Legends of Great Wall  Light a Beacon-Fire  for Beloved Concubine-part two

     The Great Wall collapsed at her cry, and out came her husband's corpse. Hearing the news, Emperor Qin Shihuang dispatched his soldiers to arrest Meng Jiangnu and punish her.
     But when he saw Meng Jiangnu, he was stunned by her eauty and decided not to punish her. He had 3,000 concu- ines in his palace, but none could rival Meng Jiangnu. He anted Meng to be his concubine.
     Meng Jiangnu listed her prerequisites: first, a mourning latform must be established for her husband; second, Emper- r Qin Shihuang himself must take part in the mourning ressed in mourning clothes; and third, a boat must bearranged that would sail the sea for three days. Emperor QinShihuang consented to the first and third prerequisites imme- iately. But he hesitated at her second requirement. He hought: "If I wear mourning clothes and take part in her usband's funeral, I would be considered his son. How can I o such a thing as emperor of the country?" But when he saw eng Jiangnu's enticing figure and her beautiful face he cared bout nothing. He finally consented to all her conditions.
     After the funeral Meng Jiangnu and the emperor boarded  luxury pleasure boat and took a cruise on the Bohai Bay.Emperor Qin was overjoyed at the thought of marrying Meng iangnu after the cruise. Meng's facial expression appearedcalm, but her mind was not. The emperor had taken herhusband away, split her family and ruined her happiness. ow could she marry him? She suddenly jumped overboard hen the soldiers were not paying any attention to her.
     There are two black rocks at the seashore of Bohai Bay utside Shanhai Pass in Hebei Province. The rectangular one ooks like a tombstone; he other one is round like a tomb. hat is believed to be Meng Jiangnu's tomb. On a small hill not far from the tomb is a temple surrounded by a red wall. In the temple is a statue of Meng Jiangnu, a rock known as "Looking for Husband" rock and a pavilion where she is supposed to have changed her clothes. This temple was built in honour of Meng Jiangnu. Located 13 li from Shanhai Pass, the temple is a much visited tourist spot. His Majesty Shut Out of Great Wall
    The birthplace of the Qing Dynasty was in northeast chhina, outside the Great Wall. Its former capital was Sheng-ing, which is present-day Shenyang. After the Qing Dynasty 1conquered all of China and moved its capital to Beijing, its emperor went to the northeast every year to make inspections, to escape the heat and to offer sacrifices to his ancestors.
     One year in autumn Emperor Kangxi put on plain clothes and went to the northeast with his retinue. He visited theformer imperial palace in Shenyang, and paid homage atHuang Taiji's (founder of Qing Dynasty) mausoleum. Then he turned south, intending to go through Shanhai Pass to return to Beijing.
     Shanhai Pass is a strategically important pass on the Great Wall, a key point on the route from the northeast to Beijing.All past dynasties assigned massive numbers of troops to guard the pass. The Qing Dynasty was no exception.

     In order to arrive at Beijing at the earliest possible time to administer state affairs, Emperor Kangxi and his men travelled in the daytime and slept at night. Finally they reached Shanhai Pass in the middle of the night.
     The city gate was closed. Shanhai pass is located between Yanshan Mountain and Bohai Bay with the Great Wall in the middle cutting off the route from north to south. Anybody who wanted to go to Beijing had to go through this pass.
     One attendant of Emperor Kangxi's entourage dismounted his horse and knocked on the gate. But the soldiers insiderefused to open it.
     "We must go to Beijing in a hurry. Open the door quickly please," said the emperor's retainer.
     "To shut the gate at night is an order from above. We mustn't violate the stipulation," said a soldier.
     "But we are in a hurry," said the retainer.
     "No, we can't open it," said the soldier.

     "Could you open it if His Majesty were here?" asked the attendant.

     "A country has its constitution and a family has its stipulations. To close the gate at night is the decision of His Majesty. We all must observe it," answered the soldier.
     "His Majesty is here. Open the door quickly."

     "We can't see His Majesty in the dark. Are you trying to fool us into opening the gate in the name of His Majesty?"said the soldier.

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