"Definitely."
"You"re willing to do even that because of your love for me. I never dared to hope for such a thing."
"Because in this life," Chen continued slowly, "we will not be able to be together. So I want to be sure that after death, I can be with you every day."
The words struck Princess Fragrance like a clap of thunder. After a moment"s silence, she said in shaking voice: "You....what are you talking about? We can"t be together?"
"No. After today, we will not be able to see each other again."
"Why?" Her body quivered and two large tears fell onto his gown.
Chen embraced her tenderly. "If it were possible for me to be with you, I would be content even without food or clothing, even if I was beaten and humiliated everyday. But do you remember Mami? The good Mami was willing to leave her true love Ali in order that her tribe would no longer be oppressed and bullied by Sanglaba and was even willing to go and allow herself to be violated by him...."
Princess Fragrance"s body went limp. "You want me to give in to the Emperor?" she whispered. "You want me to kill him?"
"No, he is my blood brother." He told her everything about his relationship with Qian Long, and the Red Flower Society"s plans, about the oath sworn in the Six Harmonies Pagoda, and of Qian Long"s demand earlier that day. As he spoke, Princess Fragrance realised that what she had been longing for day and night and thought she had achieved, was slipping from her grasp again. She was overwhelmed by a wave of panic and fainted away.
As she came to, she felt Chen holding her tightly, and was aware of a damp patch on her dress soaked by his tears. She stood up.
"Wait for me here," she said softly, and walked towards a large flat rock in the distance where she prostrated herself in prayer towards the west. She appealed to the True God, Allah for guidance on what she should do. The pale sunlight glanced off her white dress, her back presenting a picture of both great melancholy and warmth. After a while, she walked slowly back.
"Whatever you want me to do, I will do," she announced.
Chen jumped up and ran over to her, and the two embraced each other tightly.
"If I had known we had only today, I would have wanted you to hold me the whole day rather than come here," she whispered. Chen kissed her, unable to answer.
A long time passed. Then suddenly, Princess Fragrance said: "I have not had a bath since I left home. I am going to have one now." She began to take off her outer gown.
Chen stood up. "I"ll go over there to wait for you," he said.
"No! No! I want you to watch me. When you saw me for the first time, I was bathing. Today is the last time...After you have seen me, I want you to never forget me."
"Do you really believe that I would ever forget you?"
"Please don"t go," she pleaded, and there was nothing for Chen to do but to sit down again.
While Chen watched and the mountain spring gurgled, she removed all her clothing piece by piece, until the golden evening sun illuminated one of the world"s most beautiful bodies. Chen felt giddy, and hardly dare to look directly at this vision. But he could not fail to notice her innocent, guileless expression, and suddenly thought of her as simply a naked three or four-year-old child. She was so beautiful and so pure.
"To make a body of such incomparable beauty, there must be an all-knowing, all-powerful God in heaven," he thought. His heart was filled with reverence and gratitude.
Princess Frgrance slowly wiped the pearls of water from her body, and then put her clothes back on.
"This body," she thought self-pityingly. "I will never again be able to show it to the one I love."
She rubbed her hair dry and then returned to sit in Chen"s embrace.
"I once told you the story of the cowherd and the spinning girl, do you remember?"