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.
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