by Tang Xianzu
(Kowtows)
You are not my sworn sisters, but why are you acting like the Goddess of Mercy?
FEMALE PRISONERS:
Both of us are prisoners in this courier station.
STATION MASTER:
Oh! You are such pretty prisoners. Where have you been hiding, without ever reporting to me?
Tell me where your husbands are.
FEMALE PRISONER A:
My husband is called Short Bag. He’s gone picking pockets.
STATION MASTER:
What do you mean?
FEMALE PRISONER A:
You allowed him to go so as to pay for the monthly tribute.
STATION MASTER:
It’s kind of you.
FEMALE PRISONER B:
My husband is called Wild Talk. He’s gone grabbing chickens.
STATION MASTER:
It’s a good business.
FEMALE PRISONER B:
You told him to go, too.
STATION MASTER:
What do I need chickens for?
FEMALE PRISONER B:
For dinner or for lunch.
STATION MASTER:
Let’s talk no more about this. I am fortunate not to have selected you to tow the dragon boat.
If you should tell the old emperor about this, he would be afraid to eat my chickens. Now let’s talk about something else. Where are you from?
FEMALE PRISONERS:
From the southern bank of the Yangtze River.
STATION MASTER:
Can you sing ballads?
FEMALE PRISONERS:
Yes, we can.
STATION MASTER:
It’s all the more wonderful! Since His Majesty is about to come, a thousand female singers are to be selected to tow the dragon boat and to sing the “Ballad of Picking Water-caltrops”. As two more singers are needed now, you are lucky enough. Will you take the trouble to sing a ballad, starting from describing the moon, narrating what happens on the ship, containing a word meaning “curved” in each line, containing the word “emperor” in the two middle lines, and making the last line funny?
FEMALE PRISONER A:
Yes, I will.
(Sings)
The crescent moon is stuck on the skies;
In a crooked way the new river lies.
I cross my hands round the emperor’s neck
And bend my feet on the emperor’s shoulders.
With my feet on his shoulders,
The emperor says with a smile on his lips:
Your feet are as large as my ships.
STATION MASTER:
Your song is excellent, excellent! It suits His Majesty’s taste exactly.
(To Female Prisoner B)
Your song should contain four words with the meaning of “pointed”, contain the word “emperor” in the two middle lines, and have a funny ending.
FEMALE PRISONER B:
Please listen.
(Sings)
The pointed moon shines over the spears;
The piercing nails drive into the oars.
My sharp voice enters the emperor’s ears;
My slender fingers touch the emperor’s waist.
To touch his waist,
What shall I turn round?
I’ll sail the ship from the skies to the ground.
STATION MASTER:
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! I’ll show you to the old emperor, but I’m afraid that you’ll offend him because you are inexperienced. You must have some practice.
FEMALE PRISONERS:
There is no one for us to practise on.
STATION MASTER:
What about taking me as the old emperor and practising on me?
FEMALE PRISONER B (Giggles):
That’ll do.
STATION MASTER:
I’ll sing the first two lines and you will go on with the next two lines.
(Sings)
I the Station Master am as old as a broken boat,
Hearing the new river flow while I am afloat.
FEMALE PRISONERS (Sing):
You row the oar while you are asleep or awake;
We’re afraid that you will not row till daybreak.
(Voice of clearing the way within)
STATION MASTER:
Hurry up, hurry up! The magistrate is coming.
(Enter Lu Sheng, followed by his attendants)
LU SHENG (To the tune of Xidijin):
Over the stones the waves roar;
On shallow beaches the golden sands glow.
I’ve decorated the guesthouse into a fairy house,
Waiting day and night for His Majesty to come.
(Station Master bows to Lu Sheng)
LU SHENG (In the pattern of Xijiangyue):
His Majesty will come at any time
As the canal has been completed.
Message comes from the east capital
That I must prepare everything.
STATION MASTER:
The first thing is to get gold and grains ready
And to get everything well prepared.
When the divine emperor makes his tour,
Who dares to be not sure?
Master Lu, if His Majesty leaves the ship and goes on land, where is he going to stay?
LU SHENG:
The Green Peak Palace was built years ago, which can house the empress and the royal concubines. There are also guesthouses for the ministers and generals. The gold and grains for the attachés will be taken care of by the seventy-four prefectures and counties around the east capital. The only trouble is that time is too urgent to get the one thousand female singers. What shall we do about it?
STATION MASTER:
We are short of two female singers only. I’ve fetched my two sisters by night and taught them to sing. Now we have one thousand female singers ready.
LU SHENG:
Thank you very much.
ATTENDANTS:
The Station Master is lying. They are two female prisoners.
LU SHENG:
You deserve a sound beating!
STATION MASTER (Kowtows):
Although they are prisoners, they have quite pretty looks and are good at singing. It’s not easy to find such singers at short notice.
LU SHENG:
You are right. Listen to my orders, Station Master!
(To the tune of Yifengshu)
When the imperial carriage comes to the east,
We need a red crook-handled umbrella.
STATION MASTER:
There is no such thing in the courier station.
LU SHENG:
Borrow it from the warehouse in the Green Peak Palace.
For the imperial banquet,
We need dragon plates decorated with flowers.
STATION MASTER:
I’m afraid that there are not enough delicate dishes and that the old emperor has to do in the rustic areas as the rustics do.
LU SHENG:
I have a thousand ivory plates and dishes in my possession. They are gifts for me and I keep them for gifts too.
STATION MASTER:
I’m also afraid that the accompanying officers and officials are not easy to attend to.
Besides the officers and officials,
The eunuchs are the most difficult to deal with.
LU SHENG:
Never mind. The eunuchs have a chief — Eunuch Gao. I’ve sent gifts to him and he will not go beyond himself. Still, I’ll have to be careful all the same.
Take care
And avoid mistake,
Otherwise my life will be at stake.
I have something else to tell you. Order the grain ships and cargo ships to sail in teams with coloured flags. Each team will carry signs to show the type of grains from a certain region and valued goods from a certain prefecture. Each ship is to burn joss-sticks and play its regional music.
(Station Master responds)
(Enter Messenger)
MESSENGER (Reports):
Master Lu, the eunuch in charge of the advance unit has arrived. His Majesty is 300 miles away.
LU SHENG (In a hurry):
Get my horse ready and we’ll go and meet His Majesty.
In this area three rivers run forth;
When the emperor arrives, all ships pass with ease.
As all the stars face the north,
So the rivers run to the east.
Scene Fourteen
Imperial Inspection to the East
(Enter Yuwen Rong and Pei Guangting)
YUWEN RONG, PEI GUANGTING (To the tune of Taichangyin):
Now that His Majesty has travelled a long way,
The roosters crow at the break of a spring day.
When the royal robe glimmers in sunlight,
The towering peaks come into sight.
YUWEN RONG:
I am Yuwen Rong, Supervisory Minister and Right Prime Minister in charge of all state affairs.
PEI GUANGTING:
I am Pei Guangting, Assistant Minister of the Central Office. Minister of the Central Office Xiao Song remains in the capital to take care of state affairs. Right Prime Minister Yuwen Rong and I accompany His Majesty on his inspection to the east. Here we are at the temporary palace outside the Lintong Pass. We shall soon arrive at Shanzhou City, where Lu Sheng serves as the magistrate.
YUWEN RONG (Smiles):
It has been three years since Lu Sheng came here. There is no report that the new canal is completed. What a difficult task for him!
PEI GUANGTING:
I am fully aware of his intelligence. The project is bound to complete and he is bound to be commended by His Majesty.
YUWEN RONG:
We’ll wait and see whether the canal is completed.
VOICE WITHIN:
His Majesty is having an audience.
(Enter Emperor Xuanzong, followed by Eunuch Gao and attendants)
EMPEROR XUANZONG (To the tune of Raochiyou):
In a yellow carriage surrounded with flags,
I am on my way from Sanmen.
When night runs out with cockcrows on a spring day,
The sun climbs over the mountain
And starts to shine over the earth.
ALL:
The nation centres round the throne;
All kowtow to and hail the emperor.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
A road was paved before I arrived at the tents;
Upon the palace road is left my trail.
A thousand flags appear in the shadowy vale;
Ten thousand carriages come amid roaring torrents.
I am Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. On my east inspection by carriage to Luoyang, I stop over outside the Tongguan Pass. Now that breakfast is over, Eunuch Gao, announce my edict to be on the way again.
(Eunuch Gao announces the edict to set off )
(To the tune of Wangwuxiangfan)
When the stars disappear at the twinkle of an eye,
The flags lead the way into the outskirts of Shanzhou.
Which immortal is preaching on the river?
The fairy princesses are no longer in woe
When ten thousand carriages come by.
LU SHENG (Kowtows):
Magistrate of Shanzhou, former Master of the Royal Academy, Edict Drafter Lu Sheng, together with officials and civilians, is here to welcome Your Majesty.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
Is the magistrate the former Number One Scholar Lu Sheng?
PEI GUANGTING:
Yes, he is.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
Rise to your feet.
LU SHENG:
A long, long life to Your Majesty!
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
What is it that towers in front of us?
LU SHENG:
As the road outside the pass is precipitous, an overhead passage has been built.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
Is this an overhead passage? A storm is looming.
LU SHENG:
As the saying goes, “The rain god sprinkles on the way and the wind god sweeps away the dust.”
EMPEROR XUANZONG (Smiles):
Let’s be on our way.
ALL:
Look at the Single Pillar
And the Stone Bridge:
The natural barriers rise above the clouds.
Far away is the temporary palace
And the court set in the tent:
Storms hit the two mausoleums in Mount Xixiao.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
Pass on my edict to stop awhile to shelter from the rain. Is there a temporary palace in Shanzhou?
LU SHENG:
There is a Green Peak Palace, where Your Majesty once stayed.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
How do you know it?
LU SHENG:
A poem will serve as evidence.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
Recite the poem.
LU SHENG:
Now I humbly recite the poem for Your Majesty.
When vernal grass turns green in spring,
The wild crab-apple petals have begun to fall.
A white-haired old man is singing a song
Before the Green Peak Palace for Emperor Xuanzong.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
When I hear this song, my last inspection seems to revive before my eyes.
LU SHENG:
Your Majesty, as the sky has cleared up, you can be on your way again.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
Pass on my edict to move slowly.
(To the tune of Jiangduchun)
Amid drumbeats resounded in tree branches,
I gaze at the perilous mountain paths
And cross the overhead passage.
The mountains lie between Heyang and Jingzhao
And now Lintong is far behind me.
Compared with the dreamlike Mount Taihua,
The Tongguan Pass looks quite narrow.
LU SHENG:
Your Majesty, we have gone out of the Tongguan Pass and reached the riverside. Please embark on the Dragon Boat.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
I remember this used to be a rocky road. What’s the use of a Dragon Boat?
LU SHENG:
I have dug over three hundred miles of canal for your inspection to the east.
EMPEROR XUANZONG (Smiles):
What a miracle! I’ll go and have a look.
(Gazes afar)
Oh, what a vast expanse of water and sky!
I look afar
And see a sight of pretty mountains and water.
(Drumbeats and flute music within)
(Emperor Xuanzong and all embark on the Dragon Boat)
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
Here we are on the Dragon Boat.
LU SHENG:
I have selected a thousand singing girls to tow the boat. They can sing ballads as well.
(Female singers kowtow and sing boat songs)
FEMALE SINGERS (To the tune of Chuduizi):
With blessing from Your Majesty,
Thanks to the blessing from Your Majesty,
We have dug a canal between the river and the pass.
With poplars and willows we turn the banks into corridors;
We offer wine and play flutes to the River God.
We sail the boat
From the earth to the Milky Way.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
How pretty these boat-song singers are!
(To the tune of Naofanlou)
What pretty boat-song singers!
Where songs resound, true beauties appear.
Like the Goddess of Luo River on water surface
And Princess Zhaojun with make-up,
These singers here are pretty indeed.
You ministers should know
That the new canal is best decorated here.
(Music within)
LU SHENG:
My wife Cui from Qinghe County has prepared a thousand plates of delicacies fo
r Your Majesty.
EMPEROR XUANZONG (Smiles):
I have no objection.
LU SHENG (Presents wine):
Your Majesty, I present the wine to wish you a long, long life.
(To the tune of Yinghuamei)
With fairy peach wine in the golden cup,
Like dewdrops containing Your Majesty’s grace,
I present the wine to you with submission.
The plates hold delicacies from water and from land;
The ballads sound like heavenly music.
(Emperor Xuanzong smiles)
ALL:
It is our great fortune
To see Your Majesty smile with pleasure.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
Distribute the delicacies on the plates among the attendants. Lu Sheng, rise to your feet.
LU SHENG:
Long live the Emperor!
(Rises to his feet)
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
There is music on the teams of thousands of ships in front of us. What ships are these?
LU SHENG:
These are teams of ships transporting grains from the south of the Yangtze River and native products from all over the country. Joss-sticks are burnt team by team and native music is played.
(Emperor Xuanzong smiles)
ALL (To the tune of Didijin):
Thousands of ships are sailing in order.
With army men and civilians on their knees,
Holding incense burners and playing sweet music.
The merchant ships are sailing under different colours,
Followed by grain ships under white flags
With Muslims dancing on tribal boats.
All those from the Yangtze and Han
Gather here to present their treasures.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
Do you remember the road to Shanzhou in the former days? There were twists and turns on the rocky peaks. It was a hard journey to transport grains from the south of the Yangtze River to this place. Since ancient times, if grains did not arrive in time, we had to move to the east capital for meals. I did not expect that Lu Sheng would have achieved this feat.
(To the tune of Zhuomu’er)
Along the former trails
Of rocks and stones,
It was a hard journey to transport grains.
When everybody drove heavy carts,
Who had ever thought of using ships?
LU SHENG:
Your Majesty, will you be so kind as to grant the canal a name?
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
I will name it the Eternal Benefit River.
LU SHENG:
Long live the Emperor!
LU SHENG, PEI GUANGTING:
Emperor Xuanzong makes an eastern tour
And names the new river Eternal Benefit.
Grains from the south can arrive every year.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
What is it that stands erect on the bank in front of us, with its head facing the south of the river and with its tail facing the north of the river?