Madame Guan nodded slightly.
"This is Lord Zhou Zhongying," said Chen to her.
"Ah, I have heard about you too," she said, then
suddenly screeched out: "Husband, come down! What are
you doing?"
The others all jumped at this unexpected outburst.
"Your husband is fighting with Priest Wu Chen," said
Lord Zhou. "Let's go and explain the situation to them
quickly."
Chen motioned to the Twin Knights to guard Qian Long,
and the rest raced up the stairs to the thirteenth
floor.
"Husband!" Madame Guan shouted. "They're the Red
Flower Society!"
Her husband Bald Vulture, locked in fierce combat with
the Taoist priest, started in surprise, and hesitated
in his attack. "Really?" he said.
There was a laugh from above their heads and Master Lu
Feiqing dropped to the floor.
"Excellent swordsmanship, excellent," he chuckled,
nodding appreciatively at both Bald Vulture and at
Priest Wu Chen.
"Do you recognize me?" he asked Bald Vulture.
Bald Vulture looked at him closely for a moment, then
gave a shout.
"Ah! You're 'Hidden Needle' Lu," he exclaimed.
"That's right," Lu smiled.
"What are you doing here?" Bald Vulture asked.
Lu turned without answering and bowed before the old
woman. "Madame, it has been many years since I last
saw you, but your kung fu is better than ever!"
"Ah," exclaimed Bald Vulture again, staring at Lu's
blade. "That's a very precious sword you have there!"
Lu smiled. "It belongs to someone else," he said. "I'm
just using it temporarily." But let me introduce you.
He introduced all the heroes, to 'Bald Vulture' Lin
and his wife Madame Guan, the Tianshan Twin Eagles.
"I thought you two were living happily in the Tianshan
mountains," Lu said. "And here you are, trying to kill
the Emperor."
"You have all met my young pupil, Huo Qingtong,"
replied Madame Guan. "This affair started with her.
The Emperor sent an army to attack the Muslims, but
they couldn't match the Manchu troops' strength and
lost some battles. Later, the Manchu grain supplies
were ransacked..."
"That was the Red Flower Society," interrupted Lu.
"They did it to help Muzhuolun."
"Mm, I heard about that," said Madame Guan. She
glanced at Chen. "No wonder she gave you that dagger."
"That was before. We met when they came to recover
their sacred Koran."
"You also helped to get that back. The way the Muslims
talk of you, you're all great heroes!" Her tone
suggested she disagreed. "After the Manchu troops lost
their grain, they also lost a battle and Muzhuolun
suggested peace talks. But just as the truce talks
were getting started, the Manchu general got hold of
some rations and attacked again."
"Manchu officers have no sense of honour," said Lu,
shaking his head sagely.
"The ordinary people of the Muslim areas have been
brutally treated by the Manchu troops," Madame Guan
continued. "Master Muzhuolun asked us to help. We
originally didn't want to have anything to do with
it...."
"It was you!" Bald Vulture butted in accusingly. "Now
you're trying to feign innocence."
"What do you mean, me? Look at the way the Manchus are
burning and pillaging across the Muslim lands,
oppressing the people. Don't you care?"
Bald Vulture grunted in indignation and was about to
argue further when Lu raised his hand.
"You two are just the same as ever," he said with a
smile. "As soon as you open your mouths, you're
arguing. Don't take any notice, Madame, please
continue."
She eyed her husband distastefully, then said: "We
first thought of assassinating the Manchu general,
Zhao Wei, but there wasn't much point in killing one
general, because the Emperor would just send another
and it would go on for ever. So we decided to kill the
Emperor instead. We went to Beijing, but heard on the
road that he had come down south. We followed him out
of Hangzhou with our dogs using the tunnel you used to
bring him here. At the time, we were very puzzled as
to why the Emperor would suddenly want to travel
around in tunnels."
"What? So you captured the Emperor?" said Bald
Vulture. Chen nodded. "You did pretty well," Bald
Vulture commented.
Suddenly, there was a roar from the Manchu troops
around the base of the pagoda.
"I'll go and tell the Emperor to shut them up," said
Xu, and ran downstairs. A moment later they saw Qian
Long stick his head out of the window on the seventh
floor and shout: "I'm here!"
"There's His Highness!" called Bai Zhen down below and
the troops all prostrated themselves on the ground.
"I am all right up here!" Qian Long added. "There is
no need for such noise." There was a pause, then he
added: "All of you retire thirty paces!" They complied
immediately.
"Seventh Brother directs the Emperor and the Emperor
directs the troops," said Chen with a smile. "That's
much better than charging out and killing and
slaughtering. The Emperor is the most precious object
under heaven. It is better to use him than to kill
him." The others laughed.
'Leopard' Wei, who was watching the Manchu soldiers
withdraw, saw several men in their midst with hunting
dogs on leashes.
"Ah, I was wondering how they found their way here,"
he said. He took a bow from one of the attendants, and
shot off two arrows, and there were two long screams
and two of the dogs fell to the ground, dead. A roar
went up from the Manchu troops, who speeded up their
retreat.
"Master Lu, Lord Zhou," said Chen. "Please entertain
the Twin Eagles while I go downstairs and have another
talk with the Emperor."
As Chen reached the seventh floor, the Twin Knights
and Xu bowed to him and retired. Qian Long was sitting
despondently in a chair.
"Have you made a decision yet?" asked Chen.
"Since you have caught me, you might as well kill me
if you are going to. What is the point of talking?"
Chen sighed. "It is such a pity," he said.
"What's a pity?"
"I have always thought of you as an extremely talented
man and have pride in the fact my parents gave birth
to such a good son, my brother. But..."
"But what?"
Chen was silent for a moment. "But although outwardly
you appear to be a man of courage, you are virtually
hollow inside. Not being afraid of death is the
easiest thing in the world. But the formation of a
grand designs, the making of great decisions, that is
something that can only be done by a man with true
courage. That is precisely what you are incapable of
doing."
Qian Long was silent, but he appeared to be moved by
Chen's words.
"All you have to do is to decide to restore the
Chinese nation and we unruly fighters will immediately
follow your every instruction," Chen added. "I can
strike my chest and guarantee that they will not dare
to do anything disrespectful towards you."
Qian Long nodded several times, but there was still an
area of doubt in his mind which made it impossible for
him to speak out. Chen guessed his thoughts.
"All I want is to see you throw the barbarian Manchus
out of China," he said. "Then I will be content," he
said. "Then I will ask you to allow me to retire to
the seclusion of the Western Lake and live out the
rest of my life in peace."
"What sort of talk is that?" said Qian Long. "If this
Grand Design was achieved, your assistance would be
required in planning affairs of state."
"We are getting ahead of ourselves," replied Chen.
"But once the Grand Design has been completed, you
must allow me to retire."
Qian Long slapped his hand down on the table. "All
right," he said. "We'll do as you say."
Chen was overjoyed. "You have no further doubts?" he
asked.
"None. But there is one thing I would like you to do
for me. Your former Great Helmsman, Yu Wanting, had
several items stored in the Muslim areas and said they
were proof of my birth. Go and get them so that I can
see them. Only then will my last doubts disappear.
Then we will discuss detailed plans."
Chen felt this was reasonable. "All right," he
replied. "I will start out tomorrow and get them
myself."
"When you get back, I will assign you to the Imperial
Bodyguard, then promote you to be commander of the
Beijing garrison," said Qian Long. "I will gradually
transfer the military power in every province into the
hands of Chinese we can trust. I'll make you Secretary
of the Armed Forces with orders to disperse the key
Manchu Banner units, and then we can act."
Chen knelt down and performed the ritual act of
obeiscence of a vassal before his Lord, but Qian Long
hurriedly helped him up.
"An oath must be sworn in front of the others over
this," Chen said. "There must be no reneging."
Qian Long nodded.
Chen clapped his hands once and ordered Xin Yan to
help Qian Long change back into his original clothes.
"Please ask everyone to come to pay their respects to
the Emperor," he said.
The heroes crowded in. Chen told them Qian Long had
agreed to chase out the Manchus and restore the
Chinese throne, then swore in a clear voice: "In
future, we will assist Your Highness, and together
plan the Grand Design. If anyone should reveal this
secret, he will be damned by heaven and earth."
He drank a draught of a specially prepared brew of
Covenant Wine to seal the pact, and Qian Long did
likewise.
"Bald Vulture, Madame Guan," said Lu. "Come and drink
a cup of the Covenant Wine as well."
"I have never believed the word of any official, so
why should I trust their leader?" said Bald Vulture.
His right hand suddenly struck the wall, smashing a
section of it to rubble and pulled out a brick.
"Whoever breaks the covenant, betrays his friends, and
destroys the Grand Design will be crushed like this!"
he shouted harshly, and with one movement of his hand,
the brick broke into a thousand pieces which tumbled
to the floor. Qian Long looked at the hole in the wall
and down at the smashed brick in fright.
"Even though you decline to join the vow, we are all
friends," said Chen. "But I trust Your Highness will
not vacillate and forget the covenant established
today."
"Please rest easy over that," replied Qian Long.
"All right. Let us escort His Highness out," said
Chen. Wei raced out of the pagoda and shouted: "Come
and meet His Highness!"
Half-suspicious, Commander Li and Bai Zhen ordered the
troops to move slowly forward, afraid that this was
yet another Red Flower Society trick. Suddenly, they
saw Qian Long emerge from the pagoda and prostrated
themselves on the ground. Bai Zhen led a horse over
and Qian Long mounted.
"I have been drinking and composing poetry with them
here," he said to Bai Zhen. "I wanted a few days'
peace and quiet and you had to make a mountain out a
molehill and rob me of my pleasure."
The heroes returned to the pagoda.
"We are extemely happy to have met you all today,"
said Bald Vulture. "Especially Lord Zhou, whom we have
respected for so long, and Master Lu, whom we have not
seen for many years. But now my wife and I have some
other minor affairs to deal with, and will take our
leave."
Madame Guan pulled Chen over to one side. "Are you
married?" she asked.
Chen blushed deep red. "No," he replied.
"Are you engaged?"
"Not engaged either," he said. Madame Guan smiled to
herself. Then she suddenly screeched: "If you are ever
so ungrateful as to turn your back on the one who gave
you that dagger, I will never forgive you." Chen was
so shocked by the outburst he was completely lost for
a reply.
"You scorpion!" her husband shouted from the other
side of the side of the room. "What are you lecturing
that young man about? Let's be going!"
Madame Guan turned round, emitted an ear-splitting
whistle and four dogs raced out of the trees. The
couple bowed before the heroes and took their leave.
"Let us go back upstairs to talk," Chen said. They
followed him back up to the top floor of the pagoda.
"I promised the Emperor that I would go to see my
teacher and collect two important items from him,"
said Chen. "But let us first go to Heaven's Eye
Mountain to see how Brother Wen and Brother Yu are
doing and then make further arrangements."
They left the pagoda and Master Ma and his son
returned to Hangzhou by themselves while the rest of
the heroes galloped off westwards. |
