Chapter 53

When they arrived in the town of Tai'an in Shandongprovince, they were met by the local Red FlowerSociety Helmsman who informed them that 'MelancholyGhost' Shi had also just arrived from Beijing. Theheroes were delighted and went to see him. Xin Yan ranon ahead and shouted "Twelfth Brother! The traitor'sdead!" Shi looked at him blankly. "Zhang Zhaozhong!"Xin Yan shouted.

　　Shi's face lit up. "Zhang is dead?""Yes, he was eaten up by wolves."Shi bowed before Chen and the others.

　　"Twelfth Brother," said Chen. "Have your wounds fullyrecovered?""Thank you for your concern, Great Helmsman,completely recovered. You and the others have had along, hard journey.""Is there any news from the capital?"Shi's expression turned grim. "None from the capital.

　　But I have hurried here to report that MasterMuzhuolun's entire army has been destroyed.""What?" Chen's face went white and he stood up.

　　"When we left the Muslim regions, General Zhao Wei andthe remains¹ of his army was competely surrounded," LuoBing said. "How could the Manchus score anothervictory?"Shi sighed. "Reinforcements suddenly arrived from thesouth. From what the Muslims who managed to flee say,Master Muzhuolun and his son fought to the death.

　　Mistress Huo Qingtong was ill at the time of theattack and was unable to direct the defence. No-oneknows what happened to her."Chen slumped² down into his chair.

　　"Mistress Huo Qingtong has an excellent command ofkung fu," Lu Feiqing said. "She would not come to harmat the hands of the Manchu troops."They all knew he was just trying to ease Chen'sanxiety. It was difficult to see how a sick girl couldprotect herself in the confusion of battle.

　　"Huo Qingtong has a sister," Luo Bing said. "TheMuslims call her Princess Fragrance³. Did you hear anynews of her?""Nothing at all," Shi replied. "But she is awell-known person. If anything had happened to her,there would be bound to be reports circulating in thecapital. I heard nothing, so I presume she is allright."Chen was embarrassed by their elaborate concern forhis feelings. "I will go inside and rest for a while,"he said, and walked to his room.

　　"Go and look after him," Luo Bing whispered to XinYan. The boy ran after his master.

　　After a short while, Chen thrust aside the curtain tohis room and strode out again. "We must eat quickly,and get to Beijing as quickly as possible," he said.

　　A new note of determination in his voice surprised theheroes. Wen raised his thumb in agreement and dug intohis food with increased gusto.

　　As they travelled on, Chen forced himself to smile andchat with the others, but his features became morehaggard as the days went by. Before too long, theyarrived in Beijing. Shi had rented a large residencein Twin Willows⁴ Lane. Priest Wu Chen, the TwinKnights, 'Buddha⁵' Zhao and 'Pagoda⁶' Yang were therewaiting for them.

　　"Third Brother," Chen said to 'Buddha' Zhao. "Pleasego with Xin Yan to see the Emperor's chief bodyguard,Bai Zhen. Take the lute⁷ that the Emperor presented tome and the jade⁸ vase that Luo Bing stole and give themto him to pass on to the Emperor, to let him know thatwe are here."Zhao and Xin Yan left and returned several hourslater.

　　"We went to Bai Zhen's home to look for him and hehappened to be at home," Xin Yan reported. "We gaveZhao's name card to one of his servants, and he rushedout to greet us. He dragged us inside and insisted onus⁹ drinking several cups of wine before letting us go.

　　Extremely friendly."Chen nodded.

　　Early the next morning, Bai Zhen paid them a visit. Hechatted with 'Buddha' Zhao for a while about theweather, then asked respectfully if he could see Chen.

　　"The Emperor has ordered me to take you to thePalace," he whispered to Chen when he appeared.

　　"Good," replied Chen. "Please wait here for a moment."He went back inside to discuss things with the others.

　　They all thought he should take strict precautions.

　　Several of the heroes accompanied him into theForbidden City, while Wen and the rest stationedthemselves outside the palace walls to await theirreturn.

　　With Bai Zhen leading the way, Chen and the otherswalked through the palace gates, passed guards whorespectfully bowed to them. They were overawed by theimposing atmosphere of the palace: its thick, sturdywalls, the heavy defences. They had walked for a goodwhile when two eunuchs ran up to Bai Zhen.

　　"Master Bai," said one. "The Emperor is in thePrecious Moon Pavilion, and orders you to take MasterChen there to see him."Bai nodded, and turned to Chen. "We are now enteringthe forbidden area of the palace. Please ask everyoneto leave their weapons here." Despite their uneasinessat this, the heroes had no alternative and did as hesaid, placing their swords on a nearby table.

　　Bai led them through halls and across courtyards andstopped in front of a large, richly-decoratedpavilion.

　　"Announcing Chen Jialuo!" he called out. Chenstraightened his cap and gown and followed the oldeunuch into the pavilion while Priest Wu Chen and theothers were forced to remain outside.

　　They climbed up the stairs to the fifth floor, andentered a room in which they found Qian Long, seatedand smiling. Chen knelt down and kowtowed before himrespectfully.

　　"You've come," said Qian Long. "Excellent. Please beseated." With a wave of his hand he dismissed theeunuchs. Chen remained standing¹⁰ where he was.

　　"Sit down and let us talk," Qian Long repeated. Onlythen did Chen thank him and take a seat.

　　"What do you think of this pavilion?" the Emperorasked.

　　"Where else would one find such a building but in theImperial Palace?""I told them to build it quickly. From start tofinish, it took less than two months. If there hadbeen more time, it would have been even more elegant.

　　But it will do as it is.""Yes," replied Chen. He wondered how many workers andcraftsmen had died of exhaustion¹¹ during theconstruction.

　　Qian Long stood up. "You have just returned from theMuslim areas. Come and look. Does this look like adesert scene?" Chen followed him to a window, and ashe looked out, started in surprise.

　　To the right, was a classic Imperial Chinese garden,filled with purples and reds and twisting paths, asumptuous scene. But looking left, towards the west,the view was entirely¹² different. For about a third ofa mile, the ground was covered in yellows and,arranged into small sand dunes¹³. Looking closely, Chensaw the signs of pavilions having been knocked down,water pools filled in and trees and bushes uprooted¹⁴.

　　The scene naturally lacked the majesty¹⁵ of the endlessdesert, but it was a good likeness¹⁶.

　　"Does your highness like desert views?" he asked.

　　Qian Long smiled. "What do you think of it?""A lot of work has been put into it," Chen replied.

　　There were a number of Muslim tents staked on the sandwith three camels tied up nearby and with a suddenheartache, he thought of Princess Fragrance and hersister. Looking beyond, he saw several hundred workersdemolishing several more buildings: the Emperor hadobviously decided¹⁷ he wanted a bigger desert.

　　Chen wondered why on earth Qian Long would have had apiece of dry, desolate¹⁸ desert constructed in thepalace grounds. Incongruously placed in the middle ofsuch a lush Chinese garden, it looked simplyludicrous.

　　Qian long walked away from the window and pointed¹⁹ tothe antique lute he had given Chen, now lying on asmall table.

　　"Why don't you play me a tune²⁰?" he said.

　　Chen could see the Emperor did not wish to discuss theimportant business at hand, and he could not raise ithimself, so he sat down and began to pluck thestrings. As he played, something caught his eye, andhe looked up to find the jade vases decorated withPrincess Fragrance's image smiling at him across theroom. With a twang, one of the strings²¹ broke.

　　"What's the matter?" Qian Long asked. He smiled. "Doyou find yourself a little afraid, here in thepalace?"Chen stood up and replied respectfully: "Your humbleservant has disgraced himself in front of yourCelestial Majesty."Qian Long laughed., greatly pleased by this. Chenlowered his head and noticed Qian Long's left hand wasbound with a white cloth as if it was wounded. QianLong's face flushed red and he hurriedly put the handbehind his back.

　　"Did you bring the things I wanted?" he asked.

　　"They are with my friends downstairs," Chen replied.

　　Qian Long picked up a small hammer and rapped thetable with it twice and a young eunuch ran in. "Tellthe gentlemen accompanying Master Chen to come up," heordered, and the eunuch returned a moment later withthe six heroes.

　　Chen stood up and shot them a glance and they had nooption but to kneel down and kowtow before Qian Long.

　　"You stinking²² emperor!" Priest Wu Chen thought as hedid so. "We almost scared you out of your wits thatday in the pagoda in Hangzhou, but you're still justas damned arrogant²³. If it wasn't for the GreatHelmsman, I would kill you this instant."Chen took a small, sealed wooden box from 'Buddha'

　　Zhao and placed it on the table. "They are in here,"he said.

　　"Good. That will be all," Qian Long replied. "When Ihave looked at them I will send for you." Chenkowtowed again. "And take the lute with you," headded.

　　Chen picked up the lute and handed it to 'Leopard²⁴'

　　Wei. "Since Your Highness has already subdued²⁵ theMuslim areas, your servant pleads with you to bemerciful and to order that there be no indiscriminatekillings there," he said.

　　Qian Long did not answer, but simply waving them awaywith his hand. Bai Zhen led them to the palace gatewhere Wen and the others were waiting.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

3 fragrance   

n.芬芳，香味，香气

参考例句：

• The apple blossoms filled the air with their fragrance.苹果花使空气充满香味。
• The fragrance of lavender filled the room.房间里充满了薰衣草的香味。

4 willows   

n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木

参考例句：

• The willows along the river bank look very beautiful. 河岸边的柳树很美。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Willows are planted on both sides of the streets. 街道两侧种着柳树。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 Buddha   

n.佛；佛像；佛陀

参考例句：

• Several women knelt down before the statue of Buddha and prayed.几个妇女跪在佛像前祈祷。
• He has kept the figure of Buddha for luck.为了图吉利他一直保存着这尊佛像。

6 pagoda   

n.宝塔（尤指印度和远东的多层宝塔），（印度教或佛教的）塔式庙宇

参考例句：

• The ancient pagoda is undergoing repairs.那座古塔正在修缮中。
• The pagoda is reflected upside down in the water.宝塔影子倒立在水里。

7 lute   

n.琵琶，鲁特琴

参考例句：

• He idly plucked the strings of the lute.他漫不经心地拨弄着鲁特琴的琴弦。
• He knows how to play the Chinese lute.他会弹琵琶。

8 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

9 onus   

n.负担；责任

参考例句：

• The onus is on government departments to show cause why information cannot bedisclosed.政府部门有责任说明不能把信息公开的理由。
• The onus of proof lies with you.你有责任提供证据。

10 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

11 exhaustion   

n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述

参考例句：

• She slept the sleep of exhaustion.她因疲劳而酣睡。
• His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing.他站着睡着了，显然是太累了。

12 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

13 dunes   

沙丘( dune的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The boy galloped over the dunes barefoot. 那男孩光着脚在沙丘间飞跑。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

14 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

16 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

17 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

18 desolate   

adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂

参考例句：

• The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。
• We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。

19 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

20 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

21 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

22 stinking   

adj.臭的，烂醉的，讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透

参考例句：

• I was pushed into a filthy, stinking room. 我被推进一间又脏又臭的屋子里。
• Those lousy, stinking ships. It was them that destroyed us. 是的！就是那些该死的蠢猪似的臭飞船！是它们毁了我们。 来自英汉非文学 - 科幻

23 arrogant   

adj.傲慢的，自大的

参考例句：

• You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。
• People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。

24 leopard   

n.豹

参考例句：

• I saw a man in a leopard skin yesterday.我昨天看见一个穿着豹皮的男人。
• The leopard's skin is marked with black spots.豹皮上有黑色斑点。

25 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。