Held in the Lonely Castle Chapter 15

 

 Held in the Lonely Castle  

 Chapter 15

Translated by : DANMEI HEAVEN

   Niece Scandal

Ever since reading the ministers' poems before the Dragon Boat Festival, I had been thinking about going through them all again and selecting the best lines to copy and memorize. However, after the festival, affairs became too numerous, and it wasn’t until the end of June that I found the time to go to the Bureau of Calligraphy and Painting to find Zhang Chengzhao and ask him for the archived festival poems from the academy.

He quickly found them for me and even helped me copy them. As I was writing, I casually asked him, "Has Academician Ouyang written anything new recently?"

"Ouyang Xiu?" Zhang Chengzhao replied. "His latest work is that memorial defending Du Yan, Han Qi, Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi, and others. That really stirred up a hornet's nest. Not only is his official hat in jeopardy, but whether his head stays on his shoulders is another question. I doubt he’s in the mood for poetry or lyrics these days."

I was shocked. "But he was fine during the festival. How did this happen?"

"How did it happen? Well, there are several layers to this. Let me explain one by one." Zhang Chengzhao began to recount the details of Ouyang Xiu’s case.

It turned out that in May, Ouyang Xiu had submitted a memorial arguing that Du Yan, Han Qi, Fan Zhongyan, and Fu Bi should not have been dismissed. He wrote, "These four men can be called the most impartial and virtuous. In their daily lives, they praised each other tirelessly; when discussing state affairs, they debated openly in court without selfish motives. From this perspective, I see Du Yan and the others embody the Han Dynasty historian’s saying, 'Loyal ministers have the integrity of discord,' while petty slanders call them a faction—this is truly slanderous... Now that they have been dismissed, the villains within celebrate, and foreign tribes rejoice abroad. This is why I lament for Your Majesty."

By openly labeling those who opposed the Qingli Reforms as "petty men" and "villains"—who were now the current ruling faction—Ouyang Xiu had planted the seeds of his own downfall.

Ouyang Xiu’s brother-in-law, Zhang Guizheng, had died young without a son, leaving only a daughter from his previous marriage. Ouyang’s sister brought the girl back to their family, where Ouyang helped raise her. At the time, the girl was seven years old. When she reached marriageable age, Ouyang Xiu arranged for her to marry his nephew, Ouyang Sheng. However, five or six years after the marriage, Zhang was caught having an affair with a servant named Chen Jian. The case was brought before the Right Army Patrol Office of Kaifeng Prefecture.

The acting prefect, Yang Riyan, had previously served as the governor of Yizhou, where Ouyang Xiu had submitted a memorial accusing him of corruption and tyranny. Yang had long held a grudge and saw this as an opportunity for revenge. He ordered the prison guards to interrogate Zhang harshly, pressuring her to implicate Ouyang Xiu. Terrified and seeking to save herself, Zhang revealed many details about her relationship with Ouyang before her marriage, including scandalous and bizarre incidents.

Yang Riyan reported this, and the censor Qian Mingyi submitted a memorial impeaching Ouyang Xiu, accusing him of adultery with his niece and fraudulently seizing the orphan girl’s family wealth. The military patrol judge, Sun Kui, was ordered to reinvestigate. Sun found Zhang’s claims dubious—perhaps out of respect for Ouyang—and did not pursue the matter further, focusing only on Zhang’s affair with Chen Jian. This infuriated the chief ministers, who ordered Dr. Su Anshi to retry the case, aiming to eliminate Ouyang Xiu once and for all.

"Did Academician Ouyang really have an affair with his niece?" I asked Zhang Chengzhao, finding the idea unbelievable. "Zhang’s testimony is strange. Claiming it was to save herself, but adultery with an uncle is a worse crime than an affair with a servant. Confessing this wouldn’t exonerate her but would add another serious charge. Could it be a forced confession?"

"Those defending Ouyang say the same, but..." Zhang Chengzhao suddenly stood up. "Wait here. Let me find a lyric for you to see."

He rummaged through a pile of documents and finally pulled out a sheet with a poem titled "Dreaming of the South" (《望江南》), handing it to me.

I unfolded it and read:

"Willows of the south,

Their leaves too small to cast a shade.

Man would not break the tender twig,

Nor orioles sing on the tender spray.

Wait till the coming spring is deep.

At fourteen or fifteen,

She played the lute without a care,

Gambling for coins in the hall, running below.

Even then I took notice of her—

How much more so now?"

Zhang Chengzhao explained, "This is an old work of Ouyang Xiu’s. After the niece scandal broke out, it was dug up by Qian Xie, a relative of Qian Mingyi, who pointed at the poem and laughed, saying, 'Zhang was seven when she came to the Ouyang household—just the age when girls learn to play coin games.'"

"Qian Mingyi, Qian Xie..." I sensed something odd. "They share the surname Qian. Are they descendants of King Qian Chu of Wuyue?"

Zhang Chengzhao nodded. "Exactly. Ouyang Xiu is compiling the 'History of the Five Dynasties,' and it’s said he has many derogatory remarks about King Qian. The Qian descendants have long resented him."

I thought for a moment and asked, "Is 'Dreaming of the South' really his work? Did he admit it was his?"

Zhang Chengzhao replied, "He didn’t admit it, but he didn’t deny it either. It’s practically an acknowledgment."

I fell silent, rereading the poem, my eyes lingering on the last lines:

"Gambling for coins in the hall, running below.

Even then I took notice of her—

How much more so now?"

My heart stirred slightly. I remembered when I first entered the princess’s pavilion, she was playing coin games. At the time, I thought it was just a passing glance, but her innocent, charming demeanor seemed to have imprinted itself on my heart, so that now, whenever I saw the words "gambling for coins," her smiling face would float into my mind.

"Perhaps Academician Ouyang and Zhang had feelings but not an affair," I sighed.

"Feelings but not an affair?" Zhang Chengzhao repeated in a raised tone, with an indescribable excitement, teasing me: "In the end, we’re just little eunuchs who never get close to women. What do you know about feelings or affairs?"

I felt as if I’d been slapped twice across the face. My cheeks burned, and I lowered my eyes, speechless.

This made Zhang Chengzhao clap his hands and laugh. "I thought after entering the inner court, seeing the world, and being trained by the ladies, you’d have improved a lot. Turns out your face is still this thin."

I forced a smile, trying to steer the topic away from myself. "What about the Emperor? How does he view Ouyang Xiu’s case?"

"From what the academicians say, the Emperor is also furious. Originally, he greatly admired Ouyang Xiu’s talent. Not only did he appoint him as a censor, but he also specifically instructed us to submit any new works by Ouyang, whether official or not, for his review. Now, with this scandal, the Emperor is naturally enraged. It’s said that when he first heard of it in court, his face darkened, and he remained silent for a long time."

At this point, Zhang Chengzhao turned the question back to me: "You see the Emperor often. Hasn’t he mentioned it?"

I shook my head. "I serve the princess. Why would the Emperor discuss such matters with her?"

"Hasn’t he mentioned it to the ladies either?" Zhang Chengzhao suddenly grew interested again. "Haven’t you heard that Lady Zhang might also throw a stone into Ouyang’s well?"

"Lady Zhang?" I was surprised. "Surely not. After the incident with the hairdressing lady, the Empress specifically warned all the ladies against meddling in politics. Besides, Lady Zhang and Ouyang Xiu have no grudges, right?"

Zhang Chengzhao chuckled and asked, "Do you remember when Lady Zhang gave birth to the Eighth Princess, Ouyang Xiu submitted a memorial titled 'On Reducing the Favor Shown to Lady Zhang'?"

His reminder jogged my memory. Indeed, when the young Princess Youwu was born, the Emperor ordered 8,000 bolts of silk from the imperial treasury. It was the dead of winter, and the dyeing workshop workers had to break ice to fetch water to meet the imperial demand. Upon learning this, Ouyang Xiu immediately submitted a memorial condemning the act and further criticized the excessive favors granted to Lady Zhang’s relatives, calling it "a stain on the imperial virtue" and "inviting heavenly retribution," urging the Emperor to take early measures to curb it.

Given Lady Zhang’s temperament, it was entirely possible she held a grudge. I asked Zhang Chengzhao, "Even so, Lady Zhang is in the inner court. If she interferes, the Emperor would surely disapprove. How could she meddle?"

"Don’t you know?" Zhang Chengzhao pointed toward the direction of the Secretariat. "Chancellor Jia has recognized Lady Zhang’s foster mother as his aunt."

Lady Zhang’s foster mother, Jia Cheng, also lived in the palace. Relying on Lady Zhang’s favor, she acted arrogantly and was known as "Auntie Jia" in the palace. Chancellor Jia Changchao, sharing her surname, had acknowledged her as his aunt and often interacted with her. I knew of this but hadn’t connected it to Ouyang Xiu’s case.

"If Lady Zhang wants to do something, she doesn’t need to act herself. She can just have Auntie Jia pass a word to Chancellor Jia," Zhang Chengzhao said. "This time, Chancellor Jia is being so harsh on Ouyang Xiu—it’s likely with Lady Zhang’s approval. I’ve heard that Chancellor Jia is now asking the Emperor to send Wang Zhaoming to assist Su Anshi in retrying Ouyang’s case. This idea probably came from Lady Zhang too."

Wang Zhaoming? I sighed inwardly. Academician Ouyang was truly plagued by misfortune. His past aloofness had offended many, and now that he was in trouble, those who wished to kick him while he was down were quickly emerging.

Previously, when Ouyang Xiu was appointed as the Transport Commissioner of Hebei, the Emperor had wanted to send the eunuch Wang Zhaoming to accompany him and oversee water transport in Hebei. Ouyang Xiu firmly refused, saying that it was unprecedented for a close attendant to accompany an official on such a mission and that he found it shameful. The Emperor acquiesced, and Wang Zhaoming did not go. For Wang, this was undoubtedly humiliating. Now, Chancellor Jia was asking for Wang to be sent to retry the case, clearly intending for him to settle scores and ensure Ouyang’s downfall.

I asked Zhang Chengzhao, "Will the Emperor send Wang?"

Zhang Chengzhao laughed. "You’re asking me? I was about to ask you! What kind of inner court official are you? You don’t even know about your own palace affairs and come to the outer court to ask me!"

I smiled sheepishly, realizing how oblivious I was to such matters. The winds and clouds of the palace shifted constantly, yet I was slow to react. It was a miracle I’d risen to my current position.

After copying the festival poems, I bid Zhang Chengzhao farewell and prepared to return to Yifeng Pavilion. He insisted on seeing me off, all the way to the Inner East Gate. Since I’d been transferred to the inner court, every time I visited him, I noticed his attitude toward me had grown even friendlier, with a subtle eagerness. I couldn’t help but think he was truly suited to survival in the palace.

Near the Inner East Gate Office, we happened to run into the aforementioned Auntie Jia. She had just returned from outside and was alighting from her sedan chair at the gate. A young eunuch following her rushed to assist but clumsily bumped her heavy headdress while lifting the curtain. Immediately, she slapped him hard across the face.

"Wretched little brat! Your mother must have forgotten to wrap your hands when she birthed you, leaving you with these twitchy, worthless claws!"

The young eunuch didn’t dare argue and immediately knelt to apologize. But Auntie Jia wasn’t satisfied. Cursing, she reached out with her long-nailed fingers to pinch his ear. The eunuch winced in pain but forced a smile, saying, "This lowly one was wrong. Let me slap myself to spare your nails."

When he looked up, I was startled to recognize him as the young eunuch who had once asked me to deliver the glass cup.

Auntie Jia finally let go. The eunuch remained kneeling and began slapping his own face. She ignored him and walked toward the inner palace, passing by me. She glanced at me, and I bowed slightly. She smiled nonchalantly and said, "Ah, it’s Senior Eunuch Liang... Give my regards to Princess Fukang."

She swayed away with her plump figure. After she left, I approached the still-kneeling eunuch and said, "She’s gone. You can go back now."

He looked up at me, his expression turning to shock, then scrambled to his feet and ran off.

Zhang Chengzhao asked what that was about, and I told him the eunuch was the one who had given me the glass cup. Zhang Chengzhao sighed. "Thank goodness you’ve found a good master now. With the princess protecting you, and the Emperor protecting her, they’ve let you off... For the sake of our brotherhood, if there’s ever an opening in the princess’s pavilion, recommend me, will you? The outer court is getting more and more unbearable."

(To be continued)