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

Chapitre 51

The Emperor, however, did not wish to say any more. He said "Court adjourned" and rose to go inside.

The princess immediately stepped back and stood outside the back door of the Chuigong Hall. After the emperor came out, she stepped forward to greet him and pay her respects.

When the emperor saw her, he frowned and asked, "What are you doing here?"

The princess smiled and said, "Father, have you forgotten? We agreed to go to Yifeng Pavilion today to watch your daughter play the konghou."

"Oh," the Emperor remembered, but his face was full of fatigue, "Could we go another day? Father is very tired."

The princess was somewhat disappointed, but still nodded in agreement: "Then Father, go back and rest first. Tell your daughter when you want to hear it."

The Emperor nodded and hurried toward the Funing Palace. The Princess watched him go, then suddenly called out, "Father."

The Emperor turned around and asked, "Is there anything else?"

The princess placed her hand on her chest and smiled charmingly: "Take a deep breath."

The emperor was taken aback, but quickly recovered and, looking at his daughter, finally smiled.

The Lonely City Closes (A Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) The Pearl Pavilion is deserted, the summer day is long. 41. Quatrain

Chapter word count: 2506 Update time: 08-08-21 16:16

41. Quatrain

The advice of the officials in charge of the court was ineffective this time. The emperor still insisted on removing Zhang Yaozuo as the envoy of the Xuanhui Southern Court, but at the same time appointed him as the prefect of Heyang. Therefore, Zhang's influence on the court and the palace was limited. Although the ladies were still dissatisfied, they did not complain as much as before.

Because Imperial Censor Wang Juzheng and others submitted memorials protesting that the punishment for Tang Jie was too severe, the Emperor changed Tang Jie's posting location from Chunzhou to the relatively better Yingzhou. In mid-October, I heard another piece of news from Zhang Chengzhao: the Emperor ordered Zhang Maoze to escort Tang Jie to Yingzhou.

I was surprised and immediately went to find Mr. Zhang. He was packing his bags at the time and confirmed the news.

"Why would the Emperor issue this order?" I asked Mr. Zhang. "There is no precedent for sending an imperial envoy to escort officials who have been demoted."

Mr. Zhang told me, “Although Yingzhou is not as bad as Chunzhou, it is still located in Lingnan. The emperor was worried that Tang Jie would not adapt to the climate and die on the way, so he ordered me to escort him along the way and take good care of him so that he could arrive at his post safely.”

At this moment, I am more concerned about Mr. Zhang. Lingnan is a remote and inaccessible place, and people are afraid of its climate and environment. Although it is called an escort mission, Mr. Zhang will face no less danger than Tang Jie.

A thousand words were in my heart, but in the end, they all boiled down to a simple sentence: "Take care, sir."

He understood my thoughts perfectly and smiled slightly: "Don't worry. I've been a courtier for over thirty years, I'm not that arrogant."

A few days after Tang Jie and Mr. Zhang set off, the Emperor unexpectedly issued another edict: Chancellor Wen Yanbo was dismissed and appointed as Minister of Personnel, Grand Academician of the Hall of Literary Brilliance, and Prefect of Xuzhou.

Some say that Wen Yanbo, because of the Lantern Brocade incident, dared not remain in his position as prime minister and thus resigned, which the emperor readily granted; others say that the emperor had made this decision when he demoted Tang Jie, and both sides of the dispute were dismissed to show fairness. Regardless of the reason, the effect was good, quelling the ministers' discussions about the prime minister's collusion with the harem, and the world praised His Majesty's wisdom.

One day, I accompanied the princess to the Funing Palace to see the current emperor. The empress was also there, and they were admiring a painting on the table together. After we paid our respects, the princess went over to look at it with great interest, and her eyes widened immediately: "It's Tang Jie!"

I moved a little closer and looked up, and found that it was indeed Tang Jie's portrait painted on it.

"Does Huirou also recognize him?" the Emperor asked.

"Oh, no," the princess quickly denied, pointing to the words on the scroll and saying, "His name is written on the painting."

The Emperor smiled and said to the Empress, "The painting attendant chosen this time is quite good. It is said that he has only met Tang Jie twice, yet he has painted him quite lifelike."

The princess asked her father curiously, "Father, did you have Tang Jie's portrait painted to hang in the Tianzhang Pavilion? But I heard his official rank is very low..."

The Tianzhang Pavilion displays portraits of famous officials from various dynasties, but given Tang Jie's official rank, he was clearly not qualified to be included.

The Emperor smiled but did not answer. He summoned a close attendant, glanced at Tang Jie's portrait, and ordered, "Send this painting to Ninghua Palace and have the Consort hang it in the pavilion."

I listened from the side, my face showing no emotion, but inwardly I was amazed, almost doubting that the scene of the emperor angrily rebuking Tang Jie that I had seen in the Chuigong Hall that day was an illusion.

After this, the Empress smiled calmly and expressed her opinion to the Emperor regarding Tang Jie: "Your Majesty is wise and benevolent, and cherishes officials who speak out. Although you questioned Tang Jie about his disrespectful and rebellious crimes, you still commended his loyalty and integrity. You not only painted his portrait but also specially dispatched an imperial envoy to escort him, ensuring his safety. However, there has never been such a precedent for demoting officials of the Censorate. If Tang Jie were to die on the road due to illness caused by frost and dew, the truth of the matter would not be known to every household in the vast world. If news of his death were to arrive, and the people remembered that Your Majesty had sent someone to accompany Tang Jie when he died, some might make unfounded speculations, causing the court to be slandered by the world and potentially damaging Your Majesty's reputation."

The Emperor pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Two ministers have also told me the same thing. Since the Empress has also thought of it, it's clear that this concern is indeed reasonable."

He quickly issued an edict ordering the return of Zhang Maoze, who had traveled halfway. Tang Jie also arrived at his post safely, but after only a little over a month in office, the emperor transferred him to the position of Deputy Military Commissioner of Jinzhou and Supervisor of Wine Tax in Chenzhou, effectively removing him from Lingnan.

The atmosphere in the palace during the Lantern Festival in the fourth year of the Huangyou reign was slightly different from previous years.

The current emperor recalled Deng Baoji, an eunuch who had been demoted and exiled from the capital during the palace turmoil of the eighth year of the Qingli reign. Although he did not immediately restore Deng Baoji to his position as deputy director of the palace, he comforted him with kind words and promised to promote him in the future.

Deng Baoji was originally an old eunuch during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong. He was kind and gentle and had a good reputation in the palace. He was friends with Zhang Weiji, Zhang Maoze, Pei Xiang and others. Another old friend of his, Sun Kejiu, a retired eunuch, also rushed from outside the palace to meet with him after hearing the news.

At the Lantern Festival luncheon, the Emperor specially granted seats to several senior eunuchs. After the banquet, he offered them tea and soup, inviting them to stay and chat. Because Deng Baoji had previously served as the military commander of Yingzhou, and Ouyang Xiu had been transferred to Yingzhou two years earlier, the two had frequent interactions. Therefore, the Emperor repeatedly asked him about Ouyang Xiu. Deng Baoji answered in detail and even had someone bring pen and ink to write down some of Ouyang Xiu's recent poems that he remembered for the Emperor to see.

The Emperor was full of praise after reading it, and then summoned the princess and asked her to read it carefully.

The conversation then turned to poetry. Besides Pei Xiang, Sun Kejiu was also a refined courtier, skilled in poetry and renowned for his elegance. Unlike the most common eunuchs in the palace, he was naturally tranquil and had no interest in scheming or promotion; he requested retirement before he even turned fifty. Now living outside the palace, he had a residence in the capital, a small garden to the north of the main hall, and a villa to the south of the city. On fine days and beautiful scenery, he would leisurely enjoy himself, carrying wine in a small cart.

After reading Ouyang Xiu's poems, the Emperor smiled and said to Sun Kejiu, "I've heard that after leaving the palace, you often exchange poems with famous scholars. Would you mind having a look at your new works?"

Sun Kejiu hurriedly said, "I dare not," and then said, "Today, when I entered the palace, I first took a walk around the Forbidden City and looked at the spring couplets in front of the various pavilions. After reading them, I was truly ashamed. The scholars' poems are truly gems, with many excellent lines, even better than in previous years. Even though I have made up a few bad poems, I was completely frightened away at this moment."

Pei Xiang smiled and said, "Mr. Sun is too modest. However, this year's Spring Festival couplets are indeed beautiful, all thanks to the Emperor's gracious recall of several civil officials who had been sent away in previous years. As a result, there are many more excellent lines in the Spring Festival couplets."

Sun Kejiu took the opportunity to express his gratitude for the Emperor's great favor. The Emperor stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "There's no need for flattery. It's rare for you to enter the palace, so please write me a spring couplet today."

Sun Kejiu thought for a moment, then looked at Pei Xiang's adopted son, Pei Heng, standing behind him, and replied, "Your Majesty has given the order, and I dare not disobey. Seeing the scene today, I have come up with a couplet, but I haven't thought of the last couplet yet. I heard that Aheng has been carefully taught by Master Chu and writes excellent poems, so why don't you ask him to add these two lines for me?"

Chu Lao is Pei Xiang's courtesy name. Upon hearing this, Pei Xiang shook his head repeatedly and said, "How could Aheng know how to write poetry? He usually just makes up a few rhyming verses."

The Emperor was very interested in Sun Kejiu's suggestion and immediately ordered Pei Heng to compose a couplet with him. Pei Heng was only a fifteen-year-old boy, straightforward and honest, and he readily agreed, nodding generously and saying to Sun Kejiu, "Please compose the first couplet, sir."

Sun Kejiu smiled, picked up his pen, and wrote two lines on the paper: "The egrets fly around the Purple Palace, the sheng and zither are played, and the jade wine is mellow."

The phrase "振鹭于飞" (zhèn lù yú fēi) borrows from the "Zhou Song" section of the Book of Songs, meaning that when a virtuous person comes to court, he is greeted with courtesy. In this context, it expresses praise for the emperor's kindness towards his virtuous ministers.