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 | | He was the first Chinese emperor to take aspirin when he had a headache, the first to wear spectacles, and the last to rule the country. |
 | | The throne room is faithfully recreated, from its two imaginary beasts crouched on either side of the wooden throne to scare off evil spirits, to its two graceful cranes and its golden-bronze incense burners intended to wreath the emperor in smoke. |
 | | And, like every royal palace, it was a place of power, of intrigue, of ceremony, of incredible wealth, of sublime beauty, and daily and nightly sexual pleasure (the Emperor Qianlong had only two wives, but 29 concubines, their social standing depending upon how often they were chosen to grace his bed). |
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