Chapter 6 - His Majesty’s Dragon Bed Is Occupied (1/2)
The Lantern Festival arrived quite soon. That very day, the blue sky was cloudless and bright. It happened that there was no imperial court session that morning. In the first half of the afternoon, the ministers took a rest at home, and when the sun was at its highest point, they would wander around with the emperor in the imperial garden.
Gu Yuanbai took a nap until noon. After he washed up and ate lunch, the ministers were already waiting outside.
The Imperial Sleeping Palace had prepared new clothes for the spring season. Gu Yuanbai chose a crescent moon white informal clothes embroidered with golden dragon patterns. He also put on a blue fur cloak outside. With a smile on his face, he walked out of the Imperial Sleeping Palace.
After the spring rain a few days ago, a lot of marvelous flowers and rare plants in the garden had blossomed. The palace servants diligently took care of them, day and night. Many trees that should not have been green at this season were also full of vitality.
The sunshine was good today. The palace servants sprinkled water ahead of time. The delicate flowers with water drops on them were at their most beautiful time.
The emperor was surrounded by his clan relatives and ministers, while the children brought by the ministers followed closely at the back. None could see the emperor, not even the corner of his clothes.
Xue Yuan followed behind these ministers. He and Chang Yuyan walked together slowly, not in a hurry. They looked like they were enjoying the flowers.
Seeing that there were not many people around, Chang Yuyan asked, “Where is the handkerchief you had picked up?”
Xue Yuan put his hands behind him. He had an upright posture and a handsome face, putting on airs. Unconcerned, he said, “It’s burnt to ashes.”
Chang Yuyan derisively said, “I thought you would take advantage of today to return the handkerchief to its original owner.”
Xue Yuan appeared as though he heard some funny joke, “When it comes to my hand, it’s mine. Why should I return it?”
When Chang Yuyan was about to speak, there was a lot of noise ahead of him. It turned out that a Daren had a sudden inspiration and composed a high-quality ode to spring, which caused a little high tide in the atmosphere.
On the side, a palace servant wrote it down and then read it aloud. After hearing this, Chang Yuyan applauded and praised, “Good poem!”
Xue Yuan: “Your father pointed out that you should make an appearance today. Don’t you want to take this opportunity to recite your poem?”
Chang Yuyan just shook his head. The corner of Xue Yuan’s lips rose. He fell behind a step and raised his foot to kick Chang Yuyan. Chang Yuyan staggered forward. Some Darens recognized him, smiled, and made way for him, “If it’s about poetry, the junior of the Chang Family can’t skip it.”
When Chang Yuyan had stood still, his position had passed directly to the emperor’s side. He was shocked and quickly controlled his facial expression. He respectfully went to the emperor and saluted, “I’ve1 been rude. My greetings, Your Majesty.”
Gu Yuanbai carefully looked at the graceful but not showy brother gongzi in front of him, “Are you Chang Yuyan?”
Chang Yuyan’s head dropped lower, “Yes.”
This Chang Yuyan was also an interesting person and a famous gifted scholar in the capital. Two things about him made Gu Yuanbai remember him. One was on the day of his capping ceremony, where his loyal fans besieged Chang Residence. Some people tried to climb over the wall, which ultimately alerted the local authority to send troops to arrest them. Another thing had something to do with Gu Yuanbai. Chang Yuyan once wrote thirteen poems in one go to satirize the influential officials who ignored the suffering of the people. Not only did he insinuated Lu Feng, the powerful minister, but he also insinuated him for his inability as an emperor.
The colloquial speech translated as followed: “You people who have these direct access to the highest authorities are only concerned about your little selfish interests, but indifferent to the common people. Making all the poor people in the country provide for you, the great lords who only know how to eat fine food and wear fancy clothes. In my opinion, you are all spicy chickens2.”
These thirteen poems made him offend a large group of people in the capital city, and his father also got demoted. This fellow started to compose poems again when the heat was over. After this battle, however, Chang Yuyan’s reputation was even widely known.
At this thought, Gu Yuanbai deepened his smile. “Do you also have poems to present?”
Whatever essays or poems Chang Yuyan wrote, they were all splendid literary works. Moreover, he was famous and remarkably alike a talented person who could incite public opinion. Gu Yuanbai just lacked a talent of public opinion who could praise his virtue, keep him in the highest moral position, and open the way for his policy.
Chang Yuyan’s mouth dried up. He had prepared a poem which he did before the garden tour. But he composed the poem with intention. It was also a satirical work similar to “the gate of the rich reek of meat and wine, while frozen bodies lie by the roadside”.
At first, he thought that if his father had asked him to compose a poem in front of the emperor, he would have dared to recite it.
Gu Yuanbai saw him uncommunicative and laughed, “Stand upright and straighten your head.”
Chang Yuyan subconsciously followed suit. He raised his eyes and saw the emperor looking at him with a smile.
The emperor looked at him with admiration and said to the ministers at his side, “My Great Heng’s young talents, each of them is a fine-looking man with an indomitable spirit.”
Chang Yuyan’s ears became red in an instant, only to feel a sense of shame in his heart.
The ministers laughed and said, “The junior of the Chang Family has the talent of Number One Scholar3.”
Chang Yuyan’s father, the Deputy Chief of Dali Temple, stood on the periphery. As soon as he heard the ministers praised his son, his serious and straight face involuntarily smiled.
Whatever the emperor said, the ministers followed with praises. Gu Yuanbai wore a smile on his face as he listened to the ministers’ words. His chin was about to be buried in the fur of his cloak.
Chang Yuyan did not dare to look directly at the sacred face. He slightly lowered his head and stared at the emperor’s chin.
The emperor was slender but very thin. He had not much meat in his chin, but the shape was good-looking. Chang Yuyan recalled when those silk-clothed4 men in the capital molesting the good women, they liked to hold on to such a chin and then lightly raise it.
Fortunately, the emperor is the emperor. No, the emperor is a man. Chang Yuyan, why are you lost in various fancies and conjectures?
If those silk-clothed men dared to grab the emperor’s chin, they would be beheaded and their properties confiscated in the next moment.
Chang Yuyan broke in a cold shiver without a trace. Inwardly, he cried bitterly and grumbled about Xue Yuan. Why did he kick him?
“Yuyan?” The emperor called out. “What poetry have you composed?”
Chang Yuyan’s heart leaped to his throat. He turned his head aside and saw the layers upon layer of plum blossoms at first sight.
A flash of inspiration appeared in his mind, “My poem is an ode to plum blossom.”
Chang Yuyan pressed the previous satirical poem done in advance at the bottom of his heart and recited a poem impromptu. The last two sentences praised the spring sun and the present dynasty.
Gu Yuan nodded his head and said with a smile, “Completely ingenious.”
As before, Chang Yuyan’s eyes went to stare at the emperor’s chin. He was a bit anxious this time. As soon as he lifted his eyes, the emperor’s pale lips entered his sight.
The lips were neither thin nor thick with raised corners as if they were naturally smiling.
Gu Yuanbai thought this junior was not bad. Previously, Gu Yuanbai believed he was a foolhardy youth when he saw the thirteen poems he had done but did not expect there was still something else to see.
He called Chang Yuyan to his side to accompany him. They walked and stopped in the garden, and occasionally talked. The ministers around the emperor looked at Chang Yuyan, not knowing how this junior got the emperor’s attention.