They hid in the shadows and looked out over the...
They hid in the shadows and looked out over the Yamen's main courtyardTo their surprise, they found it brightly lit with torches and several hundred troops standing guardAnother strange thing was that so many soldiers could be so quietWhen they moved, they walked lightly on tip-toe, and the only sounds that could be heard were the call of a cicada and an occasional crackle from the burning torches

Chen could see there was no way of getting inHe gestured towards Zhao and the two retreated, avoiding the rooftop guardsThey stopped behind a wall to discuss what to do

"We don't want to alert them," Chen whispered"We'll have to go back and think of some other plan

Just then, a side gate of the Yamen creaked open and an officer emerged followed by four soldiersThe spy bag fendi five marched down the street a few hundred yards and then turned back, obviously on patrol

"Get them," Chen whisperedZhao slipped out of the shadows and threw three darts, and three of the soldiers immediately dropped to the groundChen followed with two of his chess pieces, hitting the officer and the remaining soldierThey quickly dragged the five into the shadows, stripped the uniforms from two of the men and put them on themselves

They waited once more for the rooftop guards to turn away, then jumped over the Yamen wall and strode nonchalently into the torch-lit courtyardThey passed through into an inner courtyard which was being patrolled exclusively by senior military officials, commanders and generalsWaiting for the right moment, they leapt up under the eaves of tiffany knockoff one of the buildings, then hung onto the rafters not daring to breatheOnce it was clear they had not been discoveredChen hooked his legs over a beam and hung down over a windowHe moistened the window paper and looked inside, as Zhao kept guard beside him

Chen found himself looking in at a large hallFive or six men wearing the gowns of high officials stood in the centre facing another man who was seated with his back to ChenAnother official walked in and kowtowed nine times towards the seated man

Chen was surprised"That is the ceremonial form used when entering the presence of the Emperor," he thought"Could it be Qian Long himself is in Hangzhou?"

"Zhejiang Province Civil Administrator Yin to see your Highness the Emperor," the officer said

So it was the Emperor, chanel j 12 Chen thoughtNo wonder security was so tight

"I have sent troops to quell the Muslim regions," the Emperor said"I hear you object to this idea

Chen frowned: he found the Emperor's voice strangely familiar

"I deserve to die, I would not dare," Yin said, continuing to kowtow

"I asked Zhejiang Province to supply six thousand tons of grain to meet the needs of the armyWhy did you disobey my orders?"

"I truly would not dare, your Highness," Yin said"But the harvest in Zhejiang this year has been very poorThe common people are in great hardship, and it is temporarily impossible to supply such an amount

"So the common people are in great hardship, are they? The army is in urgent need of food suppliesShall I tell them to starve out there?"

"I wouldn't dare to dolce purse say," Yin quavered, continuing to kowtow

"No, I want you to tell me," replied the Emperor

"Your Highness's ability to spread enlightenment and civilisation is far-reachingThe Muslim barbarians are in fact not worth such a long trek by Your Highness's armiesAs the Ancients said: 'Soldiers are instruments of violence which a man of virtue should use only as a last resort' Your Highness could cancel the campaign, and the whole world would be thankful for your benevolence

"The people are discontented because I have decided to wage this campaign, is that correct?" Qian Long replied coldly

Yin kowtowed even more energeticallyHis forehead was by now covered in blood

Qian Long laughed shortly"You have a hard skull," he said"If you hadn't, you wouldn't dare to contradict omega automatic seamaster watch