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发信人: qpzxw (hi), 信区: English
标 题: 英译<书剑恩仇录> 5-1
发信站: 哈工大紫丁香 (Sun Aug 13 08:09:00 2000), 转信
The Book and The Sword
Copyright Graham Earnshaw 1995
------------------------------
PART FIVE
** 1 **
`Mastermind' Xu went later to see the Muslim envoy.
"I will take you to see the Emperor," he said, and they left,
accompanied by Meng carrying the leather box containing the
vases. Unknown to the envoy, one of the vases had been
removed.
When they arrived at the Commander-in-Chief's Yamen, Meng
handed the leather box to the envoy and pointed to the main
gate.
"Go in on your own," he said.
That afternoon, an attendant handed a visiting card to Great
Helmsman Chen. It was signed 'Your servant Deng Tunan', the
trusted lieutenant of Commander Li Keshou.
"Your plan has probably worked, Brother Xu," Chen said.
"Brother Wei, please go and receive him."
'Leopard' Wei went to the reception room and saw a robust
military official seated in a chair. "What is it you wish to
see our master about, Master Deng?" he asked.
"I have come with instructions from Commander-in-Chief Li to
see the Great Helmsman of your society to discuss a certain
matter with him," Deng replied.
"Our master is not free at present. It is the same if you talk
to me."
"It concerns a Muslim vase," he said.
Wei frowned enquiringly.
"The Muslims dispatched an envoy with a pair of vases to plead
for peace. But when the Emperor opened the box, only one of
the vases was inside. He was very angry and questioned the
envoy, who said that he had already had an audience with the
Commander-in-Chief of Zhejiang Province. The Emperor called in
Commander Li, who was naturally mystified. Luckily, the
Emperor knew Commander Li would not do such a thing, that
there must be some good explanation."
"That is good," said Wei, nodding.
"But the Emperor said that Commander Li would be held
responsible for the affair and gave him three days to find and
return the other vase. This presents a great difficulty."
"He's afraid that if he doesn't find the vase, he will be
removed from office, is that it? It's probably easier not
being an official. If one's whole family could to be executed
and all one's possessions seized, it must be rather
distressing."
Deng ignored his sarcasm. "Let us not deceive each other. I
have come to ask your society to return the vase."
"We have not heard of any such vase," replied Wei. "But as
Commander Li has encountered this difficulty, there is no
reason why we shouldn't help him find it. We may possibly come
across some clue to its whereabouts in a year or two."
"Commander Li said he had great respect for Master Chen. He
sent me today to ask your assistance, but would not feel at
ease if he was unable to do anything in return. Please do not
hesitate to inform us of Master Chen's wishes."
"You are very frank, General Deng. That is excellent," Wei
replied. "Our Master Chen has two wishes. Firstly, the Red
Flower Society has offended Commander Li, and he would like to
ask him to let bygones be bygones."
"That goes without saying. I can guarantee that the Commander
will never make difficulties for your society over this
matter. And the second thing?"
"Our Fourth Brother Wen Tailai is imprisoned in the
Commander's Yamen."
Deng grunted.
"He is an Imperial criminal," Wei continued. "No matter how
courageous Commander Li is, he would never dare to release
him. We understand that. But Master Chen misses him greatly
and would like to see him alone tonight."
Deng thought for a second. "This is an extremely serious
matter. I will have to ask the Commander and return with the
reply."
Deng returned two hours later.
"The Commander says that Master Wen's crimes are serious in
the extreme, and that normally no-one would be allowed to
visit him," he said.
"Normally!" Wei exclaimed.
"But as Master Chen has agreed to return the vase, the
Commander will risk his neck and allow Master Chen to see him.
However, there are two small conditions he must agree to.
First, the Commander has recklessly agreed to this purely in
order to cement his friendship with Master Chen. If anyone
else found out about it, it would be disastrous."
"Commander Li wants Master Chen to agree not to reveal a word
about the affair to anyone, is that it?"
"Exactly."
"I can agree to that on our Master's behalf," Wei said.
"The second point is that only Master Chen will be allowed to
make the visit."
Wei smiled. "Commander Li is naturally afraid that we will
take advantage of the opportunity to try to rescue Master Wen.
All right, we agree. Master Chen will go by himself. But we
have not agreed not to attempt a rescue."
"You are a good man, Brother Wei, and I value your word.
Please ask Master Chen to come to the Yamen this evening."
"If Zhang Zhaozhong is around when Master Chen and Master Wen
meet, it will naturally be impossible to preserve the secrecy
of the agreement, which could be extremely inconvenient for
Commander Li."
"That is true," Deng replied. "The Commander will think of
some excuse for getting him away."
When Deng had left, the heroes gathered in the Great Hall to
await their orders for Wen's rescue.
"Brother Xu, I will leave the arrangements to you," Chen said.
Xu was silent for a moment. "Now that we know Zhang Zhaozhong
will be elsewhere and that the Great Helmsman can get inside,
it will of course be much easier to rescue Brother Wen," he
said. "But Li is also certain to prepare for that eventuality.
We must first work out what he plans to do and then do
something unexpected."
"He will gather a large contingent of troops and surround the
entrance to the dungeon and may even enlist the support of
some Imperial Bodyguards," Yang pointed out. "They will allow
only the Great Helmsman in, and only the Great Helmsman out."
"We had better be waiting outside the Yamen just in case the
Turtles try anything against the Great Helmsman," said one of
the Twin Knights.
"We will of course be waiting outside," answered Xu. "But I
don't think Li will dare to harm the Great Helmsman with the
vase in our hands."
"I've got it," Chen said suddenly. "When I go to see Fourth
Brother, I will wear a wide cape and a large hat with a face
cover..."
Xu knew what he meant. "But that way, we would gain one man
only to lose another. It's not a good idea."
"Finish what you were saying, Great Helmsman," said Priest Wu
Chen.
"Once I am in the dungeon, I will exchange clothes with Fourth
Brother and then let him leave. The guards will think it is
me. You can be waiting outside to receive him."
"But what about you?"
"The Emperor and I have a special relationship. Once they
discover the switch, they will let me go."
The heroes were unhappy that their leader was placing himself
in such danger, but they were forced to agree it was probably
the best plan.
All the arrangements were completed. Chen threw on a large
cape with the collar turned up, pulled a hat well down over
his face, and set off for the Commander-in-Chief's Yamen
accompanied by 'Leopard' Wei. By the time they arrived, it was
already close to dusk and the first stars had began to appear
at the edge of the sky. A man came out to meet them.
"Is that Master Chen?" he whispered. Wei nodded. "Please come
with me. This other gentleman, please stay here."
Wei stood and watched as Chen followed the man into the Yamen.
A flight of ravens flew overhead through the evening mist on
their way home, cawing as they went, and Wei's heart beat
wildly as he wondered what would happened to the Great
Helmsman. After a while, the rest of the heroes arrived and
spread out around the Yamen.
As he entered the gate, Chen saw the Yamen was filled with
thousands of soldiers on guard. The man led him through three
courtyards and into a room.
"Please take a seat," he said, and left. A moment later,
Commander Li entered and saluted Chen. "It is an honour to
meet you," he said.
Chen opened his cape and revealed his face. "We met the day
before yesterday on the lake," he answered with a smile.
"You may now see the prisoner," said Li. "Please follow me."
As they reached the door, an attendant rushed breathlessly
towards them.
"Commander, the Emperor has arrived," he reported. "Master
Deng has gone out to meet him."
Li started in surprise and turned to Chen. "You had better
wait here for a while," he said.
Li ran through to the front courtyard and saw Qian Long with a
large contingent of Imperial Guardsmen. He hurriedly knelt
down before him and kowtowed.
"Arrange a well-guarded room," said Qian Long. "I want to
personally interrogate Wen Tailai."
Li invited the Emperor into his own study, and the Imperial
Bodyguards established themselves on all sides of the study
and even on the roof.
"I have important matters of a confidential nature to discuss
with this prisoner. No-one else must hear," Qian Long told
Bodyguard Bai Zhen.
"Yes, Your Highness," Bai replied and retired.
A moment later, four bodyguards entered carrying a stretcher
on which Wen, handcuffed and chained, lay asleep. The
bodyguards retired and there was silence for a time.
"How are your injuries?" Qian Long asked. Wen's eyes opened
and he sat up. His wounds had not yet healed, but his mind was
clear. He had seen Qian Long once before when he had entered
the Imperial Palace with Master Yu, but was surprised at
suddenly meeting him again in Hangzhou.
"I'm not dead yet," he said coldly.
"I asked my men to invite you to come to see me because there
is something I wish to discuss with you."
Wen grunted.
"When you visited me with that leader of yours, Master Yu, I
discussed an important matter with him. Unfortunately, I hear
he became ill and died very soon afterwards. It was a great
pity."
"If Master Yu had not died, I expect he would be imprisoned
here with me," replied Wen.
Qian Long laughed. "You underworld fighters, you're very
frank. You say whatever you are thinking. Now, Master Wen, I
have only one question for you. Answer me honestly, and I will
immediately release you."
"Release me? Ha! Do you think I am a three-year-old child? I
know that you cannot eat or sleep easy knowing that I'm still
alive. You have stayed your hand until today only because you
wish to question me."
"You're much too suspicious," said Qian Long with a smile. He
walked forward two paces.
"Did Master Yu tell you what it was he talked to me about?" he
asked.
"What did you talk about?"
Qian Long stared at him, and Wen returned the gaze
unflinchingly. After a while, Qian Long turned his head away.
"About my origins," he said quietly.
"He didn't say. You are the Emperor, the son of the late
Emperor and Empress. Everyone knows about your origins. What
more is there to say?"
Qian Long breathed a sigh of relief. "That night you visited
me, you must have known what the reason was?"
"Master Yu said that he had helped you once over some
important matter. The Red Flower Society was short of funds
and he went to ask you for three million taels of silver. But
you refused the request, and have even had me seized. If I
ever get out of this, I will reveal how ungrateful you are."
Qian Long laughed out loud. He glanced at Wen: his anger did
not appear to be a pretence. "If that is the case, I had
better have you killed," he said, half-believing him.
"Otherwise, if I let you go, it could damage my reputation."
"Why didn't you kill me earlier? If you had, you wouldn't have
had to harbour such evil schemes against your mother."
"What about my mother?" Qian Long asked, turning pale.
"You understand."
"So you know everything?"
"No, not everything. Master Yu said the Empress Dowager knew
he had helped you and had asked you to repay him, but that you
were still unwilling to part with the silver. You have
mountains of money. Three million taels should be nothing to
you. But you insist on being petty."
Qian Long laughed nervously. He pulled out a handkerchief and
wiped away the beads of sweat on his brow. He paced the room
to steady himself, then smiled. "You show no fear at all
before the Emperor. You are indeed a man of steel," he said.
"What have I to be afraid of? I doubt if you would dare to
kill me," said Wen.
"Wouldn't dare?"
"You want to kill me because you're afraid your secret will be
revealed but as soon as you kill me, your secret will be
impossible to keep."
"Can dead men talk?"
"As soon as I die, someone will open a certain letter and
reveal the evidence to the world. Then you will be in a real
predicament."
"What letter?" Qian Long asked.
"Before we went to the palace to see you, Master Yu wrote down
every detail of the affair and sealed the document in an
envelope together with two important pieces of evidence and
left it with a friend."
"Was he afraid that something untoward might happen?"
"Of course. How could he trust you? Master Yu told his friend
that if we were both to die suddenly, he should open the
letter and do what it said, but if one of us was still alive,
not to open it under any circumstances. Master Yu has already
passed away, so I don't think you'll dare to kill me."
Qian Long wrung his hands, anxiety written all over his face.
"Wouldn't it be worth spending three million taels of silver
to buy that letter and the two pieces of evidence?" Wen asked.
"The silver? I had always planned to hand it over and then
release you. Write a letter to your friend telling him to
bring the letter to me and I will immediately pay up the
money."
"Ha, ha. Once I tell you his name, you can send your
bodyguards to kill or capture him. Actually, I'm very
comfortable here. I would be happy to stay the rest of my
life. You and I have the same fate. If I die first, you won't
live much longer."
Qian Long bit his lip. "If you won't write the letter, it is
of no importance," he said after a pause. "I will give you two
days. If you persist in being stubborn, I will have no
alternative but to kill you. No-one else will know about it
and your friend will think you're still alive. And even if I
don't kill you, I can still have your eyes gouged out, your
tongue removed, your arms cut off...Think about it over the
next two days."
He pushed open the door and walked out. His bodyguards
re-assembled around him, and Commander Li saw him out of the
Yamen.
Wen was carried back to the dungeon by the Commander's
personal guards with Zhang Zhaozhong providing an escort. Once
in the cell, one of the guards handed Zhang a letter.
"Commander Li asked me to give you this," he said. Zhang
opened and read the letter, then left.
Wen lay on the bed thinking about his wife and friends. He
hoped none of them would be harmed if they should attempt a
rescue.
Just then, the iron door to his cell opened with a clang and a
man walked in. Wen thought it was Zhang returning and did not
open his eyes.
The man walked over to the bed. "Fourth Brother," he said
quietly.
Wen was stunned. He looked up and saw it was Chen. "Great
Helmsman!" he exclaimed, sitting up.
Chen smiled and nodded. He pulled two steel files from his
pocket, and began filing at Wen's manacles. After a few strong
strokes, a series of light scratches appeared on the surface,
but the file was ruined. The manacles were made of a
specially-cast steel brought from the West, and an ordinary
file was useless against it.
"Great Helmsman, only the finest of swords could break through
these chains and manacles," said Wen.
Chen remembered the battle with Zhang Zhaozhong at the Yellow
River crossing and how sharp Zhang's 'Frozen Emerald' sword
had been.
"Does Zhang guard you night and day?" he asked quickly.
"He's never more than a step from me. He only left a short
while ago."
"Good. We'll wait for him to return and steal his sword." Chen
threw the files under the bed.
"It's possible I won't be able to get out of here," Wen said.
"The Emperor wants to silence me because he's afraid I will
reveal his secret. I had better tell you what it is, Great
Helmsman, so that no matter if I live or die, there will be no
delay."
Chen nodded.
"The night I went to the Imperial Palace with Master Yu, Qian
Long was very surprised to see us. Master Yu said: 'A lady
from the Chen family in Haining asked me to come,' and handed
him a letter. The Emperor's face went pale as he read it, and
he told me to wait outside. The two of them then talked for
about two hours before Master Yu finally came out. On the way
back, he told me the Emperor was not a Manchu at all, but a
Chinese and also your elder brother."
Chen started in shock. "That's impossible," he said firmly.
"My brother is in Haining."
"Master Yu said that on the day the Emperor Yong Zheng's wife
gave birth to a girl, your mother by coincidence also gave
birth to a boy. Yong Zheng ordered the Chen family's child to
be brought for him to look at, and when it was returned, it
had become a girl. The boy is now the Emperor Qian Long..."
Before he could finish, they heard the sound of footsteps in
the corridor and a guard came in.
"What is it?" asked Chen.
"Master Zhang is returning. Commander Li is unable to detain
him further and asks you to leave quickly."
"Thank you," Chen replied. His left hand shot out and touched
a Yuedao point on the guard's body. The guard toppled to the
floor without a sound, and Chen pushed him under the bed.
"With Zhang on his way, I don't have time to give you all the
details," Wen continued. "Master Yu knew the Emperor was
Chinese and went to urge him to overthrow the Manchus and
restore China to the Chinese while remaining as Emperor
himself. Qian Long appeared moved by the appeal, and asked
Master Yu to bring evidence before making a decision. But as
soon as Master Yu returned home, he fell ill and never
recovered. His last wish was that you should be the Great
Helmsman, and he said to me that this was a good opportunity
for us to restore the honour of the Chinese people. The
Emperor is your elder brother. If he is unwilling to overthrow
the Manchus, then everyone will support you to take his
place."
His words left Chen too stunned to speak. He thought back to
when he had first seen Qian Long by the lake and afterwards
crying before the tomb of his parents. Could it really be that
the Emperor was born of his own mother and father?
"I understand your mother wrote down the full details of how
the Emperor Yong Zheng swapped the girl for your brother in a
letter which Master Yu gave along with several other pieces of
evidence to your teacher, Master Yuan, to look after."
"Ah, so when the Twin Knights went to see my teacher this
summer, they were carrying these things to him on Master Yu's
orders?"
"That's right. It was so secret that not even you could be
told. All that Master Yuan knows is that they are extremely
important, but he does not know what they are. Just before
Master Yu passed away, he said that after you became Great
Helmsman, you should open the letter and make your plans
accordingly. But I stupidly allowed myself to be captured and
risked the whole enterprise. Great Helmsman, if you can't get
me out today, you must go to the Muslim regions as quickly as
possible to see your teacher. You must not endanger the great
cause of restoration just for my sake."
Wen was clearly relieved to have completed what he had to say.
He was about to add something when footsteps sounded in the
corridor again. He signalled quickly with his hand, and Chen
hid under the bed. Wen then draped himself over the side of
bed with his head resting on the floor.
Zhang entered the cell, and under the faint light of the
room's single candle, saw Wen lying half on the floor as if
dead. Shocked, he leapt forward and touched Wen's back, but
there was no reaction. He started to lift Wen's body back onto
the bed, but as he did so, Wen leapt up and attacked him.
Zhang fell back in surprise, felt a sudden numbness in his
lower abdomen, and knew he had been hit by someone waiting in
ambush under the bed. He roared angrily, sidestepped two paces
and suppressed his breathing to control the numbness. Chen,
who was startled to see Zhang still standing, leapt out from
beneath the bed and struck his face with his fists seven or
eight times.
If he responded, Zhang knew his control would be lost and the
paralysis in his abdomen would spread. He retreated as Chen's
foot flew up and struck another yuedao point. This time, he
could not sustain his control. His whole body went limp and he
fell to the ground.
Chen searched him and was extremely disappointed to find he
did not have the Frozen Emerald sword with him. He pulled a
piece of paper out of Zhang's pocket and saw under the
candlelight that it was a note from Commander Li asking Zhang
to show his sword to an important official who was waiting to
see it:this must have been the excuse Li had used to draw
Zhang away. He guessed that Zhang had been anxious to get back
to the dungeon to resume his guard duties and had left early
without the sword.
Chen continued his search of Zhang's body, and suddenly leapt
up jubilantly.
"What is it?" Wen asked. Chen held his hand up and displayed a
set of keys. He tried one on the manacles and they opened
immediately.
Finally freed, Wen exercised his arms and legs as Chen took
off his cape and hat.
"Put these on and get out quickly," he said.
"What about you?"
"I'll wait here for a while. You get out."
Wen understood his meaning. "Great Helmsman, I am very
grateful for your good intentions, but we cannot do it that
way."
"Fourth Brother, you don't understand. I am in no danger if I
stay here." He told Wen about how the Emperor and he had sworn
an oath to each other.
"It is still impossible,," Wen said.
Chen frowned. "I am the Great Helmsman. All members of the Red
Flower Society must follow my orders, is that not correct?"
"Of course."
"Fine. Then this my order. Put these on quickly and get out.
The brothers are outside waiting for you."
"This time I am forced to disobey your order," Wen said. "I
would prefer to accept whatever penalty you decide upon."
They were deadlocked. Chen pursed his lips and then had an
idea.
"Well, we'll have to risk going out together then. Put on his
clothes," he said pointing at Zhang.
"Excellent! Why didn't you say so earlier?" Wen exclaimed.
The two stripped Zhang of his clothes and exchanged them for
Wen's, then locked the chains and manacles onto him. Zhang
shook with rage, his eyes blood-red with hate, but he was
unable to utter a sound.
The two walked quietly through the door and along the
corridor. As they ascended a flight of stone steps, a bright
light assailed their eyes and they saw the whole courtyard was
filled with torches. Several dozen soldiers stood with shining
spear tips pointed at the dungeon entrance. Behind them were
several hundred archers with bows drawn. Commander Li stood
with his right hand held high. Once it dropped, the spears and
arrows would be loosed, and Chen and Wen would be dead.
Chen stepped back a pace. "How are your wounds?" he whispered
to Wen. "Can you charge through?"
"No, my leg is not up to it," Wen replied with a rueful smile.
"You go by yourself, Great Helmsman, don't worry about me."
"All right, pretend you're Zhang and we'll see how we do,"
Chen replied.
Wen pulled his cap down to his eyebrows and strode out.
Commander Li's heart sank at the sight of Zhang and Chen
together and he assumed that Zhang had arrested him. He turned
to his daughter Yuanzhi.
"Give Zhang's sword back to him and distract him so that Chen
can get away," he said.
Yuanzhi walked over with the 'Frozen Emerald' sword in her
hand and held it out to Wen, positioning herself between the
two men.
"Uncle Zhang, here is your sword," she said, giving Chen a
slight nudge with her elbow. Wen grunted and moved to accept
the sword, and suddenly under the torch light she recognized
him.
"Wen Tailai! So you're trying to escape," she cried and thrust
the sword at his chest.
Wen feinted to one side and caught the blade with his fingers
while his right hand struck out at the Solar Yuedao points on
her forehead. Frightened, Yuanzhi tried to retreat a step, but
found that with his fingers still holding the sword, she was
unable to move an inch. She let go of the sword and tried to
slip away, but Wen struck her left shoulder and a
bone-splitting pain surged through her. She cried out and
squatted down. Looking back, Chen saw Wen was surrounded but
he continued to fight fiercely.
"Stop or the archers will shoot," Commander Li roared.
The old wounds on Wen's thigh burst open with the sudden
effort and blood poured out. He knew he did not have the
strength to break out of the circle of soldiers.
"Great Helmsman, catch the sword and get out!" he shouted. He
tried to throw the Frozen Emerald Sword, but with a sudden
pain in his shoulder, his hand went limp and the sword fell to
the ground only a few feet from him. He had been hit by an
arrow.
Chen turned to Commander Li. "Stop shooting!" he shouted. Li
waved his hand and the archers stopped.
"Get a doctor quickly to deal with Master Wen's wounds. I'm
going," Chen said, and raced out of the Yamen. Following Li's
orders, the guards pretended to give chase, without really
obstructing him.
Once out of the Yamen, 'Leopard' Wei and Luo Bing came up to
meet him. Chen smiled bitterly and shook his head. The eastern
sky was already pale as with heavy hearts the heroes returned
home.
--
※ 修改:．qpzxw 于 Aug 13 08:06:07 修改本文．[FROM: bbs.hit.edu.cn]
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