[Romantic Anecdotes of the Tang Dynasty Court] [75] [Author: Xu Xiaotian]

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-24

In Chapter Seventy-Five, the Prince of Jianning, disguising himself as Empress Zhang, offered loyal advice. He then committed suicide, deeply in love with Lady Li, who had colluded with Li Fu both domestically and internationally. Their activities of abusing power and accepting bribes were countless, and the hot-tempered Prince of Jianning could hardly stand by and watch. He tried several times to petition his father, but each time the Crown Prince stopped him, advising him, "It's none of your business; you'll only invite resentment." Prince Jianning barely managed to suppress his anger, but now, hearing that they plotted to kill the Crown Prince and install another prince, Zhao, as the new Crown Prince, and given his close brotherly bond with the Crown Prince, he couldn't help but be enraged. He stormed into the palace, only to learn that his father was sunbathing in the imperial garden. Emperor Suzong's health was declining day by day, and every winter, the imperial physicians advised the Emperor to sunbathe for an hour each day to receive the harmony of nature; whenever Emperor Suzong sunbathed in the imperial garden, Empress Zhang was always by his side. Today, when Prince Jianning entered the palace, he saw Empress Zhang sitting to one side. He went up to pay his respects to his father, the Emperor, without saying anything.
Empress Zhang, being a very astute woman, noticed Prince Jianning's angry expression and sensed something amiss. She feigned changing clothes and withdrew from the garden. Meanwhile, she instructed her trusted confidant to hide deep within the imperial garden corridor and eavesdrop on the father and son's conversation. However, Prince Jianning, a straightforward man, had not anticipated this. After Empress Zhang left, he recounted in detail how she had colluded with Li Fuguo, accepting bribes and wielding power, and how she was now plotting to frame the Crown Prince. Finally, he earnestly said, "If Your Majesty continues to listen to such a woman, even if you gain the empire, you will also lose it! How will you face your ancestors in the afterlife?" These words enraged Emperor Suzong. Moreover, Empress Zhang and Li Fuguo were inseparable from Emperor Suzong every day, constantly offering slanderous advice. Emperor Suzong, who trusted Empress Zhang and Li Fuguo implicitly, was unwilling to listen to Prince Jianning's loyal words. He couldn't help but repeatedly shout, "You rebellious son, you're deliberately sowing discord among your own family!" Without letting Prince Jianning finish speaking, he ordered the eunuchs to banish him from the imperial garden. Prince Jianning,
filled with grievances, went to see the Crown Prince; the two brothers embraced and wept bitterly upon meeting. The Crown Prince calmed Prince Jianning down, and Prince Jianning then recounted his earlier advice to his father and the reprimands he had received. Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince was greatly alarmed and exclaimed, "My brother, haven't you gotten yourself into serious trouble?" Prince Jianning asked, "How do you know this is trouble?" The Crown Prince replied, "Your brother received a reprimand from Father today, but that's a minor matter. I fear that when Father returns to the palace and tells Empress Zhang, and with Empress Zhang's slander and Li Fuguo's manipulation, they will surely want to kill you if you expose their treachery. In my humble opinion, your brother should flee the capital tonight and hide among the common people. This is the best course of action." After listening to the Crown Prince's words, Prince Jianning thought carefully and realized that his health was indeed in danger; but since things had come to this point, fear was useless. Then, with a sigh, he said to the Crown Prince, "It has always been said that when the ruler commands a subject to die, the subject must die; when the father commands a son to die, the son must die. Now, according to my brother, a son who has offended his father and cannot be forgiven by his own flesh and blood has no joy in living. I will just go home and await my death!" After saying this, Prince Jianning stood up and left; how could the Crown Prince bear to part with him? He went up and grabbed him, earnestly urging him to leave the capital and hide for a while before making a decision. Prince Jianning just shook his head and left, sobbing. The
Crown Prince was still worried, so he secretly went to see Lady Li; because Lady Li was a confidante of Empress Zhang and the wife of Li Fuguo, he naturally had no suspicion of her.
He discussed with Lady Li and asked her to go to Empress Zhang to inquire about the situation. Lady Li had fallen in love with the Crown Prince, so how could she refuse? That very night, she pretended to be visiting the palace and went to see the Empress.
The Empress had already sent her trusted confidant to eavesdrop on the conversation, and the confidant told the Empress everything that Prince Jianning had said to the Emperor. Empress Zhang immediately summoned Li Fuguo to the palace to discuss how to deal with Prince Jianning. Li Fuguo advised Empress Zhang to slander Prince Jianning to the Emperor, insisting on his life. He further advised that since Prince Jianning had revealed the secret to the Emperor, they should go all the way; they should seize this opportunity to claim that Prince Jianning was sent by the Crown Prince to sow discord between the prince and his son, and then ask the Emperor to depose the Crown Prince and install Prince Zhao as the new Crown Prince—this would be a permanent solution. Empress Zhang considered Lady Li a confidante and carefully told her about their discussion. Lady Li was unmoved when she heard about taking Prince Jianning's life; however, when she heard about deposing the Crown Prince, she became emotionally agitated and panicked, rushing back to her own quarters. The Crown Prince was hiding in his room waiting for news, and Lady Li told him what she had overheard. The Crown Prince, deeply devoted to his brother, remained unmoved upon hearing of the impending removal of his title; however, upon hearing of the impending execution of Prince Jianning, he panicked greatly. He desperately wanted to send someone to Prince Jianning's residence to deliver a message, but it was already late at night, and there was no one around to send a messenger. The Crown Prince spent the entire night pacing anxiously in the middle of the room. Finally, dawn broke, but fearing that sending someone would leak the news, he disguised himself as a eunuch and slipped out of the palace.
Arriving at Prince Jianning's residence, he stepped inside and heard a commotion. Rushing into the inner courtyard, he saw all the men and women of the residence surrounding Prince Jianning, weeping and wailing.
Seeing the Crown Prince enter, they had to stop crying and let him squeeze through the crowd. The Crown Prince looked up and saw Prince Jianning lying stiffly in his reclining chair, his face ashen, his eyes rolled back. The Crown Prince only managed to utter one cry of "Brother!"
before rushing to the body, burying his face in his hands and weeping bitterly. The poor Prince Jianning died amidst the Crown Prince's cries! Many of the princesses and concubines surrounded the body, weeping bitterly. After the weeping subsided, the Crown Prince inquired about the cause of death. It turned out that the previous night, after returning home from the palace, Prince Jianning had been sighing deeply in his study. By dawn, he had not returned to the inner courtyard. His princess, in a panic, rushed into the study and found that he had already taken poison and was barely clinging to life. They had summoned the palace physician, but it was too late. Hearing this, the Crown Prince was deeply saddened and couldn't help but weep again, embracing Prince Jianning's body. It was the princess who intervened, urging the Crown Prince to return to the palace quickly.
Because the Crown Prince and Prince Jianning were close brothers, the Crown Prince had secretly left the palace to visit Prince Jianning. If Empress Zhang found out, she would stir up trouble and spread rumors before the Emperor, which would be very detrimental to the Crown Prince. Heeding the advice of the concubines, the Crown Prince had no choice but to return to the palace quietly, filled with sorrow. Prince Jianning died, and within two or three hours, Emperor Suzong issued an edict ordering Prince Jianning to commit suicide. This tragedy was caused by Empress Zhang's slander before the Emperor. From then on, Empress Zhang sent several trusted palace maids to keep an eye on the Crown Prince's movements in the Eastern Palace. Lady Li, having learned of this, secretly spoke to the Crown Prince, advising him to be careful in his words and actions in the palace; even their private affair should be kept to a minimum, lest this scandal be exposed and ruin their good relationship. The Crown Prince, frightened by Lady Li's words, dared not act recklessly or speak carelessly in the palace. Half a year had passed, and he was deeply distressed.
Even though Li Fuguo had married this Lady Li, and now lived in the palace for a long time, the couple could not be intimate. Although he had many maids, concubines, and courtesans at home for his pleasure, none could compare to Lady Li's beauty and fair complexion. The more a eunuch disregarded sexual matters, the more he loved to admire beautiful women; the less he focused on lust, the more ruthlessly he manipulated women. Over the past year, Li Fuguo and his maids and concubines had become terrified of him, all complaining bitterly. Li Fuguo, having grown tired of her, then thought of his lady in the palace again. Lady Li's reason for living in the palace was partly to avoid the dangers of Li Fuguo's physical abuse, and partly because she was infatuated with the Crown Prince's infatuation. Therefore, Li Fuguo went to the palace several times to bring Lady Li back to his residence, but Lady Li always refused, citing the Empress, leaving Li Fuguo with no recourse. Later, Li Fuguo, deeply impressed by his wife's abilities, went to the palace to plead with Empress Zhang to bring her home. Empress Zhang loved Li Fuguo dearly and kept her in the palace, where they spent their days chatting and laughing. Therefore, she was reluctant to let her leave. Considering Li Fuguo's crippled state, she felt his wife would be useless if she returned home, and thus kept her there as well. Li Fuguo was overjoyed that Empress Zhang allowed her to stay, both to avoid disaster and to see the Crown Prince more often. After Li Fuguo's repeated pleas, Empress Zhang agreed to let him stay in the palace until the New Year. It was the twelfth lunar month, and the New Year was fast approaching. Hearing the Empress's words, Li Fuguo was extremely anxious. She secretly discussed the matter with the Crown Prince, but they couldn't come up with a good plan.
Just then, Guo Ziyi, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, returned to court to report on military affairs. Emperor Suzong was very pleased with Marshal Guo's meritorious service in killing the enemy and granted him an audience at the Yanxi Hall. After meeting the Emperor, Guo Ziyi reported on the military situation, saying that the major enemy had been eliminated, but Shi Siming's illegitimate son, Shi Chaoyi, was stubbornly resisting. He requested His Majesty to send a high-ranking military official to assist him in defeating Shi Chaoyi.
Emperor Suzong was very pleased and kept Guo Ziyi at the palace banquet; he also bestowed generous gifts of gold and silk upon the generals who had accompanied him on the expedition. After the banquet, Guo Ziyi thanked the emperor and left. A group of civil and military officials of the court welcomed him back, and even Li Fuguo hosted a grand banquet at his residence, with entertainers singing and dancing to urge him to drink. Guo Ziyi was busy entertaining everyone all day. When he returned to his camp, it was already dusk, so he rested for a while in his private hall.
Just as he was about to doze off, a servant came in to report that a young official was requesting an audience.
Guo Ziyi, seeing that the night was deep and the guest's arrival was quite abrupt, hurriedly asked, "Do you know the name of this person? Ask him what business he has with you in the dead of night?" The servant replied, "The official only said he had urgent official business to discuss with the Marshal. I asked him for his name, but he wouldn't tell me, only saying that your Marshal will recognize me when he sees me." Guo Ziyi, being an upright gentleman, had no doubts and immediately ordered the guest to be brought in. When the young official entered the room, Guo Ziyi was startled. He quickly dismissed the servant, went up to greet him, and addressed him as "Your Majesty." It turned out that this young official was none other than the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince rarely left the palace, and his arrival in the middle of the night must have been for confidential business.
Guo Ziyi then grabbed the Crown Prince's sleeve and led him into a secluded spot in the inner courtyard, where he inquired about the Crown Prince's purpose. The Crown Prince then recounted the recent plot by Empress Zhang to collude with Li Fuguo to depose him, and the circumstances surrounding Prince Jianning's forced suicide. He then discussed with Guo Ziyi a plan to avert disaster. Guo Ziyi, upon hearing of Li Fuguo's abuse of power, was filled with righteous indignation. When the Crown Prince asked him for a plan to avoid disaster, he lowered his head for a long while. Suddenly, a brilliant plan came to mind. He said, “Today, when I met Your Majesty, I reported that the rebels were rampant and requested that Your Majesty dispatch a high-ranking military official to assist in suppressing them. Tomorrow, when I meet Your Majesty again, I will recommend Your Highness and request that Your Majesty appoint Your Highness as the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, leading all armies to suppress the rebels. This way, Your Highness will be removed from the palace, avoiding much trouble; secondly, with Your Highness holding significant military power, Empress Zhang and Li Fuguo will be afraid and dare not plot to depose you.” The Crown Prince was overjoyed upon hearing this, repeatedly exclaiming, “Brilliant plan! Brilliant plan!” That night, he excused himself and quietly returned to the palace. The next day, Guo Ziyi went to court and reported to the Emperor his request for the Crown Prince to personally lead the army to suppress the rebels and be appointed Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces. Emperor Suzong, having heard Empress Zhang repeatedly speak ill of the Crown Prince in his ears these past few days, was now pleased to hear Guo Ziyi's words and use this opportunity to send the Crown Prince away, preventing further discord within the palace. He immediately approved Guo Ziyi's memorial and issued an edict appointing the Crown Prince as Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, jointly commanding six armies with Guo Ziyi as Deputy Grand Marshal, to suppress the bandit Shi Chaoyi.
Shi Chaoyi, firmly entrenched in the Jianghuai region, still possessed considerable power and a formidable army. Emperor Suzong was constantly worried.
Upon receiving the imperial edict, the Crown Prince submitted another memorial requesting the mobilization of troops from Shuofang and the Western Regions for a large-scale campaign to bolster his forces. This pleased Emperor Suzong greatly, and the Crown Prince quickly assembled an army of 200,000, ready to depart. Suddenly, the Uyghur Khan, Moyanchuo, sent his envoy, the Crown Prince Yegu, to the Tang court to negotiate peace, leading 4,000 elite troops to assist the Emperor in defeating the bandits. Emperor Suzong was overjoyed and immediately summoned the Yabghu to the palace for an audience, ordering him to become sworn brothers with the Crown Prince.
The Uyghur army was extremely brave; with their help, the Tang Crown Prince's power grew even stronger. They lingered in the palace for only a short time before setting off. The Crown Prince was deeply reluctant to part with Lady Li; even Lady Li, in the palace, felt heartbroken upon hearing that the Crown Prince was leading troops out of the capital. Moreover, once winter ended and spring returned, she too would have to leave the palace to return to Li Fuguo's residence; from then on, they didn't know when they would meet again, and she longed day and night for the Crown Prince to come and bid her farewell. The Crown Prince, fearing to reveal his true intentions to the palace maids, dared not see Lady Li. But as the days of separation drew closer, Lady Li grew increasingly anxious. She couldn't tell the palace maids what was on her mind, so every day at dusk, she would walk alone in the courtyard, under the flowers and moon, hoping and sighing. That night, the moon was full, and the palace was quiet. Lady Li, without a single maidservant, leaned against the railing, gazing at the moon. A gust of north wind chilled her skin, and she suddenly felt her clothes were too thin, so she wanted to go back inside to put on some more clothes. Seeing a maidservant approaching from afar, she ordered her to fetch a short-sleeved garment from her room. The maidservant then advised Lady Li to go to the courtyard to stroll under the moon. Lady Li saw that the moon was indeed bright and lovely. However, being alone and timid, she dared not go in the quiet night, so she asked the maidservant to accompany her. The maidservant followed silently behind. When they reached the center of the courtyard, the maidservant said, "The moon-viewing platform in the west courtyard is even more enchanting." Lady Li listened and walked along the winding flower path.
Reaching the platform, she saw the steps as still as water, all was silent, and overhead was a full moon, round and exceptionally bright. Lady Li, thinking of the reunion in the heavens and the separation on earth, couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Before the sigh subsided, the maidservant suddenly appeared, stretching out her arms and tightly embracing Lady Li's slender waist, pulling her into her embrace. Lady Li was caught off guard and quite surprised; as she carefully examined the maidservant's face in the moonlight, her heart blossomed with joy. She quickly pressed her rosy cheeks against the maidservant's face, and the two bodies became intimately entwined like twisted taffy. It turned out that this maidservant was none other than the Crown Prince in disguise. On this beautiful night, the two were truly captivated by each other's love, their hearts filled with unspeakable sorrow and longing. Lady Li was already extremely unwilling because Li Fuguo was forcing her to return to her residence; seeing the Crown Prince about to lead troops on a distant expedition, she felt even more reluctant to part with him. As they spoke of their deepest affection, Lady Li held the Crown Prince's neck tightly; hot tears fell onto his shoulder. The Crown Prince wiped away Lady Li's tears, offering countless tender words of comfort. Lady Li repeatedly insisted on leaving the capital with the Crown Prince to enjoy a life of pleasure together. The Crown Prince, upon hearing this, simply shook his head, saying, "With so many eyes and ears among the thousands of troops, how can we manage?
" However, Lady Li was devoted to the Crown Prince and, having returned to the Li residence, could no longer endure the torment inflicted by Li Fuguo. The two talked until the wee hours of the morning, but fearing exposure from the palace maids and eunuchs, they hardened their hearts and parted ways
. The next day, the Crown Prince busied himself inspecting his soldiers, preparing for departure. This Crown Prince, who had previously distinguished himself in battle in Lingwu, was now a Crown Prince, his prestige and influence vastly different from before. Emperor Suzong had granted him imperial banners and insignia, and wherever he went, civil and military officials would come to pay their respects, making his journey extremely imposing. The Crown Prince, however, was deeply troubled, longing only for Lady Li.
One day, while staying at the Western Capital Palace, it was getting late when a eunuch brought in a lamp. The Grand Marshal was sitting idly, feeling bored. The palace was usually staffed with maids, several of whom were quite beautiful. Now, they were all dressed in their finest attire, each holding a musical instrument, serving him in the corridor. The eunuch entered, and the Grand Marshal, still sitting there, sighed deeply. The eunuch quietly beckoned to the door, and the maids entered the room, each taking their instrument and beginning to play. After only one piece, the Grand Marshal, annoyed, repeatedly waved his hand, and the maids had no choice but to stop playing and withdraw. Only the eunuch remained standing to the side. Since leaving the palace, the Grand Marshal had traveled day and night, and this eunuch had always been by his side, attending to his every need. This eunuch was intelligent and handsome, and the Grand Marshal favored him greatly. Whenever he felt lonely, this eunuch would keep him company and keep him entertained. This eunuch was very loyal to the Grand Marshal. Seeing that the Grand Marshal often sighed with a furrowed brow when no one was around, he would sing in a sweet, delicate voice to amuse him and relieve his boredom. The Grand Marshal found his singing melodious and graceful, surpassing even the palace musicians, and thus he enjoyed listening to him sing. At this moment, the palace maids withdrew, and the Grand Marshal instructed the eunuch to sing a song to relieve his boredom. The eunuch then perked up and imitated Yang Guifei singing a section of "Qing Ping Diao," and then imitated the "Rainbow Feather Dance." His supple waist and soft, melodious voice made him look just like a girl. This made the Grand Marshal laugh heartily. The Grand Marshal's laughter made the eunuch dance even more energetically, his body spinning as fast as the wind. Suddenly, he lost his footing, his boot tipped over, and he fell headfirst to the ground. The eunuch cried out repeatedly, "Ouch!" He couldn't get up. Seeing his pitiful state, the Grand Marshal stood up and personally helped the eunuch by the arm. Shining a lamplight on him, he was astonished. The eunuch was actually a woman in disguise! Her boots had slipped off, revealing six-inch silk stockings and a small foot. The Grand Marshal suspected that Empress Zhang had sent her to assassinate him. Enraged, he drew his sword from his waist, gripped it tightly, and demanded, "Who are you, you lowly servant, daring to disguise yourself and deceive this Grand Marshal?" He reached out to remove her hat, revealing a head of flowing hair. The Grand Marshal recognized her as none other than Lady Li, whom he had longed for day and night. Seeing the Grand Marshal's menacing gesture, as if to draw his sword to kill her, Lady Li simply threw herself into his arms. The Grand Marshal seized the opportunity, embracing her slender waist and asking, "Madam, how did you come out of the palace to come with me?" Lady Li smiled and replied, "Ever since that night when I parted from Your Highness, it felt as if I had lost a precious treasure. I couldn't sleep peacefully, nor could I eat. At that time, I knew that among the thousands of soldiers, there were many eyes and ears; how could a woman like me follow Your Highness out of the palace? But my heart is filled with a deep longing; I always want to be with Your Highness, never leaving your side. Even if Your Highness doesn't know, so that I can often see your face in secret, it will be my wish." "That's enough. Therefore, I devised a plan to disguise myself. Taking advantage of the bustling scene of everyone packing their belongings in the Eastern Palace that night, I disguised myself as a eunuch and mingled among the crowd to slip out of the palace. I endured countless hardships along the way, but fortunately, my wish was fulfilled. Serving His Highness every day and receiving his special favor has already filled me with immense satisfaction.
Today, even Heaven took pity on me; I unintentionally removed one boot in front of His Highness, revealing my secret. Upon seeing me, His Highness showed no pity, but instead viciously tried to kill me." As Lady Li spoke, she couldn't help but fall into the Marshal's arms, sobbing softly. The Marshal, who was usually very obedient to Lady Li, was heartbroken to see her suffer so much for him. He showered her with tenderness, and in just one night, he cured both of their lovesickness. From then on, this amorous prince, with his beloved by his side, was even more spirited when going to battle. He fought bravely in the sieges, defeating Shi Chaoyi's army and forcing him to flee to Yongzhou City, where he held out. Reports of victory arrived one after another and were submitted to the court. Emperor Suzong was delighted.
Since the prince's departure, Empress Zhang and Li Fuguo felt as if a thorn in their side had been removed; one in the palace, the other outside, they secretly abused their power and accepted bribes, acting recklessly behind Emperor Suzong's back. Emperor Suzong's health deteriorated further; he spent his days confined to one room, lacking the energy to attend court. All important court affairs were entrusted to Empress Zhang and Li Fuguo. While recuperating in the palace, he spent his leisure time reading Buddhist scriptures. At that time, there was a highly accomplished abbot of the Sanzang Temple named Bukong, whose spiritual attainments were profound. Emperor Suzong summoned Bukong to the palace daily to speak in the esoteric language of India and to preach the Dharma. The monk Bukong advised Emperor Suzong to perform more good deeds before the Buddha. Emperor Suzong then ordered the ministers of the Imperial Treasury to grind a hundred kinds of fine incense into powder, mix it with silver powder, and apply it to the walls of the Buddhist halls in temples large and small throughout the capital. In an instant, the walls of all the temples in the capital turned silver, and passersby could smell the fragrance wafting from the temples.
At this time, the Kingdom of Silla presented a five-colored precious carpet as tribute. This carpet was exquisitely crafted; every inch was woven with images of singing and dancing, and landscapes of various countries. When a gentle breeze blew, five-colored bees and butterflies swayed on the carpet, and swallows and sparrows hopped about. Even upon close inspection, it was impossible to tell if it was real or not. Emperor Suzong then donated this precious carpet to be laid out in the Buddhist hall of the Sanzang Temple. Then the Yuezhi Kingdom presented a mountain called Wanfo Mountain, which contained far more than ten thousand Buddhas. The entire mountain was about ten feet high. Emperor Suzong then decreed that Wanfo Mountain be displayed in the Buddhist temple, with a precious carpet laid at its foot, allowing any group of devout men and women to enter the temple to worship and view it. To find out what happens next, please read the next chapter.

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[Romantic Anecdotes of the Tang Dynasty Court] [75] [Author: Xu Xiaotian]

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