by Tang Xianzu
VOICE WITHIN:
Who is your nephew?
ROYAL CHEF:
He is the most popular ballad-singer in the present day, writing ballads under Eunuch Gao’s name. If you ask me why I wear a flower on my head today, I’ll tell you that I am here to prepare the royal banquet for the successful scholars in the imperial examinations. First I’ll serve light refreshments of all sorts to go with the wine, then I’ll serve dishes of various kinds. There are no such things as ritual beef or Xuanzhou chestnuts. In one dish there are half a dozen pieces of shepherd’s purse; half a bottle of wine contains some vinegar. A spoonful or two of rice will go with regular tubers of pinellia.
VOICE WITHIN:
Why?
ROYAL CHEF:
You know, as these scholars have suffered from starvation, the tubers of pinellia are good for their stomachs. So much for the random talk. There is a royal banquet today to be held beside the Qujiang Pool for the new Number One Scholar. The imperial edict goes that the examiner Master Yuwen will be the acting host. Here come the guards of honour.
(Enter Yuwen Rong)
YUWEN RONG (To the tune of Yejinmen, Part One):
When the contest is over,
His Majesty offers a royal banquet.
I was once bestowed the royal banquet cake,
But now I can only sigh for old time’s sake.
I, Yuwen Rong, am to be the acting host for the royal banquet at the Qujiang Pool. As the new Number One Scholar ranks far behind in the examinations, I am not in a good mood to meet him. Since he is an energetic young man, I shall be flattering him a bit. Ask the chef in the Royal Banquet Hall whether the banquet is ready.
ROYAL CHEF (On his knees):
Everything is ready except that the Troupe of Court Music has not arrived yet.
(Enter the singers)
SINGERS:
Essays are written in the imperial exam;
Singers are summoned at the royal banquet.
Your Excellency, the singers are kowtowing to you.
YUWEN RONG:
Tell me your names.
SINGER A:
My name is Curtain Show.
SINGER B:
My name is Flower Show.
SINGER C:
My name is Cauldron Show.
YUWEN RONG:
How can you be named like this?
ROYAL CHEF:
I know what her name means. After song and dance, these singers just eat ready food. However, this Cauldron Show serves in the kitchen of the Royal Banquet Hall.
YUWEN RONG:
In that case, she is a cook.
ROYAL CHEF:
That’s it. She’ll come and soothe Your Excellency.
YUWEN RONG:
Nonsense! Here comes the Number One Scholar. You singers greet him in the distance.
(Enter Lu Sheng, Xiao Song and Pei Guangting, followed by guards of honour)
LU SHENG, XIAO SONG, PEI GUANGTING (To the tune of Yejinmen, Part Two):
We parade the street to show our power
And engrave our names on the city tower.
SINGERS (Greet the scholars):
Singers from the Troupe of Court Music are waiting here to greet the Number One Scholar.
LU SHENG, XIAO SONG, PEI GUANGTING (Laugh):
Rise to your feet. Rise to your feet.
LU SHENG:
Thank you for your attendance,
With your song and dance.
YUWEN RONG (Greets the scholars):
Come in please, distinguished scholars.
(Makes a bow)
In search for stalwart steeds,
We obtain kylins indeed.
When you come to the palace by day,
Your brilliance is at full play.
Congratulations on your great success. I admire you from the bottom of my heart.
LU SHENG:
I owe all my success to the grace of His Majesty.
XIAO SONG, PEI GUANGTING:
We owe all our success to your promotion.
YUWEN RONG:
The royal banquet is indeed a grand fete.
LU SHENG:
As I know there were only some elderly musicians at the banquet in the past, how is it that there are such excellent players this time?
YUWEN RONG:
As His Majesty decided on the Number One Scholar by himself this time, I have paid special attention to the selection.
LU SHENG:
Oh, I see.
YUWEN RONG:
Serve wine!
ROYAL CHEF:
Flowers blossom within palace wall
While wine is served in the banquet hall.
YUWEN RONG (Presents wine):
(To the tune of Xianghuanglong)
The Civil Star in the sky
Shines bright in the royal court
And rises high.
The palace wine
At the royal banquet
Makes the scholars’ faces ashine.
LU SHENG:
After all the strife
In my life,
I’ve won my fame at heaven’s bliss.
XIAO SONG, PEI GUANGTING:
Enjoy ourselves,
Drink the wine
And our demeanour is not fine.
SINGERS (To the previous tune):
Who knows!
If heaven does not have a feeling heart,
How can the laurel-holder come
And Chang’e the fairy queen take part?
In the elegant world,
How can the beauties refrain
From respecting scholars of fame?
Hush!
I’ll make you happy in bed
And turn your face red.
To leave your name,
Even in a whorehouse
You can write a poem without shame.
YUWEN RONG:
Sir, as she is inviting you, I shall serve as the matchmaker.
(Lu Sheng laughs)
YUWEN RONG:
Singer, ask for a poem from the Number One Scholar.
LU SHENG:
I’ll do that. Where shall I write?
SINGER A:
I have a red handkerchief here.
(Lu Sheng writes)
YUWEN RONG (Reads the poem):
The pretty maiden urges me to write,
Here I am: His Majesty’s student in smiles.
As His Majesty stands on my side,
I do not need a matchmaker to find a wife.
ALL:
What a wonderful poem!
YUWEN RONG:
He seems to have used some phrases to scoff at me.
XIAO SONG:
Master Lu would not have done that.
PEI GUANGTING:
Singer, serve more wine.
(To the tune of Huanglonggun)
Together we rank high in the exam;
Together we drink nectar here.
To be a tiger or to be a dragon,
We share the honour alike.
Who is to be scoffed?
Who is to be lucky?
Together we tour the city tower,
Inscribe our names
And enjoy the grand sight.
(Enter Messenger)
MESSENGER:
Report, report, report! The imperial edict announces that Master Lu has been appointed Master of the Royal Academy and Edict Drafter; Master Xiao and Master Pei have both been appointed Editors of the Royal Academy. Singers from the Troupe of Court Music are to accompany them to the Royal Academy.
YUWEN RONG:
Congratulations!
(To the previous tune)
He writes the poem in a good hand
And rides the horse in good command.
Song and music spread in warm spring breeze;
Talk and laughter cross the curtain at ease.
He has an upright figure,
Behaving in elegant ways.
When he stands
Before the pavilion,
/> He wins popular praise.
(Lu Sheng, Xiao Song and Pei Guangting mount horses)
YUWEN RONG:
Respected scholars,
(To the tune of Coda)
You shall approach the palace
And rank high in office —
A reward for your persistent efforts.
(Exeunt all except Yuwen Rong)
YUWEN RONG (Sneers):
Ridiculous, ridiculous! This Lu Sheng becomes the Number One Scholar and behaves arrogantly because he is not my student. I fawned on him by saying, “As she is inviting you, I shall serve as the matchmaker.” When he was asked to write a poem, the second line “Here I am: His Majesty’s student in smiles” was an overt suggestion that he was not my student. Leave this line alone. Well, his fourth line went as far as to say, “I do not need a matchmaker to find a wife.” Didn’t he want to use such a matchmaker as myself? I’ll find some way to do away with him. As he has just been granted a title by the imperial edict, I’ll pick bones when he makes mistakes in his function as the Edict Drafter.
This young scholar puts on airs
And relies entirely on his essays.
Not until he meets difficult affairs
Will he know someone who betrays.
Scene Nine
Tribal Invasion
(Enter Re Longmang and Xi Naluo)
RE LONGMANG, XI NALUO (To the tune of Nouthern Dianjiangchun):
The desert is immense
And the Tianshan Mountain rises high —
Thirty thousand feet to the sky.
The dragon and the tiger serve the king alike;
The general and the prime minister stand side by side.
XI NALUO:
I am Xi Naluo, the Tubo Prime Minister.
RE LONGMANG:
I am Re Longmang, the Tubo General.
XI NALUO, RE LONGMANG:
The king is holding a session. Let’s wait here.
(Enter the Tubo King, followed by his attendants)
TUBO KING (To the previous tune):
White grass and Mongolian gazelles,
Tens of thousands of huts and tents —
My possessions have grown.
I will never submit to Tang,
When I sit firmly on my throne.
(Greets the General and the Prime Minister)
Camels travel to the west of Qinghai Lake
While Mount Bailan abounds in wind and snow.
I have steeds and men at my command,
And the Green Jade River area as my land.
I am the Tubo King. My ancestor Bald Wugu was the Emperor of Southern Liang. My mother Princess Golden City became the Tubo Queen. With growing population, the tribe is becoming strong and prosperous. We have formed an alliance with the Tang Dynasty by a vow of Golden Goose, but their border generals have often harassed us with armed forces. I am about to summon you to discuss the manoeuvring of our troops.
XI NALUO, RE LONGMANG:
With Song and Liang to the east, He and Shan to the west, Borneo to the south and Turkey to the north, our nation has a hundred thousand troops and a thousand herds of horses.
XI NALUO:
I shall manage the internal affairs.
RE LONGMANG:
I shall go and expand our territory. I shall seize cities and capture officers. The Tang Dynasty will give no cause for anxiety.
TUBO KING:
Which region shall we attack first?
XI NALUO:
We’ll grab Hexi first and attack Longyou later.
TUBO KING:
So that’s settled. General Longmang is to attack Gua and Sha; Prime Minister Naluo is to provide reinforcements. Warriors, act according to my order!
(All respond)
TUBO KING (To the tune of Qingjiangyin):
From the west
Comes the Tubo general —
General Re Longmang.
The Tubo drums beat;
The Tubo cymbals sound;
The Tubo horns ring all around.
(To the previous tune)
To cross the Tianshan Mountain,
We rely on Prime Minister Xi Naluo,
Who is endowed with wit and powers.
The commanding flags sweep over the nation of Qiang;
The swords point to the nation of Tang;
Their territories will be ours!
A hundred thousand Tubo troops are invincible;
They shoot at gazelles on unsaddled steeds.
Dust and fire arise around the Yinshan Mountain:
Liangzhou regions are the first battlefields.
Scene Ten
Taking a Provincial Office
(Enter Miss Cui, followed by Meixiang)
MISS CUI (To the tune of Qiniangzi):
Number One Scholar for three years,
My man left on horseback —
The sight flashes before my eyes.
Now that another spring is half way through,
With a flower in my hand, I make up with deep sighs.
(In the pattern of Haoshijin)
To help my man with his career,
I spent all the money I had.
MEIXIANG:
Since the scholar was gone,
She has been living all alone.
MISS CUI:
When I toss and turn in bed,
I regret that I have sent him away.
MEIXIANG:
To worry that beauty fades day by day,
She would sigh and moan.
MISS CUI:
Meixiang, when I lived a secluded life in a remote yard, I met my man at heaven’s bliss. We were enjoying ourselves when it suddenly occurred to me that I would send him to the capital to take the imperial examination in the hope of winning an official rank. He became the Number One Scholar and that fulfilled my wishes. Thanks to the grace of His Majesty, he has been assigned to draft the imperial edicts. However, he is not allowed to return home within three years. I am indeed tormented with lovesickness!
(To the tune of Zhenxianxiang)
We chanced to form the wedlock
And enjoyed wine and music to our hearts’ content.
Now that my man has gone far, far away,
I fear to look out of the window.
Amid willow catkins the orioles no longer sing;
Amid blooming flowers the swallows no longer dart.
I gaze and gaze,
Full of worry and woe,
Which are piled on my brows.
(Enter Messenger)
MESSENGER:
Report, report, report! The Number One Scholar is about to arrive.
(Exit)
MISS CUI (Pleasantly surprised):
My man is about to return in honour. Get ready for a banquet.
(Enter Lu Sheng, followed by his attendants)
LU SHENG (To the tune of Wangwuxiang):
Above green lawns and red blooms,
The wind spreads fragrant dusts.
A girl looks pretty by wearing a flower;
A man looks valiant by riding a stalwart horse.
As I am eager to go home,
I wave my whip
And ask the way from time to time —
The house of Cui is in Qinghe County.
(Greets Miss Cui)
MISS CUI:
Master Lu, so you have returned in honour.
LU SHENG:
Congratulations to you.
I whipped my way home all the way;
MISS CUI:
That’s why the magpies sang early in the day.
LU SHENG:
Now that I have brought an edict from His Majesty,
MISS CUI:
Your renown makes me happy and gay.
I’ve heard that since you became the Number One Scholar, you have been appointed Edict Drafter for three years in the Central Office. How is it that you are coming home at this time of the year?
LU SHENG:
You are still in the dark. As I am
the Edict Drafter, I wrote an edict to grant you a title, submitted it to His Majesty among other edicts and was approved. I’ve come by night to present you the edict without letting His Majesty know about it.
MISS CUI:
Thank you for your considerations. Master Lu, how did you become the Number One Scholar?
LU SHENG:
Thanks to the money you gave me, I made friends with the elite in the court. They persuaded His Majesty to pick out my paper and nominate me as the Number One Scholar.
MISS CUI:
Alas, you nearly fell to the second place!
LU SHENG (To the tune of Yufurong):
As all the essays are new,
They must be acknowledged by His Majesty.
With palace flowers on my head,
I drank at the royal banquet with honour.
To see me on horseback in high spirits,
Ladies behind pearled curtains would ask, “Whose husband is this?”
You are destined to be a distinguished lady,
With a floral crown on your head.
As of old, Zhuo Wenjun helped her man
To aim high and realise his dream.
MISS CUI (To the previous tune):
You were lucky by birth
To meet a fairy of a wife.
As soon as we met,
We closed the door and started our nuptial life.
I cast my amorous eyes on you,
The amorous eyes of an attractive maiden.
You have succeeded in the imperial exam
And I win the title of County Lady now.
But in all these days,
I have been missing you with knitted brows.
VOICE WITHIN:
Report, report, report! Here comes the official messenger.
(Enter Official Messenger)
OFFICIAL MESSENGER:
Running east and going west — that’s the official messenger.
(Bows to Lu Sheng)
Master Lu, it is odd indeed. When you have obtained the edict and sped home, Master Yuwen found out the trick, and reported to His Majesty, but His Majesty pardoned you. Beyond the Huayin Mountain there is a Shanzhou city on the way to the east capital. Blocked by rocks, there is no thoroughfare for two hundred and eighty miles. The imperial edict goes that you have been appointed Magistrate of Shanzhou to break the rocks and dig a canal there. You are required to start for your new office without delay.
LU SHENG, MISS CUI:
In that case, get ready for the horse and carriage and we’ll go to Shanzhou at once.
(To the tune of Coda)
A scholar with a meagre pay
Has to manage the Heyang canal.
As man and wife,
By horse and carriage we’ll start on our way.
After serving three years in the court,
The scholar returned home with grace.
With imperial edict to dig a canal,
He has to earn his bread in a strange place.