A conversation between Tessa and Jem and more about Jem's relations between Britain and China during and after the Opium Wars.
There was a place in China," said Jem, "called the Yuanming Yuan. The Gardens of Perfect Brightness. It was an Imperial residence. My went there to vist the Emperor once, a sort of ambassadorial visit from the Nephilim. She said it was the most beautiful place she had ever been. There were exquisite gardens, paintings, music, beautiful pavilions. They called it 'the Garden of gardens.'" He looked out over the water. "Fifteen years ago the British tore it to the ground. Reprisals for something that happened during the Arrow War. They killed the guards, stole anything they thought they could sell, and set the palace on fire. It took three days to burn. There's nothing left of all that beauty now but silent stones and scorched earth."
"I'm sorry," Tessa told him, having no idea what else she could possibly say
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