Read Novel Full Chapter 104 (Part 1)
Chapter 104.1 Shaoguang’s Capabilities
Lin Yan didn’t make it home that night. All the important figures in court rushed into the palace under the cover of darkness. The Emperor and the state officials convened to discuss the Prince of Zhao rebellion case. This meeting served both to report on the situation and to deliberate on countermeasures.
The northern capital was a strategic military stronghold, bordering several protectorate cities to the north and the Three States of Heshuo[1]to the east. Prince of Zhao, who has long been stationed in the northern capital with command over the troops, was now known to be colluding with the Hu people. If he successfully raises an army, the flames of war could potentially spread across half of the northern region.
However, the situation was not entirely disastrous.
The elderly Prince of Zhao had suffered from respiratory illness in the previous year. His eldest son died in an accidental fall from a horse; the second son was imprisoned for being ‘unfilial’; the third son was weak and incapable, unfit for military affairs; and the fourth son, the product of a favored concubine, and heavily doted upon, was the now elusive Li Yù.
The various divisions within the Hedong region formed part of the imperial army, their loyalty to the Prince of Zhao far from unwavering. Nearby, the armies of Yanmen Commandery[2] and Guannei Commandery[3] also operated under imperial command. Capturing Li Yù would not only dishearten the Prince of Zhao but also create a rift between him and his military commissioners, ultimately stabilizing the Three States of Heshuo. With the combined strength of the imperial army, alongside the forces of Yanmen and Guannei Commanderies, defeating the enemy would prove to be a manageable endeavor.
The officials discussed strategies to defeat the enemy with a sense of unity and determination. If it were for other reasons, there might be factions within the court, but in the case of treason and regicide, even those who typically oppose military action in the region would not dare to utter the word "peace." Instead, the collective focus lay on how to decisively deal with Prince of Zhao. In this regard, Li Yù was quite perceptive—the annual gifts dispatched to the high-ranking chancellors in the capital proved ineffectual.
The discussions in the court lasted into the night. The strategies were set, and the broad arrangements for troops and personnel were outlined, but finer details would need to wait until the next day. The senior chancellors, not accustomed to such late hours, were exhausted.
By the time the meeting ended, it was past zǐ-shí (11pm-1am), and in a couple of hours, they would need to attend court again. The emperor, showing consideration for the elderly officials, allowed them to rest in a side hall. The senior chancellors, along with Lin Yan and other young officials, retired to the imperial state bureau to rest.
As they walked through the palace corridors, Lin Yan walked beside Chancellor Li, occasionally helping him up the steps. Chancellor Li gave Lin Yan’s hand a firm, reassuring squeeze. They exchanged a glance, and everything was understood without words.
…
The next morning, the imperial court was once again abuzz with activity.
But this was of little concern to Shen Shaoguang. As the proprietress of a tavern where a criminal incident had occurred, her responsibilities were limited to cooperating with the authorities and dealing with the aftermath in her establishment.
Looking at the damaged tables, broken folding screens, scattered shards of porcelain, and the waiter whose arm had been injured, Shen Shaoguang could only smile wryly. She comforted herself with the thought that, fortunately, neither her staff nor the innocent patrons had suffered any major injuries. Especially the scholars, who would need to take their exams in a few days.
Shen Shaoguang also felt that this incident was a significant blow to her tavern. The previously planned ‘Attaining Ding Banquet’ that would be continued "countless years to come" encountered such a misfortune, so it was likely doomed to fail—besides the fact that it was now considered inauspicious and left a psychological shadow, who would want to participate next year?
Shao Jie, however, perceived the situation differently. "This was a meritorious deed, you aided in saving the Emperor! You should have informed me yesterday; had you done so, I would have gladly stayed!" He spoke with fervor and enthusiasm, his passion evident in every word.
Given the previous kidnapping incident, Lin Yan had instructed Shen Shaoguang not to appear at the East Market tavern yesterday. However, Shen Shaoguang felt that, as the owner of the establishment, her presence was necessary to avoid arousing suspicion, so she decided to make a brief appearance before leaving. With a mindset of salvaging whatever she could, Shen Shaoguang had asked Shao Jie to join her, stating that there was an important matter to discuss.
After the event, Shao Jie could only lament his missed opportunity.
It turned out that Shao Jie was not alone in his regret.
When Shen Indelible reopened its doors, the proprietor, steward, waitstaff, chefs, and various other servants were all busy cleaning up both inside and outside. With the presence of the bailiffs from the government repository, the patrons from yesterday began to inquire about the situation. News of the Prince of Zhao’s rebellion had spread throughout the city. Initially, those who were ‘caught in the moment’ were somewhat bewildered, then began to feel a sense of fear. However, as the events unfolded—marked by the Imperial Guard's searches and the fervent discussions filling the streets—many scholars surprisingly found themselves growing excited.
Standing amidst the wreckage of the tavern, the very site of yesterday’s chaos, they analyzed Prince of Zhao’s ambitions and future plans, debated the military deployments around the northern capital, considered potential commanders for the imperial campaign, and delved into more specific strategic and tactical discussions. The atmosphere was charged with scholarly fervor, with a focus on serving the nation and alleviating the concerns of their sovereign.
As their passion reached a crescendo, some called for ink and paper, eager to draft themselves for the campaign. Others called for wine, intending to throw the bowls on the ground, as if they were ready to ‘renounce the wine and join the army[4].’
The young proprietress of Shen Indelible Tavern proved to be exceptionally resourceful. When asked for ink and paper, she provided them without hesitation. When requested for wine, she promptly supplied it. Most importantly, her words resonated deeply with the scholars: "It is precisely because of noble men like you, who put the country before themselves and care for the world, that we common folk can live our lives in peace."
The sentiments of home and country represent the ultimate aspirations of Confucian scholars. Shen Shaoguang's words struck a chord with the scholars, igniting an increasingly fervent atmosphere. Several scholars began to compose poetry, and they collectively agreed that, regardless of their success in the imperial examinations, they would gather at this place again at the same time next year.
"We may never become a ding official in our lifetime, but as scholars, we must have ‘a sincere heart for the nation, reflecting family-like concern[5],’ and we dare not forget it for a moment," one scholar declared.
Thus, the scholars decided to rename the celebration from the ‘Attaining Ding Banquet’ to the ‘Sincere HeartBanquet’.
Shen Shaoguang clapped her hands. "Splendid revision!"
When Shao Jie returned from his visit to the Market Director and saw the enthusiastic scene, he joined in the fervor. In private, he teased Shen Shaoguang, "What did I tell you? You, a young miss, don’t quite understand us men."
Shen Shaoguang: "..."
Little did they know that in the following Ministry of Rite examination, the Emperor would use the hot topic of the northern campaign as the essay topic. With the events of the day as a backdrop, many of the scholars gathered here would excel in their submissions. Although the ‘Attaining Ding Banquet’ had been renamed to the ‘Sincere HeartBanquet’, its significance and legacy grew richer with time. As Shen Shaoguang had hoped, it became an essential annual event for scholars before their imperial examinations.
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Footnotes:
[1] Three States of Heshuo (河朔三鎮) - the region north of the Yellow River in China; encompassing parts of Shanxi, Hebei and Shandong. Also known as the Three States of Hebei, this term refers to the three military powers located in the Hebei region during the late Tang Dynasty when various vassal kings were in control. These powers include the military commissioner of Vassal State Yan, the military commissioner of Vassal State Cheng, and the military commissioner of Vassal State Wei collectively referred to as the Three Jiedushi(military commissioner).
Sources:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%B2%B3%E6%9C%94
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%B2%B3%E6%9C%94%E4%B8%89%E9%8E%AE/4290563
[2] Yanmen Commandery (雁门郡) - Yanmen Commandery was an administrative subdivision (jùn) of the state of Zhao established c. 300 BC and of northern imperial Chinese dynasties until AD 758. Under the Tang, Yanmen Commandery was part of Hedong Circuit until it was abolished and replaced by Dai Prefecture in 618, although it was temporarily restored between 742 and 758. In 882, Yanmen Defense Command (Yanmen Jiedushi) was also briefly established to oversee local defense.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yanmen_Commandery
[3] Guannei Commandery - During the rebellion of An Lushan 安祿山 (703-757), Emperor Xuanzong (唐玄宗) of the Tang dynasty decided to appoint defense commissioners in militarily important regions. In 756, Xu Yuan (許遠) was made governor (太守) of the commandery of Suiyang 睢陽 and concurrently defense commissioner. He was just the first of several defense commissioners appointed in the circuits of Henan 河南, Hebei 河北, Hedong 河東, Guannei 關內, Shannan 山南 and Jiannan 劍南.
Source: http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Terms/fangyushi.html
[4] renounce the wine, join the army(投酒从戎)- This is suppose to be ‘投笔从戎,’ but I guess the scholars wanted to be a little different and change the brush(笔) to wine(酒). Basically this idiom is referring to the act of throwing away the brush to join the army. It metaphorically represents literati abandoning their scholarly pursuits to enlist in military service. This saying originated from the 'Book of the Later Han'.
Source: https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%8A%95%E7%AD%86%E5%BE%9E%E6%88%8E/2306991#:~:text=%E6%8A%95%E7%AC%94%E4%BB%8E%E6%88%8E%EF%BC%88%E6%8B%BC%E9%9F%B3%EF%BC%9At%C3%B3u%20b%C7%90%20c%C3%B3ng,%E4%B8%AD%E4%B8%80%E8%88%AC%E4%BD%9C%E8%B0%93%E8%AF%AD%E3%80%81%E5%AE%9A%E8%AF%AD%E3%80%82
[5] a sincere heart for the nation, reflecting family-like concern (赤心事上，忧国如家) - There is a pretty common translation out there for this quote, but it made no sense ‘the red heart on his home’ — I even asked my husband just to make sure it didn’t have any hidden meanings. Anyways, this phrase is from Han Yu's essay "Letter to Minister Li" (上李尚书书). It expresses the idea of having a sincere heart devoted to national affairs (specifically the emperor), treating the country with the same concern one would have for one's own family. The common translation may not capture the full depth of its meaning, it was too literal, so I changed it to something more of my liking.
Source: https://www.kekeshici.com/mingyanmingju/chushi/youguo/20127.html