[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
everybody?
Of course, sir, said Xiao Sung, frowning in puzzlement. But I do
not confuse every foreign guest with visitors from the spirit world.
Good, said Steve.
Would it be possible to receive a letter of introduction from you?
Hunter asked. I must go to the palace and see this new courier for
myself.
I will do more than that, said Polo. Several days ago, I reported to
the khan on my most recent trip out to the provinces. Now I am taking
a week or so to relax, which leaves me free today. I, too, am curious
about this mysterious stranger, so I will take you to the palace
myself.
I am imposing on you, said Hunter.
Nonsense. I will enjoy the walk.
Then I am in your debt.
Polo glanced up at this servants. You will accompany us, he said in
Mongol.
The servants left the house first, followed by Polo and Hunter. Steve
and Marcia walked behind them. The young woman servant followed,
first closing the front door behind them and then the gate in the wall.
Hunter is going to be worried even more about altering Polo s
actions, Steve said quietly.
That s true. Well, Polo was always welcome at court, so this isn t
likely to be too significant. Marcia took a deep breath. I can hardly
believe it. I m about to see the palace of Kublai Khan..
Ishihara waited as Wayne and Jane took a break under a large tree on
the edge of a city street.
Look, said Xiao Li. One of my cousins is running through the
crowd toward us. He pointed.
Ishihara looked. A young man from the village dodged around a
peddler s cart and stopped, breathing hard. Your friend has been
seen.
Where? Ishihara asked.
Beside him, both Wayne and Jane tensed.
A man saw him deliver a message from the palace of the Emperor to
the home of a general, then return again.
What did he say? Wayne asked in English, impatiently. Does he
know something?
He went to work in the palace, said Ishihara in English. The seat of
power.
You will come? The man looked back and forth between Wayne and
Ishihara. If an evil spirit is working in the court, he may cause harm
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Click here to buy
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for everyone.
He is not an evil spirit, remember, said Ishihara. He is merely a
misguided spirit who belongs with us. We will take him away from the
court if someone will take us inside the palace grounds.
My mother s cousin is a minor attendant to one of the princes in the
court. He will come to the gate if I ask the guard to call him.
Can he let us in? Ishihara asked.
I believe so, the other man said slowly. I have never tried before.
Will we be stopped inside? Ishihara asked. We cannot disturb the
palace routine.
That s right, said Jane. We can t afford to cause any trouble,
remember?
My mother s cousin has often said that the palace grounds are like a
separate city within Khanbaliq. Thousands of bureaucrats, servants,
and other workers do their daily duties inside the walls.
This is acceptable, said Ishihara. A few more people can get lost in
the crowd during the day. Will you take us to the palace?
I am at your service.
Good.
Are we going? Wayne asked in English again. Can we get to MC 5?
Yes, said Ishihara.
Steve stared at the towering walls around the palace grounds as he
drew near behind Polo and Hunter. The grounds covered the
equivalent of many city blocks, though Steve could not judge how
many from this perspective. The walls rose up at least as high as the
Great Wall. Sentries stood guard outside the closed gates. When they
recognized Marco Polo, however, they bowed and opened the gates
without comment.
Within the walls, the palace grounds were also laid out in the manner
of a city. Broad walkways and large buildings lined up on a right -
angle grid. Trees shaded the walks and the buildings. Marcia took his
arm and pointed.
See that long building with the statues by the entrance and the
wooden threshold? By the architecture and the statues, I think that s
a temple of some kind.
Steve nodded. How about the other buildings?
I can t be sure of most of them. These buildings did not last into our
time. Too many are made of wood, and they were replaced one by one
as the centuries went by. Marcia looked to each side, then into the
distance. She pointed to a huge edifice topped by a roof of vermilion,
yellow, green, blue, and red, shimmering in the sunlight. The largest
building is the palace itself. In Marco Polo s book, he says the palace is
the greatest that ever existed. He wrote that the largest hall can hold
six thousand people at dinner. The khan s quarters are there, and
those of his four wives.
Yeah?
a
a
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T
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F
f
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P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
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.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
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And the other buildings must house various bureaucratic offices.
I wonder if there s any chance we could see Kublai Khan himself.
In front of them, Polo and his entourage came to a halt. Polo spoke
briefly to a young man in a long, black robe who bowed deeply and
hurried away. Then Polo turned to Hunter with an amused smile.
I have been fortunate to enjoy the khan s favor ever since we arrived
here. Many of the attendants know me; that man recently passed the
examinations necessary to enter government service. He will speak to
the chief of the palace couriers, and bring MC 5 to us.
Thank you, said Hunter.
It s going to be that easy? Steve muttered to Marcia. Hard to
believe. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl freetocraft.keep.pl
everybody?
Of course, sir, said Xiao Sung, frowning in puzzlement. But I do
not confuse every foreign guest with visitors from the spirit world.
Good, said Steve.
Would it be possible to receive a letter of introduction from you?
Hunter asked. I must go to the palace and see this new courier for
myself.
I will do more than that, said Polo. Several days ago, I reported to
the khan on my most recent trip out to the provinces. Now I am taking
a week or so to relax, which leaves me free today. I, too, am curious
about this mysterious stranger, so I will take you to the palace
myself.
I am imposing on you, said Hunter.
Nonsense. I will enjoy the walk.
Then I am in your debt.
Polo glanced up at this servants. You will accompany us, he said in
Mongol.
The servants left the house first, followed by Polo and Hunter. Steve
and Marcia walked behind them. The young woman servant followed,
first closing the front door behind them and then the gate in the wall.
Hunter is going to be worried even more about altering Polo s
actions, Steve said quietly.
That s true. Well, Polo was always welcome at court, so this isn t
likely to be too significant. Marcia took a deep breath. I can hardly
believe it. I m about to see the palace of Kublai Khan..
Ishihara waited as Wayne and Jane took a break under a large tree on
the edge of a city street.
Look, said Xiao Li. One of my cousins is running through the
crowd toward us. He pointed.
Ishihara looked. A young man from the village dodged around a
peddler s cart and stopped, breathing hard. Your friend has been
seen.
Where? Ishihara asked.
Beside him, both Wayne and Jane tensed.
A man saw him deliver a message from the palace of the Emperor to
the home of a general, then return again.
What did he say? Wayne asked in English, impatiently. Does he
know something?
He went to work in the palace, said Ishihara in English. The seat of
power.
You will come? The man looked back and forth between Wayne and
Ishihara. If an evil spirit is working in the court, he may cause harm
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
for everyone.
He is not an evil spirit, remember, said Ishihara. He is merely a
misguided spirit who belongs with us. We will take him away from the
court if someone will take us inside the palace grounds.
My mother s cousin is a minor attendant to one of the princes in the
court. He will come to the gate if I ask the guard to call him.
Can he let us in? Ishihara asked.
I believe so, the other man said slowly. I have never tried before.
Will we be stopped inside? Ishihara asked. We cannot disturb the
palace routine.
That s right, said Jane. We can t afford to cause any trouble,
remember?
My mother s cousin has often said that the palace grounds are like a
separate city within Khanbaliq. Thousands of bureaucrats, servants,
and other workers do their daily duties inside the walls.
This is acceptable, said Ishihara. A few more people can get lost in
the crowd during the day. Will you take us to the palace?
I am at your service.
Good.
Are we going? Wayne asked in English again. Can we get to MC 5?
Yes, said Ishihara.
Steve stared at the towering walls around the palace grounds as he
drew near behind Polo and Hunter. The grounds covered the
equivalent of many city blocks, though Steve could not judge how
many from this perspective. The walls rose up at least as high as the
Great Wall. Sentries stood guard outside the closed gates. When they
recognized Marco Polo, however, they bowed and opened the gates
without comment.
Within the walls, the palace grounds were also laid out in the manner
of a city. Broad walkways and large buildings lined up on a right -
angle grid. Trees shaded the walks and the buildings. Marcia took his
arm and pointed.
See that long building with the statues by the entrance and the
wooden threshold? By the architecture and the statues, I think that s
a temple of some kind.
Steve nodded. How about the other buildings?
I can t be sure of most of them. These buildings did not last into our
time. Too many are made of wood, and they were replaced one by one
as the centuries went by. Marcia looked to each side, then into the
distance. She pointed to a huge edifice topped by a roof of vermilion,
yellow, green, blue, and red, shimmering in the sunlight. The largest
building is the palace itself. In Marco Polo s book, he says the palace is
the greatest that ever existed. He wrote that the largest hall can hold
six thousand people at dinner. The khan s quarters are there, and
those of his four wives.
Yeah?
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
And the other buildings must house various bureaucratic offices.
I wonder if there s any chance we could see Kublai Khan himself.
In front of them, Polo and his entourage came to a halt. Polo spoke
briefly to a young man in a long, black robe who bowed deeply and
hurried away. Then Polo turned to Hunter with an amused smile.
I have been fortunate to enjoy the khan s favor ever since we arrived
here. Many of the attendants know me; that man recently passed the
examinations necessary to enter government service. He will speak to
the chief of the palace couriers, and bring MC 5 to us.
Thank you, said Hunter.
It s going to be that easy? Steve muttered to Marcia. Hard to
believe. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]