Chapter 18 This Too Is a Tear [Fortunately, my wives and concubines slightly disobeyed the imperial decree, so...]
[Fortunately, if any of his wives or concubines slightly disobeyed his orders, he would kill them and let their bodies float in the Wei River. He also sent palace women to have naked intercourse with men in front of the palace. He skinned cattle, sheep, donkeys, and horses alive, and burned chickens, pigs, and geese alive, releasing them in groups of thirty to fifty into the palace. Sometimes he would peel the faces off condemned prisoners and make them sing and dance, leading the officials to watch for amusement. Members of the imperial family, meritorious officials, relatives, and loyal ministers were almost all killed. All the princes and dukes in office resigned due to illness. The people were terrified and fearful, exchanging glances on the streets.]
Emperor Chengde was cruel, wicked, and licentious.
He had thousands of wives and concubines, and during his thirty-year reign, every woman in the palace with even a hint of beauty fell victim to his cruelty. He had over a hundred children whose names are recorded.
Unlike the desolate scene now, where no imperial heir is in sight, the palace was overcrowded three years before Yan Dibai ascended the throne. No minister dared to enter the palace, and the palace was littered with the corpses of palace women.
If he was merely lustful and cruel, he would be no different from other rulers who brought about the downfall of their kingdoms throughout history.
But Emperor Chengde said, "I cannot accept the one who gave me life, but I can accept anyone else."
When Yang Liuqing arrived at the palace, news about the late emperor was scarce, and few people mentioned him. This was probably because most of the palace servants here had entered the palace in the same year that Yan Dibai ascended the throne and had never experienced the trials of the imperial prison.
Therefore, information about the late Emperor Yanqi is scarce. But Chengde Hall seems to have inherited those chaotic past events. It awaits an opportunity to unfold the long-buried history.
Yang Liuqing's pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints as she looked at the rows of words. She felt a mix of emotions, unsure how to evaluate the situation.
The arrival of the young emperor Yan Dibai was neither respectable nor honorable.
… …
The 20th year of Chengde.
The emperor had a daughter named Pa, who was beautiful and clever from a young age. The emperor loved her dearly and often kept her by his side, holding Pa on his lap.
As Pa grew older, she was old enough to choose a husband. The emperor was displeased and punished her. Pa then entered a temple to practice Buddhism while still keeping her hair, thus isolating herself from the world.
Clearly, this so-called temple retreat is just a pretext.
The Chengde Emperor, a beast of virtue, had long coveted the daughter of a dancer, forcing her to "voluntarily" enter the temple, after which he raped her. The vast temple housed the girl's cries, and for many years, the Chengde Emperor visited every night. Sometimes he brought his concubines, and the group would go mad together. Sometimes he brought his imperial guards, and the group would share his pleasure.
Pa was in the prime of her life, but this ordeal left her half-mad. She attempted suicide multiple times but was always saved. Afterward, she became utterly despondent and completely became his captive.
During this period, Pa gave birth to three sons, all of whom were deformed, missing noses and eyes. Emperor Chengde was extremely disgusted by them and had them killed with his sword.
Pa remained silent, yet her beauty only grew more refined with each step. The Emperor still favored her. He continued to seek pleasure with Pa, and later took her out of the temple, imprisoning her in the palace to enjoy her alone.
Pa continued to give birth. Finally, she gave birth to a healthy princess, whom Emperor Chengde was quite pleased with, naming her Xifang. For a time, she was the emperor's favorite and enjoyed unparalleled favor, even hosting a grand banquet for his officials.
However, Yang Liuqing couldn't stand it anymore.
When the princess was five years old, one of the concubines accused her of not being of the Chengde Emperor's bloodline, but rather of being born from an affair between the emperor and another man.
The Emperor didn't believe it, but when he returned to tease the princess, he noticed a red leaf birthmark under her armpit. He then recalled what the palace concubine had said—
“Those who commit adultery also have red moles under their armpits.”
Emperor Chengde indeed became suspicious and summoned all the males in the palace, but none of them were found.
The Emperor scrutinized Princess Xifang and was surprised to find that her features did not resemble his own.
However, there was no compelling evidence. The Emperor tolerated it for the time being. The following year, Pa became pregnant again, and the palace attendants who usually served the princess were often nowhere to be found. Instead, they went to serve Pa.
Emperor Chengde sensed something was amiss. One day, he glimpsed a eunuch lying naked on his bed, with a red and black object clearly visible between his legs.
The eunuch and the pipa were intimate and natural, clearly having known each other for a long time. Only then did Emperor Chengde understand why he couldn't find them among the guards.
The real thief was none other than Lao Ai, whose crimes had not been completely eradicated.
On that day, blood was shed in the Xianning Palace, and Princess Xifang was suddenly deposed. She and her pregnant mother were banished to the Cold Palace. The eunuchs skinned her alive, made clothes from her skin, and soup from her flesh, forcing her to eat and wear the clothes.
Pa went mad and was completely abandoned. With no one to serve her, she suffered from hunger and thirst. In early winter, in order to beg for food, she climbed over the palace wall and sneaked into the Shanglin Garden, where she competed with cattle and sheep for food.
In the middle of the night, the frail woman's water broke in the cold wind. She gave birth to a son in the cowshed.
A palace attendant from the Shanglin Garden came to feed the cattle and was shocked to find a naked infant, covered in bruises, curled up under a cow's belly, searching for milk. He hurriedly reported this to the authorities.
Emperor Chengde, indulging in a life of luxury and extravagance, initially disregarded the life or death of this young child. Furthermore, due to the affair between Pa and the eunuch, he concluded that the child was also an offspring of a male illegitimate son.
Enraged, he ordered the siblings to be executed together.
At that time, Prime Minister Lin had been seeking an audience with Emperor Chengde for many days due to the Yellow River floods, but the emperor had been avoiding him. Enraged, Lin forced his way into the palace with a decree of immunity from death in hand. He saw an eunuch carrying a dying infant covered in cow grass toward the palace gate. Behind him was a emaciated little girl.
Lin Xiang frowned and stopped the eunuch.
The eunuch dared not conceal the truth and told him the truth.
Lin Xiang remained silent, then suddenly stepped forward, brushed away the snowflakes from the baby's brow, and looked at his furrowed little face, saying:
"This boy has a spirited look in his eyes; he is no ordinary person."
It can be said that Prime Minister Lin was Yan Dibai's second father.
Because he took off his clothes to protect Yan Dibai, Yan Dibai did not freeze to death. Because of his imposing presence, Yan Dibai was given the opportunity to meet Emperor Chengde.
Lin Xiang bluntly stated, "In my opinion, he bears a striking resemblance to Your Majesty. Your Majesty's male heirs are of inconsistent quality; it is not appropriate to hastily kill him."
That's too blunt. It's like telling someone their son is of poor quality. You might as well raise a backup.
Emperor Chengde's face darkened. However, Prime Minister Lin was the late emperor's tutor, as well as his own tutor, and had been instrumental in the survival of the Great Jin Dynasty. He was an indispensable and crucial figure who could not be killed.
The absurd emperor had no choice but to give him face and glance at the baby boy. Perhaps it was the effect of preconceived notions, but he really felt that the child looked somewhat like him.
Minister Lin, being kind-hearted, said, "Your Majesty has committed many evils. It would be better to pardon the princess, which would also bring good fortune."
Emperor Chengde gritted his teeth and endured it.
And so the brother and sister survived.
Sadly, Pa was too weak on the day of childbirth and died in the cowshed. Her body was hastily buried, and no one commented, no one lit an incense stick for her, and no one shed a tear.
The child was not treated well because of this. Emperor Chengde still had doubts about his origins and decided to wait until he grew up to see.
He and his elder sister depended on each other for survival. When he was five years old, he was finally summoned to the Xianning Palace for a visit.
The child, though young, was breathtakingly beautiful. Even dressed in tattered clothes and barefoot, with withered leaves and insects in her disheveled hair, her beauty remained undiminished.
His biological father, who had indulged in wine and women for many years, was genuinely taken aback when he saw him again after five years. He raised his hand and beckoned him forward.
The boy opened his big eyes, his dark pupils showing no fear, and stepped onto the jade steps as if he were strolling leisurely in the cold palace as usual.
Closer, Emperor Chengde remained silent. He lifted the man's face, then suddenly chuckled, his pungent smell of alcohol spreading everywhere.
The boy stared blankly into his father's cloudy eyes. After a long while, the Chengde Emperor laughed loudly, looking up at the sky.
"My good son! My good son!"
Amidst the spilling of wine cups and the screams of the concubines, Emperor Chengde drew his long sword and pointed it at the boy:
"I want to celebrate for you!"
*Whoosh—* Sword light danced wildly.
In an instant, the screams of concubines and palace maids echoed throughout Xianning Palace. The mad emperor, trampling over wine and roasted meat, slashed and killed indiscriminately, leaving beautiful women as withered bones. Unrequited heads rolled down the black bricks, and a boy stood in the blood, letting the warm red cover his insteps, dyeing his toenails a vivid vermilion.
He calmly lowered his eyes to look at the naked female bodies on the ground.
Where Yan Qi is, women are not allowed to wear clothes.
The man, driven mad by the carnage, tore open his clothes until he pierced the heart of the last palace servant, then swayed unsteadily before the child. He grinned.
"Is my son happy?"
The boy's beautifully shaped lips parted slightly as he stared, slightly puzzled, at the withered, rotten flesh between his father's legs. With the blood-stained sword blade at his side, he slowly said:
"Your subject is delighted."
Emperor Chengde raised an eyebrow, suddenly threw down his sword, grabbed him by both shoulders, and said sternly:
"Truly delighted?!"
The boy slightly curled his lips, mimicking the alluring beauties he had seen on his way here, presenting a beautiful and captivating smile.
His dark eyes were calm and still.
"Your subject is very happy."
Emperor Chengde narrowed his eyes and loosened his grip slightly. Before he could go berserk again, the five-year-old child knelt down, stretched out his small hand that was clutching his clothes, and slowly lifted the woman's head at his feet, holding it under his eyes to examine it closely.
The man paused slightly, then saw the child's eyes crinkle as he softly said:
"Your subject wants this."
He curiously stroked his red lips, which were adorned with rouge, looking utterly puzzled:
"Was this place also stained with blood?"
Every move he made, every word he uttered, was strangely unsettling, yet the boy seemed completely oblivious to anything wrong or terrifying about it.
Emperor Chengde's smile froze for a moment, then he burst into laughter:
"He truly is my son!"
The laughter echoed across Xianning Palace, and all the eunuchs outside knelt down, trembling with fear.
… …
The nameless boy has been given a name.
Although the name was chosen arbitrarily, at least it now has a name.
Holding the grotesque human head, Yan Dibai returned to the cold palace where she and her elder sister had long lived, amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd.
Princess Xifang was ten years old at the time, and her figure was slender, though very thin. She was filled with anxiety when her younger brother returned carrying a severed head, thinking something terrible had happened. Unexpectedly, her brother held the head high for her, saying, word by word:
"A gift from my father."
"Sister, I have a name, my name is Yan Dibai."
"Sister, please sing me another song."
Yan Xifang was stunned.
At dusk, a sixteen-bearer imperial palanquin carried the young child into the Eastern Palace. Princess Xifang, who was not of royal blood, was also brought into the palace.
Most people thought this should be a good start.
The Crown Prince is dressed in new clothes and lives in a new residence. His food, clothing, and daily necessities are second only to His Majesty's, and he also has Prime Minister Lin to teach him. If nothing unexpected happens, he will surely be the new heir.
Even though many princes were envious, none dared to act recklessly due to their father's tyrannical power.
But Yan Dibai's life is not as good as it seems on the surface.
The Emperor Chengde's fondness for him stemmed solely from his son, who was an equally inhuman madman.
Yan Dibai suddenly developed a latent disease when she was six years old.
He lost sight in his right eye, and at one point, he couldn't even see clearly with his left eye, let alone read the tiny print in a book.
No matter how handsome a blind prince is, he can never become emperor.
Princess Xifang panicked and tried to hide the truth. But the truth couldn't be kept secret forever, and the news quickly spread throughout the palace.
Emperor Chengde, who hadn't thought of his handsome son in a long time, naturally heard this, and with a drunken laugh, he embraced his newly acquired beauty and said:
"My son is blind. Would you like to see him?"
How could I possibly spoil the fun when the beautiful woman is laughing and joking?
Yan Dibai was summoned to Shanglin Garden, where he stumbled and fell in front of everyone, covered in mud and animal excrement. The beautiful woman, seeing his disheveled state, giggled.
Emperor Chengde was extremely pleased. He tossed aside the small knife his concubine used for peeling fruit, which lay on the table, and teased her, saying:
"I have heard that a blind child sheds only one tear. Is that true?"
The waiter smiled and said, "Indeed."
The room erupted in laughter, all mocking the boy for being unable to see with his right eye. The beautiful woman laughed so hard she nearly fell over, her sweet voice like a nightingale's song.
It sounds wonderful, but it's also jarring.
At that time, no one expected that this little prince, who looked like a contraption, would react in any way.
A favored concubine once gifted him a theatrical costume, and the young prince, without realizing anything amiss, calmly put it on, becoming the laughingstock of the entire palace.
What does such a lighthearted remark to a beautiful woman amount to?
This time, however, amidst the laughter, the usually expressionless boy opened his lifeless eyes, leaned forward, and quietly reached for the dagger, calling out to Emperor Chengde.
The emperor chuckled, but suddenly his smile froze.
The child brandished the knife at himself and stabbed himself below his right eye, leaving a straight, bloody gash.
Blood dripped like a stream into the fruit plate.
Everyone was astonished.
The boy's rosy lips parted:
"This too is a tear."
Emperor Chengde was suddenly startled, overturned the table, and roared:
"Guards, whip him!"
A note from the author:
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The beginning and the end are from the Book of Jin, Fu Sheng.
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