Chapter 37 – Fasting Palace
by Salted FishOn the second day when he met with his ministers to discuss affairs, Xie Yi asked Ouyang Shen, “I remember there was an official in Guangdong last year who privately lent treasury silver to merchants to earn interest and then returned it to the treasury to cover deficits, and was later impeached by his superior, the provincial governor?”
Ouyang Shen said, “Your Majesty is wise. It was Zhao Yu, co-governor of Qingzhou, who was suspended from duty for investigation after impeachment. The Ministry of Personnel deliberated that while Zhao Yu lent treasury silver to merchants, there was no private corruption involved between him and the merchants. The returned silver was all recorded, and there was no evidence of embezzlement. Therefore, they proposed dismissal from office. As he is a native of the capital, he is currently idle at home.”
Xie Yi said, “Summon him for an audience tomorrow.”
Ouyang Shen said, “Does Your Majesty intend to employ him?”
Xie Yi said, “Yes, I find Jiang Xian overly rigid and inflexible. He couldn’t even come up with a plan for building a city wall after half a day’s discussion with the Ministry of Works. He keeps stating there are shortages here or that there are no suitable people there. Find someone more capable to assist him. Investigate Zhao Yu’s personal history and character thoroughly, and see what his conduct in office has been like. If he is suitable for employment, appoint him as a Director of the Ministry of Works to assist Jiang Xian in overseeing the construction of the city walls. We’ll see about further appointments later.”
Ouyang Shen said, “Your Majesty is wise.”
Afterwards, Ouyang Shen reported on the preparations for the imperial examination, and Xie Yi said, “The Ministry of Rites has already presented me with questions for the imperial examination to choose from, but I am not very satisfied. I sent them back and ordered them to prepare new ones. Currently, we need to pacify the barbarians, control water and drought disasters, manage river management and sea exploration, and handle matters such as mines, schools, and military farms. The national treasury is stretched thin, and we must raise funds for military salaries and provisions. With the livelihood of the people and the state’s economy at stake, all industries are waiting to flourish. This is the time to recruit talent. Do not select those who can only read and are proficient in Confucian classics; instead, we need to pick officials who are practical and capable. You should consult with the Ministry of Rites again and revise the questions.”
Ouyang Shen could only respond, “Your Majesty diligently seeks to improve governance, we, your subjects, are ashamed.” He secretly worried inwardly.
Xie Yi said, “Li Meiyai handled disaster relief properly and acted appropriately. Summon him back to the capital for service and issue an edict to praise him. Leave the remaining resettlement matters to the local provincial governors to take over.”
Ouyang Shen said, “Many memorials were submitted against Minister Li, accusing him of being harsh, overzealous, perverse, disruptive to the local populace, and having unclear accounts of disaster relief funds.”
Xie Yi said, “There were no instances of corruption. Most of the issues were trivial matters that do not affect the overall situation, so there is no need to pursue them.”
Xie Yi thought for a moment and added, “There is another matter. During the New Year’s sacrifice to Heaven, I felt that the Northern Suburban Fasting Palace was too dilapidated and needed repair.”
Ouyang Shen said, “Should I instruct the Ministry of Works to consult with the Taichang Temple to make repairs?”
Xie Yi said, “The Fasting Palace isn’t large, and won’t require much money. The key is sincerity; one must restrain oneself and not be lax.”
Ouyang Shen found the Emperor’s intentions increasingly difficult to fathom. “Should I have the Ministry of Works arrange for an official of integrity to oversee the construction?”
Xie Yi said, “There are too few people in the court. Have the Ministry of Personnel select some candidates from among the nobles.”
Ouyang Shen probed, “Sacrifices are also major events concerning the imperial temple. Perhaps we could choose some capable members from among the imperial princes?”
Xie Yi shook his head. “The imperial princes should focus on their studies. We need to select those who have inherited their titles but have yet to serve the country and enjoy the nation’s benefits idly without contributing anything.”
Ouyang Shen heard the familiar refrain from the Emperor and was greatly distressed. After all, the Emperor had been like this for years, always complaining that there were too many officials of noble families living off the state, and insisting that they must be reduced. He could not bear to see anyone idle and eating for free, and could only reply, “Yes.”
When the meeting finally ended, Ouyang Shen walked out feeling utterly exhausted. Every day, facing the Emperor, he felt that the depths of his mind were unfathomable. Seeing Su Kuai standing in the corridor waiting, his heart moved, and he hurried forward to hand Su Kuai some silver coins. He smiled and said, “Eunuch Su, His Majesty wants to find a noble to oversee the repairs of the Fasting Palace. Does Eunuch Su have any advice?”
Su Kuai smiled and said, “Minister, you’re too kind. A few days ago, I saw Prince Fei accompany His Majesty in a game of chess. His Majesty was very pleased, and during their conversation, Prince Fei mentioned that two sons of the Duke of Jing’s household, one of whom had just passed the metropolitan examination and was preparing for the imperial examination, and the other who had entered the Imperial Academy, were both very intelligent and diligent students. Having such sons, Duke Jing himself must also be a hardworking and capable man. I heard that he doesn’t have any official duties.”
Ouyang Shen quickly smiled and said, “Thank you for your guidance, Eunuch.”
Just then, a young eunuch ran over. “Grandfather Su, Imperial Physician Gao has arrived.”
Su Kuai hurriedly bowed to Ouyang Shen with a smile and personally went out to meet him.
Ouyang Shen remembered hearing that the Emperor had fallen ill during the New Year and wondered how he was now. He was slightly worried but could only retreat. Back at his office, he first asked his subordinates about Duke Xu Anlin of Jing. The conclusion he received was quite unexpected: “He is a pleasure-seeker, extravagant, dissolute, neglectful of his studies, and completely unworthy?”
The subordinate smiled and said, “Yes, I wonder why you thought of using him? This man is the younger brother of the late Duke of Jing. When the Duke of Jing suddenly passed away for some reason, he inherited the title. He married the daughter of a merchant family as his wife and has been living off her ever since, but he spends money like water.”
Ouyang Shen suddenly recalled something. “Wait, didn’t the Ministry of Rites grant the Duchess of the Duke of Jing’s household a noble title recently?”
The subordinate said, “That’s right. I heard that the Duke of Jing’s son donated one hundred thousand taels to the Ministry of Works, and the court rewarded his mother with a noble title.”
Ouyang Shen pondered for a moment. “The Duke of Jing has two sons? I heard that one passed the metropolitan examination and the other entered the Imperial Academy.”
The subordinate said, “It should be three. The youngest hasn’t grown up yet. The eldest is twenty years old and ranked fifty-third in the metropolitan examination this year. The second son was admitted to the Imperial Academy through his father’s influence a few days ago.”
Ouyang Shen said, “Why did the second son gain admission through his father’s influence?”
The subordinate said, “The second son is the legitimate son, while the eldest is a concubine-born son.”
Ouyang Shen said, “A concubine-born son who passed the civil service examination and is young and talented, and a legitimate son who excels in studies at the Imperial Academy. It seems that the Duchess of the Duke of Jing truly is virtuous and good at raising her children, worthy of a first-rank noble title.”
The subordinate didn’t dare say that he had heard that the legitimate son had a similarly notorious reputation as his father, and perhaps only got into the Imperial Academy due to sheer luck. Apart from donating money to buy a noble title for his mother, he didn’t have any significant misdeeds. He only smiled and said, “But Duke Jing himself can only be described as a man of rare fortune. Now even you, Minister, are inquiring about him. Is there a good position available? But I fear that this man is negligent and indulgent, and may botch the job. I suggest recommending a few imperial princes instead; they would be grateful to you, Minister.”
Ouyang Shen chuckled. “You’re still young and don’t know that luck and fortune are far more important than learning and diligence. Duke Jing’s good fortune clearly comes from his virtuous wife and filial sons.” He didn’t continue, knowing that the Emperor probably wanted to use Duke Jing’s son but found Duke Jing himself too unsuitable, fearing that he would cause trouble.
He said slowly, “The Northern Suburban Fasting Palace is in disrepair. I think we should let Duke Jing take charge of this task. Draft a memorial.”
The Emperor had said that the Fasting Palace was related to the major sacrifices to Heaven and required a sincere and cautious person to oversee the repairs. That meant he would have to live in the northern suburbs, supervise the work, and abstain from alcohol and women, cleanse his mind, observe a fast, and refrain from eating meat and spices. As for the repairs, there was no rush. They could proceed slowly, and due to the tight national treasury, the supplies of soil and stone might not be readily available. Laborers were currently focused on building the city walls, so it would be normal for the Fasting Palace to take three to five years to complete.
At Wenhua Hall.
Su Kuai brought the imperial physician in to take Xie Yi’s pulse for half a day. The imperial physician wiped his sweat and whispered, “How is the Emperor’s diet? How is his sleep at night?”
Xie Yi said, “I ate a little meat today, but my appetite is average. My mouth tastes bitter, and I still feel restless at night, with scattered dreams and a distant spirit. I’m still afraid of the cold, sweating profusely, with cold limbs, and extremely exhausted.”
The imperial physician lowered his head and said, “Your Majesty suffers from excessive depletion of blood essence, excessive fatigue, and unrelieved liver qi, making it difficult for liver blood to replenish itself. It seems that the root cause of his previous illness has not been eliminated, and he needs to recuperate slowly. He should relax his mind. However, looking at his pulse today, he seems to be in a better mood. Continuing to recuperate gradually, taking less care of his affairs, relaxing his mind, and enjoying himself, I will prescribe some medicine for recuperation. But because the Emperor’s appetite is poor, he should take less medicine and supplement with food.”
Xie Yi nodded slightly, and the imperial physician bowed and left. Xie Yi sat for a while, and he rarely laughed. Enjoying himself? Indeed, he had suddenly discovered that apart from the daily routine of reviewing memorials and managing state affairs, there were other things that could relieve his stress.
Just being someone’s older brother Nine, eating home-cooked meals, chatting about trivial matters, and stealing leisure for half a day was indeed nice.
The sound of the chime outside the window caught his attention. It was time for the next event, which was to attend a lecture on Confucian classics at the Hanlin Academy. He stood up and left, but he was thinking about how the young boy had not yet submitted his homework.
Meanwhile, Xu Chun was very busy. After recovering from his illness, he returned to the Imperial Academy for classes. Shen Mengzhen apparently couldn’t stand seeing him idle and assigned him several tasks related to reciting Confucian classics, writing essays on current affairs, and policy discussions, keeping him extremely busy.
When he returned to the Duke of Jing’s residence, he learned that Duke Jing had suddenly been given the task of repairing the Northern Suburban Fasting Palace. He first went to the Taichang Temple to accept the assignment and then collected the identification token from the Ministry of Works. Returning home, he informed everyone that the entire household of the Duke of Jing was quite excited. They dispatched capable servants to make preliminary arrangements. Xu Anlin first went to inspect the Fasting Palace and returned with a pale face. After all, during the renovation period, anyone entering and leaving the Fasting Palace would have to observe a fast, which was a matter of life and death for him.
He complained to his grandmother, “It turns out to be a tough job, no wonder it fell into the hands of an idle man like me.”
Naturally, she scolded him, “This is a proper task. In the past, everything related to the Fasting Palace was the responsibility of the Imperial Clan Department and the Taichang Temple. The fact that it has been assigned to you now shows that the rumors about the Emperor wanting to reform the imperial clan and nobility are true.”
“You haven’t served in an official capacity since inheriting the title, and now that you’ve finally been given a task, you must sincerely perform well. There will be benefits for you in the future, so don’t slack off or harbor sentiments of luck and go to places of debauchery. Be careful not to be impeached by the censors. One wrong move, and you risk losing your title!”
Xu Anlin complained, “How could it get to the point of losing my title?”
She said, “What do you know? There have long been rumors that the Emperor is dissatisfied with the imperial clan and nobility consuming the nation’s resources. He has already ordered the Ministry of Rites not to grant titles lightly, and for those who have already been granted titles, they cannot be passed down without reduction in rank. Even imperial relatives must follow this rule. Why do you think the censors have nothing better to do than to impeach nobles and imperial princes every day? Naturally, they are catering to the Emperor’s preferences. Since you haven’t served in an official capacity for a long time, if you don’t perform well in your duties, you’ll only give others ammunition to criticize you.”
After that, she arranged for several capable old servants from the Duke of Jing’s residence to accompany Xu Anlin, ensuring that the Duke wouldn’t engage in any misconduct outside, lest he be impeached by the censors.
Xu Anlin had no choice but to observe the fast honestly and go to the Northern Suburban Fasting Palace daily. Later, finding it troublesome to travel back and forth, he simply stayed at a nearby residence.
As a result, the Duke of Jing’s residence instantly saved a substantial amount of expenses, and the residence became much quieter.
Author’s Note:
Note: Some readers asked about Madam Sheng’s name. When creating the character outline, I gave her the name Sheng Shaoni, her uncle’s name is Sheng Tongyu, and her grandfather’s name is Sheng Jingchu. Her three cousins are named Sheng Changzhou, Sheng Changyun, and Sheng Changtian respectively.
The reason I didn’t directly write her name in the text and referred to her as Madam Sheng or Lady Sheng is twofold. Firstly, as the son of Sheng Shaoni, according to ancient customs, children would not call their mother’s name directly, even in their thoughts. For example, in Dream of the Red Chamber, the names of female elders such as Grandmother Jia, Lady Xing, Lady Wang, and Lady Xue are never mentioned directly. Outsiders would not ask for a woman’s name either, as a virtuous woman’s name was considered private information, only known to her husband. Even emperors and empresses of great status, like Wu Zetian and Empress Lu, have few records of their names in historical books, most often being referred to by their titles, rankings, or nicknames.
Secondly, from a narrative perspective, introducing too many names at once can confuse readers. Many readers have already expressed difficulty remembering the long list of names from the Xu family earlier. Actually, when naming characters, I used certain techniques to prevent myself from forgetting them. For instance, the eldest sister’s personality is wild, so I used the word “kui” which means sunflower. The eldest brother’s personality is aloof, so I used a homophone for “loneliness.” The protagonist’s personality is pure, so I used a homophone for “pure.” You can infer the rest based on these examples… Most characters who are not central to the plot are simply referred to as Lady X, Grandfather X, or Empress X, making it easier for readers to understand. As the story progresses, I will introduce the main characters’ names in appropriate scenes, and Madam Sheng’s maiden name will also be revealed at the right time.
In fact, I often make mistakes with names, even after creating a detailed character outline before starting the story. Longtime readers have probably noticed this… Characters’ names and ages are my Achilles’ heel; I can’t remember them, absolutely can’t remember them.
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