The Golden Lotus, Volume 2

by Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng

  “It is extremely kind of you, kinsman,” Ximen Qing said.

  Zhai asked Ximen where he was staying. Ximen told him he was with Xia at Secretary Cui’s house.

  The meal was now ready. There were a great many dishes, prepared in the manner of the court and served in huge plates and dishes. The food was delicious. When Ximen and his colleague had drunk three cups of wine, they rose and prepared to leave, but Zhai begged them to stay and pressed them to drink again.

  “Kinsman,” Ximen Qing said, “when shall I be able to see his Majesty?”

  “You will not be so fortunate as his Lordship Xia,” the Comptroller said. “He is now one of the officers of the Capital. You and the newly appointed Vice Captain, He Yongshou, Chamberlain He’s nephew, who are law officers —he is to be your assistant—will have to wait until his Lordship Xia has seen his Majesty. He will wait for you and, after your audience, you will get your commissions together. Whatever you wish to do after that, you will have to consult his Lordship.”

  Xia listened but said nothing.

  “Kinsman,” Ximen Qing said, “will it be possible for me to see his Majesty when he has returned from the worship of Heaven on the day of the Winter Festival?”

  “Can you wait all that time?” Zhai said. “When he comes back, all the officials of the Empire will offer their congratulations and there will probably be a royal banquet. I don’t see how you can wait till then. You had better go to the Registry today, and tomorrow go to Court and see his Majesty. Then you will be able to go home as soon as you have secured your papers.”

  “Thank you,” Ximen said, “I will do as you command. I don’t know how I can ever repay your kindness.”

  As they were going away, the Comptroller took Ximen Qing aside. “When I sent you that letter,” he said reproachfully, “didn’t I tell you to be most careful and not let your colleague know what should have been a secret between ourselves? What made you tell Xia? He wrote to his Holiness Lin, and Lin persuaded Marshal Zhu to come to his Eminence and say that Xia did not wish to come to the Capital to take a post in the Imperial Escort. He wished to remain another three years at Qinghe. Chamberlain He brought the matter before his Majesty’s favorite concubine, and she herself approached both Marshal Zhu and his Eminence and urged the appointment of He Yongshou as the deputy. This produced a most awkward situation. His Eminence was placed in a very difficult position. If I had not spoken to his Eminence on your behalf, and persuaded him to refuse Lin’s petition, you would have found yourself without any appointment at all, my dear kinsman.”

  Ximen Qing was greatly disturbed. “I am most grateful to you,” he said, “but, really, I never mentioned the matter to anyone. I can’t imagine how it came out.”

  “If a man doesn’t keep things like that secret, so much the worse for him,” Zhai said. “You must be more careful in the future.”

  Ximen Qing thanked him again and went away with Xia. They returned to Cui’s house. Ximen sent Ben the Fourth to the Registry to put down their names, and the next day, he and Xia, dressed in black robes and hats of ceremony, went to the Imperial Palace to express their gratitude for his Majesty’s favor.

  As they were coming out by the West Gate, a man in plain clothes came up and said: “Which of you gentlemen is Master Ximen, the law officer from Shandong?”

  Ben the Fourth asked the man who he was.

  “I am from Chamberlain He, the Bailiff of the Imperial Palace. He would like to speak to Master Ximen.”

  The words were hardly out of his mouth before a eunuch, wearing a scarlet robe embroidered with dragons, a ceremonial hat, and black boots, came out upon the Imperial roadway and said: “Greetings, my lord Ximen.”

  Ximen Qing left Magistrate Xia. The eunuch took him by the hand and led him to a place apart. The eunuch bowed and Ximen knelt down to make a reverence in return.

  “You do not know me, my Lord,” the eunuch said, “I am He, the Bailiff of the Imperial Palace, and the Chamberlain of his Majesty’s fourth lady. Recently, when I had completed my service, his Majesty was graciously pleased to appoint my nephew, He Yongshou, Vice Captain and Deputy Magistrate in your district of Qinghe. He will be your colleague.”

  “I must apologize for not recognizing your Excellency,” Ximen Qing said. He bowed again. “This is a prohibited place and I cannot salute you here in a manner befitting your dignity. I trust you will allow me to visit you in your own palace.”

  They sat down and a servant brought tea. A food box was opened and many delicacies were set upon a table. Cups and chopsticks were brought.

  “We will not use the small cups,” the eunuch said, “I know you have just come from the Court, and you must be feeling cold. Besides, I have made such meager preparation for you, that it would not be right. Such food as this will only give you an appetite.”

  “I must not put you to any trouble,” Ximen said.

  Eunuch He filled a large cup and offered it to Ximen Qing.

  “Since you are so gracious,” Ximen said, “I must accept it, but I have to call upon a number of other officers, and I fear my face will be unbecomingly red.”

  “Oh, a cup or two to keep out the cold will not do you any harm. My nephew is very young,” the eunuch continued, “He knows nothing of the law. I shall consider it a favor to myself if you will teach him whatever is necessary for him to know.”

  “Your Excellency,” Ximen said, “pray do not be formal with me. Your nephew may be young, but I have no doubt that, having been brought up in so exalted a household, he is extremely intelligent.”

  “That is very kind of you. But the proverb says: Though we keep learning to the end of our days, we still know very little. The things one should know are as many as the hairs on an ox. Even Confucius was only able to acquire a legful. I am afraid he is sure to make mistakes, and I hope you will correct him.”

  “At your Excellency’s service,” Ximen Qing said. “Will you be good enough to tell me where your palace is situated, that I may come and call upon you?”

  “My humble dwelling is in the Wenhuafang, east of the Bridge of the Heavenly River. There are two lions outside the door. We use them as mounting blocks. Tell me where you are staying, and I will send someone to call on you.”

  “Secretary Cui has been good enough to give me a room,” Ximen Qing told him.

  He drank a large cup of wine and rose. Eunuch He took him to the gate. “Do not forget what I have said,” the eunuch said. “Perhaps you will wait for my nephew and get your commissions together.”

  “Certainly,” Ximen said.

  He left the palace and went to the Ministry of War, where he found Xia. They went together to pay their respects to the officials of the Ministry. When they came to the office of their own regiment, they went to call upon Grand Marshal Zhu. They handed in their records of service and then visited the Military Secretary and other officials.

  It was now late in the afternoon. Xia changed his clothes, put on the robes of his new office, and sent in his card to the Grand Marshal. Zhu would not allow him to kowtow. Xia reported the date upon which he would enter upon his duties and came away. Ximen Qing was waiting for him. Ximen hesitated to ride side by side with Xia any longer. He asked him to mount his horse first, but Xia insisted that they should go together as before. Ximen kept addressing him as ‘Sir’ and ‘My Lord’ till Xia said: “Siquan, you and I have always been colleagues. Why do you speak to me in this formal way?”

  “You are of higher rank now, and it is right that I should. Now that your Lordship has attained this high position, you will not be returning to Shandong, I suppose. When will you bring your family here?”

  “I would have brought them with me, but there is nobody to look after my house,” Xia said. “I think I shall stay with relatives here and send for my family next year. Perhaps you will be good enough to keep an eye on them. If you can find anyone who will buy my house, I hope you will sell it for me. I shall be glad to make it worth your while.”

 
“How much is your house worth?” Ximen asked.

  “I paid one thousand three hundred taels for it,” Xia said. “Then I built another wing, and that cost me two hundred taels more. I am prepared to sell it for what it cost.”

  They went back to Secretary Cui’s house. Wang Jing reported that Master He had been to call upon Ximen. “I told him,” the boy said, “that you were not yet back from the Ministry. He asked me to present his compliments to his Lordship Xia, and left two cards. A man came and brought two rolls of silk from him.”

  Ximen Qing told Wang Jing to get two rolls of Nanjing five-colored silk, and wrote a card to go with them. He had something to eat as quickly as possible and hastened to the eunuch’s house. When he entered the great hall, Captain He came out to greet him. The young man was dressed in black ceremonial hat and boots. He seemed not more than twenty years old and looked so handsome that one might have thought his face was powdered and his lips rouged. He saluted Ximen Qing modestly yet with the utmost grace.

  Ximen told Daian to bring in the presents. “I hear that you have been good enough to call upon me and to bring me most precious gifts,” he said. “I am sorry I was not there to receive you. This morning, his Excellency your uncle was kind enough to entertain me at the palace. I am grateful to him.”

  Captain He made a reverence. “I have been made an officer of the lowest grade,” he said, “and count myself supremely fortunate to have been appointed to your office. I hope to benefit by your instruction.”

  They continued to exchange compliments.

  “My lord,” Captain He said, “have you called upon the Grand Marshal?”

  “Yes,” Ximen Qing said. “I went to the Ministry immediately after leaving his Excellency, your uncle. I went to our headquarters, handed in my record of service and called on the officers there. When I came away, it was my intention to call upon you. I never dreamed you would call on me first.”

  “Did you go to the Palace with his Lordship Xia?”

  “Yes,” Ximen Qing said. “We went together to the court, but as he has been appointed to the Imperial Escort, when we called at the Ministry, we handed in our papers and sent in our cards separately.”

  “Do we send presents to the Minister, or wait till we receive our commissions?” Captain He said.

  “My kinsman tells me,” Ximen Qing said, “that we should send our presents first. Then the Marshal will present us at court, and afterwards we shall get out commissions.”

  “In that case,” He said, “we had better send our presents tomorrow morning.”

  They discussed the question of a suitable present. Captain He decided to offer two rolls of silk and a jade buckle. Ximen Qing would offer a roll of scarlet satin, a roll of black silk and a gold ring inlaid with jade. Each would offer four jars of Jinhua wine in addition. They arranged to meet outside the Marshal’s house. They had tea, and Ximen Qing took leave of his new colleague and went home. He said nothing to Xia of the arrangements he had made.

  The next morning, Ximen Qing went to Captain He’s place. He had prepared an excellent meal, and Ximen Qing and his servants were admirably provided for. Ben the Fourth and He’s servants were given charge of the presents, and Ximen Qing and He Yongshou went together to the Marshal’s house.

  Marshal Zhu was not at home. Officials of every grade were waiting with their presents in a crowd outside the gate. Captain He and Ximen Qing dismounted and went into a nearby house, whose master they knew. They sent a man to watch for the Minister’s return. They waited until the afternoon. Then the man came running to say that the Marshal was coming back from the sacrifice by the South Gate. Already, he said, orders were being given to clear the way for him.

  Soon afterwards, the man came again. “The Marshal has reached the Bridge of the Heavenly River,” he said. There came an escort of officials and soldiers, with banners and weapons. They marched in pairs, shouting. Then, still a long way off, Ximen and his companion could see Marshal Zhu. He was sitting in a sedan chair carried by eight footmen; another eight footmen followed. He was wearing a ceremonial hat and a scarlet gown; a piece of white jade formed the clasp of his girdle. He wore a golden fish, the insignia of his office, and looked extremely dignified.

  The escort reached the gate and halted. Then they turned inwards to form a guard. There was perfect silence among the onlookers. No one dared even to cough. The officers came forward to greet the Grand Marshal and knelt on the ground before him. As the sedan chair approached, the command was given to stand up, and the officers immediately obeyed. The sound of their acclamations reached the skies.

  Suddenly there came from the east the strains of music. The principal officers in the Minister’s department had arranged for this in honor of the exalted rank that had been conferred upon him by the Emperor’s recent decree, and also to celebrate his son’s entry into official life.

  When the Minister got down from his sedan chair, the music stopped. The officers were preparing to present themselves to him when, suddenly, a messenger in black clothes, carrying two red cards, rushed forward and handed the cards to another official. “Their Excellencies, Chang of the Board of Rites and Vice Chancellor Cai, are here.” The man went into the house to give warning to his master. Then, in two sedan chairs, came Zhang Bangchang and Cai Yu. They were both wearing scarlet ceremonial robes with peacocks embroidered upon them. One had a buckle of rhinoceros horn upon his girdle, the other, one of gold.

  Following them came Wang Zudao, President of the Board of Civil Service, with Han Lü the Minister of the Left, and Yin Jing, the Minister of the Right. Marshal Zhu offered them tea, and they came away at once.

  Then came the Duke of Xiguo, a kinsman of the Imperial House, the President of the Privy Council, Zheng Juzhong, and the Master of the Household, the Imperial Son-in-law, Wang Jinqing. They all wore girdles with jade buckles. Zheng rode in a sedan chair, but the others were on horseback.

  When they had gone, the six officers of the Marshal’s own department paid their respects to him. First came the Commander-in-chief of the troops at the Capital, Sun Rong; then, in order, Liang Yinglong, Commissioner of Police; and the others, all wearing red cloaks and fur hats. Sun Rong had a jade buckle to his girdle by virtue of his rank, but the rest wore gold buckles. They all brought presents.

  There was music within the palace as the generals, wearing golden flowers, offered wine to the Grand Marshal. There was music in the courtyard while the banquet proceeded within. When they had offered wine, the generals sat down. Five singers came in, and to the accompaniment of lute and zither, sang a song in celebration of the occasion, beating time with ivory castanets.

  When the wine had been passed three times, the song ended. The six generals rose and the Grand Marshal went with them as far as the gate. Then he returned to the hall, and the music died away. A servant told him that many officers wished to see him. He ordered a great table to be brought and set in the middle of the hall.

  “Let the noblemen of the Court and those of high family be first admitted,” he commanded.

  They came in, and retired again immediately. Then all the officers of his own department were introduced. They came with their cards, and these were handed to him. Then came the law officers of the thirteen provinces in relays. Ximen Qing and Captain He were in the fifth party. Their presents were brought in, and an attendant took the list and placed it on the table. They came in and stood at the foot of the steps waiting for their names to be announced. While they waited, Ximen looked up and admired the magnificent proportions of the great hall and the great red sign with four characters upon it that had been written by the Emperor’s own hand. Their names were called and the two men went forward, bowed, knelt down and waited.

  “Why have you two gentlemen troubled the venerable chamberlain to send me a present?” the Grand Marshal said. He told his servants to take their gifts. “Do your duty, and I will treat you justly,” he told them. “Stay until you have been to the Court and, afterwards, come to my Ministr
y for your papers.”

  The two men acknowledged the command the Marshal gave them. Then the attendants warned them to withdraw, and they went out by a door on the left. As they passed through the gateway, Ben the Fourth and the other servants were carrying out the empty boxes. They were about to go away, when a man, carrying a red card, galloped towards them. “Their Excellencies Wang and Gao are coming,” he cried as he passed.

  Ximen Qing and Captain He went into a house to watch the two noblemen pass. Soldiers cleared the way. Then came Wang Hua, Duke of Longxi, Commander of the Royal Guard, and Marshal Gao Qiu. They rode in sedan chairs, and wore red jade buckles on their girdles. The officers rushed out of the palace in a crowd, and Ximen Qing and Captain He lost sight of the two dignitaries. They went to a quiet place, took their horses from the servants, and rode home.

  CHAPTER 71

  The Son of Heaven

  The flowers droop and the sweet grass is faded

  He is a stranger in a strange place.

  In the little courtyard

  He thinks of her whom he has lost.

  It is evening, and his tears

  Drop red as blood.

  Mountain and river are parted

  His eyes are dim, his spirit ill at ease.

  It seems that her sweet spirit has vanished utterly.

  When, at the fifth night watch, he woke from his dream

  His heart was broken.

  The wind brought the sound of horns

  And swept away the moon and the plum blossom.

  Ximen Qing and Captain He came to the principal street. He asked Ximen to take wine with him at his house, but Ximen Qing very politely declined. Then He bade his servant take Ximen’s bridle. “You must come,” he said, “I am anxious to talk to you.” So they went to He’s place, and Ben the Fourth took the empty present boxes back to Secretary Cui’s house.

  Captain He had made special preparations for his guest. In the great hall, animal charcoal was burning in the braziers, and the smoke of incense went curling upwards from golden burners. There was a table in the middle of the hall, and beside it two other tables, one nearer the door and the other at one side. Bowls piled with rare fruits stood on the tables and flowers in golden vases.