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marble steps ascended to the marble terrace which surrounded the
building. The interior contained an immense hall, capable of serving as
a banqueting-room for a multitude of guests, while the numerous chambers
were all of great beauty and admirably arranged.

The roof on the exterior was painted red, green, azure, and violet, the
colors being highly durable, while the glazing of the windows was so
neatly done that they were transparent as crystal. In the rear of the
palace were arranged the treasure-rooms, which contained a great store
of gold and silver bullion, pearls and precious stones, and valuable
plate. Here also were the family apartments of the emperor and his
wives. Opposite the grand palace stood another, very similar in design,
where dwelt his eldest son, the heir to the throne.

On the north side, between the palace and the adjoining wall, rose an
artificial mound of earth, a hundred paces high and a mile in circuit at
its base. Its slopes were planted with beautiful evergreen trees, which
had been transported thither, when well grown, by the aid of elephants.
This perpetual verdure gave it the appropriate name of the Green Mount.
An ornamental pavilion crowned the summit, which, in harmony with the
sides, was also made green. The view of the mount, with its ever-verdant
trees and the richly decorated building on its summit, formed a scene
delightful to the eyes of the emperor and the other inmates of the
palace. This hill still exists, and is yet known by its original title
of Kinshan, or the Green Mount.

The excavation made to obtain the earth for the mount was filled with
water from a small rivulet, forming a lake from which the cattle drank,
its overflow being carried by an aqueduct along the foot of the Green
Mount to fill another great and very deep excavation, made in the same
manner as the former. This was used as a fish-pond, containing fish in
large variety and number, sufficient to keep the table of the emperor
constantly supplied. Iron or copper gratings at the entrance and exit
prevented the escape of the fish along the stream. The pond was also
stocked with swans and other aquatic birds, and a bridge across its
width led from one palace to the other.

Such was the palace. The city was correspondingly great and prosperous,
and had an immense trade. A thousand pack-horses and carriages laden
with raw silk daily entered its gates, and within its workshops a vast
quantity of silk and gold t