Thousand Verdant Mountains – Chapter 64 Part 1
Chapter 64 Part 1
Not long after, it was once again the day for the regular five-day court meeting. Although the emperor still did not make appearance that day, Yuan Zhi from the Palace Office came to the Zichen Hall, the main hall of the inner palace, and announced to all officials that after the Yulan Festival next month, the emperor would choose a day to take the imperial family, ministers, as well as officials from various vassal states in the capital to Cangshan to escape the summer heat. All civil and military officials above the sixth rank in the capital who received an ‘average’ or higher grade in the performance evaluation last year could go with him. Not only that, a military parade would be held, with the Imperial Music Bureau arranging a battle formation dance to enhance the display of strength.
This news immediately made the entire Purple Palace agitated, and it was filled with the buzz of officials discussing with each other.
It was not the fault of the whole court to lose composure, but this matter was really unexpected. The current emperor had been on the throne for nearly twenty years, but he had never visited Cangshan even once. The officials had long been accustomed to this and almost forgot that there was such a thing. No one would have thought that he would suddenly make such a decision.
In less than half a day, the news spread like wildfire in the . Everyone was talking about it. Apart from some people who were privately speculating on why the emperor suddenly wanted to go this year, more people were excited. After all, Chang’an was hot in summer, and it was a great opportunity to escape the heat. Although nominally they had to go there on business, it was much more comfortable and relaxed than staying in the Southern Court all day, or going in and out of the palace gates. As for the court’s annual performance evaluation of officials, except for a few who were really inexcusable, it was not difficult for most people to get a good performance evaluation. It could be said that, except for some who stayed behind, this meant that the emperor wanted to take almost all the officials above the sixth rank to Cangshan to escape the heat.
As for the battle formation dance, it was a kind of martial dance compared to the civil dance, used to show the bravery and invincibility of the soldiers in the army. Three years ago, the war in the western frontier ended. After it was performed once in the ceremony of surrendering captives after the victory, it had not been performed again in the following years. This time it would be performed again, and it would be accompanied by a military parade. One could imagine how magnificent the scene would be. This dance required 120 dancers. The imperial music bureau had gradually declined in the hands of the emperor in recent year, so how could so many majestic dancers be gathered at once? There was no doubt that they have to be selected from warriors of the various guards in the capital. When the news spread, everyone regarded it as a great honor to be able to participate in the performance. Not only did many young people compete for it, but even Prince Kang took the initiative to participate and got the permission from the emperor.
Although there were still some days before departure, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Palace Affairs and other departments had already sent teams to Cangshan in advance to make various preparations to welcome the emperor. Almost all the entire Southern Court was immersed in the enthusiastic atmosphere of leaving the capital for the summer. Many people didn’t even have the heart to do anything, just looking forward to the arrival of that day.
The impact of this matter naturally also spread to the Fengyi Palace, which had been relatively calm.
This palace was the residence of the current Empress Liu shi. At this time, she was returning from De’an Palace, where the Grand Empress Dowager resided, on her phoenix sedan chair. Even before reaching her own palace, she could not suppress the disappointment and resentment brewing within her. Although her face was covered with makeup, it still could not hide the deep gloom. The eunuchs and palace maids accompanying her were all terrified and held their breath, fearing that they would accidentally anger the empress and bring disaster to themselves. As the phoenix sedan chair moved along a section of the palace road that led towards the Zhaowen Pavilion, suddenly, five to six people came from a fork road a few dozen steps away from them. Except for two eunuchs, the remaining few looked like people from the painting department of Jixian Hall. The group seemed to be heading to Zhaowen Pavilion, but suddenly noticed the empress’ phoenix sedan chair and immediately came over to pay respect, all calling her ‘Her Majesty the Empress’. However, one young man, seemingly just past twenty, remained standing apart, staying where he was instead of joining them.
When Xiao Liu shi saw this, all the anger she had been suppressing came to the surface.
She went to Grand Empress Dowager to inquire about the summer retreat in Cangshan next month. Many imperial ladies and noblewomen, princesses and court ladies in the capital were ordered to went on this trip together, but she as the noble empress was actually ordered by Palace Office to stay in the harem and serve the Grand Empress Dowager.
She knew that she would be ridiculed by Princess Chenggong and others again, so she endured the humiliation and went to De’an Palace to meet her great-aunt Wang shi.
Wang shi, esteemed as the Grand Empress Dowager, had lived through the reigns of four emperors, including the current Sage. She was in her eighties and had not been in charge of the harem for a long time. When the emperor went out of the capital to escape the summer heat, the first person to be invited by the Palace Office was her. Of course, she would not go, refusing on the grounds that she was old and dislike of travel. Not only that, but she also relayed Xiao Liu shi’s intention, saying the empress had already informed her of her willingness to stay behind and attend to her.
Just now when Xiao Liu shi came over, Grand Empress Dowager closed her eyes for a while. Just when Xiao Liu shi thought she had fallen asleep, she heard her say lightly, “I made the decision for you for your face. How can you be so ungrateful?”
Xiao Liu shi‘s face turned red with embarrassment at that time. She tried to act as if nothing had happened, but she was actually full of resentment. How could she hold back her anger when she encountered such a thing at this moment? She ordered people to call the arrogant man to her front in a cold voice. Unexpectedly, a palace eunuch of Jixian Hall who had just come to pay her respects looked back and hurriedly explained that this man had made great contributions in painting the picture of Queen Mother of the West in the West Hall of Ziyun Palace, and was deeply appreciated by the emperor. The emperor granted him special privileges, which allowed him to move freely in the palace and be exempted from bowing when he met people.
“Even if he sees His Majesty, His Majesty will allow him to not bow.”
Xiao Liu shi was shocked and angry, and she subconsciously looked at the other person again. At this moment, the young man also turned his clear eyes to look at her. When she looked at him, Xiao Liu shi suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. Before she could make sense of this unsettling feeling, his cold gaze seemed to slice into her like tiny blades, scraping across her skin. The damp heat of summer was approaching, yet in that moment, a faint chill prickled through her entire body.
A sense of fear that came out of nowhere suddenly struck Xiao Liu shi. She came back to her senses and looked again, only to see green shadow move. The young man actually left her and continued to walk forward, heading towards Zhaowen Pavilion.
In addition to being angry and stunned, Xiao Liu shi also recalled some of the words that the painter Yao Xu said when he came to paint her portrait a few days ago.
A few months ago, a painter came to Zhiyuan. He was very young, but he used some unknown means to make Fang Shanjin and others obey him, and even the emperor was attracted by him. He seemed to be extremely favored, even more than how the old emperor of the previous dynasty treated Ye Zhongli.
Yao Xu’s words could not conceal his jealousy and hatred.
Not long ago, the emperor summoned the painter to paint the Queen Mother of the West in the west hall of Ziyun Palace. Xiao Liu shi naturally knew about this matter. As for who the so-called “Queen Mother of the West” was in the painting, this was known to everyone in the palace.
It turned out that it was this painter who painted the picture of Queen Mother of the West to please the emperor.
The other person was so arrogant because of his favor that he acted with such outrageous insolence beyond belief to her in public. However, what could Xiao Liu shi do after hearing the eunuch’s words? She only felt that those who appeared to be trembling in respect around her were actually had ridicule in their eyes. Swallowing her anger, she returned to the palace, only to be haunted once again by a nightmare that night. She dreamed of herself, naked and vulnerable, walking through a forest of upturned blades, each sharp as a knife. Around her swarmed yakshas and demons, their fanged mouths and green eyes fixed on her, waving iron thistles that forced her to walk barefoot over the mountain of blades. If she was a little slower, they would hammer her violently, scattering her blood and flesh. She stumbled into the cold gleam of the blade-strewn forest, her skin and flesh sliced into ribbons, her bare bones exposed as blood streamed down. She tried to cry out in agony, but her tongue was torn out by ox-headed and horse-faced demons, leaving her speechless and wishing she could die immediately. However, the next moment, she realized that this was the Avici Hell. After she survived the mountain of blades, there awaited even more torture: the sea of flames, red-hot cauldrons, flaying, crushing mills, gut extraction, boiling oil… an endless cycle of torment from which she could never escape…
When Xiao Liu shi finally struggled to wake up, she heard terrifying gasps and distorted whimpers like someone being beaten. She sat up in shock to realized that it was her own voice. Around the wooden bed painted with flowers where she lay, several eunuchs and palace maids were kneeling with almost wooden expressions. They kept calling out in a flat tone: “Your Majesty, wake up. Your Majesty, wake up.” Finally, they woke her up from the nightmare. Obviously, everyone was used to the empress’ nightmare suppression.
Xiao Liu shi‘s eyes flashed with ferocity. She screamed wildly, threw herself down from the bed, grabbed the hair of a palace maid kneeling in front of her, and cursed and beat her. The palace maid didn’t dare to resist at first, she just cried bitterly. The others hurriedly retreated, watching in horror as she scratched the palace maid’s face with her sharp nails, leaving streaks of blood. She kept on scolding, with her eyes wide open, until the palace maid couldn’t bear the pain, screamed and broke free, kowtowed and begged for mercy. Only then she woke up completely, trembling, stood for a moment, and suddenly drove the people away with a sharp voice. She didn’t dare to close her eyes anymore, and kept twisting the Buddhist beads that had been blessed by the monks, while sitting in the deep palace, waiting for dawn.
The palace clock had stopped, and in the dawn, she saw the portrait Yao Xu had painted for her. The person in the painting was wearing the empress’ court dress, with a beautiful face and the graceful and elegant demeanor of a mother of the country. However, when she looked in the mirror, what she saw was her forty-years-self with swollen face, and there were fine lines at the corners of her eyes. A few white hairs that had been plucked out before had grown on her forehead.
At dawn, Xiao Liu shi called her cousin Liu Ceye and dismissed the others before questioning him harshly, “His Majesty left me alone to look after that old woman while you all travelled east! How will the people in the capital see me? How long will I have to live like this?”