That afternoon, the heroes had a large meal and then

waited for the time to leave. At about four o'clock,

Bai Zhen arrived with four bodyguards to accompany

them. The heroes put on formal gowns, and rode to the

Lama Temple. Bai Zhen noticed with relief that none of

them were carrying swords.

At the temple gate they dismounted, and Bai Zhen led

them inside. Three tables had been prepared in the

Hall of Tranquillity, and Bai Zhen solemnly invited

the heroes to be seated. Chen sat at the head of the

middle table while Bald Vulture and Master Lu took the

head seats on the other two tables. Underneath a

statue of the Buddha, a fourth table had been set up

with one large chair covered with satin and brocade,

obviously the Emperor's seat. The heroes began to

weigh up the distances in preparation for the

assassination attempt.

Dishes of food were brought out and placed on the

tables and the heroes quietly awaited the arrival of

the Emperor. After a while, footsteps sounded outside

and two eunuchs marched into the hall with a senior

military official whom the heroes all immediately

recognised as Li Keshou, the former Commander-in-Chief

of Zhejiang Province. Yuanzhi gripped Yu's hand and

almost cried out in surprise at the sight of her

father. She wondered when he had been transferrd to

the capital.

"Here is an Imperial pronouncement!" one of the

eunuchs shouted, and Commander Li, Bai Zhen and the

other officials present immediately knelt kown. Chen

and the rest of the heroes had no alternative but to

do likewise.

The eunuch unrolled a scroll and announced: "On the

orders of the Heaven-ordained Emperor, the following

proclamation is made: We are benevolent in order to

encourage talent just as our ministers and the common

people should strive for merit in order to gain

rewards. Chen Jialuo and the others have been loyal

citizens and deserve to be honoured. Accordingly, I

bestow upon Chen Jialuo the title of Successful

Candidate of the Imperial Civil Service Examination,

while the others are to be given good positions in the

Board of Rites and the Military. We invite you to dine

at the Lama Temple. The Commander-in-chief of the

Imperial Forces in Zhili Province Li Keshou will host

the banquet." The eunuch looked up from the scroll and

shouted: "Express thanks for the Imperial

benevolence!"

The heroes realised with a shock that the Emperor had

cheated them and was not coming.

Commander Li walked over to Chen and bowed before him.

"Congratulations, Master Chen. You are honoured to be

so highly favoured by the Emperor. It is truly

unexpected." Chen replied with a self-deprecating

remark.

Yuanzhi and Yu walked over together. "Father!" Yuanzhi

said quietly.

Commander Li turned to find his lost daughter standing

beside him, as if she had dropped out of nowhere. He

grasped her hand, tears welling into his eyes.

"Yuanzhi," he said, his voice shaking. "Are you all

right?" She nodded. "Come, come and sit with me," he

added, and pulled her over to a table on the side.

The two eunuchs, obviously kung fu experts, walked

over to the central table and stood before Chen. One

of them saluted with his fists, then turned and

shouted: "Boy!"

Two young attendants entered carrying a tray on which

was placed a pot of wine and several cups. The eunuch

lifted the pot and filled two cups, then picked one of

them up. "I drink to you!" he said to Chen, and

drained the cup at one draught. He picked the other

one up and offered it to Chen.

But Chen had been watching intently, and had noticed

two small holes on the side of the wine pot. The

eunuch had put his thumb over the left hole when he

poured the first cup of wine, and had moved it to

cover the right hole as he poured the second cup. Chen

guessed the pot was divided into two compartments

inside, and that the flow of wine from each could be

controlled by covering one or other of the holes. He

glanced at the eunuch in distaste and knew that if it

had not been for Princess Fragrance's warning, he

would have drunk the cup down.

He saluted with his fists in thanks, and lifted the

cup as if to drink it. Expressions of delighted

anticipation sprang to the faces of the eunuchs, but

then Chen put the cup down again, picked up the wine

pot and poured out another cup. This cupful he drank

then offered the original cup to the second eunuch.

"You drink a toast as well, sir," he said.

The eunuch turned pale as he realised Chen had seen

through the trick. His right foot shot up and kicked

the cup out of Chen's hand and the other eunuch

shouted: "Get them!" Several hundred Imperial

bodyguards and guardsmen sprang into view from every

side.

"If you gentlemen don't wish to drink, then don't,"

said Chen with a smile.

"His Imperial Highness decrees," one of the eunuchs

shouted, "that the Red Flower Society has engaged in

rebellion and continues to harbour evil intentions,

and that its members must be immediately seized and

killed."

Chen waved his hand and the Twin Knights leapt over to

the two eunuchs, paralysing each with a blow to the

neck. The Red Flower Society heroes brought out their

weapons from under their gowns, and Priest Wu Chen

charged for the door with the other heroes close

behind. He seized a sword from one of the guards and

killed three others as he passed.

Commander Li grabbed his daughter's hand and dragged

her after him as he directed his forces to stop the

heroes, but Yuanzhi pulled herself free and ran off

shouting: "Look after yourself, father!"

Commander Li stared after her for a moment, then began

urgently calling: "Yuanzhi, come back!" But she had

already left the hall and had joined Yu who was

fighting fiercely with five or six guardsmen in the

courtyard outside.

Flames were licking up towards the sky from a nearby

hall, and the noise of the battle was deafening. As

Chen and the other heroes broke out of the

Tranquillity Hall into the open, they were surprised

to find several dozen Lama monks fighting with a group

of Manchu soldiers outside the burning hall. From the

look of things, the monks could not hold out for long,

but as they watched, Bai Zhen led some of the Imperial

guards over and helped them force the Manchu troops

back into the hall. Chen had no knowledge of the

enmity between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager,

but he immediately recognised the fight as an

excellent diversion and quickly ordered the heroes to

escape over the temple walls.

As they touched the ground, the heroes involuntarily

sucked in their breaths: in front of them were rank

upon rank of Manchu troops, all with bows drawn or

with swords in hand. The scene was brightly lit by

several thousand torches.

"He has arranged things very carefully," thought Chen.

Priest Wu Chen and Bald Vulture charged into the

Manchu ranks, killing as they went, and a hail of

arrows descended on them.

"Everyone try and make a break for it!" shouted Huo

Qingtong. The heroes fought like demons.

Priest Wu Chen noticed seven or eight Imperial

Guardsmen attacking Zhang Jin, and he leapt over to

help him. He stabbed three of them in the neck, and

the rest howled and retreated.

"Tenth Brother, are you all right?" he asked.

Zhang Jin looked up at him and dropped his wolf's

tooth club. "Second Brother, I'm finished," he said.

In the fire-light, Priest Wu Chen saw he was covered

in bloody wounds. With only one arm himself, the

Priest could not support him.

"Lie on my back and hold on," the priest said between

clenched teeth. He squatted down, and Zhang Jin put

his arms round his neck. He felt the warm blood

spurting out of the hunchback's wounds, but stood up

and charged off again with sword raised to continue

the killing.

Chen could see things were going badly and ordered the

heroes to return to the wall to regroup.

"All right, Tenth Brother, get down," said Priest Wu

Chen as they reached the comparative safety of the

wall. Zhang Jin did not move. Luo Bing went over to

help him, but found that his body was stiff and his

breathing had already ceased. She threw herself onto

his corpse and began to sob.

Just as the Manchu troops moved in for the final

attack on the heroes, their ranks parted and several

dozen monks fought their way through, their yellow

robes glowing in the firelight. Leading them, his long

white beard dancing and shaking, was Lord Zhou.

"Come with me, all of you!" he shouted to the heroes,

and they charged after him through the Manchu

blockade, and found Heavenly Mirror and the monks

battling fiercely with the Manchu troops.

Huo Qingtong surveyed the situation with dismay. The

heroes were killing large numbers of the enemy, but no

matter which direction they went, they were always

surrounded. She looked around for some possible

solution and spotted a dozen or so people standing on

a nearby Drum Tower.

"One of those men must be the commander," she shouted

to the others, pointing at the tower. "Let's seize

him."

The heroes immediately saw the wisdom of her words.

"Let's go," Priest Wu Chen roared. Wen and the Twin

Knights ran after him. They quickly reached the foot

of the Drum Tower, and leapt up onto the balcony just

as several dozen guards moved to intercept them. Wen,

however, dodged nimbly past them and charged straight

for an official standing in one corner who wore a red

cap signifying senior rank. As he caught sight of the

official's face in the firelight, he almost called out

"Great Helmsman!" He was almost an exact twin of

Chen's. Wen remembered his wife telling him about the

resemblance of Qian Long's favorite, Fu Kangan, to

Chen. This must be Fu, he decided.

It was indeed Fu, who was also the Beijing Garrison

Commander. Wen deftly dodged the swords of two

surprised bodyguards and lunged at Fu with Priest Wu

Chen close behind. Down below, the Manchu troops

ceased their attack and stood watching the drama above

them.

Fu knew no kung fu and he cringed in fear as Wen

lifted him bodily into the air. A gasp went up the

Manchu troops. By this time, the Twin Knights had

killed the last of the bodyguards on the tower balcony

and ran over beside Wen. Fu raised his command flag

and shrieked: "Stop, all of you! Return to your

units!"

Three bodyguards bravely charged forward, but Priest

Wu Chen placed the tip of his sword on Fu's throat and

smiled at them. "Come on," he said. "Don't be shy."

The bodyguards hesitated, glanced at each other, then

withdrew.

Wen squeezed Fu's arm and he screamed in agony.

"Retreat!" he shouted. "Back in position, all of you!"

The Manchu troops did not dare to disobey and

immediately formed up at a distance.

Chen gathered the heroes and the Shaolin monks

together on the Drum Tower balcony. He counted up the

casualties and found that apart from Zhang Jin who was

dead, eight or nine of the others had been wounded,

only one of them seriously. He surveyed his followers

in the lights of the flames from the temple.

"Let us attack the Palace and kill the Emperor to

avenge Tenth Brother!" he shouted. The heroes roared

their approval, and the Shaolin monks joined in.

"The Shaolin Monastery has been destroyed by him,"

Heavenly Mirror added. "Today, the Commandment against

killing is suspended."

"What?" asked Chen, shocked. "The Shaolin Monastery

destroyed?"

"Yes, it's been burnt to the ground. Brother Heavenly

Rainbow died protecting the sacred scriptures."

The news compounded Chen's anger. With Commander Fu as

their hostage, the heroes marched through the ranks of

Imperial Guards encircling the Lama Temple. When they

had passed the last rank, they saw Xin Yan and a

number of the Society's followers standing at a

distance with several dozen horses. They ran over and

mounted up, one or two to each horse, and with a

defiant shout, galloped off towards the Imperial

Palace.

Xu rode up alongside Chen and shouted: "Has an escape

route been planned, Great Helmsman?"

"Ninth Brother has gone with some of the others to the

West Gate to wait for us. What are you and the monks

doing here?"

"Those Manchu devils!" replied Xu, his voice full of

hatred. "They came one night and sacked the monastery.

Heavenly Rainbow would not leave and was burned to

death. They even kidnapped my son! We have been

looking for the officers responsible ever since, and

the chase brought us to Beijing. We went to Twin

Willow Lane and they told us you had gone to the Lama

Temple."

By this time, they had arrived at the Forbidden City

with the Imperial Guardsmen pressing in on them from

behind, loath to leave them alone even if they did not

dare to attack.

Xu looked over at the Twin Eagles. "If the Emperor

gets wind of this and hides somewhere in the depths of

the palace, we'll never find him. Could you two go on

ahead and investigate?" he asked.

The two old people were delighted to have the

opportunity to show their worth, and immediately

agreed. Xu took four flare rockets from his bag and

gave them to Bald Vulture.

"When you catch sight of the Emperor, kill him if you

can, but if he is guarded too tightly, signal us with

these," he said.

The Twin Eagles leapt over the palace wall and ran

swiftly across the courtyard inside and then up onto

the rooftops. As they raced along, they saw the heavy

palace gates and the endless courtyards and pavilions,

and wondered how they could ever hope to find the

Emperor in such a place.

"Let's grab a eunuch and question him," Madame Guan

said.

"Good idea!" replied her husband, and the two jumped

down to the ground and hid themselves in a dark

corner. After a while, they heard footsteps approach

and two figures walked quickly by.

"The thin one knows kung fu," Bald Vulture whispered.

"Let's follow and see where they go," Madame Guan

replied.

The Twin Eagles silently shadowed the two figures, one

very thin, the other fat and much slower on his feet.

The thin man had to constantly stop to wait for him to

catch up, and at one point said: "Faster! Faster! We

must report to the Emperor as soon as possible."
关键字:书剑恩仇录
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