"Look."
Bonaparte found a very thick book in one of the traveling library's trunks. When he opened it, Georgiana saw that it was filled entirely with cartoons.
"These are British 'cartoons.'" As he spoke, he drew the carriage curtains shut.
By candlelight, Georgiana flipped through the colorful illustrations. Many were satirical cartoons. One clearly depicted the Chinese emperor receiving a foreign delegation, yet every aspect of the picture seemed wrong.
She did not know what Qianlong looked like, but he could not possibly have been as fat as he was in the cartoon. Besides, he was reclining on a scarlet Persian carpet. The Forbidden City in the travel magazines had a Golden Throne Hall; the emperor ought to have been seated upon a throne.
Beside him stood someone holding a red curved blade. The blade bore red patterns, though at first glance they looked more like blood. The British envoys wore frightened expressions and knelt on both knees, as if they had been threatened.
"What is this supposed to be? The Mongols' Golden Horde?" Georgiana asked incredulously.
"Have you seen how they draw me?" Bonaparte said indifferently.
Georgiana was immediately at a loss for words.
"I heard Macartney's delegation did not fare well in their audience with the emperor this time. Their demands were not met." Bonaparte sat beside her, pressing close and even leaning his weight against her as though she were a cushion.
"What demands?" Georgiana asked.
"Have you ever heard the saying, 'Who is your friend, and who is your ally?'"
"I have now. Who said it?" she asked eagerly.
"Your British friends never told you?" he asked with a smile.
"Someone told me, 'France is an ally we cannot trust,'" Georgiana answered honestly.
"Silver is important, but possessing silver does not mean possessing everything. East Asia