When Qian Long was told that the Red Flower Societyhad rescued Wen, he was both surprised and angry. Buthe decided there was nothing to be gained in punishingthe Imperial Bodyguards. He could see from theirwounds that they had fought bravely.

　　A while later, Commander Li also arrived, and wasinformed by the Emperor that a decision on whether ornot he would lose his post would be deferred untillater. Li was overjoyed at this unexpected luck.

　　After Li had left, Qian Long thought about Wen'sescape and wondered if his secret would get out. Fromwhat Wen had said, it did not appear that he knew, butthere was something about his manner which suggestedthere was still much he could tell. Wen had said therewere two important pieces of evidence hidden somewhereand he wondered what the evidence could be. He wasalready almost certain he was a Chinese and not aManchu, but what good could come of such knowledgeleaking out?

　　He paced about the room, extremely angry that he, theSon of Heaven, should be out-witted by a band ofbrigands. If they discovered his secret, would he beforced to submit to them for the rest of his life onpain of having the secret revealed? The more hethought about it, the angrier he became, and he pickedup a large porcelain flower vase and threw itviolently to the floor.

　　The guards and eunuchs waiting outside heard the crashclearly and trembled in their boots, not daring toenter.

　　Qian Long passed most of the day in a state of mentalconfusion. Towards evening, he heard the sound ofgentle music drifting in from outside. The music movedcloser and closer, passed by the gates of the Yamenthen gradually receded. A moment later, anothermusical troupe passed by. He had always been very fondof music, and hearing it now, his mood suddenlychanged.

　　"Servants!" he shouted.

　　A senior bodyguard named He Jia, who had recently cometo favour, hurried in. Hearing the Emperor's call, theothers had pushed him forward.

　　"What is that music outside?" Qian Long asked. "Go andfind out."After a while, He Jia came back to report: "Your slavemade enquiries and learned that all of the famouscourtesans of Hangzhou will gather on the West Lakethis evening to choose what they call the 'TopCandidate of the Boudoir', as well as second, thirdand fourth ranking candidates.""How dare they make fun of the Imperial Civil ServiceExaminations in such a way!" Qian Long said, amused.

　　"Ridiculous!"Seeing the smile on the Emperor's face, he advanced astep and added in a low voice: "I heard that the FourBeauties 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 saidthat they are the four most famous prostitutes ofHangzhou. Everyone out in the streets is trying toguess which one will be the Top Candidate of theBoudoir this year.""The Top Candidate in the Imperial Examination ischosen by me. Who chooses this Top Candidate of theBoudoir? Don't tell me there is an Emperor of theBoudoir as well?""I hear that each prostitute sits in a flower boat onwhich are displayed the gold and jewels presented byher customers. Then the winner is chosen by some ofHangzhou's most eminent gentlemen.""When do they play this game?" Qian Long asked,fascinated.

　　"It starts soon," He Jia replied. "As soon as it getsa bit darker, the judging will begin. If Your Highnessis 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 theTop Candidate manner which suggested there was stillmuch he could tell. Wen had said there were twoimportant pieces of evidence hidden somewhere and hewondered what the evidence could be. He was alreadyalmost certain he was a Chinese and not a Manchu, butwhat good could come of such knowledge leaking out?

　　He paced about the room, extremely angry that he, theSon of Heaven, should be out-witted by a band ofbrigands. If they discovered his secret, would he beforced to submit to them for the rest of his life onpain of having the secret revealed? The more hethought about it, the angrier he became, and he pickedup a large porcelain flower vase and threw itviolently to the floor.

　　The guards and eunuchs waiting outside heard the crashclearly and trembled in their boots, not daring toenter.

　　Qian Long passed most of the day in a state of mentalconfusion. Towards evening, he heard the sound ofgentle music drifting in from outside. The music movedcloser and closer, passed by the gates of the Yamenthen gradually receded. A moment later, anothermusical troupe passed by. He had always been very fondof music, and hearing it now, his mood suddenlychanged.

　　"Servants!" he shouted.

　　A senior bodyguard named He Jia, who had recently cometo favour, hurried in. Hearing the Emperor's call, theothers had pushed him forward.

　　"What is that music outside?" Qian Long asked. "Go andfind out."After a while, He Jia came back to report: "Your slavemade enquiries and learned that all of the famouscourtesans of Hangzhou will gather on the West Lakethis evening to choose what they call the 'TopCandidate of the Boudoir', as well as second, thirdand fourth ranking candidates.""How dare they make fun of the Imperial Civil ServiceExaminations in such a way!" Qian Long said, amused.

　　"Ridiculous!"Seeing the smile on the Emperor's face, he advanced astep and added in a low voice: "I heard that the FourBeauties 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 saidthat they are the four most famous prostitutes ofHangzhou. Everyone out in the streets is trying toguess which one will be the Top Candidate of theBoudoir this year.""The Top Candidate in the Imperial Examination ischosen by me. Who chooses this Top Candidate of theBoudoir? Don't tell me there is an Emperor of theBoudoir as well?""I hear that each prostitute sits in a flower boat onwhich are displayed the gold and jewels presented byher customers. Then the winner is chosen by some ofHangzhou'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 abit darker, the judging will begin. If Your Highnessis interested, you could go and watch."Qian Long smiled. "I'm afraid people may laugh atme,"he said. "If the Empress should hear that I chosethe Top Candidate of the Boudoir, she may havesomething to say about it. Ha, ha!""If Your Highness dressed up as a member of the commonpeople, no one would know," He Jia suggested.

　　"All right, we'll go and have a quiet look and thencome back. But tell everyone not to attractattention,"said Qian Long.

　　He Jia quickly helped Qian Long change into a longsilk gown and a closely-embroidered jacket, the attireof a member of the gentry. Then they left for the WestLake together with Bai Zhen and several dozenbodyguards.

　　Once at the lakeside, a bodyguard steered a boat up tomeet them. Music and singing could be heard comingfrom different parts of the lake, while the multitudeof lanterns provided a sumptuous sight. They watchedas more than twenty flower boats glided lazily backand forth over the water, each boat draped with silkcurtains and lanterns. Qian Long ordered the oarsmanto steer close to the flower boats. Some of them weredecorated with flowers and animals cleverlyconstructed out of silk and lit with lanterns. QianLong sighed in praise for the richness of life in thesouth of China with which the north could not hope tocompete. As many as a hundred other small boats movedto 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 andburst in a dazzling array of colours before fallinginto the lake with a hiss. As the firework displayended, the curtains on each flower boat were drawnapart simultaneously to reveal a gorgeously-attiredwoman seated inside. Thunderous cheers and applausearose from every part of the lake.

　　Servants produced wine and food for the Emperor topartake of while enjoying the scene. The boat slidslowly over the lake past the flower boats. Qian Long,who kept three thousand concubines in his palace, hadseen countless beauties in his time. But now, with thelanterns reflecting on the water, the splash of theoars and the slight waft of perfume, he was completelycaptivated. They neared the boats of the Four Beautiesof the Qiantang River, and saw they were differentfrom the other flower boats. One was decoratedentirely with paper water lilies while the second wastopped by two pagodas. The third was decked out as theLunar Palace and lit with lanterns shaped as toads andhares, the animals which are supposed to inhabit themoon.

　　Qian Long gasped in delight. As they glided towardsthe fourth, he saw it was decorated entirely with realbushes and flowers, the branches criss-crossing eachother and covered with a thick foliage, as simple asnature, and as beautiful as a painting. The courtezan,dressed all in white, was seated with her back tothem, but she had an air of other-worldliness abouther, as of a goddess.

　　Overwhelmed, Qian Long could not help but sing out aline from the opera, 'The Western Chamber': "Oh, willyou not turn your face to me?"The prostitute, hearing the snatch of song, did indeedturn and smiled. Qian Long's heart leapt: it was thegirl he had met on the West Lake several days before,Beautiful Jade.

　　He heard the tinkle of a feminine voice as thecourtesan on the water lily boat began to sing. At theend of the song, the crowd applauded and a pile ofingots, big and small mounted on the table in front ofher. Then the courtesan in the Twin-Pagoda boat pickedup a pipa and lightly strummed a tune, following whichthe third played the flute. Qian Long ordered He Jiato give her ten taels of gold.

　　The pleasure launches then crowded round BeautifulJade's boat. She opened her ruby lips, revealing hersparkling white teeth, and began to sing accompaniedby a flute.

　　It was the middle of the eighth month and it wasalready cool on the lake, but Beautiful Jade's voicesuggested warm breezes and fragrant flowers.

　　"Such talent," Qian Long sighed.

　　To his great delight, Beautiful Jade's dew-drop eyesconstantly looked over in his direction as she sang.

　　Qian Long loved demonstrating his talents in art,calligraphy and poetry and his ministers, notsurprisingly, praised everything he did. But for abeautiful woman to favour him not because of reverencefor his position a............