Nirvana In Fire

In the split second after the Crown Prince made his stand clear, it was as if the wind blew through a field of wheat. The rest of the court officials who had decided to wait and see immediately bowed down one after another in succession, clamoring the two words, “I second”. After a while, even the timidly cowering Prince Xu and Prince Huai ventured to mumble something very softly as they joined those assembled in protest at the steps. By now, the entire hall was assembled in protest, except the one guest official, who observed all these proceedings with eyes that were clear and cold as ice.

If it had been just an assembly of court officials causing a commotion, the Liang Emperor was confident of suppressing them, but confronted in that moment with Xiao Jingyan’s fiercely intense gaze, he began to feel a little flustered.

Because he understood this son’s feelings towards Prince Qi and the Lin clan. Back then, although he was severely disadvantaged, he totally disregarded the consequences and argued fiercely for them. Now that irrefutable evidence had emerged, Xiao Jingyan would naturally not let it go.

If he didn’t restrain this son, he wouldn’t be able to keep the presently tumultuous situation in court under control. But after some consideration, he suddenly realized that he no longer had any real power in his hands now, to control and suppress a Crown Prince who had been supervising the country with outstanding achievements.

For the cold-blooded Emperor, the knowledge that Xiao Jingyan had grown beyond his expectations was far more shocking and unacceptable compared to the facts that Grand Princess Liyang had just revealed, so he gritted his teeth as he walked around the palace hall, looking for support.

Old court officials, new court officials, the imperial family, the harem….he couldn’t find what he was looking for in any one of their faces. Not even the gentle and sweet-tempered Consort Jing, whose eyes were presently so bright he couldn’t bear to look at them.

In all his decades as the supreme ruler and absolute monarch, the Liang Emperor had never felt truly alone and helpless until that moment. What’s even more important, he could no longer override all objections with force and cruelty as he did back then.

After a period of uproar, the hall gradually quietened, but the quiet carried with it a sort of silent power that made the Emperor feel even more pressured compared to the earlier chaos. Because all present were no longer behaving impulsively or simply following the crowd, but were now calm-headed. They all continued to stand in place, showing no sign of retreating.

The Liang Emperor knew that now that matters have come to this, it didn’t matter how long they remained in stalemate, there could only be one outcome.

“I….allow the ministers to present a memorial….”

The old Emperor spat these few words out weakly. Xiao Jingyan suddenly felt his heart surge, but he immediately suppressed it and didn’t reveal anything. Instead, he gave Cai Quan a quick glance.

“Since Your Majesty has approved the reinvestigation of the Chiyan case, would Your Majesty also like to appoint someone to preside over the reinvestigation?” asked the shangshu of the Ministry of Justice as he bowed respectfully.

“I won’t discuss matters of the court now,” declined the Liang Emperor softly, “….the presiding judge will be decided another day.”

“Your Majesty, this is a serious matter and should not be delayed. Since matters have already come to a head, why postpone it?” said the Zhongshu Ling Liu Cheng in response, “This old minister thought it over. Selecting the presiding judge is no small matter. He must be a person of good moral standing and reputation, loyal, upright and impartial. He must also be astute and meticulous. I’m afraid it would be difficult to find all these qualities in one person, so perhaps it would be best to appoint a few presiding judges to conduct a joint reinvestigation.”

“Liu daren is right,” said Shen Zhui immediately. “Your servant proposes Prince Ji.”

“Your servant proposes Marquis Yan!” said Mu Qing loudly as before.

Faced with all these proposals, the Liang Emperor squeezed his eyes shut. Actually, it no longer mattered who would be presiding judge. As long as Xiao Jingyan remained, the outcome of the reinvestigation of the Chiyan case was clear. Even if he himself was the imperial throne, he no longer had the power to prevent this. Prince Ji, Marquis Yan and the Senior Official of the Imperial Court of Justice, Ye Shizhen received the most votes for the role of presiding judge. Feeling the fatigue suddenly surge in his heart, the Liang Emperor gave in and approved all of their requests. When the three men appointed to bear that great responsibility bowed to receive the imperial decree, Xiao Jingyan, who had been doing all he could to hold it in, suddenly felt a burning sensation in his throat and involuntarily turned to look at Mei Changsu.

Mei Changsu remained as silent as before. Although beneath the surface, he was like a pot of water brought to a rolling boil, he was so quiet it didn’t seem like he was there at all. But anyone observing carefully would notice the deep anger in his dark, bottomless eyes as he stared with scorching eyes at the old emperor seated on the throne, as if he wanted to pierce through that decaying and weak exterior to stab at his fierce, vicious and self-centred past self…..

But the Liang Emperor did not perceive this guest official’s gaze. He got up to get away from the hall where he could no longer breathe, his entire body swaying, his white hair and beard trembling in disarray. As before, the Crown Prince and all present still proceeded to kowtow deferentially as he took his leave. Looking down at them in that moment, however, what he felt in his heart was already entirely different from what it used to feel like in the past. This difference was in the bones, so deep that no words could describe it.

Consort Jing got up to accompany the Liang Emperor as she had always done, but just as she extended her hands to support him, the Liang Emperor pushed her away, leaning only against Gao Zhan’s shoulders for support to board the Dragon Carriage alone. His refusal did not bother Consort Jing. She bore it with equanimity, her lips lifted faintly in a calm smile as she took another palanquin back to the inner palace.

On the small table in the Emperor’s bedroom, that morning’s unfinished game of chess was still laid out, untouched. It was the first thing the Emperor saw when he stumbled in. In a sudden fit of anger, he overturned the chessboard, scattering the black and white jade chess pieces. Some of them hit his face, causing a stinging pain on his skin.

Father and son were supposed to resume their game after the birthday ceremony….but after what happened today, was there any point to the game? Regardless of its outcome, he had already been forced against his will to capitulate to the Crown Prince and all the ministers during the earlier uprising, so he had already conceded defeat.

The Chiyan case was the greatest knot between father and son. This was something the Liang Emperor had long since been aware of. However, he didn’t expect that there would be so many facts tied to the case that he wasn’t even aware of, and that they would suddenly surface again after thirteen whole years, as if the resentment of all the dead souls refused to be pacified.

The Liang Emperor suddenly began to shiver all over. He was just about to summon Consort Jing but stopped himself.

He didn’t know why but the old emperor suddenly recalled the commotion that happened in the outer corridor this morning. Slapping his palm on the top of the table, he called out loudly, “Men! Summon Concubine Yue! Quickly summon Concubine Yue for an audience!” The Emperor was still the emperor after all, and his orders were quickly executed, and before a quarter of an hour had passed, Concubine Yue was led into the hall. She had lost the elegance she once had, and looked like a haggard old woman now, though the contours of her eyes were still graceful and elegant, and they flashed occasionally with a cold gleam. As soon as she saw the Liang Emperor, she immediately rushed forward, repeating the same words over and over, “Your Majesty, your servant has a secret report*.….a secret report.….”

*literal translation

“Concubine Fei,” The Liang Emperor held her chin between his fingers and raised her face up, “What secret report do you have? Was it about Liyang’s sudden revolt in Wuying Hall today?”

“Your concubine wants to secretly report Prince Jing….Prince Jing is plotting some wrongdoing….”

“You’ve been in the palace. How would you know what Jingyan is doing?”

“Zuo Zhongcheng, the Eastern Lord mentioned it….” said Concubine Yue eagerly, her speech a little incoherent. “His niece entered the palace….told your servant…that the Eastern Lord is loyal to the Crown Prince….loyalty to the Crown Prince makes him loyal to Your Majesty….”

The Liang Emperor frowned. It took him a while before he realized that the Crown Prince she was referring to was the abolished Xiao Jingxuan, and his face immediately darkened.

“Prince Jing has been summoning the court officials non-stop, and many of them….the Eastern Lord heard of this….but Your Majesty hasn’t been attending court, so he couldn’t tell Your Majesty, and could only think of your concubine. After so long, he was the only one who still remembers your servant….as long as Prince Jing falls, the Crown Prince can return….the Eastern Lord is a faithful official. The Crown Prince will not treat him unfairly. Your Majesty will also not treat us unfairly. We are the first to report this. It’s the highest merit. You must be sure to break Prince Jing into a million pieces and bring the Crown Prince back….Xuan’er is the true Crown Prince. By preventing Prince Jing’s conspiracy, your concubine is rendering great merit. The Eastern Lord also supports Xuan’er. Your Majesty, please restore the Crown Prince, restore the Crown Prince!”

As she spoke, Concubine Yue’s previously gloomy expression changed. She became more emotional, her voice shrill and she even began foaming at the mouth, greatly alarming the Emperor. Perhaps he hadn’t seen Concubine Yue in a long time, but he never thought that this once magnificent imperial consort would become like this, her shrewdness and eloquence completely gone, leaving behind only paranoia and delirium. Even though what she said was true, she was clearly mad. Realizing this, the Liang Emperor began to shake off the hands that clung him, but the more he shook her off, the more she clung on, her fingernails gouging into his flesh, the pain causing him to cry out loudly, “Men! Take her away! Quickly, take her away!”

“Your Majesty….Prince Jing is planning a rebellion. For this servant’s meritorious deed in reporting it, please restore the Crown Prince….”, screamed Concubine Yue as she was being dragged away. The Liang Emperor’s hands and feet felt cold, his eyes flickering, and he unconsciously slumped forward, his eyes squeezed shut as he gasped for breath. Gao Zhan rushed forward with calming tea, patting the Emperor softly on his chest and stroking his back as he drank it up.

The Liang Emperor felt a pain in his chest, like he couldn’t catch his breath, and all his limbs were numb. Thinking about what Concubine Yue had said, he felt angry and helpless at the same time. As matters stand now, what difference did such knowledge make? He didn’t even have the energy and mental strength to pull himself together…..

“Your Majesty, shall I summon the imperial physician?” asked Gao Zhan.

“Summon….go summon….” No matter what, staying alive was the most important. The more he struggled to breathe, the more anxious the Liang Emperor felt. Fortunately, after the imperial physicians quickly rushed over to examine him, they concluded that it was due to irregular flow of qi and blood caused by disharmony in the viscera* with no major symptoms. They prescribed a dose of herbal medicine and quickly steeped it. After drinking it, the Emperor was a little more calm. Then he had his bath, after which he went to bed.

*approximate translation for TCM medical diagnosis. High likelihood of an inaccurate translation

Whether it was the effect of the medicine, or because the Liang Emperor was too old to endure such turmoil, it wasn’t long before he fell asleep. Gao Zhan kept watch by the foot of the bed for a while, and when he was sure that the Emperor was sound asleep, he silently got up, looked at the bed for a while, then quietly retreated backwards in a crouch, one step at a time until he reached the side door where he slipped out without a sound.

Just outside the side door was the long and winding Yunding corridor. Consort Jing was still waiting patiently along the corridor, the sleeves of her robes fluttering, her gown billowing in the wind. Her gaze was clear and calm, and bore no particular expression. Gao Zhan stopped about ten zhang* away from where she stood, gazing attentively at this imperial consort who had risen steadily to the top without getting embroiled in a fight for the crown. This steward of the inner palace had always kept his gaze downcast and vaguely submissive, but for the first time now, his face revealed an expression, an expression of secret determination.

*ten x 3.3m (1 zhang is 10 Chinese feet i.e. 3.3m)

Gao Zhan knew that it was finally time for him to take a stand.

“Reporting to niang niang, it was Zuo Zhongcheng, the Eastern Lord….” Approaching Consort Jing, he simply said these few words, after which he curled forward and waited unmovingly for a response.

Consort Jing’s pupils shifted faintly, and she merely gave a quiet “Ng”, but the tension in Gao Zhan’s face relaxed visibly. After bowing deeply at the waist in salutation, he retraced his steps back to the Emperor’s bedroom.

The Liang Emperor remained in the same position as before on the bed, but his breathing had become increasingly irregular, and after a short while, he began to stir agitatedly, his head tossing side to side on the pillow, his forehead breaking out in cold sweat, his hands stretched out, grasping the air, his mouth muttering incoherently.

“Wake His Majesty up. He’s having another nightmare,” Consort Jing gently instructed, seeming to have suddenly appeared.

Gao Zhan hurriedly responded. Getting up, he leaned over the bed and gently shook the Liang Emperor’s arm.

“Your Majesty….Your Majesty!!” After calling out to the Liang Emperor a few times, he suddenly sat up as if something had jolted him awake, staring dully ahead, his head dripping with perspiration. “What did Your Majesty dream about?” Consort Jing wiped away the old Emperor’s perspiration with a plain handkerchief and said softly, “It’s probably not only Concubine Chen. Was there anyone else?”

Trembling all over, the Liang Emperor shook her hand away, saying angrily, “You still have the audacity to appear before me? All my generosity towards you mother and son has been in vain, for you to harbour such evil intentions and deliberately scheme to overturn the Chiyan case! I have been really blind, to have trusted such disloyal and unfilial persons!”

“Even if we had deliberately schemed,” said Consort Jing calmly, “There is something Your Majesty must understand. In addition to long-standing feelings and long-standing planning, there is another more important reason for overturning the Chiyan case.”

“What, what other reason?”

“The truth. The truth of the matter.” Consort Jing’s gaze pierced right into the heart of the Liang Emperor. “Your Majesty is the Honorable Son of Heaven. As long as you refuse to admit to the facts revealed today, of course nobody could force you to. But even though you are the Son of Heaven, there are some things you cannot do, for example influencing the conscience and convictions of the people, modifying the opinions of future generations, nor can you prevent the people of the past from appearing in your dreams…..”

“Stop talking!” The Liang Emperor’s face was pallid and he was shaking all over, both his hands clasping his forehead as he fell backward with a loud cry, convulsing and gasping for breath against the pillow.

Consort Jing extended a cool hand and gently massaged the area between his eyebrows, saying softly, “Your Majesty, if you speak of loyalty and filial piety, one can’t say that Commander Lin was disloyal, or that Prince Qi was unfilial. They had always been Jingyan’s role models. What they did not do, neither would Jingyan. Your Majesty, please don’t worry yourself unnecessarily.”

The Liang Emperor slowly relaxed the hands covering his face and looked fixedly at Consort Jing, “Can you guarantee it?”

“If Your Majesty truly understood Jingyan, you wouldn’t ask your consort to guarantee it.” Consort Jing kept the corners of her lips lifted in a slight smile, but her eyelashes hung low, concealing the expression in her eyes. “What Jingyan is requesting is for nothing more than truth and justice. If Your Majesty is able to give him this, then why harbour other suspicions?”

The Liang Emperor was expressionless as he contemplated, his gaze pinned fixedly on Consort Jing’s gentle face for a long while before he finally heaved a long sigh and murmured, “….things have already reached this point….just do as you will….I’ll not say more….”