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."
关键字:书剑恩仇录
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