Volume 1, Chapter 27: Appreciating Snow, Composing Poetry (2/2)

Hearing my words, everyone’s heart grew dejected. Standing, Li Zhi proclaimed, “Sir aspires to n.o.bility and purity, gaining this Prince’s admiration.”

“Your Imperial Highness is this place’s owner,” I stated with a smile, “And should compose a poem to clearly state your aspiration.”

“In that case, Sir must not ridicule me for my poor performance,” replied Li Zhi before reciting in a clear and bright voice:

<blockquote cla.s.s=”Quote”>The red sun retires as darkness sheathes rosy vapors.Congealing into jade, all over the snowflakes fall.Half-hiding the screen, acc.u.mulating as if sand.Or like ‘plum makeup’ the flower petals flutter.Whirling pearls are piercing dew through drapes.And the jade cl.u.s.tered, from the tops to bottoms of trees.And swirls around the peaks, like lotuses wrapped in purity.As if hesitating or lingering, the year nears its end.Manifesting fortune: I expect a year of abundance.From the cranes’ roost, it dances towards Yichuan.Hidden Thoroughwort song,Yellow Bamboo piece.”^,</blockquote>

I savored this poem for some time before speaking with admiration, “Your Imperial Highness’s poem is profoundly invigorating and steady. The language is robust and heroic, carrying the aura of an emperor, as if it were composed by the Heavens. Our poems, although graceful and elegant, are coa.r.s.e in comparison. Suiyun is filled with admiration.”

With a smile, Li Zhi responded, “I am an imperial prince. I dare not apply the four words, ‘aura of an emperor,’ to myself. Do not harm me, Sir! At last, I didn’t lose face. This Prince is already perfectly satisfied. I would like to invite Suiyun to compose one last poem to conclude this gathering.”

I smiled and jokingly replied, “If I were to continue composing, I would have used all my creative powers.”

I was already seventy percent drunk and felt too warm. I undid the front of my fur coat and walked to the side of the pavilion. Feeling the blowing wind, I recited:

<blockquote cla.s.s=”Quote”>One hand touches and plaits the whiskers of a fierce tiger.

The h.o.a.ry headed immortal hides the jade pot.

</sup> hears the sound of the wind blowing against his bamboo window,

White snow flying chaotically like flowery petals before one’s eyes.

More guests are cheerfully intoxicated under the dancing bright candlelight.

</sup> knows the dance of the crested myna,</sup> is unable to remove the solemnity of the frosted fur coat.

Pining from a thousand li away, the Bright Moon Pavilion.”</blockquote>

Finished reciting this poem, I returned to the table. Picking up a cup of wine, I downed it in one gulp. Amidst the haze of intoxication, I laughed heartily and said, “Everyone has enjoyed themselves to the fullest before the party ended; Suiyun thanks Your Imperial Highness.”

Li Zhi looked at Jiang Suiyun. Today’s appreciation of the beauty of snow was being used as an opportunity for the heir to become his student, while becoming closer to Jiang Zhe. Who would have expected that Jiang Suiyun’s interest in poetry would on full display? He had responded rigorously to the hidden attempts by everyone to persuade him. Overtly, his poems controlled the entire situation. With this kind of refinement and literary talent, even if one didn’t know about his heaven-shaking talent, he could not be allowed to slip away. Thinking of this, he was even more eager.

At this moment, Xiaoshunzi took the opportunity to walk to my side. In a low voice, he reported, “There is someone coming. Young master must be careful not to misspeak.” Afterwards, he helped me arrange my clothes. With a smile, he said out loud, “Young master’s health is poor and has drank a few too many cups—be careful not to catch a cold.”

My conscious quickly cleared. My ears caught the faint sound of the footsteps of about five people. Among them, one pair of footsteps was a bit unsteady and light, as if it were a child. Sobering up, I accepted the hot towel that Xiaoshunzi handed me. I wiped my face and stated, “Drinking too much has caused me to forget myself. I pray that Your Imperial Highness and everyone would forgive me.”

“Wild song and excessive drink are the comportment of a famous scholar. How can you say that you forgot yourself?” replied Li Zhi with a smile. Growing serious, he continued, “But your servant is correct. Sir has just somewhat recovered and must not catch a cold. It would be better to drink a few more cups to warm yourself.”

I returned to my seat, accepting the heated wine, slowly sipping away. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Li Zhi and the others exchange mutual looks. I could not help but secretly laugh.

Subsequently, I heard a young and tender voice call out, “Princely Father, Princely Father!” Raising my head to look, I caught sight of a young boy gaily das.h.i.+ng towards us waving his arms. The boy was no more than four or five years old. His appearance was graceful and he wore the yellow robes of a prince. Following behind him were two wet nurses and two eunuchs. At this moment, a greater part of the young boy’s body had traces of snow. It was likely that he had fallen a few times.

Seeing this young boy, Li Zhi’s face was filled with delight, as he called, “Jun’er, why are you covered with snow? Come let Princely Father take a look.”

The young boy bounced and skipped into the pavilion, snuggling against Li Zhi’s knees. His eyes, capable of distinguis.h.i.+ng right from wrong, were glued to me. With a faint smile, I hailed, “This commoner greets the heir.”

The young boy walked closer to me. Pulling on my sleeve, he asked, “Sir, who are you? Jun’er has never seen you before.”

I quietly responded, “This commoner is Jiang Zhe, styled Suiyun. I hail from Southern Chu. The heir has naturally never seen this commoner before.”

Hearing my name, Li Jun muttered for some time before replying, “I remember now. Sir’s poems are very well written … ‘A thousand hills, but no birds in flight, / Ten thousand paths, with no person’s tracks. / A lonely boat, a straw hatted old man, / Fis.h.i.+ng alone in the cold river snow.’ This poem of Sir’s, River Snow, is excellent. It is only a bit too lonesome. Is it really so lonely on the river in Southern Chu?”

I smiled and responded, “Although Southern Chu possesses ill.u.s.trious heroes and spirits of the places, it still has many uninhabited regions. There are many rivers there. Therefore, there is indeed such a place. As far as the eye can see, there is only the cold river, snow, and ice. That year, I was traveling far from home with my father. There were no boats on the river because the new year was approaching. Everyone was home with their families. My deceased father personally piloted the boat, having brought me along to fish on the river. Although the river wasn’t iced over, there was a vast expanse of whiteness everywhere.”

Li Jun’s eyes brightened, as he lamented, “Sir’s father was wonderful. Every single time I ask Princely Father to bring me out to play, Princely Father would always say he isn’t free. Sir, if you have time, can you accompany Jun’er to fish on the Wei River?”

With a smile, I answered, “The heir’s body is precious. How can it be treated the same as us commoners? If the heir is interested in fis.h.i.+ng, why don’t you angle from within this pavilion? I have seen countless fish within the waters of the lake. Catching them must certainly be extremely amusing.”

Disagreeing with me, Li Jun pouted, “There is no point in catching fish here. If I can’t hook them, those servants would gladly hang a fish from the fishhook. In addition, my Princely Father fought with the army when he was a young teenager. I want to be like Princely Father. But if I am not even allowed to leave the residence, how will I be able to one day go on the battlefield and fight?”

Although a look of appreciation appeared on Li Zhi’s face, he said, “Jun’er must not talk nonsense. In the future, you must properly handle government affairs, and not copy Princely Father and go to battle. When the time comes, our Great Yong will have unified the world. There will be no need for you to go to battle.”

Disagreeing with his father, Li Jun explained, “Princely Father is incorrect. I have heard the Sirs say that it is necessary to be vigilant even in peacetime. If we don’t have enemies in the future, if this child is unable to go to battle, then how will I safeguard Great Yong? Therefore, I not only need to learn how to handle government affairs, I also need to learn the art of war.” So saying, Li Jun revealed an embarra.s.sed look, as he continued, “Thus, Princely Father must allow me to go out and see. This child will not look for trouble.”

Smiling, Li Zhi chided, “You little urchin. You merely want to act willfully. If you wish to go to battle, you must be a match for ten thousand enemies. First, you must be familiar with the cla.s.sics and the histories. What happened with the teacher that Princely Father selected for you? Why did you once again drive him away?”

Stealing a glance at his father, Li Jun replied, “That teacher was useless. I only asked him one question. He could not answer it.”

As everyone took interest at Li Jun’s words, Li Zhi inquired with a smile, “What question did you ask that your teacher wasn’t able to answer?”

Satisfied with himself, Li Jun answered, “That day, I heard maternal uncle speak with Princely Father about a case before the Court of Judicial Review. The case involves a man who killed his stepmother because his stepmother killed his father. The county level officials judged him guilty of high treason. But he did not agree with this verdict and pet.i.tioned. I asked teacher and he replied that the verdict was correct. I only drove him away because he could not understand the logic.”

Li Zhi remembered this case, also remembering that he had discussed the verdict with his brother-in-law. This incident wasn’t known by outsiders. It was definitely a good topic. Glancing at Jiang Zhe, Li Zhi smiled and said, “That’s because you asked the wrong person. Aside from Princely Father, everyone here can explain how the case should actually be judged.”

Sure enough, based upon Li Zhi’s understanding of his son, Li Jun’s eyes looked at everyone before falling on me. Li Jun sincerely believed that the advisers understood how to judge this case, but what about this person? Pulling on Jiang Zhe’s clothes, he asked, “Can Sir tell Jun’er how this case should be judged?”

With a serene smile, I replied, “There are laws regarding this matter. This one is only a commoner. How do I have the qualifications to discuss this?”

Not letting me get away so easily, Li Jun stated, “If Sir is able to explain, then Jun’er will take Sir as my teacher. If you cannot answer, then Sir will be Jun’er’s attendant.”

I glanced at Li Zhi, seeing the pleasant surprise in his eyes. It seemed that he hadn’t deliberately incited the heir to speak in this way. I could not help but smile, as I responded, “This commoner is a guilty subject of Southern Chu. How can I be the heir’s teacher? But if the heir were to ask me, I would answer that although this man killed his stepmother, he also took revenge for his father. Killing her husband, the stepmother cut off all relations with her husband’s family. As such, the man only killed an outsider. He should be judged guilty of murder and not guilty of high treason.”

Li Jun happily replied, “Sir is indeed someone who understands reason. I have used this incident to ask many people. None were able to explain it so clearly.” So saying, Li Jun kneeled before me, stating, “Although Jun’er is young, I understand the importance of keeping one’s promises. Jun’er is willing to take Sir as my teacher. Sir must bring me fis.h.i.+ng on the Wei River.”

I could not but giggle. This child went around in circles without getting anywhere. His goal was to have me bring him out of the residence to play.

At this moment, Xiaoshunzi’s voice sounded in my ear, “Young master cannot agree.”

My heart s.h.i.+vered for a moment, as I pleaded, “The heir is joking. As heir, you have a precious ident.i.ty. I am no more than someone from a destroyed country. Everyone else here is more suitable than this one to be your teacher. I dare not agree.” So saying, I stood. Turning to Li Zhi, I said, “Suiyun cannot handle his alcohol and will bide his farewell.”

Just as I turned and prepared to depart, I heard Li Zhi’s disappointed voice ask, “Sir Jiang, are you really so heartless?” My body trembled slightly. I ultimately did not respond.

Footnotes:

<ol><li>桃花源, taohuayuan – the Peach Blossom Spring, a hidden land of peace and prosperity; utopia</li><li>诸葛亮, Zhuge Liang, aka Crouching Dragon, served as a strategist and administrator for Shu-Han who lived during the Three Kingdoms Period.</li><li>This is a poem ent.i.tled Congratulations to the Bridegroom by the Song Dynasty poet, Xin Qiji (辛弃疾).</li><li>This is a poem by the Song Dynasty poet, Zhu Dunru (朱敦儒), ent.i.tled Partridge Weather.</li><li>This is a poem ent.i.tled White Snow by the Tang Dynasty poet, Cen Shen (岑参).</li><li>This is a poem ent.i.tled Ganzhou Command by the Song Dynasty poet, Liu Yong.</li><li>良辰美景, liangchenmeijing – idiom, lit. fine time, beautiful scenery; everything lovely</li><li>A county in Luoyang, Henan</li><li>The Hidden Thoroughwort song that is paired with the song White Snow within the song anthologies by Song Yu and Sima Xiangru.</li><li>The Yellow Bamboo is a poem sung by King Mu, the fifth king of the Zhou Dynasty, during a snowstorm to express his sorrow over his subjects.</li><li>This poem is by the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li s.h.i.+min, ent.i.tled Happy Snow.</li><li>江郎才尽, jianglangcaijin – idiom, lit. Jiang Yan has exhausted his talent; fig. to have used up one’s creative powers, to have writer’s block</li><li>Refers to w.a.n.g Huizi (王徽之), styled Ziyou (子猷), who was a Jin Dynasty poet and calligrapher.</li><li>Xie Shang (谢尚) was a Jin Dynasty official who was skilled in dance.</li><li>Sima Xiangru (司马相如) was a Han Dynasty official who was the court poet, writer, and musician of Emperor Wu of Han.</li><li>This is the second of two poems by Li Bai (李白) with the t.i.tle Jeering w.a.n.g Liyang.</li><li>尽欢而散, jinhuan’ersan – idiom, lit. to disperse after a happy time; everyone enjoys themselves to the full then party breaks up</li><li>This is a famous poem ent.i.tled River Snow by the Tang Dynasty poet, Liu Zongyuan.</li><li>大理寺, dalisi – the Court of Judicial Review was a government department responsible for reviewing judicial proceedings</li></ol>