All right! Sing!"
He thought for a moment, and then began:
"The light rain falls
The wind blows in squalls
Someone outside saucily calls,
I think it"s my loved one,
And softly curse him round and right.
But looking once again
I see it"s not, and jump in fright."
After he had finished, Chen explained the words of the song in the Muslim tongue, and Princess Fragrance laughed.
"The lady"s eyesight was not too good, apparently," she said.
They explored the top of the wall, which consisted of battlements on the northern side, a stone hand rail on the other and a walkway in between. Every three hundred feet or so, there was a watchtower. They came to a beacon tower, and Chen thought of the time Huo Qingtong had burned wolf dung as part of her plan to destroy the Manchu army. He wondered again if she was alive or dead, and his sadness increased.
"I know what you are thinking," said Princess Fragrance.
"Do you?"
"Yes. You are thinking of my sister."
"How did you know?"
"When the three of us were in the Secret City together, I could see how happy you were in spite of the danger. Oh, you mustn"t worry so!"
He took her hand, "What do you mean?" he asked.
She sighed. "In the old days, I was just a child. I didn"t understand anything. But every day I was in the Imperial Palace, I thought about the times we were together and realised many things that had not occured to me before. My sister loved you all along, and you love her, don"t you?"
"Yes. I shouldn"t try to deceive you."
"But I know you truly love me too. And without you, I cannot live. So let"s go and find my sister quickly and we can all live happily together forever. Don"t you think that would be lovely?"
Her eyes and face radiated happiness. Chen squeezed her hand. "You have thought it out perfectly," he said softly. "You and your sister are the nicest, the best people in the world."
Princess Fragrance stood looking out into the distance, and noticed the sun glinting off a body of water to the west. "Let"s go and have a look over there," she said.
They made their way across the hills, and came upon a clear spring bubbling merrily out of a crack in the rocks.
"I will wash my feet here, is that all right?" Princess Fragrance asked.
"Of course," Chen replied with a smile. She took off her shoes and socks and stepped into the water, relishing the coolness as the crystal clear water flowed around her milk-white feet. Chen happened to see his own shadow on the water, and realised the sun was already sinking into the west. He reached into his bag and pulled out some food for them. Princess Fragrance leant against him and wiped her feet dry as she ate.
Chen gritted his teeth. "There is something I must say to you," he said. She turned and put both her arms round him, resting her head on his chest.
"I know you love me," she said quietly. "I understand. You don"t have to say it."
He cringed and swallowed what he had been about to say. After a while, he started again: "Do you still remember Mami"s last testament that we read inside the White Jade Peak?"
"She is living in Heaven now with her Ali. That"s the way it should be."
"You Muslims believe that after good people die, they will live forever in paradise, is that right?"
"Of course that"s what happens."
"When I return to Beijing, I will go and find an Islamic Imam and get him to teach me so that I can become a good follower of the Muslim faith," said Chen.
Princess Fragrance was overjoyed. She had never guessed he would be willing to voluntarily join the Muslim faith. "Oh my brother," she said looking up at him. "Will you really?"