Feng Ye ordered Xiao Liu to send Yan Sikong back to the city while he hurried to the Jingshan’s camp.
When Yan Sikong was inside the carriage, he suddenly felt that what had happened in the past two days was like a dream. It was not until the magnificent Imperial City became clearer and bigger in sight that he really came back to his senses.
There were many shadows with axes hidden beneath the surface in a bejeweled jade palace where the emperor was. They were like monsters drilling through the earth, gnawing away at the roots of the imperial court.
Yan Sikong didn't have a moment to rest when he returned home. He called Ah Li to the study room and prepared some ink and paper. He wrote a few words and then handed the brush to Ah Li: "Rewrite these words."
Ah Li waved his hand.
"It's okay, just write
accordingly."
Ah Li had no choice but to take the
brush and write down those words. Although he wrote them crookedly, they were
not difficult to recognize.
Yan Sikong picked up the paper and
stared at the poor penmanship: Newly Compiled History, Volume 11, Chapter 9.
He then folded the paper, but after a pause, he spread it out again, then roughly balled it up and handed it to Ah Li, and said seriously, "Ah Li, I need you to do something now. You have to go there personally. You can’t ask someone else to do this.”
Ah Li nodded.
"Disguise yourself and go to
Qingyang. Make sure that this paper will be seen by the Imperial Inspector, Cai
Zhongfan. This must be done unnoticed." Yan Sikong stared deeply into Ah
Li's eyes, "Can you do it?"
Ah Li nodded again and thumped his
chest with his fist.
"Bring more taels along and go and return quickly. If..." Yan Sikong breathed out, "If someone finds out, take these taels, escape faraway, and don't come back again."
A trace of sadness flashed on Ah Li's ugly face, and his facial features were twisted together. He stuffed the paper into his arms, knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Yan Sikong, then got up and left.
Yan Sikong sat in the chair motionless. He was staring blankly into the void with a pair of bottomless, chilling eyes.
----
The day before the birthday ceremony,
Yan Sikong went into the palace as usual to give a lecture to the crown prince.
As soon as he arrived at the Eastern Palace, he saw several large red lacquered sandalwood boxes outside the palace. Crown Prince Mu was discussing something with his mother, and the palace maids and eunuchs were serving them on one side.
"Consort, Your Highness."
Yan Sikong went forward to greet them.
"Teacher." Crown Prince Mu was so happy to see Yan Sikong that he came up and pulled him. "You came at the right time. Please give me some advice. What kind of gift should I present to my father tomorrow?"
Yan Sikong went over and looked.
There was a rare treasure in each box: "Your Highness, where did these... come
from?"
Before Chen Mu was conferred as the crown prince, he was neglected in the palace. Even the annual gift to each prince was deducted and delayed by all means. His mother was never favored by the emperor. Although she gave birth to the eldest prince, she was just the zhaoyi* for many years. It was only after the crown prince was appointed that she became a dignitary and was barely granted the title Consort Hui, so it was impossible for them to get these rewards.
There was only one possibility. They
were given by the ministers.
Sure enough, Chen Mu said: "This
Hoppo pearl belt was given by Lord Yin of Yingtian Prefecture. This pair of Yaobian Tianmu teacups* were given by Imperial Preceptor Chen. This Taihu stone*
was transported by Lord Song from Suzhou thousands of miles away. It naturally
takes the shape of the word 'longevity' and is a rare heavenly treasure..."
"Your Highness." Yan Sikong interrupted him, "Your Highness is going to choose one from these to give to the emperor?"
Chen Mu nodded: "I don't know what my father likes. I'm discussing it with my mother."
Consort Hui came over and said, "Yes, Lord Yan, you are a smart man. Please choose one for Mu’er."
Back then, Consort Hui was just a young palace maid. She was quite beautiful, yet she was like a wildflower on the side of the road. Although she was brilliant, she was not very eye-catching as there was a mountain full of beautiful flowers. Emperor Zhaowu had a whim after drinking and did it with her. Not knowing whether to say she was lucky or unlucky, she gave birth to the first prince. She had been bullied in the palace for more than ten years and had been living cautiously. Therefore, she was a yes-man and was not very opinionated.
Yan Sikong bowed to Consort Hui, and
then said to Chen Mu, "Your Highness, based on my opinion, these are not
good."
Chen Mu was instantly disappointed: "These are indeed not really valuable enough, but there's nothing more valuable in the Eastern Palace..."
"No, I don't mean that," Yan Sikong said. "These gifts are the ministers’ wishes. You should remember them, but don't take them to heart. Just remembering them would do."
Chen Mu blinked: "What does that
mean, teacher?"
"Your Highness, let's go in and
talk."
Chen Mu understood intuitively, bowed to Consort Hui,
and dismissed all the servants.
The two walked into the hall and sat at the place where they usually had lectures. Yan Sikong looked left and right and saw that there was no one. Then, he looked into Chen Mu's eyes and said, "I know Your Highness has suffered injustice for many years and wants to win the favor of His Majesty at this time, but you won't get what you want even if you send more expensive gifts."
Chen Mu straightened up his sitting
position and was looking at Yan Sikong with some vigilance and uneasiness.
Yan Sikong sometimes felt that Chen
Mu was a little like himself when he was a child. He was smart, sensitive, and
thoughtful, yet couldn’t cover up his emotions well because he was too young.
Chen Mu said expressionlessly, "As a son, is it not natural to want to please my father?"
"It’s natural, but you shouldn’t
do it this way."
"Why?"
"Your Highness, being the crown prince does not mean that the suffering you have suffered in the past is over. From the moment you were enthroned, everything has just begun."
Chen Mu took a deep breath and stared
fixedly at Yan Sikong.
"His Majesty is only 40 years
old and in good health. All the princes are not yet adults and are far from the age
of leaving the palace. As long as they are still in the capital, Your Highness's
position as the crown prince will be unstable."
Chen Mu pursed his lips and nodded in
silence.
"His Majesty favors the second prince most, and the strength of the other princes and royal relatives cannot be underestimated. Your Highness... forgive me for being blunt, you have no advantage except being the eldest son."
Chen Mu clenched his fist: "Why
did Lord Yan suddenly say this to me today?"
The change of honorific made Yan Sikong immediately realize that he was pressuring him. He straightened up his leaning body: "It was Your Highness who asked me to give you some advice regarding the gift. I apologize as I might have overstepped my bounds. I only came to give a lecture today." He took out the scroll from his bag and spread it out in front of him.
Chen Mu grabbed his wrist and looked
at him with sharp eyes: "Go on."
Yan Sikong smiled faintly, coughed lightly, and said, "Although Your Highness has only one advantage, it is better than the rest. What Your Highness needs to do now is first, do not make any mistakes, and second, guard against villains. If Your Highness gives any of those gifts to the emperor tomorrow, you will make the first mistake."
"Why?"
"The emperor will know that you have begun to rope in courtiers and are gathering forces. This move seems to look like offering flowers to Buddha*, but it is actually moving stones and smashing your own feet*."
"But I didn't..."
Yan Sikong grabbed Chen Mu's hand and
looked at him sternly: "It doesn't matter whether you did it or not. If His
Majesty thinks you did it, that means you did it. Do you know how many years
the ministers have disputed with His Majesty to get you enthroned? His majesty
has always wanted to enthrone the second prince. You must not let him have such
an idea or give him such an opportunity."
Chen Mu drew a breath in and looked
at that expression. He couldn’t come back to his senses after a long time as if
he had survived a disaster.
Yan Sikong patted Chen Mu's hand and
slowed down his talking: "Your Highness, there’s no need to panic. With me
around, I will try my best to protect Your Highness."
Chen Mu suddenly stood up, arched his hands at Yan Sikong, and said, "Thank you Teacher."
Yan Sikong knelt in a hurry: "I couldn’t
bear Your Highness’s praise."
Chen Mu helped Yan Sikong up: "In your opinion, what should I give father?"
"Just sending a eulogistic poem would do. His Majesty wouldn’t care, but it won't arouse his suspicion. Moreover, he can see that Your Highness has been diligent in your studies and has achieved something. Naturally, someone will praise Your Highness by that time."
"Alright, I’ll listen to you."
Under Yan Sikong’s guidance, Chen Mu wrote a long poem with flowery language and words of praise throughout. Yan Sikong edited it for one whole night, striving to match Chen Mu's literary style, yet there must be no careless oversights.
The world loved to use the past to satirize the present*, so there must be many people waiting to pick at Chen Mu's mistakes. Even an innocent word might be distorted into a deadly meaning. Otherwise, there would not be so many people in history who had suffered from literary inquisition*. Therefore, unless there were talents who were knowledgeable about the past and the present, they dared not to take such a job. Yan Sikong happened to have it*.
Not only would he be able to help
Chen Mu write a perfect flattering poem, he could also use the feud between Cai
Zhongfan, the patrol imperial censor of Qingyang, and Wang Shengsheng, the vice
senior secretary, to launch the first wave of attacks on Xie Zhongren.
In fact, he didn't intend to rope in Chen
Mu so early. As he expected, the child was extremely vigilant. Although he was
not the main editor of the newly edited history, he was the reviewer. This
matter would certainly involve him and many significant and insignificant
people. He needed strong allies to help him out of this crisis. Chen Mu couldn’t
help him, but the conservative courtiers behind Chen Mu led by Yan Zilian would
help him.
Even if these people were not that
useful, he still had someone to count on.
zhaoyi* [昭仪]--- Aka “Lady of Bright Deportment''. An official rank for ladies in the imperial palace. In the Ming Dynasty, this rank was was demoted to being that of a mid-ranked concubine
Yaobian Tianmu teacups* [曜变天目茶碗]---- a product of the Song Dynasty in
China used in fighting tea. Fighting tea was popular in the Song Dynasty. From
the emperor's senior officials to the common people, they all liked to play
with the tea. The tea set and bowls needed for the tea were the black glaze
cups produced by Fujian Jianyao. (see pic below)
Taihu stone* --- see pic below
offering flowers to Buddha* [借花献佛]--- to borrow sth. to make a gift of it;
make presents provided by sb. else; offer a present to a guest with other
people's things; offer sb. favours at the expense of another.
moving stones and smashing your own
feet* [搬石砸脚]---used
to describe a person who wanted to harm others, but ended up harming himself
instead
use the past to satirize the present*
[借古讽今]---
deride the contemporary by
quoting from history; make use of the
ancient to satirize the present; use
ancient history to slander modern times;
literary inquisition* [文字狱]--- also known as speech crime (以言入罪), refers to official persecution of
intellectuals for their writings in China.
it* ---Yan Sikong happened to have this talent
Edited on 23 Sept. 21 (Emzie)
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