Chapter 112: Meeting the Empress Dowager once more

"Supreme Yuanhe, Bai'er's^[1] ascension to the throne was done with no alternative..."

The Cining Palace's main hall had long since been remodelled into a ritual hall, the incense in the censers burning throughout day and night, the entirety of the Cining Palace seeming to be enveloped in the smoke. But the Imperial Palace had always been a renowned and powerful place, and such a ritual hall, when placed within it, seemed rather comical.

But Lu Pingwan had never thought so; ever since she'd moved to the Cining Palace and become the Empress Dowager, she'd knelt on this praying mat as she did now for hundreds of days. She wore rough cloth attire, but the jade prayer beads she counted were translucent and limpid. The incense's ash fluttered and fell upon the gold-grouted tiles, as if covering the Cining Palace in a white Daoist robe.

She'd been praying all along; praying to the Supreme, praying to her ancestors to forgive her daughter's violation of ancestral rules, her ascending the throne as Emperor.

From the moment she'd moved in, she'd not taken a single step outside of the Cining Palace. She didn't know that the capital was now already more vibrant and lively than it had been under the previous Emperor, didn't know that taxes were one tenth lower than they had been before, and didn't even know that, now, it was already the second year of Dao'an.

In the Cining Palace, it was now the nineteenth year of Hejing.

But even so, with Song Juguang suddenly standing behind her, Lu Pingwan wasn't startled.

"Since you've come, come light a stick of incense with this mourner," Lu Pingwan said, without turning her head, but the prayer beads in her hand suddenly grew taut.

Song Juguang swept a glance over the main hall, and said, "The Empress Dowager is rather high spirits; this minister recalls that, in the past, you consecrated the Buddha."

"Buddhism is no different; they both aim to urge people towards virtue," Lu Pingwan said, eyes remaining lowered. "If the Regent is willing to kneel for three shichen a day with this mourner, perhaps you can eliminate some of the sins on you."

"Sins?" Song Juguang, hearing this, laughed as if having heard some joke. "I'd request the Empress Dowager to speak clearly—what sins has this minister committed?"

At this moment, Song Juguang didn't wear that humble expression she usually carried in front of Jiang Changbai; eyes curved, she looked at Lu Pingwan, lacking any respect in the slightest. There was disdain visible on her curled lips, as if she were the one whose position were higher.

"Hah," Lu Pingwan scoffed, still kneeling on the prayer mat, yet her knuckles let out a creaking sound from the force. "What sins have you committed? You feigned your death to flee the Prince's residence, used magic to grow closer to the previous Emperor, and deceived his trust. Further, you raised an army to rebel, claiming falsely to kill the evil, and now you title yourself as Regent, monopolising the court. As a child, you aren't filial, and as a minister, you aren't loyal, yet now you still ask this mourner what sins you've committed?"

A strange smile rose on Song Juguang's expression. "Empress Dowager, this minister's title of Regent, that was given to me by her majesty herself."

In this instant, Lu Pingwan's expression stiffened, and the jade prayer beads in her hand suddenly fell to the ground. "Violating ancestral rules—the two of you are jackals of the same tribe. You corrupted this mourner's child; if I'd known early on, that year, this mourner wouldn't have agreed to bring you into the Prince's residence."

"But there's no such thing as medicine for regret in this world; these words of the Empress Dowager's are too late." Song Juguang stroked the folding fan in her hand, its frame sleek, seeming to have had a degree of darkness added to it. Song Juguang paced slowly to Lu Pingwan. "And these words of the Empress Dowager truly are too flawed. You really are accusing this minister and her majesty unjustly.

"That year, the previous Emperor was overconfident in his martial skills, and led the charge to penetrate the Shejin army personally. If not for this minister risking her life to save him, I fear he wouldn't have lived those next few years. This minister was the previous Emperor's saviour; in comparison to others, it's understandable that he trusted me more. Why the word 'deceived'?

”The border has always been a place of conflict; after the fifteenth year of Hejing, Liu Zihe, Wu Dongmu, and the others, in pursuit of personal gain, increased taxes, and the common people suffered indescribably. This minister only carried out that plan out of concern for the common people. As for Emperor Tai losing his footing and falling into the water, it's not as if you haven't seen the Tonghe River; during the flood season, it roils with waves; this minister was truly helpless.

"The so-called killing of the evil, that was even more to protect the innocent commoners. When balancing merits and demerits, even when being judged in the Nine Springs,^[2] others wouldn't say anything. This minister comes from a refugee background, and lost track of my parents early on, so what lack of filial piety? As for not being loyal as a minister, this minister believes there's no one in the court now more loyal than me.

"Her majesty ascending the throne as a woman has nothing to do with violating ancestral rules. At the time, the Founding Emperor established the country as a woman, creating a golden age, and it was only because of that that so many emperors were able to limp along until now. Now that her majesty has ascended the throne, it's actually returning to ancestral rules. More than that, now, the common people live in peace and work comfortably, and the border is peaceful; it's only the Emperor now who is the the paragon whom the common people have hoped for for a hundred years."

Outside the hall, a sudden, wild wind arose, causing the altar lamps lit in the hall to sway at once. Seeing that she couldn't convince Song Juguang, Lu Pingwan cursed her for her clever tongue, and, no longer paying attention to the scattered jade prayer beads on the ground, rose, heading towards the door. But she hadn't expected that Song Juguang would block her way. "Don't leave so quickly, Empress Dowager; this minister has a matter to request your help with."

Lu Pingwan raised a brow at her, and scoffed, "Since you're devoted to righteousness in all matters, what need do you have for this mourner's help? Take a look; all this mourner has power over is merely this small Cining Palace."

The words caused the smoke rising from the censer to waver, casting an illusory shadow over the inside of the hall.

"You're the Empress Dowager," Song Juguang said, bowing faintly towards Lu Pingwan, some humbleness finally showing on her face, "of course this Cining Palace isn't the only thing you can have power over."

As she spoke, Song Juguang's gaze glanced out of the hall. If someone were to pay attention, they'd naturally be able to tell that Song Juguang's gaze was aimed in the direction of the imperial study. But Lu Pingwan had never left the Cining Palace; how could she know where the imperial study was, to say nothing of being able to see any clues.

"Her majesty is determined to let the marriage alliance princess from Shejin return there," Song Juguang said, mildly, "this minister believes that would be asking for calamity by nurturing a tiger, but no matter what, I can't convince her majesty."

"So you came here because you want this mourner to urge her for you?" Lu Pingwan's gaze finally fell on Song Juguang's face, and only now did she truly become aware that this person before her was long since no longer that young study companion whose life and death had been within her hand.

Song Juguang, sensing the gaze, turned her gaze to meet Lu Pingwan's. "Nothing can be hidden from you. Bixia is the most filial; if you speak, it would almost probably be effective."

The two gazes met in mid air. The hall was incredibly calm, only the incense still burning in censer. But after that, it was as if something had disturbed the prayer beads, and the sudden sound of disturbance broke the tranquility.

"You've grown up," Lu Pingwan said, startled, her hands gesturing at her hips, "when her majesty first brought you back, you were only this tall."

In Lu Pingwan's mind, the position Song Juguang had truly was complicated. At the time, when Jiang Changbai had selected her as her study companion, Lu Pingwan hadn't wanted to agree. At that time, Song Juguang had been half a head shorted than her peers of the same age, and her every movement was unlike that of a commoner's.

One had to know that Emperor Tai had been paranoid, and the imperial family's princes had been narrow-minded and petty, fighting and scheming against each other. Though they were brothers, they were even more vicious towards each other than outsiders. Prince Ling had convalesced in bed due to his own imperial brothers' schemes.

The Song Juguang of that time, in comparison to the common people, was far more like a spy who had been placed within Prince Ling's residence by another prince.

But Jiang Changbai had been youthfully stubborn, and been insistent, refusing to budge from her convictions. Lu Pingwan couldn't hold her back, and could only allow her to do as she pleased. Luckily, no serious issues had arisen, and she'd been rather happy. That year, when Prince Ling's manor had met a robber while trying to avoid the chaos, it was Song Juguang who'd replaced Jiang Changbai to keep her safe, and Lu Pingwan had even felt she'd slighted Song Juguang.

But when the two had met again, the guilt in Lu Pingwan's heart had dissipated like smoke and clouds.

Of course Song Juguang didn't know the twists and turns in Lu Pingwan's mind, and only nodded, muttering, "That's right; time changes everything."

Time changed everything; it had only been a few years, but everything was different from before. Distance had grown between those who had previously been inseparably close, and the words that could once have been said without reservation could no longer be spoken even after long deliberation. Lu Pingwan's tone was mild, and Song Juguang assumed she'd agree immediately. But she hadn't imagined that Lu Pingwan would sigh. "But this mourner cannot agree to you."

Lu Pingwan watched the shock that flashed across Song Juguang's face. "This mourner knows this mourner's child; she's not someone who can easily be swayed. Since you've already said that there's no one more loyal to her majesty among the military and civil officials of the court, then you ought to go persuade her yourself, not come looking for this mourner.

"If her majesty won't listen, then she must have her own plans. This mourner can only recite scripture, and not read; naturally my reach doesn't extend to the court. It's just that that year, Bai'er knelt and asked this mourner to allow you to be her study companion, saying that your eyes had the sharpness of a falcon's; but now, looking at you, I made a mistake."

Song Juguang's hand, grasping the folding fan, unconsciously grew tighter, the hard fan frame digging painfully into her hand. She couldn't help but lament that there was a hereditary stubbornness in both mother and daughter; she'd originally intended to take advantage of the opportunity to repair the relationship between Jiang Changbai and Lu Pingwan for them, but she hadn't imagined neither of them would believe her.

"Empress Dowager, please understand," Song Juguang said, bowing her head, pulling out a star map, "these actions of this minister's are truly for the sake of the Great Li's territory. Last night, this minister watched the stars, and saw a comet's emergence. The Board of Astronomy said—"

"Enough," Lu Pingwan cut Song Juguang off before she could finish speaking. "This mourner knows that the Regent is clever, but how could someone be skilled at everything? Who knows if you made a mistake. This mourner is tired, and has no energy to chat with you; why don't you take your leave."

Though on the surface her words were a refusal, Song Juguang wasn't a fool in the slightest, and naturally could hear it. As she struggled, her gaze unconsciously flickered to the portrait hung on the wall behind the censer. The incense in the censer had nearly burnt down, and only the final curls of smoke rising remained, causing the portrait to grow faintly indistinct.

Song Juguang blinked, and a plan rose in her mind.

"The Empress Dowager is right; this minister won't bother the Empress Dowager further," Song Juguang nodded as if in agreement, no longer insistent, but then mentioned absently, "the one whom the Empress Dowager believes in, is it the Supreme Yuanhe?"

"In all of the Great Li, how many households don't believe in her?" Lu Pingwan retorted, seemingly surprised. But at the mention of the Supreme Yuanhe, her expression seemed to not be as tense as before. The space between her brows grew a great deal gentler.

Even a more fierce person, when their beliefs were mentioned, would be the same.

Delight rose in Song Juguang's mind, but her expression didn't change. She nodded her head, and said, "It was this minister's muddle-headedness."

When she finished speaking, she strode over to the altar and picked up a stick of incense to light it as she did so, respectfully kneeling on the prayer mat. This was the first time she'd kowtowed towards a portrait since she'd come to the Great Li, and when she raised her head, she felt, vaguely, the portrait winking towards her.

That was right; if those people knew, they'd have the same look, Song Juguang thought to herself

"That's right," Lu Pingwan said, satisfaction rising on her expression, "you ought to have done that from the start."

The next morning was an equally clear day, and after Jiang Changbai left morning court and returned to the imperial study, she saw the maid, An Lian-gugu, who served by Lu Pingwan's side, waiting outside the doors. Jiang Changbai's heart trembled, thinking that something had happened to Lu Pingwan. After all, An Lian-gugu had been serving by Lu Pingwan's side the entire time, and Lu Pingwan never left the Cining Palace, so An Lian had been by her side as well.

Though in these two years, Lu Pingwan had been brooding and unwilling to see her, they still shared the same blood. As a result, Jiang Changbai walked apprehensively closer, waving away An Lian-gugu's obeisance.

But after she stood up, An Lian-gugu smiled at Jiang Changbai, and her aged voice carried some emotion. "Bixia, the Empress Dowager, on rising this morning, wished for you to come to the Cining Palace."

-

< LAST | HOME | NEXT >

-

Translator's notes: 

[1]: 白儿, a diminutive form of Jiang Changbai's name.

[2]: 九泉, another name for the Underworld.