The Lonely City Closed - Chapter 113
The Lonely City (The Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) - Long Smoke and Sunset - The Lonely City (Nude Scene)
Chapter word count: 3504 Update time: 09-07-05 10:44
Nude play
(3244 words)
On the 18th day of the first month of the seventh year of the Jiayou reign (1542), the current emperor, as usual, went to Xuande Gate to view the lanterns, summoning his empress, princesses, ministers, and noblewomen. Previously, remonstrating officials such as Sima Guang and Yang Tian had stated that many prefectures had suffered from floods and droughts the previous year, leaving widows, orphans, and the lonely homeless, and hoping that the emperor would reduce his travels and cancel the Lantern Festival to show compassion for the people and ensure the well-being of the emperor. However, the emperor decided not to cancel the lantern festival. After ascending Xuande Gate, he looked at his attendants and stated his reason: "It is precisely because of the many unpleasant events that occurred last year that I wish to use this festival to share joy with the people who have endured hardship, not to satisfy my own pleasure in sightseeing."
In the eyes of the emperor, the princess was clearly one of the "people who had suffered hardships." During breaks from watching the lanterns, he frequently turned to look at his daughter, asking her if she liked the illuminated pavilions below. The princess would always smile faintly and say she liked it, but her gaze towards the dazzling lights was unfocused and listless. Due to long-term depression, this once favorite sightseeing activity could no longer arouse much interest in her.
While watching the lanterns, various performers continued to showcase their skills below the city gate. During the performance of two sumo wrestlers dressed as women, the princess leaned down to look at them with unusual interest.
The female sumo wrestlers were still dressed in short-sleeved, collarless outfits that exposed large areas of their chests, reminding me of what I heard from Adi and Madam Zhang during the Lantern Festival two years ago, when they mentioned Sima Guang's indignation about this. Now, this kind of performance still exists during the Lantern Festival entertainment; I wonder if he didn't remonstrate back then or if the current emperor simply ignored it.
After the sumo wrestling ended, the audience cheered. The Emperor ordered that the female sumo wrestlers be given a certain amount of silver and silk. Sima Xueshi stepped forward from his seat among the officials, walked to the Emperor, bowed deeply, and solemnly reported, "Your Majesty, Xuande Gate is the symbol of the nation..."
"Now that the Emperor is supreme and the people are numerous, with his consorts attending him and noblewomen watching, it is hardly proper to have women perform naked in front of him," the Emperor interrupted before he could finish, then chuckled, waved his hand, and said to Sima Guang, "You say this every year, I can recite it by heart. However, women's sumo wrestling on the Lantern Festival is one of the traditional acrobatic performances. It has become a custom for the people of Dongjing to watch this performance. Every time there is a match, the crowds are so large that the people are used to the sumo wrestlers' attire and do not find anything wrong with it. Why do you insist on stopping it?"
Sima Guang said solemnly, “Confucius said, ‘Do not look at what is improper.’ Women exposing their skin is a shameless act, and those who look directly at it violate the wise teachings of the sages and are truly impolite. The Great Song Dynasty was ordained by Heaven, and Emperors Taizu and Taizong often warned their subjects that the calamities of the world arise from impoliteness. Impoliteness will corrupt the laws and customs, and in the long run, the world will be in chaos, and the people will not know what propriety is. This will inevitably lead to great chaos, an unsustainable reign, successive defeats, and the suffering of the people. If we do not prohibit this nude performance by women, the licentiousness in the country will grow stronger day by day, which will bring about terrible consequences. Your Majesty must be wary!”
The Emperor feigned attentive listening, but his expression remained nonchalant. After Sima Guang finished speaking, he smiled and gave him an ambiguous reply: "I understand your meaning. Please return to your seats and continue enjoying the variety show. We can discuss this matter another day."
Sima Guang, however, refused to give up. He stepped forward two more times and raised his voice to the Emperor, saying, “Your Majesty, this matter has already dragged on for two years. How can it be delayed any longer? Your Majesty’s decision should prioritize reason and propriety, avoid anything improper, proclaim good customs, and eradicate bad habits. Only in this way can there be lasting peace and stability, and can the world submit and the people be won over.” With that, he straightened his clothes and bowed again, kneeling before the Emperor. “Your Majesty, I humbly request that you immediately issue an edict and promulgate laws to strictly prohibit women from gathering in the streets for this kind of entertainment.”
The emperor was displeased, his brows furrowing slightly, but he did not immediately refuse. After a moment, Sima Guang prostrated himself again, reiterating his request in a voice that echoed throughout the city walls and palaces.
The emperor remained silent, and the others dared not speak either. In this delicate atmosphere, even the musicians of the Imperial Music Academy stopped playing. Xuande Tower was completely silent, with only the sounds of the common people playing and laughing downstairs continuing to drift over.
Suddenly, the princess moved a few steps toward Sima Guang and spoke to him, who was kneeling on the ground, through a curtain: "Scholar Sima, you often mention ancestral laws when you offer advice, so you must be very convinced of the teachings of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong."
Her interruption drew everyone's attention to the princess. It was against etiquette for a member of the palace to speak directly with a minister from behind a curtain, especially since it was the princess, who was currently prone to making unusual moves, who had repeatedly questioned Sima Guang.
The emperor waved his arm, signaling the princess to step back, but she did not obey, her gaze remaining fixed on Sima Guang. The emperor hesitated, but ultimately did not stop her.
Sima Guang was also surprised. He turned his head to look in the direction where the princess was, staring at the vague figure behind the beaded curtain for a moment, and then replied: "Of course, Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong were wise and powerful, personally handling all affairs of state. The rulers were brilliant, and the ministers were in awe."
The princess then said, "If that's the case, Emperor Taizong has already issued a clear instruction regarding women's sumo wrestling, so why does Scholar Sima ignore it?"
Sima Guang was astonished: "When did Emperor Taizong ever discuss women's sumo wrestling?"
The princess calmly replied, "Back when Emperor Taizong was watching the Lantern Festival, Feng Zheng also said that women exposing their breasts was immoral and asked him to issue a ban on women's sumo wrestling. Emperor Taizong then asked Feng Zheng, 'Who won the match between those two women just now?' Feng Zheng couldn't answer, so Emperor Taizong laughed and said, 'Today I watched a wonderful sumo wrestling match, but all you saw was the exposed breasts of the nude women.' Now I would also like to ask Scholar Sima, which of those two sumo wrestlers was the final winner?"
Sima Guang pondered but could not provide an answer. Suppressed snickers began to emerge from around him, making the scholar, who had been so eloquent not long ago, appear somewhat embarrassed.
The princess smiled slightly and continued, "Emperor Taizong also said to Feng Zheng: 'What you see is what you think. Human nature is pure and complete. As long as one maintains a pure mind, how can those illusory appearances arouse lustful thoughts? Your concern is so great that you see all the people of the world as lewd and depraved people.' Now, Scholar Sima is trying to ban women's sumo wrestling. Does he also have no confidence in the people of the Song Dynasty, or does he question the effectiveness of His Majesty's education of his subjects?"
This was not a question that could be answered directly. Sima Guang was speechless for a while before speaking again, but not to refute the princess. Instead, he asked, "Is there any explicit record of this matter concerning Emperor Taizong?"
“Of course,” the princess replied immediately. “It’s in the ‘Veritable Records of Emperor Taizong.’ Didn’t Scholar Sima see it?”
Sima Guang answered honestly, "I have read the 'Veritable Records of Emperor Taizong' but I do not recall this incident."
The princess smiled and said, "Then the scholar should go back and check the Veritable Records."
Sima Guang remained silent for a moment, then turned to the Emperor, bowed, and took his leave. The Emperor was quite pleased and nodded in agreement. As Sima Guang stood up, perhaps out of respect for the scholar-officials, he added, "My daughter is unruly; I hope you will not take it to heart."
This immediately made Sima Guang realize the princess's identity. He paused, then resumed his previous expression, his gaze piercingly fixed on the princess. The emperor was slightly startled and quickly urged him to return to his position. Sima Guang stood there for a moment, then finally chose to remain silent, abruptly turning around and striding back to his ranks among the courtiers.
The princess's performance won unanimous praise from the palace staff who were implicated in the case. She had been emotionally unstable recently and acted like a madwoman when talking to Li Wei, and there were even rumors in the palace that she had gone insane. But today, when she spoke to Sima Guang, although her voice sounded weak, what she said was clear and logical, showing that she was a meticulous thinker, completely different from the person she had been a few days ago.
The palace ladies all stepped forward to praise the princess for speaking out against Sima Guang. The empress smiled at her, showing her approval, but she also asked her, "Just now, Huirou mentioned that the matter between Emperor Taizong and Feng Zheng is recorded in the 'Veritable Records of Emperor Taizong,' but I don't know which volume it is in?"
The princess waved her hand and laughed, "I made this up to deceive Sima Guang. The Veritable Records have hundreds or even thousands of volumes. By the time he gets back and finishes reading them, the year will have long passed, and we'll have already watched all the sumo wrestling we were supposed to see."
*****************************
The princess was frail and exhausted before the performance was over. After bidding farewell to her parents, she went downstairs to return to the palace to rest. I followed her all the way downstairs, when suddenly a noblewoman dressed in a hairpin crown and embroidered robes approached quickly and called out softly behind her, "Princess."
The princess turned around in surprise and looked at the person who had called her.
The woman was young, adorned with seven flower hairpins in her crown, and dressed in a seventh-rank imperial robe; she appeared to be the wife of a third-rank official. She smiled at us warmly in the shimmering light of the lanterns under the eaves, as if we were meeting a long-lost friend.
We quickly recognized her—Feng Jing's wife, Fu Ruozhu. The warmth in her eyes as she looked at us confirmed that we were the people she had met at Baifanlou years ago.
"Sister Fu." The princess smiled, neither startled by Ruozhu's sudden approach nor showing any sign of avoiding her. She greeted her frankly, which was tantamount to acknowledging her identity.
Ruozhu was very happy and excitedly took two steps forward to approach the princess, saying, "Princess, please forgive my impertinence... I just wanted to tell you that I also enjoy watching women's sumo wrestling."
She was a third-rank noblewoman, and her seat was not too far from the palace ladies. She may have caught a glimpse of the princess before and heard her say to Sima Guang. Her voice matched her impression, so she dared to come and recognize her.
Hearing her words, the princess couldn't help but smile, exchanging a knowing laugh with her. Ruozhu then handed the princess a white silk handkerchief, whispering, "My brother-in-law, Sima, is a stubborn, unyielding blockhead. I've always wanted to tease him since I was little, but I've never had the chance. However, I know he wrote a poem when he was young, and now no one would believe it was written by him. He regrets it now, and gets both ashamed and angry whenever someone mentions it, wishing he could disappear into the ground. Princess, you might as well write it down. Next time he spouts those tedious platitudes about propriety and righteousness, you can use this poem to embarrass him!"
My affair with the princess had long been a topic of conversation among the literati, and Ruozhu must have heard of Sima Guang's accusations against us. I sensed a different meaning in her last sentence, so I looked at her. Ruozhu also looked up at that moment, and our eyes met. She smiled faintly at me, her gentle gaze expressing her understanding and sympathy without any attempt to hide it.
At this moment, the princess unfolded the silk that Ruozhu had given her. I looked over and saw a poem, "West River Moon," written on it. The characters were deep red and exuded the fragrance of rose petals. It must have been written by Ruozhu on the spot using the rouge she carried with her: "Her hair is loosely tied up, her makeup is light and delicate. A light mist and green smoke shroud her graceful figure, like drifting catkins and wandering silk threads. It is better not to meet than to see each other, and better to have no feelings than to have no feelings. After the music and singing have ended and the wine has just worn off, the moon slants over the deep courtyard and all is quiet."
The Lonely City (The Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) Long smoke, setting sun, the lonely city, a cup of wine
Chapter word count: 4035 Update time: 09-07-05 10:44
Cup of wine
From: 3705 words
While the princess's rebuttal to Sima Guang might have seemed satisfying to outsiders, it couldn't be considered a wise move. Once Sima Guang finished reviewing the "Veritable Records," his negative impression of the princess would inevitably be reinforced: she was disrespectful to the emperor and utterly fearless. For him, a man who valued filial piety and propriety, a woman fabricating the words and deeds of his father and ancestors was absolutely intolerable.
I repeatedly advised the princess not to continue her confrontation with Scholar Sima, and especially not to use the poem Ruozhu had given her to provoke him. The princess remained noncommittal, but she put the poem away without giving it much of a look. After the Lantern Festival, she remained in poor health and did not want to return to her residence, so Consort Miao requested that the Emperor allow her to stay in the palace. In the palace, she simply lay listlessly all day, speaking very little. Within a month, she did not mention anything related to Sima Guang again.