prison was full. The local officials were very worried, but they 
also took advantage of the situation to seize rich businessmen and merchants and 
extort large sums of money from them.

Fu Kangan, Commander Li and Bai Zhen jumped about like ants on a hot plate, 
completely at a loss for what to do.

Early on the morning of the third day, Fu Kangan called a meeting in the 
provincial governor's residence. Glum-faced and powerless, they argued about 
whether or not the Empress should be informed. But none of them dared consider 
the consequences once such a report had been sent.

As they sat gripped by indecision, one of the Imperial Bodyguards, named Rui, 
ran in, his face deathly pale, and whispered into Bai Zhen's ear.

Bai Zhen went white and stood up. "How could this happen?" he demanded. Fu 
Kangan hurriedly asked what was wrong.

"The six bodyguards standing guard outside the Emperor's bed chamber have been 
killed," Rui said. Far from being alarmed, Fu was pleased by this news.

"Let us go and see," he said. "This event must be connected with His Majesty's 
disappearance. We may even find some clues."

They hurried to the bed chamber that had been set aside in the Governor's 
residence for Qian Long. Six corpses lay at all angles around the room. Some had 
had their eyes gouged out, some had gaping holes in their chests: All had died 
horribly.

"These six brothers were good fighters," said Bai Zhen. "How could they have 
been finished off without being able to even utter a sound?"

They stared in open-mouthed horror, incapabale of deciphering the scene. Bai 
Zhen examined the corpse. The assassins had moved so fast, some of the six had 
not even had time to draw their swords.

He frowned. "This room is not big enough for a large number of people to fight 
in, so at the very most there cannot have been more than two or three of them," 
he said. "Their kung fu must be extraordinary."

"Since they already have the Emperor, why should they come and kill these 
bodyguards?" asked Commander Li. "From the look of it, last night's assassins 
and the people who kidnapped the Emperor are not the same bunch."

"That's right!" exclaimed Fu Kangan. "The assassins came, planning to kill the 
Emperor, but found he wasn't there."

"I would guess that you are correct," said Bai Zhen. "If the men who killed the 
bodyguards were from the Red Flower Society, then the Emperor has fallen into 
someone else's hands. But apart from the Red Flower Society, who else is there 
whose kung fu is so good?" The Red Flower Society's fighters were already 
difficult enough to handle: the sudden appearance of yet another group of 
powerful enemies froze his heart.

Bending over to look at the corpses again, Bai Zhen noticed that some of the 
wounds appeared to have been made by the claws and teeth of a dog, and he 
hurriedly asked Commander Li to send someone to find some hunting hounds.

About two hours later, a soldier appeared with three hunters and six hounds. 
Bai Zhen ordered the hunters to let their charges sniff around the corpses, and 
after a second the dogs charged out of the chamber on the trail of a scent. They 
ran straight to the lake and barked madly across the water. After a moment, they 
raced off again along the lake shore to where Qian Long had stepped ashore 
following the courtesan contest, then turned towards the city. The streets were 
crowded and the scent confused, and the dogs were forced to slow down, but they 
continued to head towards Beautiful Jade's establishment.

There should have been troops on guard outside the entrance, but none were to 
be seen, and as they entered the courtyard they found a dozen corpses lying on 
the ground. The ruthless assassins had not left one bodyguard alive. Some had 
had their throats ripped out by dogs, which Bai Zhen thought appeared from the 
wounds to be very large animals, possibly a cross between dogs and wolves such 
as were bred in the northwest. Could the assassins have come from there?

The dogs sniffed their way around Beautiful Jade's chamber several times, then 
began scratching and pawing at a certain point on the floor. Bai Zhen ordered 
the soldiers to prise up the floor boards with their swords and underneath they 
found a stone slab.

"Lift it up!" Bai Zhen ordered urgently. The soldiers heaved the slab up, 
revealing a deep hole into which the dogs immediately leapt. Commander Li and 
Bai Zhen looked down at the tunnel glumly. The kidnappers had avoided the heavy 
guard by coming and going via the tunnel. Full of shame, they led their troops 
down into the darkness
  
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