Chapter 17: Soaring Ambitions atop the Soaring Clouds Pavilion

Chapter 17: Soaring Ambitions atop the Soaring Clouds Pavilion

The Soaring Clouds Pavilion, Lingyun Pavilion, stood atop an earthen mound. It was far from reaching the clouds, but it stood high enough to oversee half of the Imperial Garden. Conversely, the pavilion could be seen by half of the garden.

This was where the Emperor was to receive his education.

The fourth morning after the conversation with Yang Feng, Han Ruzi had went to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. There, the eunuch Zuo Ji had formally read out the Empress Dowager’s edict. It was lengthy, written in archaic language, and Zuo Ji had recited very slowly. He paused often, often looking at the Emperor contemplatively, and spent an entire half hour before finishing.

Ultimately, the Emperor needed to be somewhat educated, and needed to have some skills.

After breakfast, Han Ruzi was escorted to the Soaring Clouds Pavilion by thirty-odd eunuchs. Yang Feng and Zuo Ji accompanied him, while a eunuch raised a bright yellow parasol[1] behind him. Further behind, was Prince Donghai. He was to accompany the Emperor as an attendant.

After entering the Imperial Garden, several more attendants joined the entourage. There were around fifteen of them. They were not eunuchs, but sons of nobility. They were quite young, though Han Ruzi did not recognize any of them. On the other hand, Prince Donghai was familiar with a few of them. They nodded at each other in acknowledgement, but did not break into conversation.

it was not easy to accompany the Emperor. Every moment, there was at least one official from the Ministry of Rites and Decorum keeping watch. Any impropriety might result in an impeachment.

Han Ruzi noticed that the eunuchs by his side numbered greater than his other attendants. Evidently, the Empress Dowager did not trust the Emperor, nor did she trust those who came from outside the palace.

The Emperor’s entourage moved in a formidable array. Most of them stayed below the Soaring Cloud Pavilion. Only Prince Donghai entered the pavilion to accompany the Emperor in his study, followed by two eunuchs to attend to them.

The room was set up in accordance with ancient practices. In the east were brocade mats and a short-legged table, requiring one to sit on one’s knees. The Emperor was to sit there, facing the west. Prince Donghai sat on the other side in the west, which also had mats and a short-legged table. He did not face the Emperor directly, but was seated further down, with the Emperor to his northeast.

The Emperor’s first teacher was waiting in another room. Once the Emperor was settled down, his entry was announced by a eunuch, while the other eunuch presided over the ceremonial rituals of a student greeting his teacher.

The palace had many rules. So much so that even Yang Feng, who had entered the palace three years ago, and Zuo Ji were unable to fully grasp them. Such matters could only be handled by experienced and old eunuchs.

Guo Cong — former Provost of the Directorate of Education, former Tutor of the Crown Prince, former Director of Prayer Ceremonies of the Ministry of Rites, was an old man in his seventies. He walked into the room trembling slightly. His eyesight was poor, but he could still accurately discern where the Emperor was seated. He stood in place and took two deep breaths, before spreading both arms wide, causing his wide sleeves to droop down splendidly like a bird’s wings. He paused for a moment, before clasping his hands together in front of his chest. He said, in a resounding voice, “Your humble subject Guo Cong, pays his respects to Your Majesty.”

Even though Guo Jing did not kneel, his greeting was extremely formal and decorous. Han Ruzi was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to respond. He looked towards the old eunuch who was presiding matters.

The old eunuch lifted his hand slightly, indicating that the Emperor did not need to do anything. He then pointed to Prince Donghai.

Other than the Empress Dowager, the Emperor did not bow to anyone else. But the necessary proprieties needed to be kept, hence Prince Donghai was a suitable replacement.

Prince Donghai was sullen, and rose to his feet. He said blandly, “Teacher Guo may dispense with ceremonies. Have a seat.”

The eunuch guarding the door brought a small stool. Guo Cong was too old, and hence could not sit on his knees. Hence there was a seat specially prepared for him.

Guo Cong sat down, and again took two heavy breaths. For him, it was but a moment, but to his students, it was an arduous wait. Han Ruzi nearly lost the excitement he had harbored.

Guo Cong was a renown Confucian scholar, well versed in the classics, especially the Classic of Poetry. Without even needing to have a book in hand, he started his lecture. The first chapter was Guan Ju. “Guan Ju is about the virtue of a man’s wife. ‘The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady; For our prince a good mate she’.[2] This verse evokes the virtuous lady as the companion to the righteous gentleman. Its significance lies in valuing virtue in seeking one’s wife, and not befalling to one’s luscious desires.”

Han Ruzi hurriedly flipped the pages of his book, and could scarcely keep up. He unintentionally looked over at Prince Donghai, only to see his dark and sullen face. “Virtue of a man’s wife” — these words had evidently set him off.

Guo Cong was quickly immersed in his own lecture. He first explained the meaning of the verses, before explaining the particular words, and then went on to discuss the meaning within the meaning, the words beyond the words. For nearly two hours, he kept discussing the same verse: ‘The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady; For our prince a good mate she’. Han Ruzi was soon befuddled. A few times he had wanted to raise a question, but the old teacher paid no attention to his expression or gestures, only caring to continue speaking. He got more passionate as he went on, contrary to what one might expect of a feeble old man.

Han Ruzi had no choice but to give up, resorting to staring at the slobber drooping from Guo Cong’s mouth, wondering why it never seemed to fall off.

Prince Donghai considered this for a moment. “Things are still in a stalemate over there. Prince Qi did not immediately rise in open rebellion. He denied the accusation and claimed that he was being set up by treacherous villains. But it is no use. The longer the matter is delayed, the worse it is for Prince Qi. He will surely be defeated and Uncle will return victorious... Forget it, I know I can’t blame you. But you must remember, when I... Sooner or later, I will take back everything that belongs to me.”

Han Ruzi laughed. “I wish you all the best.”

Han Ruzi understood one thing. The greater the conflict between the Cui clan and the Empress Dowager, the more secured his position once. If the time comes when the two sides are at ease with each other, then he would be in danger. At least for the time being, Prince Donghai’s fighting spirit was more beneficial than detrimental to him.

In the evening that day, Han Ruzi was idling in his room. Yang Feng walked in, carry bundles of books. These were the tomes that the Emperor was reading for his studies in the Soaring Cloud Pavilion.

Yang Feng ordered the servant-girls to withdraw, and placed the books on the table. He opened one of them and turned to face the Empress. “It seems like Your Majesty has drawn quite a number of circles.”

Han Ruzi’s face grew a little red. “There are some words that I do not recognize.”

“Mm. I have spoken to the Empress Dowager. She has allowed me to teach you your characters.”

“That’s great!” Han Ruzi was not thrilled about learning to read, but about being able to properly communicate with someone.

Yang Feng placed the books down and moved closer to the Emperor. “Learning to read is but a minor skill. Your basics are not good, so all we can do is mend the fence after the sheep have been stolen. It will not benefit you that much. Instead, I will be teaching you something else.”

“What would Lord Yang be teaching me?” Han Ruzi’s enthusiasm for learning was magnified once again.

“History.”

“History?”

“Rulers must learn from history. History is usually one of the most important subjects for a ruler, but the Empress Dowager has omitted it from the curriculum. Hence, I will be giving instruction on it. Your Majesty should keep this to yourself and not let others know.”

Han Ruzi nodded vigorously. He would not say a word to anyone.

Yang Feng did not have any history books at hand, so he relied entirely on his own memory. He did not wish to teach the Emperor formal history. He first picked up a book and taught the Emperor a few words, before saying, “Your Majesty has begun your studies, and will meet more officials. Perhaps I will tell you about the interactions between the Founding Emperor and his subjects.”

Han Ruzi liked listening to stories, but he felt like the Founding Emperor was not a suitable reference for him. “But I hardly get to interact with anyone...”

“Do not be in a hurry. Everyone is still observing matters. Once the opportunity arises, there will be moments of interactions. But I must remind Your Majesty of one matter.”

“Please speak, Lord Yang.”

“Do not believe the first person who comes forward to contact you. That person would surely have ulterior motives.”

Han Ruzi was stunned. He remembered clearly: the first person who came forward to contact him was Yang Feng himself.

[1] This is what a yellow parasol would look like.

[2] Full translation of this poem can be found online here.

[3] Of the five classic texts mentioned here, the Classic of Music is not one of the Five Classics of Confucianism because in our reality the Classic of Music was a text lost by the time of the Han Dynasty. Hence, an astute native reader might realize that one of the Classics is missing from Han Ruzi’s education: the Spring and Autumn Annals, which is a historical text.