В погоне за радугами

Глава 8

After a long wait, finally, a sound was heard.

"Release him," Sima Guang said.

"What?" Ren Shouzhong was stunned, wondering if he had misheard.

"Release him," Sima Guang repeated, his voice clearer and his tone unusually calm.

Ren Shouzhong frowned, still incredulous: "Just let him go like this? Damaging an imperial gift deserves a death sentence."

"How can something for enjoyment be more valuable than a human life?" Sima Guang said calmly. "This nobleman is still young, and it is not a big deal that he accidentally broke the glass cup."

Ren Shouzhong feigned difficulty: "But, Your Majesty..."

"If Your Majesty asks, please answer in two sentences." Sima Guang paused slightly and said, "The jade cup is not waved, though the ceremony is known in the past; colorful clouds are easily dispersed, so we should forgive this person for his oversight."

The Dali Ping Shi was a junior official in the capital, only an eighth-rank official. To Ren Shouzhong, the head of the eunuchs who was used to seeing high-ranking officials, he was probably insignificant. Mr. Sima spoke in a calm tone and had a gentle demeanor. He did not use his power to bully others, but his few words had a strange power. He sounded like he had a word that could not be resisted.

Ren Shouzhong scrutinized Sima Guang repeatedly, hesitated several times before finally retreating dejectedly.

Only Mr. Sima and I remained in the pavilion. With tears in my eyes, I bowed and said, "I am deeply grateful for Lord Sima's life-saving grace and will remember it forever."

He helped me up with both hands and smiled, saying, "There's no need for that... just be more careful in the future."

I nodded: "Huaiji will remember your teachings, sir."

"Huaiji?" He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Are you Liang Huaiji, a high-ranking official in the Hanlin Academy of Calligraphy and Painting?"

"Yes, I worked at the Bureau of Calligraphy and Painting for a few years, and later I was transferred to the Hanlin Academy of Painting," I replied, then asked in surprise, "How did you know, sir..."

“I’ve heard Mr. Sun Zhihan mention it,” he said, his expression becoming even more amiable as he looked at me.

Two winters ago, I was still working at the Hanlin Academy's Bureau of Calligraphy and Painting. One of my tasks was to transcribe the memorials of various officials for the Secretariat to edit and archive. The remonstrating official Sun Fu (courtesy name Zhihan) submitted a memorial to the emperor because of the red snow that fell from the sky and the earthquake that struck the country. He directly accused Consort Zhang of being favored and abusing her power, which was causing harm to her. He pointed out that she disregarded the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children and noble and lowly people, and used excessively luxurious items, which led to the celestial warning.

In his article, he quoted a passage from the Book of Tang, in which Chancellor Zhang Xingcheng advised Emperor Gaozong of Tang to stay away from women and sycophants: "I fear that women will wield power and ministers will plot against each other. It is advisable to restrain them before they are in power." He made a mistake and wrote "遏" instead of "谒". I noticed this while transcribing the text and corrected it privately. Later, when the Secretariat reviewed the original text and the transcribed manuscript, they saw this change and asked Sun Fu for his opinion. Mr. Sun repeatedly expressed his "shame" and admitted that it was his mistake. He was not offended by my unauthorized modification of his text, but instead praised me highly and mentioned it to many people.

"Has the nobleman read the Book of Tang?" Mr. Sima asked me, his tone implying admiration.

I hesitated slightly, then lowered my head and replied, "When Minister Jia was compiling the books for the Zishan Hall, he lectured on the classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary collections to the eunuchs of the Hanlin Academy. I went to sit in on his lectures and borrowed one or two books that were frequently mentioned in the memorials of various officials..."

Zishan Hall was the place where the princes of the dynasty studied. When the prime minister Jia Changchao was compiling books for Zishan Hall, he summoned some civil officials to give lectures to the eunuchs of the Hanlin Academy, with the aim of enriching their knowledge and improving their civil service work. Unfortunately, later, the remonstrating official Wu Yujin opposed this, saying that this move was "teaching eunuchs" and could easily lead to the disaster of eunuchs interfering in politics. Therefore, the current emperor abolished the eunuch courses.

Since then, whether to cultivate the eunuchs of the Hanlin Academy into scholars who love Confucianism and reading, or to keep them in the state of being ignorant and ignorant servants of the emperor, has been a topic of debate between the two factions in the court.

When I mentioned this old story, Mr. Sima's smile faltered slightly. After a moment of silence, he said, "There's no need to read too many books. The most important duty of an eunuch is to serve the emperor. Knowing a few characters is enough to serve the inner court."

I nodded in agreement. He looked at me and asked again, "How old are you?"

"I'm fourteen this year," I replied.

He shook his head slightly with a sigh, saying, "What a pity."

I naturally understand what he means by "what a pity". If I were not a eunuch who had already been castrated, he would have advised me to study more and become a pillar of the country in the future. Unfortunately, once I entered the palace, my life was destined to be hopeless for the country and my family.

I believe Ren Shouzhong must have reported this to the Emperor, but I haven't seen any order to punish me. The Inner Palace Secretariat only deducted three months' salary as a minor punishment, which had almost no impact on me, since I had lived in the palace for many years and had virtually no need for money. Over the years, my monthly salary had accumulated to a considerable amount. Sometimes I would sit blankly staring at the box full of silver coins, reflecting on my past and future life, and feel that I had absolutely nothing left, so poor that all I had was money.

I told my friend Zhang Chengzhao about the glass cup incident. Zhang Chengzhao had been working at the Bureau of Calligraphy and Painting, and having heard and witnessed much, he was quite familiar with the temperaments of the ministers. After listening, he clicked his tongue and said, "It's fortunate that you met Sima Guang, the famously kind man who smashed the jar to save a child when he was young. If you had met a troublemaker like Wu Yu, you would have been in serious trouble, if not dead. Last time, he and Minister Jia argued fiercely in court, almost coming to blows. The Emperor was so anxious that he wanted to get off the throne several times to mediate, but was stopped by Chief Judge Ren..."

At this point, he frowned, suddenly realizing something: "You just said that as soon as Lord Sima opened the box, Prefect Ren brought his men in?"

I said yes, and I also had a vague feeling that something was wrong here.

"What a coincidence! He's not the head of the Erying Pavilion, he's not there all day long. So why did he bring people to arrest you as soon as you discovered the glass cup was broken? This is clearly a trap set for you."

I remained silent. Zhang Chengzhao then asked, "Have you offended someone recently?"

Did I? After thinking it over, the only person I could say I offended was Zhang Meiren.

When I mentioned Princess Fukang, Zhang Chengzhao's eyes widened in shock: "You're undermining Consort Zhang, comparing her to Zhao Feiyan? Everyone in the palace knows she's a vengeful person!"

I said, "Now that I have witnessed what happened, how can I not tell the truth and let Consort Zhang wrong Princess Fukang?"

Zhang Chengzhao sighed: "Princess Fukang is the Emperor's beloved daughter. Even if she didn't do it, and even if she really harmed Consort Zhang, what do you think the Emperor would do to her? When masters fight amongst themselves, it's always the subordinates who suffer. You shouldn't have spoken up in this situation."

I lowered my eyes and listened attentively, without refuting, only saying, "I didn't think that much about it."

Zhang Chengzhao looked at me helplessly, with a pitying expression: "No wonder you're getting worse and worse in the palace."

He was referring to my "demotion" from the academy to the painting academy, and he predicted that I would be ostracized. But the outcome surprised him greatly: a month later, I was transferred to the Privy Council's eunuch class to do document transcription and organization work.

The Privy Council, located in the southwest of the palace, was one of the most important central institutions, along with the Secretariat and the Three Departments. The Secretariat was in charge of the people, the Privy Council was in charge of the military, and the Three Departments were in charge of finance. Doing written work for important officials in these places was the wish of almost all literate Hanlin Academy eunuchs. Therefore, my transfer this time was tantamount to a promotion.

Later I learned that it was Mr. Sima Guang who recommended me to Pang Ji, the Vice Privy Councilor who was familiar with him. He said that the Privy Council was in charge of important military affairs, and the written records could not be wrong. I had a good foundation and was capable of doing the copying work.

Therefore, I felt even more grateful to Mr. Sima, and my respect and gratitude towards him lasted for many years. Even though one day he commented on me in front of the emperor, saying that my crimes were "mountains piled up and I should be severely punished," I still felt no hatred towards him.

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with the Eunuch) Autumn River, Rongbin, Two Geese Fly 7. Marriage Alliance

Chapter word count: 2261 Update time: 08-08-21 15:34

The next time I heard someone mention Princess Fukang was in the Privy Council.

In late spring of that year, the Khitan army pressed on the border. The Liao emperor sent Xiao Ying, the envoy of the Southern Court of Xuanhui, and Liu Liufu, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, to the Song court to demand the two prefectures of Ying and Mo, known as the "land south of the pass".

Ying and Mo prefectures were part of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, which were ceded to the Khitan by the "puppet emperor" Shi Jingtang. They were recovered during the reign of Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty and have been under the control of the Song Dynasty ever since. For many years, the Khitan have wanted the Song Dynasty to "return" the two prefectures. During the Treaty of Chanyuan, Emperor Zhenzong promised to pay tribute annually, and the Khitan abandoned their demand for the land. However, now that the old matter has been brought up again, judging from the tone of their envoy, they are determined to obtain it.

The court officials discussed the matter and decided against ceding territory. Instead, they resolved to make peace with the Khitan through a marriage alliance, promising a daughter of the Song imperial family to Yelü Hongji, the eldest son of the Liao emperor, in order to resolve the issue of demanding land.