Louis Cha - The Deer and the Cauldron

VANGUARDS (qianfengying) Regiment of crack troops (exclusively Manchu and Mongols, with duties for guarding the Imperial Palace) frequently at loggerheads with the Palace Guards themselves. The rivalry between Valiants and Vanguards is reminiscent of that between the Musketeers and the Cardinal’s Men in The Three Musketeers, a novel much admired by Louis Cha.

WAY AND ITS POWER, The (Daodejing) The oldest of all the Taoist classics, available in countless English versions, the best being that of Arthur Waley (London, 1934).

YANGZHOU SALT’MERCHANTS The city of Yangzhou, strategically situated on the Grand Canal, just north of its junction with the Yangtze River, owed much of its prosperity to the fabulously wealthy salt’merchants who lived there. It is supposed to have been the city where Marco Polo was appointed Governor for three years by the Mongol Khan, in the thirteenth century. It was described by the Franciscan friar, Odoric of Pordenone, in the fourteenth century as ‘a noble city … where are to be had in great abundance all kinds of things on which Christian people live. There is a custom in this city that if any one desire to give a great dinner or entertainment to his friends he goes to one of the hostels which are established for this very purpose … and the guests are better served than they would have been in the entertainer’s own house’ (Yule, Cathay and the Way Thither, vol 2, pp. 210’211). In the eighteenth century many splendid mansions and gardens were built in the city and its suburbs, and it was home to the so’called Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, some of China’s most talented and innovative artists. In Deer, it is the city in which Trinket was born, but is also important in the novel as a place of southern luxury and decadence, by contrast with the rigours of the northern capital, and seat of the Manchu government, Peking. Theoretically, since ancient times, the Chinese government had a monopoly on the production of salt, and issued a limited number of licences to merchants, who became hugely wealthy through the distribution

of this vital commodity. With the decline of the Manchu dynasty in the nineteenth century, more and more illicit salt smuggling took place, and Yangzhou itself suffered severely during the Taiping Rebellion (1851’1864). But it still retained enough of its former glory to prompt this effusion from the Japanese Railway Guide for 1924’ The place has always been known as one of pleasure and gaiety … In the palmy days of Yangzhou, it was said that a man having once entered the city in search of pleasure would find himself unable to leave it until he had squandered his all’ (quoted by Frances Wood, in Did Marco Polo go to China!, London, 1995). NOTE ON PRONUNCIATION

In this book, Chinese names and place’names are in general spelled according to the Chinese system known as Hanyu Pinyin, which is now internationally accepted. (Occasional exceptions to this rule include well’established geographical names such as the Yangtze River, and the cities of Peking, Nanking, and Canton.) The following short list may help readers with some of the more difficult sounds used in the Pinyin system’

Letter Pronunciation

c ts

q ch

X sh

z dz

zh i

The following very rough equivalents may also be of help to readers.

Word Pronunciation

Bo Boar (wild pig)

Cai Ts’eye (‘It’s eye’, without the first vowel)

Gang Ts’arng

Chen Churn

Cheng Churng

Chong Choong (as in ‘book’)

Chuan Chwan

Dang Darng or Dung (as in ‘cow dung’)

Dong Doong (as in ‘book’)

Emei Er’may

Feng Ferng

Gui Gway

Guo Gwore

Jia Jeeyar

Jiang Jeeyung

Kong Koong (as in ‘book’)

Li Lee

Long Loong (as in ‘book’) Lii Lew (as in French ‘tu’) Qi Chee V Qian Chee’yenne Qing Ching i Rong Roong (as in ‘book’) Shi Shhh! Si Szzzl Song Soowg (as in ‘book’) Shun Shoon (as in ‘should’) Wen as in ‘forgottew’ Xi Shee Xiao Shee’ow (as in ‘shee’cow’ without the ‘c’) Xing Shing Xiong Sheeoong Xu Shyeu (as in French ‘tu’) Yan Yen Yi Yee You Yo’heave’ho Yu Yew tree (as in French ‘tu’) Yuan You, Anne! Zha Jar Zhe Jem! Zhen ‘®r® Zhi Jim! Zhou Joe Zhu Jew Zhuang Jwarng Zi Dzzz’ Zong Dzoong (as in ‘book’) Zuo DzoreCHAPTER 20

In which Princess Ning castrates her Groom and ‘commits Suicide’, and Viscount Trinket rescues the Wrong Girl; he meets the Peerless Consort and hears her sing; a Confrontation takes place between General Bash’em, the Satrap, the White Nun, and the Peerless Consort; and Trinket secures Safe Passage back to Peking for himself and his Entourage

Fire Alarm in the Qardens of the Princess Later that evening, having partaken of his dinner, Trinket strolled over to the Princess’ apartment in the An Fu Gardens. She was overjoyed to see him again. ‘Where on earth have you been all this time!’ she cried impatiently. Trinket made up some cock’and’bull story about the Satrap having detained him with slanderous accusations about the Emperor. The Princess was only being married off to the Satrap’s son, so the old man had insinuated, because the Emperor hated her so much.

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The filthy fat turtle!’ she exclaimed. ‘I’ll pull his beard out!’

‘We all know it’s not true’ Trinket reassured her. ‘Of course the Emperor loves you. And there are lots of good’looking men just itching to marry you. That old turtle’head the Satrap doesn’t know how lucky he is to have you marrying into his family! I almost thought of telling him I’d-’ . ‘You’d what’’

‘I’d like to marry you myself!’

‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ cried the Princess, beaming happily. ‘Let’s do it! Let’s go back to Peking straight away, and I’ll tell my brother I won’t marry anyone but you!’

She threw her arms around him and gave Trinket a big kiss, which he was only too happy to return.

The old turtle got quite scared when he thought I might tell on him. He even gave me a couple of Russian pistols.’

He took out the pistols, primed them, and invited the Princess to fire them off into the garden. She took aim, and there was a terrific explosion. She shot a branch clean off a tree.

‘Fantastic!’ she cried, her tongue popping out of her mouth.

‘Let’s keep one each,’ suggested Trinket generously.

‘No no!’ cried the Princess. ‘It would be such a shame to separate them! They look so cosy, cuddled up together in that lovely case. They’d be lonely apart!’

These thoughts of conjugal togetherness and bliss only made her realize the more forcefully that marrying Trinket was out of the question. It was pure fantasy’ the Emperor would never change his mind. Her lot was cast. Trinket put his arms around her and did his best to comfort her, whispering all sorts of naughty nothings in her ear. She blushed fiercely, and burst out spluttering with laughter. He untied her sash and loosened her gown, then threw an embroidered cover over her naked body.

‘I wonder why the Traitor’s men are taking so long’’ he thought to himself. They still haven’t set the place on fire! If they burst in now, they’ll find her naked. That should be fun to watch!’

He sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking her face, listening out for the slightest sound from outside. The Princess’ breathing grew slower and heavier.

‘I think I’m going to … fall asleep… . You can …’

Trinket could hear the watchman sounding the night watch in the grounds. He was beginning to grow impatient, when suddenly

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there was a great crashing of gongs, and several voices began yelling at once’ ‘Fire! Fire!’ The Princess sat up with a jolt and clutched Trinket round the neck. ‘What’s happening’’ Tamardy turtle’head!’ cried Trinket. ‘He wants to set us on fire! He wants us both dead! So we won’t betray his secret.’ ‘What are we going to do’’ ‘Don’t you worry. You know you can count on your faithful Trink. Leave this one to me.’ Trinket extricated himself from her embrace and went to the doorway, to secure the best escape route when the men came bursting in. ‘Fire! Fire! Quick, save the Princess!’ He heard voices echoing through the grounds, and could make out a dozen or so figures racing across the garden. They must be the Satrap’s men, who had hidden themselves inside the grounds ahead of time. ‘It’s nothing serious, Princess,’ he called out. The old turtle was probably just hoping to catch us together in bed!’ The Princess shuddered. ‘You stay under the covers, and don’t move,’ ordered Trinket. ‘I’ll stand guard outside the door. If there’s a real fire, I’ll carry you out.’ ‘Darling Trinket! You’re so good to me!’ Trinket stood in the doorway and shouted into the garden’ ‘Is there anyone out there’ Quick, save the Princess!’ He was answered at once by one of the Satrap’s guards’ ‘Lord Wei, a fire has just broken out, and our master has sent the Young Prince to protect Her Royal Highness.’ The next instant Trinket saw men with lanterns in every comer of the garden. Coming towards him he identified the figure of Wu Yingxiong, the Little Traitor himself. He had clearly been put in charge of the search for Hatiemo, the missing Mongol envoy. ‘So they’ve sent him to find Hatty-it must be a very important assignment. That proves they really are plotting with the Mongols and the Russians.’ ‘Is all safe in Her Highness’ apartment’’ He could hear Young Wu’s voice. IHt UtbKANU IHbCAULUKUN