a stir, for when she landed outside the pavilion, she said, without even having folded her wings, "Jia Zhen, pray ask everyone together at once; I have a letter from the Emperor, for Lao-ren-tze," so of course everyone had to put down whatever they were doing, and assemble in the courtyard, which a brief discussion established as the most appropriate place, and kowtow to the letter.
"To the letter?" Laurence said, in dismay, when Temeraire explained.
"It has the Imperial seal," Temeraire said, "so it is as though the Emperor himself is here in part, or at least, I gather that is the notion. Perhaps you would wish to put on your robes again, for the occasion?"
"No, I thank you," Laurence said. "If I am going to be bowing and scraping to a letter, at least I may do it without fearing to trip and fall by accident."
"My captain says he would not do it for anything," Caesar observed, and Temeraire snorted.
"Of course not; there is no reason whatsoever why the Emperor should ever be writing to your captain," Temeraire returned smartly, "who is of no particular account."
With this splendid rejoinder he went with Laurence to the ceremony, and afterwards the letter with its magnificent red seal was handed to Laurence, who broke it and looked without comprehension: Temeraire was sorry to admit it, but Laurence had not mastered an adequate number of characters to read very much of anything; and the letter was too small for he himself to quite make it out very well.
"Sipho may read it, however," Temeraire said, "and inquire of me if he cannot make anything in particular out, by drawing it large."
It was not a very long letter, but full of great kindness: the Emperor sent wishes for the health of Laurence's family, and inquired if Laurence had yet married - Sipho paused and added, "and he says if not, there is a young noblewoman of the fourth banner come of age who has not yet been married, which would be very suitable," which made Temeraire put back his ruff, and Laurence said, "What?"
"I would of course not quarrel with the Emperor," Temeraire said, "but it does not seem to me that Laurence must marry anyone if he does not like to. Pray what else does it say?"
"We have learned that you were responsible for widely conveying the remedy for - coughing fever, I think it says," Sipho said, reading on, "when certain unenlightened and disordered individuals within the government of the nation of England would have guarded this blessing for themselves, at the cost of many lives. We commend your behavior: as all know, loyalty to the state is founded upon filial loyalty, and upon the proper observance of the will of Heaven: faced with a difficult situation you have acted in accordance with right principles, and we are pleased."
Laurence did not seem quite so flattered as Temeraire thought he might have been; certainly the young official who had been appointed to guard the letter and carry it upon its golden tray looked deeply impressed by this mark of favor, reading the letter upside-down even as Sipho worked through it. "Any praise and reward for the act are rightly yours," Laurence said, "and in any case I cannot take any satisfaction in being thanked by anyone whose feelings did not enter into my consideration at all, whether that should be Bonaparte or the Emperor of China. Does he say anything else?"
"Only that he hopes you will call upon Jia Zhen for anything which you might require," Sipho said, and Laurence paused and said, "Do you mean to tell me this letter has come from him direct? - he knew that we were here, in this outpost?"
Temeraire looked at Shen Li; she said, "Having delivered the news of your arrival, I awaited the reply and then came, so there should be no unwonted delay: this answer came to Guangzhou in two days by Jade Dragon, and so did your letter."
For Temeraire had also a reply to his own letter, written much larger upon a scroll of parchment, from Lung Tien Qian, his mother, and she wrote to hope that he was well.
It is a great comfort to me that you are so much nearer: although the distance is very great still, at least one need not endure such inconveniently long delays for correspondence. Your letter of last August had only just reached me, which cannot be considered satisfactory. I am all the more happy to hear