Volume 1, Chapter 5: Battle Over the Heir Apparent (1/2)

Volume 1, Chapter 5: Battle over the Heir Apparent

In the third month of the nineteenth year of Xiande, the seventh year of the sixty-year cycle, Zhao Sheng pa.s.sed and was posthumously honored as King Ling of Chu. Crown Prince Zhao Jia ascends to the throne, decreeing that the era name remain Xiande and raising Princess Changle as his Queen. Great Yong dispatched an envoy to extend their congratulations, gifting a thousand good horses, and countless gold and silk.

With the matter of succession determined, the entire court began to consider who would become the heir apparent. The Minister Who Remonstrates and Advises, Luo Wenshu, advised that the King’s third son, Zhao Long, be named as heir apparent.

The former King had named Princess Changle as the Crown Princess. As the Crown Princess was childless, she dispatched the ladies who were part of her dowry to attend to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince loved the beauties of Yong and favored them greatly, siring three sons and four daughters. Anxious, King Ling named the daughter of Prime Minister Shang Weijun as the Crown Prince’s second wife. After fourteen months, she gave birth to Zhao Long. After Zhao Jia ascended to the throne, Lady Shang was named as n.o.ble Consort. Lady Shang was from a prestigious family, and was a woman of virtue. Government officials, according to the traditions of the time—Lady Shang’s social status reflected upon her son—, pet.i.tioned for her son to be named heir apparent.

</sup> have no son, how do you know that We will never have any? And even if We have none, I have brought numerous ladies as part of my dowry, all daughters of prestigious families in Yong, who have given birth to two sons. Their social statuses are equal to that of Lady Shang’s. If an heir apparent is named, it must be the eldest son.”Southern Chu Dynastic Records, Biography of King Yang of Chu</blockquote>

In the nineteenth year of Xiande, the king pa.s.sed away. As this was the king, this was a significant event. Prior to the king’s death, we members of Hanlin Academy had completed the bibliography detailing all of the works to be collected in the Palace of Sublime Culture and submitted for His Majesty’s perusal. While he was not able to witness the completion of the palace, the king should have died without any regrets.

Without any controversy, Crown Prince Zhao Jia ascended to the throne, followed by setting a new era name and issuing a nationwide amnesty. Hanlin Academy became awfully busy. There were also some important matters that we lowly ranked officials could not freely discuss, but still worried about—matters such as the appointing of the queen and heir apparent. There was no dissension about the choice for the queen. Although Princess Changle had long lived in the secondary royal residence on the outskirts of the city to heal and had not conscientiously performed her duties, as Southern Chu was a va.s.sal of Great Yong and Princess Changle was the Crown Princess, she ultimately successfully took control of the harem. But the matter of appointing the heir apparent was a th.o.r.n.y issue. Princess Changle had no son. Although she was only nineteen years old, she had long been ill after suffering the miscarriage. Many were skeptical that she would be able to become pregnant and give birth to a son. Without an heir apparent, the state would not be peaceful. Therefore, the officials all wished that a crown prince be named. Zhao Jia had four sons and seven daughters. As Princess Changle had dispatched the court ladies from her dowry to attend to the Crown Prince Zhao Jia, most of his children were born of ladies from Yong. This raised the disapproval of the influential and powerful figures within the royal court. Thankfully, two years earlier, the former king had married the Prime Minister’s daughter, Shang Zhilan, to the crown prince as his second wife. Although Zhao Jia especially favored the ladies of Yong, Consort Shang still became pregnant and gave birth to third son, Zhao Long. In the eyes of the ranking court officials, if it was a child of Princess Changle, then the child was naturally worthy of respect and honor, but the children of the ladies from Yong were not sufficiently pure. Therefore, they all requested that Zhao Long be named heir apparent.

Even though King Zhao Jia was extremely lecherous, he was still an intelligent individual. He naturally understood that the ranking officials were correct on this matter. Though he did not particularly like Lady Shang, he still named her a n.o.ble consort. He also agreed to name Zhao Long as heir apparent. But Princess Changle became furious, quarreling with the king. She returned alone back to the secondary royal residence on the outskirts of the capital. This put the king in a tough spot. Although he and Princess Changle were more frequently separated than together, the princess was virtuous, allowing the court ladies from her dowry to attend to him. In addition, Princess Changle would frequently even select additional beauties to enter the harem. Therefore, he was extremely respectful, and perhaps even a bit fearful, towards her. In addition, that the endors.e.m.e.nts towards Lady Shang being predicated upon her status as a native-born daughter could not brought to the surface. With no options, Zhao Jia temporarily halted plans to name an heir apparent. He hinted to the court officials that unless they were able to convince the queen, an heir apparent could not be named.

This was extremely difficult for the court officials to do. After being married to Southern Chu, Princess Changle had spent significant time at the secondary royal residence on the outskirts of the capital. Even if the court officials had the will to curry favor with her, there was no way to do so. As for the court ladies close to the Princess, almost all of them were now concubines much favored by the king. As their sons had no chance to become the heir apparent, they already resented the meddling of the court officials and were unlikely to make any attempt to convince the princess. Ultimately, everyone’s eyes fell on one person—Liang Wan.

Liang Wan was not only a close friend of the princess, but also the adopted daughter of the former king. As she was unable to find a worthy husband, she maintained good relations with all of the outstanding civil and military talents in Southern Chu. Reasonably speaking, she was the perfect lobbyist, but she refused. As a result, the usually tranquil Bright Moon Pavilion saw heavy traffic.

Under these circ.u.mstances, I once again came to Bright Moon Pavilion. I originally did not want to come, but I had received an invitation from Liang Wan. Though I had no intentions towards her, delusional visions were hard to avoid. Furthermore, to directly reject her invitation would be discourteous.

I entered the pavilion and skirted the green pond. Pear trees were planted in front of the building. As it was the fourth month, the pear trees had blossomed. The petals were like the clouds and snow. Breathing in deeply, one could sense a delicate fragrance that gladdened the heart and refreshed the mind. Towards the female attendant guiding me, I inquired, “Young lady, for what purpose has Lady Liang requested my presence?”

The attendant wittily dodged the question. “You will have to ask my lady. I am only a lowly serving girl and wouldn’t know. This servant dares not accept daren’s courtesy.”

I solemnly stated, “It is commonly said that the prime minister’s servants have a rank equal to that of a qipin rated official. Lady Liang is the former King’s adopted daughter and is a good friend of the Queen. Her power and influence probably even surpa.s.ses that of the Prime Minister. If we speak thus, then your rank is at least of liupin. This lowly official’s rank is merely rated at lower liupin, thus I have to be courteous.”

After staring blankly for a moment, the female attendant giggled. In a low voice, she said, “This servant has heard my lady tell the Prime Minister that the only person who can convince the Queen is daren.”

I stared blankly. When did I, a mere Hanlin Academy Senior Compiler, become able to convince a stately princess of Great Yong, the current Queen of Southern Chu? Half-believing the attendant’s words, I entered the building. I immediately caught sight of the presence of the prime minister and Hanlin Academy Chancellor in the seats of honor, accompanied on the side by Liang Wan. I almost turned and ran, but realized that was not possible. Respectfully, I performed a greeting and said, “This lowly official greets the Prime Minister and the Academy Chancellor.”

Prime Minister Shang Weijun nodded his head and said, “Good, good. I have heard Xie daren say that you are hardworking and will soon be promoted, definitely a pillar of the state. Lady Liang, the person you asked for has come. Madame has said before that Academic Jiang can convince the Queen. How is this possible?”

I immediately turned to regard Liang Wan. We had no grudges past or present. Why would she conspire to entrap me? Under the gaze of her three guests, Liang Wan took a sip of a cup of fragrant tea before replying, “Speaking from the heart, your servant hails from Great Yong. Everyone understands the real reason behind all the discussion regarding naming an heir apparent. How can the Queen not understand? She has angrily left the royal palace and is now currently full of grievances. This servant has been favored by the Princess and is treated as a sister by her. If I were to convince her to accept the wishes of the King and the officials, would that not chill her heart? When the time comes, even if the Princess were to yield ground, there is no way that she would agree. Therefore, I, Liang Wan, definitely cannot go to convince her. But this servant has received the former King’s favor and is extremely grateful. I cannot, in good conscience, allow him to be unable to rest peacefully in the beyond. I must therefore intercede with all of my ability. Thinking matters over, I remembered that ever since the Princess arrived in Southern Chu, she has loved poetic verse. She would read them daily without rest. She regrets being unable to meet the poetic masters of the past as they have long since pa.s.sed. But today, there is a comparable master of the verse in Southern Chu’s zhuangyuan, Jiang Zhe. Not only are Jiang Zhe’s poems heartrendingly beautiful, but both she and he and are in Southern Chu. She constantly wishes to meet him, but cannot due to the necessary separation between sovereign and va.s.sal, and separation of the genders. She considers this to be one of her life’s regrets. This servant believes that if Jiang Zhe is granted an audience with the Queen to fulfill her long-cherished wish, and Jiang Zhe lobbies the Queen, she may be moved to agree.”

I almost fainted. Am I an idiot? I am but a lowly zhuangyuan. In the eyes of the queen, I am but a lowly courtier. How can I influence her? I urgently turned to look at the prime minister, hoping that he would stop this nonsensical thinking. But my hopes were dashed. The old b.a.s.t.a.r.d, Shang Weijun, had a look of deep contemplation on his features, while the Academy Chancellor nodded his head. As a result, I did not even have the chance to refuse before I was hauled aboard the carriage by Liang Wan to travel to the secondary royal residence.

On the way, I turned to face Liang Wan and asked, “Lady Liang, has this lowly official ever offended you?”

With a smile on her face, Liang Wan shook her head. “Never.”

“Then has this lowly official ever offended Great Yong?”

With a look of disdain in her eyes, Liang Wan answered, “Never.”

Suddenly I angrily questioned, “Since I am not a foe who has murdered your father nor a frivolous lover, why are you trying to cause my death?”

Liang Wan became alarmed before revealing a flower-like smile and murmured, “My lord zhuangyuan has become angry.”

My serenity restored, I coldly continued, “Being unable to complete the task is a small matter; I fear that I will implicate Lady Liang.” Humph, if I am going to die, I will pull you down with me.

Her eyebrows twitching, Liang Wan sweetly spoke. “My lord zhuangyuan has misunderstood this servant. This servant’s plan will succeed.”

I didn’t say anything further to her. I felt that there was no need to continue contesting what was a done deal. The previous angry reaction was merely mimicking the att.i.tude of an ordinary person. In any case, even if I failed my mission, no one could accuse me of dereliction of duty. At most, I would be promoted at a slower pace. Seeing that I did not speak further, Liang Wan became more respectful. Her reaction made me vigilant. Although I had not seen her in several years, I was well aware of her comings and goings. From her behavior, it was highly likely that she was a spy from Great Yong. Otherwise, how could she not have found a husband in the last three years? Seeing her able to easily use money and power to her advantage, like a fish in water, she definitely was not an ordinary woman. Speaking ill, Liang Wan’s behavior was similar to that of a courtesan; the only differences being her customers were all ranking officials or gifted scholars, she had firm backing, and she didn’t sell her body.

Liang Wan did not know that I was silently cursing her and began to chat with me. After more than four hours, the carriage finally arrived at Lake Mochou’s secondary royal residence. We successfully entered the residence after being searched by the royal guards. Without reporting ahead, Liang Wan pulled me along as she walked inside. The maids on either side probably knew that Liang Wan could not be revoked. Other than hurriedly entering to report to the princess, they allowed us to continue unimpeded.

Entering the chambers, I saw Princess Changle dressed in a purple gown. She was reclined on a couch, reading a book. Seeing Liang Wan, she raised her head and remarked, “Elder sister Wan’er has come.” Suddenly seeing me, her face blushed furiously. “Who dares enter Our resting chambers without permission?”

Releasing my arm, Liang Wan stepped forward and replied, “Princess, this servant has brought the one you wish to meet the most here. Why are you upset?”

Staring blankly, Princess Changle thought of a person and wondered, “Is it Jiang Zhe, Jiang Suiyun?”

Turning her head, Liang Wan uttered, “Jiang Zhe, quickly come and properly greet the Princess.”

I had frozen in place when I entered the chambers. I had last seen Princess Changle during her wedding. She was dressed in all red, in the style of a princess of Great Yong. Although she was only sixteen, she seemed poised and luxurious. Today, she was wearing unadorned clothes and did not have any jewelry or makeup on. She looked delicate and elegant, lovely beyond description. Compared to the day of her wedding, after experiencing numerous hards.h.i.+ps, she had acquired a mature charm. My heart beat rapidly. I did not know why, but suddenly I had a wicked though. If I were able to hug her, how wonderful would that be?

Just as I was allowing my imagination to run wild, Liang Wan’s words jolted me out of my reverie and reminded me. I hurriedly stepped forward and greeted the queen, “This va.s.sal, Hanlin Academy Senior Compiler, Jiang Zhe, greets Your Majesty. Long live the Queen!”

Princess Changle revealed a look filled with both worry and joy. It was some time before she replied, “Please rise, Jiang daren. We like Jiang daren’s verses very much. Since We are meeting today, We would like your help. We hope that this will not be refused.”

I affirmed tranquilly, “I dare not refuse.”

Princess Changle noticed my cold indifference. Looking at me faintly, she continued, “These are the verses that we have copied and recited on a daily basis. Does Jiang daren know which verse we like the most?” As she spoke, she handed a book to Liang Wan who pa.s.sed it to me.

I took a look after accepting the book. It was definitely a handwritten copy of verses, each of the small characters extremely beautiful and graceful. On the first page of the book was the poem the Patterned Zither.

<blockquote cla.s.s=”Quote”>String and fret, one by one, recall the blossoming years.w.a.n.gdi bequeathing his spring pa.s.sion to the nightjar.On Blue Mountain the sun warms, smoke issues from the jade.In a trance from the beginning, then as now.</blockquote>