Chapter 5: Life and Death (Part 1)
Under the decline of imperial power, only these rootless individuals remain, using the last bit of their sincerity to maintain the insignificant dignity and pomp of the Son of Heaven
In the dim light, large posters printed on wooden blocks declaring martial law can be seen affixed to the walls at various street corners. In the narrow and elongated streets and alleys, it is common to see a night watchman carrying a small lantern, striking a broken gong or clapper, with a shivering shadow appearing momentarily before vanishing into the darkness; the slow and listless sounds of the gong or clapper gradually fade away in the wind.
The so-called final brilliance of governing with clarity from above and maintaining order below, led by rulers and ministers who naively believed that they could resolve all issues and longstanding problems simply by focusing on major policies and reclaiming power, ultimately led to their complete downfall
The host and the guests held their cups, lightly tapping their toes on the ground, attentively listening, almost holding their breath. When the singing ceased, they frequently nodded in appreciation, cheerfully urging each other to drink and enjoy the dishes, engaging in guessing games and drinking contests. Very few paid attention to the commotion outside the city walls, and no one thought about what should be done for this declining dynasty to quickly put an end to the chaos. When the singing ceased, they frequently nodded in appreciation, cheerfully urging each other to drink and enjoy the dishes, engaging in guessing games and drinking contests. Very few paid attention to the commotion outside the city walls, and no one thought about what should be done for this declining dynasty to quickly put an end to the chaos
He looked at the thin, cold wind seeping through the leaking tiles of the roof and wrapped his tattered old fur coat around himself a little tighter. This coat was a reward given to him by a certain emperor who had fled, in recognition of his loyalty to duty, personally taken off and bestowed upon this servant. At that time, he was still a young man with black hair, overwhelmed with gratitude.
Titles such as the Inspector of Military Appearance and Military Appearance Observer, which once commanded great respect and awe, now only remain as the last vestiges of officials who are arrogant in their roles of pacification and consolation, and serve as scapegoats when necessary
Some historical events, referred to as retribution, are merely repetitions of the past. At times, he even entertains the thought that if it had not been during the year of Yiwai, when that mad usurper emperor sought to overthrow and annihilate the ruling Liang clan and eradicate all its supporters, the authority of the emperor and the dignity of the court would not have been so thoroughly tarnished.
He has served six emperors, from babbling infants to hunchbacked middle-aged men who have turned prematurely gray due to excessive sorrow, and even to young men who have succumbed to debauchery and indulgence, leading to their early demise. Of course, there are also those failed emperors who, despite their attempts to revitalize the court and restore order, have been crushed by reality and driven to madness.
As the oldest eunuch in terms of age and qualifications among the inner palace officials, the inner attendant Wei Yue was also slowly swallowing a mouthful of thick tea that had lost its flavor, suppressing the slight itch of a cough.
Watching helplessly as the magnificent and vast imperial palace gradually withers away, becoming a place overrun by rats and sparrows, with cobwebs weaving through the dilapidated halls of the abandoned palace
More than ten years ago, his last adopted son died, and the charge was actually stealing offerings from the altar while on duty at the ancestral temple. Once, as powerful inner officials who flaunted their authority and acted tyrannically, how had they fallen to the point of stealing leftover cold dishes from the royal ancestral sacrifices
"Mr. Wei, you have encountered a problem..."
The bygone events are like a stirred mixture of liquor, with bits of sediment floating to the surface of memory. However, he can no longer shed tears; that was during the time of serving an unknown emperor, when he was bound and forced to take medicine, suffering the excruciating pain until he cried dry.
Regardless of the era, even in the apocalyptic times, there will always be those who indulge in revelry and live for the moment, singing on leaky boats and burning down houses.
Unfortunately, the era in which Wei Yue was born was precisely the beginning of this ominous sign. Once upon a time, the objects of reliance for the Son of Heaven became increasingly scarce, until finally, only these incomplete and feeble remnants remained.
They trembled in the biting cold wind of early winter, moaning, complaining, and sighing. The women softly called out to the old man, weeping sorrowfully. The children huddled in their mothers' arms, crying out that they were cold and hungry, each cry tearing at the hearts of the adults
The snowflakes, drifting and swirling, also fluttered above the dark expanse of the imperial palace, ultimately settling into a layer of yellowed frost-white around a few sparse lights.
However, in contrast to these wealthy families who find amusement amidst their fears and anxieties, East City and South City present a different scene
Since the imposition of martial law in Tongcheng on the 24th of last month, hundreds of refugees have died each day, with numbers reaching as high as two to three hundred. Although porridge factories have been established in all eleven gates of the six cities of Luodu for relief efforts, the mortality rate continues to rise, particularly among the elderly and children who are physically weakened.
Important street corners are guarded by soldiers, who occasionally check the passing pedestrians. Outside every household, red or white paper lanterns are hung, their dim light swaying gently under the eaves.
Either become the eyes and ears of the regent in the outer court, or die inexplicably in a dark corner, or be subjected to scrutiny by colleagues and censors for real or imagined illegal acts, ultimately suffering the humiliation of dying in prison.
As the accumulation of these heads increased, the chaos in Wei Yue's mind seemed to be partially unveiled. It appeared that he had encountered these young individuals within the inner palace. Due to the insufficient number of guards in the inner palace, the martial students sent to fill the ranks displayed a demeanor of overwhelming gratitude before the emperor, leaving a slight impression on him, an old veteran of the palace who had been brought in to make up the numbers.
Although in the residences near the Forbidden City, in order to avoid being overheard by those within the palace, during singing and dancing festivities, they refrain from using gongs and drums, and even avoid silk and bamboo instruments. Instead, they allow the courtesans to gently tap the clappers made of rosewood or ivory, singing softly and melodiously. At times, the singing is so delicate that it resembles a single strand of hair, almost imperceptible, wafting continuously, spiraling around the intricately painted beams of the room, and then soaring into the mysterious void of space
Yet these are often merely fleeting glories, vanishing like mirages under the scorching sun. The meager military strength and unreliable hearts of the people lead to a repetition of the past, necessitating the introduction of foreign aid, and ultimately, amidst the chaos of foreign troops intruding, they, along with the emperor they supported, are shattered to pieces.
He began to loudly proclaim his crimes, which were nothing more than castrating the loyal, causing chaos in the country, corrupting the emperor from within, forming alliances with rebellious factions from without, and oppressing the loyal ministers
Today, the best outcome for an inner court official is to spend money to bribe the outer court, then to request an official position in the vassal states, and by leveraging the last remnants of the emperor's authority, to curry favor with and rely on the influence of those regional lords, writing memorials that praise their achievements and express loyalty, thereby obtaining corresponding privileges and support
Please slow down, let this old body die with some dignity, he mumbled, allowing these people to drag him to the square in front of the Silver Light Gate outside the imperial city without any resistance, where a dense crowd was already kneeling.
The predecessors of Wei Yue, of course, also had those who were unwilling to endure, rising up to fight back, and then proudly leading troops to raid the homes and families of the authorities, standing spiritedly in the court, looking down upon the bowing and submissive foreign ministers
He witnessed it with his own eyes, yet under the pleading gaze of that sovereign, he ruthlessly betrayed his conscience, loudly berating the corrupt eunuch who had indiscriminately sullied the imperial court. Then, amidst the wailing confessions of the latter, he watched helplessly as the man was beaten into a mass of flesh.
However, after a while, the butcher's knife did not immediately fall upon his head
During the time of the Liang family in power, although they were authoritarian and overbearing, they still afforded sufficient respect and reverence to the supreme emperor, which was incomparable to the later military and ceremonial figures. Under the Liang family's autocracy, even if the emperor was foolish and weak, and internal troubles began to emerge, the overall strength of the Tang dynasty still maintained its dominance, with the various tribes and regions eagerly coming to pay tribute in a situation of stability.
Those with good fortune may manage to secure a bit of retirement funds, or perhaps die in office, which could be considered a blessing from heaven. Of course, there are also those who, being targeted by discontented regional governors, are killed as a means of venting frustrations, but this is still preferable to remaining in the precarious situation of the capital.
Then some young faces were dragged out like dead dogs. They were said to be the instigators of this turmoil, a group of members from the Privy Council's teaching team and students from the two academies in the capital. Their eyes and tongues had been gouged out, and they lay curled up on the ground, covered in blood and with disheveled hair. Even those who had their heads severed only struggled a bit like puppets, causing the blood to spray even further.
He suddenly chuckled with a cough, realizing, ah, it seems I have died unjustly. However, he once again gazed at the palace city shrouded in darkness, at that hunchbacked figure trapped within the palace. Everyone, everyone, how much longer must you wait before coming down
However, when the patrolling soldiers sent by the Luodu Prefecture and Jingu Street approached, they temporarily held their silence, fearing to provoke the displeasure of these fierce and ruthless individuals
The sudden noise disrupted his immersion in past memories, as he tremulously lifted his head, now full of white hair, only to find the flames glaringly bright, obscuring his view of the other person's face
From the third year of his reign in Baoying, when he ascended the throne, to the present day, when his hair has turned completely white in his retirement years
Tonight, the northeast wind carrying snowflakes begins to blow, and the cold is particularly terrifying. Who knows how many bodies, large and small, will be transported to the mass grave at the foot of Mangshan Mountain tomorrow morning
He suddenly had some insights; perhaps the feelings of those adopted sons and foster children when they were beheaded were similar. It is said that as long as the blade is swift enough, one will not feel the pain
Despite the incessant cries and clamors from Dongcheng and the southern bank of Luoshui, the flowing flames, the patrolling soldiers within the city, and the prohibition of nighttime activities, a few affluent households still indulge in a life of extravagance and revelry
Certainly, these few eunuchs who monitor and intimidate the emperor can easily be used in political compromises to soothe the emperor's emotions, but it is akin to killing a dog.
Is it that they cannot find a suitable scapegoat among the inner servants beside the Son of Heaven, and must drag out this old relic of mine, who has been retired for many years, to make up the numbers
In that year, one of his most accomplished adopted sons once held the position of Privy Councillor and served in both the central and local governments. However, the charge that ultimately led to his execution was the theft and sale of imperial artifacts. Yet, he clearly remembered that the so-called imperial jade ring, which was supposedly found on him along with the stolen goods, was actually personally bestowed upon him by the current sovereign.
He squinted at the bright flames, realizing in his heart that it seemed impossible to slowly die of old age in this predicament.
Under the rule of powerful ministers in the outer court, the emperors, who originally held the authority to command and were revered as noble and esteemed intermediaries, began to transform into a high-risk profession. Positioned in the crevice of the power struggle between the inner court and the outer court, they, relying on imperial authority as their foundation and support, often found themselves easily becoming scapegoats in the repeated court upheavals or martyrs in the transitions of power.
It is indeed those few featherless cranes, residing in the annex of the Temple of Heaven and the Altar of Earth, that serve as the last sign of auspiciousness. Startled by the sounds from the city, they occasionally take flight in groups, circling above the enclosed city between the Inner Palace and the East City, emitting some mournful cries
On a distant night in Luodu, around the hour of 1, the vast city has fallen silent, appearing particularly eerie and desolate, resembling a giant black maw of a monstrous beast
Only a voice, similar to that of a eunuch, could be heard, with a tone akin to that of a drake.
Due to the various upheavals, the number of disaster victims and beggars in the city was already high. In the past two days, over one hundred thousand people have fled from Heyang and Mangshan, with no place to accommodate them. Many are sleeping under the eaves of houses along the streets, huddled together for fear of freezing to death