Nirvana In Fire

To prepare well for the Emperor’s birthday ceremony, Wuying Hall was newly refurbished. Places were set out for guests according to their ranks. The men of the imperial clan, led by Prince Ji, would be seated to the right of the steps, while the womenfolk would be seated behind a golden screen in a separate area to the left. The rest of the ranking court officials would be distributed to the left and right according to their ranks. The lower their rank, the farther away they would be. Those of rank 5 and below could only pay their respects outside the hall and withdraw, not partaking in the banquet. Because dancing and singing were not permitted, there was no need to leave a lot of empty space at the front of the hall, so the Ministry of Rites could arrange for more compact seating, leaving a space of only ten square feet about three zhang* away from the steps to the throne, over which was laid a brocade carpet. This was where well-wishers would stand to convey their birthday wishes. These arrangements were nothing new to the Ministry of Rites. Processes and customs were well-established, and systems and precedents were already in place for the various palace halls. Other than minor variations, preparations went off without a hitch. A few days away from the ceremony, however, all these arrangements that should have been able to be executed with one’s eyes closed encountered a curveball as a new name was added to the guest list. As a visiting official, Mei Changsu was unrelated to any of the other guests, nor was he a member of the imperial family. He also did not have a formal position, so he couldn’t be placed with the court officials either. Yet His Majesty had personally invited him, and His Highness the Crown Prince, who was by the Emperor’s side, had especially reminded them to “take good care of him”, so they couldn’t very well put him in a corner of the hall. Though they racked their brains, the members of the Ministry of Rites could find no solution and found themselves in a terrible fix. On the day of the birthday ceremony, this problem unexpectedly resolved itself. Just as Mei Changsu was about to ascend the steps to speak to a member of the Ministry of Rites, Mu Qing rushed forward excitedly, his face beaming like a flower in full blossom, and he insisted on pulling Mei Changsu over to sit with him. This problem had been a headache for the shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, and as soon as he saw this, he vaguely dismissed Mei Changsu as one of the Mu household members. Anyway, he was already sitting at Mu Qing’s table. As long as he didn’t squeeze in with anyone else, or sat too close to the throne, or cause inconvenience to anyone, everyone was happy.

*Measure of distance. Ten Chinese feet (3.3m).

The golden bell rang nine times. Xiao Jingyan supported the Liang Emperor up the golden steps to take his seat. Standing steady, his gaze swiftly swept once through the entire palace hall. It was only when he saw Mei Changsu seated by Mu Qing, smiling, and Grand Princess Li Yang’s calm expression that he felt a little more at ease, and proceeded to officially commence with the ceremony. With the exception of the lack of song and dance, this year’s ceremony was no different from previous years. Relatives, nobles and court officials took turns to kowtow and congratulate the Emperor, and he in turn bestowed each of them a reward, after which the ceremonial officer proclaimed the commencement of the banquet. After the emperor touched his chopsticks to the food and filled three cups of wine, the Crown Prince led the selected relatives and court officials to one by one present their carefully prepared gifts. Generally speaking, the preceding ceremony for congratulating the Emperor was more solemn, but when it came to the presentation of the gifts, the atmosphere became more lively, as they waited for each gift to be revealed. The more confident court officials would request permission to stand on the brocade carpet and recite their personally composed hymns of praise, using eloquence and wit to elicit praise and win attention. Based on previous experience, there would be one or two outstanding persons on that brocade carpet every year, so everyone ate and drank while waiting to see who would steal the limelight this year.

“Haha, hahaha, that’s also considered a poem….haha….” Mu Qing laughed heartily, slapping his palm on the table top, after the assistant minister of the Ministry of Works finished his recitation. “Mister Su, if I wrote such a poem, I would have been caned by my Master*…..”

*”fu zi” old form of address for teacher

“For this poem to make you laugh so, there must be something humorous about it. All those old Masters teaching you are really unable to produce such lively language.” Mei Changsu smiled as he adjusted Mu Qing’s perspective of things, but his eyes swept lightly to the front, the corners of his mouth a little tight.

His gaze landed on Grand Princess Liyang. She was fiddling with the cuffs of her light jacket, raising a hand to brush back the black veil that was hanging down on one side of her face. Though her face was pale, her eyes were focused. Not long after her gaze secretly met Xiao Jingyan’s, she slowly stood up.

Princess Jingning, who was seated beside her, whispered in surprise, “Xiao gugu*, where are you going?” Grand Princess Liyang didn’t hear her, her long skirt billowing lightly as she made her way beyond the golden screen right to the centre of the brocade rug, graceful and upright.

*younger aunt

Da Liang’s imperial family had no shortage of talented women, and there were also many who had written poems to congratulate the Emperor on his birthday, which they dedicated to him in private. Never before had one stood publicly on the brocade rug during the birthday ceremony, let alone Grand Princess Liyang who had experienced so many strange twists and turns, a woman whose life was a tale in itself. Thus, as soon as she appeared, there was silence in the entire hall. Everyone stopped eating and drinking, and looked at her with wide eyes. Even the Liang Emperor couldn’t help putting down his golden cup in shock and ask, “Liyang, are you intending to recite a poem?”

“Your younger sister lacks literary talent and is not capable of writing a poem….” Grand Princess Liyang’s gaze was determined. She drew a deep breath and raised her chin. “Please forgive me, Your Majesty. Your younger sister would like to take this golden opportunity, before all gathered here, to confess on behalf of the subject Xie Yu to the crime of deceiving the Emperor, falsely accusing the innocent of rebellion and killing the loyal and faithful. For upsetting Your Majesty, your younger sister deserves ten thousand deaths, but Xie Yu’s crimes are truly wicked and offend both man and God alike. Your younger sister dare not conceal it. If I do not confess it before the imperial court and reveal it to the world, I fear that I would incur divine punishment. Your Majesty, please allow your younger sister to present a detailed petition.”

“What are you talking about….” The Liang Emperor said with displeasure, his expression confused. “I heard that Xie Yu’s already dead, isn’t he? His punishment has already been carried out….Liyang, although I had punished him, I had been lenient with you and didn’t implicate you and your children. What else do you feel is lacking that you should cause such a fuss during my birthday ceremony?”

“Once Your Majesty listens to this, Your Majesty will understand why your younger sister must confess her deceased husband’s crime now in this hall.” Face to face with her Huang xiong’s* dark gaze, Grand Princess Liyang gritted her teeth and waited for her fear to dissipate before saying in a clear and distinct voice, “Thirteen years ago, Xie Yu conspired with Xia Jiang to force a scholar to imitate Chiyan’s Vanguard General Nie Feng’s handwriting and forge a secret letter accusing Commander Lin of plotting a rebellion, deceiving the Emperor and finally breaking out into a case of enormous proportions. This was his first crime…..”

*royal elder brother

With these words, Wuying Hall instantly erupted, like cold water poured onto hot oil. The Liang Emperor’s expression also changed, and he raised a trembling finger towards the Grand Princess, saying furiously, “You….you….are you mad?”

“To make the accusation more realistic, Xie Yu secretly sealed Juehun Valley with fire, pushing Nie Feng’s troops into a corner and completely annihilating them, then shifted the blame to Commander Lin. This is his second crime.” Grand Princess Liyang paid no heed to the uproar around her, and continued to say in a loud voice, “Having been from the military, Xie Yu understood battle situations and the Chiyan troop movements. Lying that Commander Lin was advancing his troops into the capital, he deceived Your Majesty into giving him the military seal and went with Xia Jiang to set up an ambush in Meiling. Taking advantage of the Chiyan army’s exhaustion after invading Da Yu, without announcing the imperial decree, without calling for surrender, they charged at them and unjustly massacred 70,000 loyal souls in Meiling. Afterwards, they claimed to be victims of rebellion as the Chiyan army resisted imperial orders, so they had no choice but to put them down on the spot. This was his third crime…”

“Shut up! Shut up!” hissed the Liang Emperor, who couldn’t listen anymore and was shaking all over. “Men! Drag her away! Drag her away!”

The palace guards looked at each other in dismay for a period of time before walking over hesitantly. Just as they came into contact with Grand Princess Liyang, she shook them off, and they immediately showed reluctance to take her by force, and stood aside.

“After the massacre at Meiling, Xia Jiang and Xie Yu made use of Commander Lin’s golden seal and signet to produce counterfeit documents framing Prince Qi for instigating the Chiyan rebellion in order to seize the throne. As a result of this false accusation, Prince Qi and his entire family was exterminated. This was his fourth crime,” Grand Princess Liyang knew that she could not stop now. She did not look at the imperial guards by her side. Relying on her determination, she persisted. “After this injustice took place, Xie Yu and Xia Jiang used their imperial power over the military to seal off all avenues for redress, Anyone with the slightest knowledge of the truth who had any intention of reporting it was eliminated one by one so none of these ever reached Your Majesty’s ears. This was his fifth crime. Five capital crimes, each one confessed and written by Xie Yu’s own hand. Not a word has been falsely fabricated. After reading this letter, your younger sister was shocked to the core and greatly distressed by this, and therefore have stepped forward to announce this, hoping that Your Majesty would clarify the facts of this injustice, and by the order of heaven, order a reinvestigation of the Chiyan case so that these loyal souls can rest in peace. If this request is granted, even if your younger sister dies….at least I would be at peace.”

Tears rolled down from the corners of Grand Princess Liyang’s eyes as she spread her sleeves and prostrated before the throne, her forehead touching the floor. Slowly, she knocked her head against the floor like a heavy hammer, and each time, it resonated in the chests of all those present. Although her words were succinct and unexaggerated, the facts revealed by her confession today were too shocking and evoked feelings of grief and indignation in anyone with a conscience and a sense of right and wrong. Amidst the impassioned uproar filling the hall, Shi Yuan Qing, the shangshu of the Ministry of Appointments, was the first to step forward. Clasping his fist, he said, “Your Majesty, although what the Grand Princess has said is horrifying, with Xie Yu’s written confession as evidence, these aren’t wild and baseless conjectures. If this is not investigated thoroughly, the court will be uneasy. Your Majesty, please allow for this petition and assign fair and impartial court officials to reinvestigate the Chiyan case over the next few days and clarify the facts, in order to demonstrate Your Majesty’s wisdom and great virtue!”

As soon as he had finished speaking, the Zhongshu Ling Liu Cheng, the Master of Cheng Pavilion, Shen Zhui, Cai Quan and other similarly ranking officials stepped forward and said unanimously, “Shi shangshu is right. We second it!” By this time, everyone’s emotions were running a little high. These were considerably high ranking officials. The moment they stood up, those in the back immediately stood followed suit in large numbers. Even the usually uninvolved Prince Ji slowly got up and said with slightly red eyes, “Your younger brother thinks that the request made by the court officials is very reasonable. May Your Majesty grant it.”

“You….even you….” The Liang Emperor’s jowls trembled, and he fell into a coughing fit, gasping for air, his entire being restless. Leaning forward on the table, he overturned a cup of fragrant tea onto the floor. “What are all of you planning to do? Force me? Xie Yu is already dead. Why is there still talk about whether he’s guilty or not? It’s just an insignificant handwritten letter whose authenticity cannot easily be ascertained. To get so many people involved like this, aren’t you all making a mountain out of a molehill? Leave me all of you….leave me.…..”

“Your Majesty,” Cai Quan took a step forward, and said with his head raised high, “The truth surrounding this matter is not just about whether or not Xie Yu is guilty of the crime. What’s crucial here is the people’s confidence in the way the imperial court handles such matters. Whether or not there was injustice, this can only be realized after proper investigation. If this is brushed aside, it would only invite criticism from everyone everywhere. The people will renounce virtue, the troops would be anxious and disillusioned. For the sake of the victims, and to maintain Your Majesty’s virtuous name as well as the stability of all of Da Liang, may Your Majesty accept your servant’s advice and allow for the reinvestigation of the Chiyan case!”

“Your servant seconds it! I second it!” Mu Qing practically waved his hand as he said, “After hearing this, who in this hall can with good conscience pretend not to know about this outrageous injustice, to not investigate further, to not ask more questions? Since there was a mistrial, it should naturally be reinvestigated. This is the most straightforward logic.”

“How dare you!” The Liang Emperor sputtered in anger, his teeth rattling. “All this bluster in the imperial palace. Mu Qing, are you revolting too?”

“Your servant seconds it too,” interjected Marquis Yan coldly. “When the Grand Princess made her plea, her words were logically sound and factually clear, without any flights of fantasy. Based on the situation, logic and the law, Your Majesty should grant this request and reopen the case for reinvestigation. Your servant truly cannot understand why Your Majesty is hesitating?”

His words pierced the Liang Emperor’s heart like a knife, rendering him speechless in his anger. At that moment, His Highness the Crown Prince, who had all this while stood by observing in silence, finally stood up, drawing all eyes to him. Dressed in his dragon embroidered gown, inclining slightly towards the old Emperor, who was visibly weak and old, the Crown Prince dazzled the room with a presence that was majestic and full of vigor.

“Your son seconds it.”

These four simple words carried with it the energy of thunder and lightning that hit the ground with a loud crash, crushing the Liang Emperor’s last attempts at resistance.