by Tang Xianzu
Why should I come to this when I’ve done nothing wrong to the country?
OFFICER:
I don’t know. Here is the arrest edict. On your knees and listen.
(Lu Sheng and Miss Cui kneel on the ground)
OFFICER (Reads):
Here is the imperial edict: The former Administrator and Military Commander Lu Sheng exchanged illicit letters with the Tubo general for ulterior motives. He is to be arrested, brought to the Yunyang execution ground and put to death in public without delay. This is the imperial edict.
(Lu Sheng and Miss Cui kowtow and then rise to their feet crying “Heavens”)
LU SHENG, MISS CUI:
Gracious heavens!
Oh, oh!
When misfortune falls from the sky,
How can we air our grievances to His Majesty?
LU SHENG:
Where do all the troubles come from?
(To the tune of Northern Xiqianying)
As swift as the wind and the thunder,
Misfortune is a bolt from the blue sky.
I’ll air my grievances in front of His Majesty.
OFFICERS:
The imperial court is closed.
LU SHENG:
Will you be so kind as to
Allow me to see His Majesty in court
By tarrying a bit
So that I can
Wait till the late audience?
OFFICERS:
The imperial edict forbids it.
LU SHENG (Weeps):
Madam, madam, I was born to the east of Mount Taihang and had a few acres of land to make both ends meet. Why should I have sought official career and come to this! I shall never be able to go along the way to Handan, wearing a short fur-coat and riding a black donkey again! Fetch a knife!
I’d better kill myself with a knife.
(Attempts to kill himself and is stopped by Miss Cui)
OFFICERS:
According to the imperial edict, you are not to kill yourself but be put to death in public.
LU SHENG:
Yes, that’s it. A minister should live a sensible life and die a sensible death. Madam, bring our sons to air grievances in front of the palace gate. I’m going to the execution ground.
Sooner or later,
I shall be beheaded.
Even if I run counter to the imperial edict,
Nothing more comes but death.
(Exeunt all)
(Enter Eunuch Gao)
EUNUCH GAO:
I am Eunuch Gao. Who will save the Defense Minister? The imperial court is closed today because a meritorious minister is to be put to death. I’ll wait and see which minister is going to present a memorial to His Majesty.
(Enter Miss Cui with her sons)
MISS CUI:
Now that my man is going to the execution ground, I’m bringing my sons to air grievances in front of the palace gate. I’ll make haste and approach the Zhengyang Gate.
(Shouts)
Gracious Emperor, Lu Sheng is grievously wronged!
EUNUCH GAO:
The imperial court is closed because a meritorious minister is to be put to death. Who is it that dares to make such a racket?
MISS CUI:
I am Lu Sheng’s wife, entitled the First-Rank Lady by His Majesty. I’m bringing his sons to air grievances.
EUNUCH GAO (Sighs aside):
No ministers in the court but this woman with her sons are airing grievances. How pitiful she is!
(Turns back)
Are you Madam Lu? Just air your grievances here.
MISS CUI (Kneels on the ground):
Gracious Emperor, Gracious Emperor! Lu Sheng’s wife is airing grievances!
(To the tune of Southern Huameixu)
A longtime enemy
Tries to persecute Lu Sheng.
What wrong has my man done in court
That he is to be put to death?
Illicit relations with the Tubo general
And high treason are concocted crimes.
MISS CUI, EUNUCH GAO:
Oh, oh!
When misfortune falls from the sky,
How can we air our grievances to His Majesty?
EUNUCH GAO (Weeps):
How pitiable! How pitiable! Wait here for the imperial edict and I’ll present your grievances to His Majesty.
MISS CUI:
I’ll take the dust as my incense and pray to Heaven and Earth.
(Kowtows)
Your obedient servant Cui is airing grievances here. Heavens, heavens! Change the sacred mind of His Majesty and save the life of my man! Such a long time has passed and the imperial edict has not arrived yet.
(Enter Eunuch Gao with Pei Guangting)
EUNUCH GAO:
Here is the imperial edict: “As there is some injustice in Lu Sheng’s case, Pei Guangting is to bring the order of amnesty to the Yunyang execution ground and pardon Lu Sheng from death. Lu Sheng is to go on exile in the Ghost Gate Pass of Yazhou in southern Guangdong. He should set off at once. Pay tribute to the Emperor!”
(Weeps)
How pitiable! How pitiable!
While no one listens to cranes’ weeping words,
An order of amnesty comes with singing birds.
(Exit)
(Drumbeats within)
(Enter Lu Sheng dressed in prison garb and kerchief, escorted by soldiers)
LU SHENG (To the tune of Northern Chuduizi):
The devils with wings stand in line,
(Enter the executioner with a sharp knife, who comes forward and kowtows)
LU SHENG:
Who are you?
EXECUTIONER:
I am the executioner to wait on you.
LU SHENG (Frightened):
I’m scared out of my wits.
The blade of his knife shows ill omen.
EXECUTIONER:
Please wear the one-word flag on your back, Your Excellency.
LU SHENG:
What’s the word?
EXECUTIONER, SOLDIERS:
The word “Beheading”.
LU SHENG:
Thanks for the grace of His Majesty. I thought that I would be chopped to pieces, but I shall be beheaded only. I’ll wear the flag. I’ll wear the flag.
(Amid sound of gongs and drums, the soldiers plant the one-word flag on Lu Sheng’s back)
LU SHENG:
For whom is the banquet prepared on the tent mat?
EXECUTIONER, SOLDIERS:
The Royal Banquet Hall has a dinner ready for the convict awaiting execution. You can wear a flower and enjoy your meal.
LU SHENG:
Yes, this flag
Serves as the royal flower to guide the dead soul.
The drums and gongs
Play the music accompanying the late audience.
The dinner
Provides salted fish for the hungry ghost.
EXECUTIONER, SOLDIERS:
Make haste to dine and wine. It’s about time.
LU SHENG:
I’ve had enough of royal dinners in the court. However,
As the underworld has no alehouse sign,
From whom can I buy wine?
I’ll kneel on the ground and drink a cup of wine bestowed by His Majesty.
(Kneels and drinks)
How can I gulp it!
(To the tune of Yao)
For the moment,
The wine moistens my throat;
I hope that His Majesty
Will offer sacrifice to a meritorious minister.
EXECUTIONER, SOLDIERS:
Be on your way now that you’ve drunk the wine, Your Highness.
LU SHENG (Kowtows):
Here’s my gratitude to His Majesty for the wine.
EXECUTIONER, SOLDIERS:
Hey, stand aside, onlookers, lest you delay the time.
LU SHENG (Walks on, tightly bound):
With roaring crowds back and forth,
I am squeezed and have to
Stumble my way to the execution site.
Is it that
The robbers also enjoy the sight?
(The executioner and soldiers shout the way amid gong-beats and drumbeats)
LU SHENG (Asks):
What is the place with flag poles?
EXECUTIONER, SOLDIERS:
It is the West Corner.
LU SHENG (To the tune of Southern Diliuzi):
Beneath the flagpoles,
Beneath the flagpoles,
A post is set for punishment.
The Yunyang execution ground,
The Yunyang execution ground
Is a refined corner.
EXECUTIONER, SOLDIERS:
You are no exception, Your Highness,
Many ministers of distinction
Come here alone
And never turn around.
Like caressing the head with glue,
Your hair will stick to my hands;
There is no alternative.
LU SHENG (Breaks apart the ropes in anger):
(To the tune of Northern Guadifeng)
Oh,
My hair stands erect in anger.
EXECUTIONER (Slips the back of his knife on Lu Sheng’s neck):
Your tender neck can hardly sustain the pain.
LU SHENG:
Alas, for you to test your knife,
My neck is perfect, without a flaw;
The Yunyang execution ground looks like a grand painting.
EXECUTIONER, SOLDIERS:
Have you killed anyone, Your Highness?
LU SHENG:
Well, by martial law,
I had countless heads cut at my orders
And now it’s my turn to lose my head.
EXECUTIONER, SOLDIERS:
Here we are at the Soul-Leaving Bridge.
LU SHENG:
For several years
I’ve been here to look back at the capital
And crossed the Soul-Leaving Bridge.
(Sound of bugles within)
EXECUTIONER (Waves the flag):
It’s time for you to ascend to Heaven, Your Highness.
LU SHENG (Laughs):
Malicious as you look like a devil,
You also mouth fine words.
When the knife falls, I shall be born again in Heaven. Alas, please listen to my last words carefully. At that very moment,
Do not make a miss.
See to it that you hold my head high
Lest blood should stain my robe.
EXECUTIONER, SOLDIERS:
On your knees, Your Highness.
(Lu Sheng kneels to be bound up)
(The executioner sharpens his knife)
(Sound of wind within)
EXECUTIONER:
What a gust of wind that blows the sands all over! Oops, where’s your neck, Your Highness?
(Feels)
Here it is. Stretch your neck, Your Highness.
(Lu Sheng bends his head)
(The executioner raises the knife)
VOICE OF URGENT SHOUTS WITHIN:
The imperial edict is coming! Stop the execution! Stop the execution!
(Enter Pei Guangting in a hurry carrying the imperial edict, followed by Miss Cui)
PEI GUANGTING (To the tune of Southern Shuangshengzi):
The imperial grace is great;
The imperial grace is great;
You can beat the drums to air your grievances.
The imperial edict is coming;
The imperial edict is coming;
There will be no execution in Yunyang.
No punishment today;
No punishment today.
Don’t be frightened;
Don’t be frightened.
At a hair’s breadth,
He escapes death from the knife.
Here’s the imperial edict: Although Lu Sheng is guilty of a crime that deserves ten thousand deaths, I pardon him from death for heavenly grace. Lu Sheng is to go on exile in the Ghost Gate Pass of Yazhou in southern Guangdong. There should not be a moment’s delay. Pay tribute to the Emperor!
(Lu Sheng is unbound)
LU SHENG (Lies prostrate on the ground and then kowtows):
Long live the Emperor! I am gratified with the grace of His Majesty. Who is the envoy?
PEI GUANGTING:
This is Pei Guangting.
LU SHENG:
Brother, brother, do I still have my head on me?
PEI GUANGTING:
Let me have a look.
(Looks and pats Lu Sheng on the head)
What a head of longevity you have!
LU SHENG (To the tune of Northern Simenzi):
My soul lingers at the edge of a knife;
Oh, oh, oh,
I nearly committed suicide with a knife.
Minister Pei, may I ask why Minister Xiao also signed when the memorial was drafted by Yuwen Rong?
(Sighs)
In a case that involves execution,
How can he sign with the Prime Minister?
PEI GUANGTING:
I’m afraid that Minister Xiao knows nothing about it.
LU SHENG:
Do you mean to say, do you mean to say that
The old minister could bear a humiliation
By biding his time with inaction?
(Sighs when wind starts)
When I look at the sand on the execution ground
And the flowers on the bloody field,
I feel pity for the generals and their steeds.
PEI GUANGTING:
You may say farewell to your wife here. I’ll go back and report to His Majesty.
Take good care when you are in the swamps
As gentle rain will fall when the time arrives.
Good-bye!
(Exit)
MISS CUI (Weeps):
How is it that words get stuck in my throat? I’ve brought a kettle of wine to calm you down and to see you off.
LU SHENG:
I’ve wined and dined in prison at the grace of His Majesty. I have had enough.
MISS CUI:
Our sons are kowtowing at the palace gate. Have a look at them before you leave.
LU SHENG:
Forget about it! Forget about it! They will only disturb my mind. Don’t let them see me here, Madam.
MISS CUI (Weeps):
Oh heavens! I’ll give you a toast to show my passions as your wife and on behalf of our sons.
(To the tune of Southern Baolaocui)
Oh, oh! Oops, oops!
(Drops the cup in panic)
Alas!
Trembling with fear, I can hardly hold the plate.
I am shivering with cold;
Sobbing and howling,
I moan and cry
In a hoarse voice.
(Drumbeats within)
VOICE WITHIN:
Master Lu, hurry up! Hurry up! The imperial edict comes from the capital to urge the departure without delay.
(Enter Lu Sheng’s sons in tears)
SONS:
Dear Dad!
MISS CUI:
How can your sons tear themselves away from you!
LU SHENG:
As a woman, you do not know that the imperial court says that I must go on exile outside the Ghost Gate Pass because I have ulterior motives. A criminal on exile has to leave at the fixed time. Oh heavens, as man is not made of soil or wood, who can bear separation from his flesh and blood? I’m afraid that I’ve involved you and our sons in all the trouble and inconvenience.
(Lu Sheng’s sons grasp him, eager to go with him)
You ought not to go with me, my dear sons!
(Weeps with his sons)
My sons cannot stay with me;
My wife cannot live with me;
We can only share a bed in death.
(Miss Cui faints)
LU SHENG (Holds Miss Cui):
(To the tune of Northern Shuixianzi)
Oh, oh, oh!
She
’s cried her eyes out.
Pull, pull, pull! Pull her up
Lest she becomes a stone statue.
(Lu Sheng’s sons weep)
LU SHENG:
Suffer, suffer, suffer!
They will suffer too much.
Pain, pain, pain!
The pain stabs at my heart.
I, I, I!
When I die beside a noxious river,
You, you, you!
Madam, you will become a widow.
MISS CUI:
Have another look at your sons!
LU SHENG:
Well, well, well!
My sons cannot take my place.
Now, now, now!
With these words I’ve taken leave of His Majesty.
It’s time for me to leave. Good-bye!
MISS CUI:
Where are you going?
LU SHENG:
Go, go, go!
I’m going to the remotest corner of the earth.
(Exit)
MISS CUI (Weeps):
Go back home, sons! As his wife, am I not going to accompany him a bit?
(To the tune of Southern Doushuangji)
Although my man is pardoned by His Majesty,
I feel the sword stabbing at my heart.
There is no one to help him,
To help him pack luggage.
As a minister,
Why should he have come to this?
(Reenter Lu Sheng)
LU SHENG (Greets Miss Cui):
Why are you catching up with me again, Madam?
MISS CUI:
I cannot set my mind at ease because there is no one to accompany you. I’ve brought a small chunk of silver in my sleeve for you to spend on the way.
LU SHENG:
Who dares to come close to me as a convict? I’ll beg my way by myself. Please bring the silver back and buy some rice and firewood. Do not let our sons suffer!
(To the tune of Northern Coda)
Can a convict’s family have much hope?
I fear that other tricks might be done on us.
Madam, madam,
Just keep waiting with patience
Until I come back and win fame again.
A man of worthy deeds is harmed by lies;
On exile to the Ghost Gate Pass he departs.
Weeping eyes look at weeping eyes;
A broken heart sees off a broken heart.
Scene Twenty-One
The Slanderer’s Satisfaction
(Enter Yuwen Rong, in laughter)
YUWEN RONG (To the tune of Lülüjin):
I have a honey tongue
And a dagger heart.
Who is so vile as I
And yet serves as a lord?
Those who come must do as I say.
How can a fool like Lu Sheng
Escape from miasma and be on homeward way?
His family is done away with.
I am the slanderous minister Yuwen Rong. In for a chip, in for a chunk. Lu Sheng is a meritorious minister, who has dug 300 miles of canal and expanded 1,000 miles of border territory. When I presented a memorial to His Majesty, saying that he had illicit relations with Tubo, he was to be put to death in public. It is unfortunate that his wife Miss Cui from Qinghe begged His Majesty for pardon from death and Lu Sheng was sent on exile to a place full of miasma in Hainan. How can he escape from death when be crosses the Ghost Gate Pass? He’s got into my trap! However, a mere woman as she is, Miss Cui might stir up trouble at the instigation of Xiao and Pei if she is left unrestrained. I presented a secret memorial to His Majesty yesterday, saying, “As the wife of a traitorous minister, Miss Cui should be reduced to the state of a slave maid; as the descendants of a traitorous minister, Lu Sheng’s sons should be banished to a distant location.” His Majesty decreed, “Lu Sheng’s sons are to live outside the capital and Miss Cui is to serve in the Royal Weaving Mill.” No sooner had I obtained the imperial edict than I sent a capital envoy to confine Miss Cui in the Weaving Mill and to expel Lu Sheng’s sons out of the capital. I’m now waiting for a reply from the envoy.