J'ai passé mon bras autour de la taille fine de l'homme fort

Chapitre 38

The Lonely City Closes (A Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) The waters of the Canglang River Wash My Tassels 29. Brother-in-Law

Chapter word count: 5533 Update time: 08-09-13 15:37

29. Brother-in-law

That spring, a eunuch in the Yifeng Pavilion was transferred out due to illness. Consort Miao wanted to have another one appointed from the rear office. Remembering Zhang Chengzhao's instructions, I recommended him to her, and soon Zhang Chengzhao was transferred from the front office.

Once, I mentioned Wang Gongchen to Zhang Chengzhao and asked him if Vice Minister Wang had returned to the capital to report on his duties. Zhang Chengzhao replied, "He was guarding the frontier in Yingzhou and had made some contributions, so the Emperor summoned him back and added the titles of Hanlin Academician and Academician of the Longtu Pavilion. He has not yet been sent back to Yingzhou. It seems that the Emperor intends to keep him in the capital as an official, but there are many people in the court who oppose this."

I suddenly recalled the scene in the burning city that day when he was met with cold stares from the officials, so I asked Zhang Chengzhao: "Aren't those new-style ministers who were impeached by him still not back in the capital? Logically speaking, there should be many people in the court who oppose the new policies, so why are they also ostracizing Wang Gongchen?"

Zhang Chengzhao said, "Who told him to be so fickle, always wavering? In his youth, he was greatly promoted by Lü Yijian and originally followed Lü. After Lü was dismissed, he had many dealings with the ministers who later implemented the new policies. When the Emperor first wanted to appoint Xia Song as the Privy Councilor, he led the Censorate and the remonstrance officials to desperately remonstrate. The Emperor was annoyed and turned to leave, but Wang Gongchen, who was kneeling on the ground, grabbed him by the back and wouldn't let him go. The Emperor had no choice but to accept their advice and transferred Xia Song to be the prefect of Haozhou. So, although Wang Gongchen eventually broke completely with the ministers of the new policies and severely punished Su Shunqin and others, Xia Song's remaining supporters also disliked him. Thus, he offended both factions in the court and was caught in a bind. After being transferred to a post outside the capital, he returned to the capital to report on his duties, but both the new and old factions disliked him, and some people who followed the powerful joined in the commotion, so he was quite ostracized."

Here's a question that's been puzzling me: "Why did Wang Gongchen completely break with the ministers of the New Policies? I heard that he and Ouyang Xiu were brothers-in-law, so why did he disregard even that familial relationship and let things get so tense?"

"Haha, it was Ouyang Xiu who drove him mad!" Zhang Chengzhao always enjoyed inquiring about the private affairs and anecdotes of ministers, and he became even more interested when I mentioned the matter of brothers-in-law. "Wang Gongchen and Ouyang Xiu knew each other before they each married women from the Xue family. They used to have a good relationship, going to take the imperial examinations together, sharing meals and clothes. Ouyang Xiu's literary talent was more outstanding; in that imperial examination, he ranked first in the preliminary examinations for the Imperial Academy, the provincial examinations, and the Ministry of Rites examinations before the palace examination, so he was very confident and had high hopes for becoming the top scholar." Determined to succeed, Ouyang Xiu made himself a new set of clothes after the palace examination, intending to wear them after the names were announced. However, his roommate Wang Gongchen took them and wore them first. Presumably unintentionally, Wang Gongchen even smiled and said to Ouyang Xiu, "Wearing your clothes will surely make me the top scholar; let me wear them too." Unexpectedly, the next day, the top scholar was indeed Wang Gongchen, not Ouyang Xiu, who had worn the new clothes. Although neither of them mentioned the joke about the new clothes again afterward, they probably both felt somewhat uneasy.

Judging from their writings and poems over the years, Ouyang Xiu is indeed far superior to Wang Gongchen. Having missed out on the top spot in the imperial examination, and given the earlier joke about new clothes, Ouyang Xiu must have felt some resentment. I sighed inwardly, then heard Zhang Chengzhao say, "Wang Gongchen confessed to the Emperor that he had previously prepared for the imperial examination. Although the Emperor didn't strip him of the title, Ouyang Xiu must have been even more resentful. Moreover, there have been many theories over the years about how Wang Gongchen obtained the questions. One theory is that the questions were leaked to him by officials who wanted to win him over, such as Lü Yijian. Later, Wang Gongchen did indeed attach himself to Lü Yijian, which inevitably made Ouyang Xiu despise him even more. Later, when Fan Zhongyan came to power, Ouyang Xiu followed him, becoming even more distant from Wang Gongchen."

Thinking of that marriage relationship, I asked Zhang Chengzhao again: "Since they both married Xue Kui's daughter and were very close to each other, even if there were any disagreements, shouldn't they try to ease the tension?"

"No, no, it hasn't improved at all, it's gotten worse!" Zhang Chengzhao shook his head repeatedly and laughed, "Ouyang Xiu married the fourth daughter of the Xue family. Wang Gongchen first married the third daughter, but she passed away a few years later. The Xue family cherished Wang Gongchen's talent and couldn't bear to let him become another family's son-in-law, so they married their fifth daughter to him as his second wife. Ouyang Xiu then wrote a poem to 'congratulate' him: 'The old son-in-law becomes the new son-in-law, the eldest brother-in-law becomes the youngest brother-in-law.' This poem quickly spread, making everyone in the world aware that Wang Gongchen had married his sister-in-law. Later, on one occasion, Ouyang Xiu visited his friend Liu Chang..." When Liu Chang visited someone's home, he invited Wang Gongchen to join him. In front of all the guests, Liu Chang told a joke: Once upon a time, an old scholar was teaching children. When they came to the line "retiring from the public service, meandering and swaying" from the Book of Songs, he specifically warned his student, "The snake here should be pronounced like 'yi' (姨), remember that." The next day, the student watched a beggar playing with snakes on his way to school and lost track of time, arriving at school very late. The old scholar pressed him for an explanation, and the student replied, "Just now on the road I saw someone playing with 'yi' (姨), so I stopped to watch. I saw him play with the older 'yi' (大姨) first, then the younger 'yi' (小姨), so I was late for school..."

When Zhang Chengzhao got to this point, he couldn't help but laugh so hard he bent over.

I can imagine how Wang Gongchen felt when he heard this joke. Although we had only met once, I could already tell that he was introverted and sensitive by nature. He could not even accept the humiliation of bending over to pick up his official tablet, so how could he tolerate people making fun of his private affairs?

"Huh? This is so ridiculous, why aren't you laughing?" Zhang Chengzhao asked me in surprise.

Out of politeness, I smiled at him without answering, and continued to ask, "Did Ouyang Xiu smile then?"

“Of course he laughed,” Zhang Chengzhao said. “The whole room was laughing, how could he not laugh! And because of that laugh, Wang Gongchen naturally harbored even more resentment towards him, perhaps even thinking that Ouyang Xiu had deliberately brought him there to be ridiculed by everyone. Later, when the new policies were implemented, Ouyang Xiu served as an advisor, frequently submitting memorials to the emperor to denounce petty officials in the court, even criticizing the officials of the Censorate, saying that the officials of the Censorate were ‘mostly incompetent, and not a single one was worthy of the title.’ Since he said that not a single one was worthy of the title, it naturally included Wang Gongchen, who was then serving as the Vice Censor-in-Chief. Over the years, Ouyang Xiu and his group of talented friends had often criticized Wang Gongchen’s writing style, openly and secretly mocking his status as the top scholar.” Indeed, Ouyang Xiu openly stated this in his memorial, which enraged Wang Gongchen, who resolved to oppose the new faction of ministers. After the Jinzouyuan incident, he jokingly remarked that he had "wiped out the whole network," perhaps feeling that years of resentment had been released at once—how could he not be happy? This net wiped out not only the talented scholars in the academy who supported the new policies, but also Ouyang Xiu's friends who had been provoking him with their writings… The following year, before the Ouyang Xiu nephew-stealing case, he had already instructed his former subordinate Liu Yuanyu to impeach Ouyang Xiu, accusing him of colluding with scholars in the academy. Now, thinking back, he probably did something secretly about his niece's affair as well.”

"Then what about Su Zimei?" I asked him again. "Although he may have made comments that touched on the Censorate when he was in charge of the Jinzouyuan, he doesn't seem to have attacked Wang Gongchen himself. Now everyone says that Wang Gongchen impeached Su Shunqin mainly to get Du Yan dismissed as prime minister, but if there was no personal grudge, why would Wang Gongchen be dissatisfied with the current emperor's decision to strip Su Shunqin of his official rank and insist on requesting the current emperor to kill him?"

Zhang Chengzhao nodded and said, "Yes, I also find it strange! Actually, they had a good personal relationship before, and had known each other for many years. Back then, when Su Shunqin entered the Imperial Academy as a compiler, it was Wang Gongchen who, along with Fan Zhongyan, jointly recommended him... Su Shunqin didn't seem to have said anything sarcastic about Wang Gongchen, but Wang Gongchen insisted on making an example of him..." He thought for a moment, then suddenly leaned closer to me and smiled, "Once, when I went to the Hanlin Academy on official business, I saw the scholars sitting and chatting. They were talking about Wang Gongchen's harm to Su Shunqin, and one of the scholars said, 'He is so ruthless to Su Zimei, could it be that Zimei killed his father and stole his wife?' Everyone laughed heartily when they heard this."

I didn't respond to him. Recalling Wang Gongchen's demeanor, I felt only deep regret: such an elegant and refined person had fallen into a petty squabble, unable to let go of his pride, ultimately leading to his being disliked by public opinion. Faced with his current situation, I wonder if he has ever regretted his momentary lapse in judgment.

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The fifteenth day of the second month of spring is the Flower Festival. At the suggestion of Consort Zhang, the Emperor ordered the Empress to lead the palace ladies to Yichun Garden to enjoy the flowers, and invited the ladies of the court to go with them. A banquet was held in the garden at noon.

During the banquet that day, Consort Zhang paid special attention to an official's wife who sat quietly with a lonely expression. She specially sent her attendant to greet the lady. After the banquet, when they were admiring the flowers, she invited the lady to accompany her. She also picked a daphne flower and placed it in the lady's crown. She talked to her with a kind and gentle expression, which made the lady feel flattered.

I recognized several of the noble ladies from Consort Zhang's family who frequently visited the palace, but this lady today was a complete stranger. The unusual warmth the Consort showed to her guest struck me as odd, so I asked Zhang Chengzhao to inquire about the lady's identity. He quickly returned with the answer: "That is Lady Xue from Wang Gongchen's family."

I understand Consort Zhang's intention.

An event that occurred in the palace shortly thereafter confirmed my conjecture from another perspective.

That day, the princess said she wanted to eat green plums, but there were none left in Yifeng Pavilion. Zhang Chengzhao then volunteered to go to the Imperial Kitchen to get some. He returned quite a while later, and after presenting the green plums, he kept wiping the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.

The princess asked in surprise, "Why are you crying?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengzhao knelt down before the princess with a thud and cried, "Your Majesty, I am useless. I have been bullied by others and have disgraced you."

The princess then asked him, "Who bullied you?"

Zhang Chengzhao said, “Just now, I was returning from the Imperial Kitchen with some green plums when I passed the Inner East Gate. I saw several eunuchs pushing a cart, blocking the gate and walking very slowly. I was worried that the princess would be waiting too long, so I politely said to them, ‘Gentlemen, could you please hurry up a bit, or let me pass first?’ Unexpectedly, they reacted as if they had swallowed gunpowder, turning around and cursing at me. I tried to reason with them, saying, ‘I am on a mission ordered by Princess Fukang, and the princess is waiting for my report. Please be lenient and let me pass first.’ But they shouted, ‘We work for Consort Zhang. What about the princess? Is the princess more important than the consort? Besides, the consort is the princess’s mother!’”

Upon hearing this, the princess was instantly enraged: "How dare they say such a thing?"

Zhang Chengzhao nodded repeatedly, like pecking at rice: "Yes, yes, that's exactly what they said. I was angry when I heard that, so I argued with them, saying that even the princess only calls Consort Miao 'elder sister,' how could Consort Zhang have the audacity to claim to be the princess's mother? They couldn't argue with me, so they tried to hit me. In my haste, I blocked the blow, and accidentally knocked over a box on a cart, which fell down. Just then, Granny Jia rushed in from the palace and saw it. She immediately became enraged and slapped my face dozens of times, saying: 'This contains treasures that even the palace doesn't have! You couldn't pay for it even if you lost ten of your worthless lives!'"

"What? She actually dared to hit you?" The princess frowned and said angrily, "That fat woman is getting more and more hateful."

"Indeed!" Zhang Chengzhao cried, tears streaming down his face. "I don't mind suffering some injustice, but seeing them treat the princess with such contempt is something I simply cannot swallow. They dared to hit me today; who knows what they will do to the princess tomorrow..."

Provoked by him, the princess slammed her hand on the table and stood up. Just as she was about to say something, I stopped her and said, "Princess, bear with it for now and think about what the Emperor taught you."

She was taken aback: "What?"

I reminded her, "Take a deep breath."

The princess couldn't help but chuckle, and her anger subsided somewhat.

I turned to Zhang Chengzhao and said, “Although they are rude, you are not without fault, are you? It must be because you saw them as mere eunuchs and ordered them to make way in a scolding tone, which aroused their dissatisfaction.”

Zhang Chengzhao showed a fleeting blush, then tried to argue, but I gestured for him to shut up and said, "I asked Lady Miao to transfer you here, not so that you would cause trouble for the princess. The inner palace is different from other places; even a small matter can escalate out of control. If you don't know how to restrain yourself and try to use the princess's influence to flaunt yourself, you might as well go back to where you came from."

This was the first time I had spoken to him in such a stern tone. He was stunned for a long while before turning to look at the princess and pleading, "Princess..."

The princess seemed to understand at this moment. She took a deep breath and smiled at Zhang Chengzhao, saying, "Father told me to take a deep breath and think it over when I'm angry. Now I've figured it out and I'm not angry anymore."

Zhang Chengzhao was quite disappointed and stopped crying. He looked at the princess, then turned to me, and suddenly said, "Actually, I can't swallow this anger because I remember how Zhang Niangzi and Jia Po Po framed you back then. We all work hard for the princess, so why should we be beaten, scolded, and tortured to death by them!"

Upon hearing this, the princess's eyes widened again: "What did you say? Madam Zhang and Granny Jia framed Huaiji?"

Zhang Chengzhao immediately agreed loudly. I tried to stop him, but the princess turned around and ordered me to shut up and let Zhang Chengzhao continue. So, ignoring my attempts to stop him, he told the princess everything about the glass cup from back then.

The princess remained quiet after hearing this, showing no obvious anger. She lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment before suddenly pressing Zhang Chengzhao about the day's events: "Granny Jia said that the box you knocked over contained treasures that even the palace doesn't have. Do you know what they are?"

Zhang Chengzhao replied, "Later she opened it and saw that it was a large vase with a dark red glaze."

"A reddish-brown glaze?" The princess thought for a moment and said, "Could it be Dingzhou red porcelain? I've heard that very few Ding kiln porcelains are red, they're difficult to fire, and the shades are extremely hard to control, so they're very valuable. Father doesn't want the palace to be too extravagant, so he's ordered that no red porcelain from Dingzhou be sent as tribute. So where did Madam Zhang's vase come from?"

Zhang Chengzhao said, "Judging from the way it's being transported, it must have been brought from outside the palace... Perhaps it was something she got from her uncle Zhang Yaozuo to curry favor with her."