favorite entry to his palace and condemned his servants to beatings for the least oversight. At night he would call for a slave, a little sweeping girl he had discovered one day, and this provoked acute indignation amongst the Court ladies.
The rebel province was overcome by the imperial army’s attack. The King of Qi was brought to the Capital in chains. A decree from the sovereign stripped him of his position, his title, and his nobility. Now deposed, reduced to the state of commoner and imprisoned, he received the order to commit suicide.
The enquiry conducted by Wu Ji revealed a conspiracy against the sovereign led by the heir and supported by members of the imperial family and high dignitaries. In prison the Supreme Son confessed his crimes. He lost his title and the right to wear the insignia of nobility. His eldest son was stripped of the mandate of Imperial Grandson. Both were exiled. Their chief accomplices were the King of Han, who was the sovereign’s brother; the prince consort Dou He, whose father had been one of the twenty-four veterans who founded the dynasty; the son of the High Princess of Vastness Zhao Jie; the Minister for Human Affairs; and Ho Jiun Ji, the great victor of the Gaochang War. All of them were imprisoned and had to wait until the autumn for their capital punishment. Except for the imperial princesses, the female members of their families became slaves in the Side Court. Their male descendants were granted the Emperor’s clemency; he did not want to see any more heads severed. They were whipped and banished to the south of the Mountain of the Extreme.
Little Phoenix would come to me in the middle of the manege and confide his distress in me. He was deeply affected by this series of condemnations and seemed more helpless than ever. One day he broke down in tears.
“There are arrests at the audience every day. The guards rip the headdresses and ivory tablets from conspirators, then drag them from their places amongst the officials. My heart beats so fast I fear I will pass out. Heavenlight, all these men have sworn loyalty to the sovereign-how can they break their word? My uncles and aunts grew up with Father; why are they trying to assassinate him now? If it had only been Elder Brother who rebelled, I might understand. But why these crowds of traitors, these hordes of conspirators? People have always said that Father is a good and fair ruler and that he is one of the best sovereigns the Empire has had. Why would his inferiors want to overthrow him?”
“Highness, from the snatches of conversation I have overheard between the sovereign and his confidants, I have learned that most men are hungry for power and wealth, that the smallest promise of obtaining them can make men change their minds. Ambitious men like that confuse their own interests with the future of the Empire and cannot distinguish between a good sovereign and a bad emperor.”
My explanation was not enough to calm Little Phoenix. He went further: “I have also heard that half these people are condemned without proof. They are guilty simply of being the friends of the conspirators. Why has Father become so cruel!”
“Highness, promise me you will not say those words before anyone else. You must silence these thoughts in front of your brothers. Your compassion might be denounced. You in turn would be suspected of being allied to the conspirators.”
“Oh, Heavenlight, I regret Empress Mother’s death more than ever. She would know how to soften Father’s harshness and how to heal my uncle’s murderous madness!”
“Highness, wipe your tears, you who dream of being a conqueror, do not be conquered by pity. The sovereign must defend his crown for he has built a powerful empire and made the people happy. Tomorrow, free of these troubles, he will strive again for the prosperity of the dynasty. Compared to this substantial task that benefits millions of individuals, the hundred or so men who are to be decapitated count
The rebel province was overcome by the imperial army’s attack. The King of Qi was brought to the Capital in chains. A decree from the sovereign stripped him of his position, his title, and his nobility. Now deposed, reduced to the state of commoner and imprisoned, he received the order to commit suicide.
The enquiry conducted by Wu Ji revealed a conspiracy against the sovereign led by the heir and supported by members of the imperial family and high dignitaries. In prison the Supreme Son confessed his crimes. He lost his title and the right to wear the insignia of nobility. His eldest son was stripped of the mandate of Imperial Grandson. Both were exiled. Their chief accomplices were the King of Han, who was the sovereign’s brother; the prince consort Dou He, whose father had been one of the twenty-four veterans who founded the dynasty; the son of the High Princess of Vastness Zhao Jie; the Minister for Human Affairs; and Ho Jiun Ji, the great victor of the Gaochang War. All of them were imprisoned and had to wait until the autumn for their capital punishment. Except for the imperial princesses, the female members of their families became slaves in the Side Court. Their male descendants were granted the Emperor’s clemency; he did not want to see any more heads severed. They were whipped and banished to the south of the Mountain of the Extreme.
Little Phoenix would come to me in the middle of the manege and confide his distress in me. He was deeply affected by this series of condemnations and seemed more helpless than ever. One day he broke down in tears.
“There are arrests at the audience every day. The guards rip the headdresses and ivory tablets from conspirators, then drag them from their places amongst the officials. My heart beats so fast I fear I will pass out. Heavenlight, all these men have sworn loyalty to the sovereign-how can they break their word? My uncles and aunts grew up with Father; why are they trying to assassinate him now? If it had only been Elder Brother who rebelled, I might understand. But why these crowds of traitors, these hordes of conspirators? People have always said that Father is a good and fair ruler and that he is one of the best sovereigns the Empire has had. Why would his inferiors want to overthrow him?”
“Highness, from the snatches of conversation I have overheard between the sovereign and his confidants, I have learned that most men are hungry for power and wealth, that the smallest promise of obtaining them can make men change their minds. Ambitious men like that confuse their own interests with the future of the Empire and cannot distinguish between a good sovereign and a bad emperor.”
My explanation was not enough to calm Little Phoenix. He went further: “I have also heard that half these people are condemned without proof. They are guilty simply of being the friends of the conspirators. Why has Father become so cruel!”
“Highness, promise me you will not say those words before anyone else. You must silence these thoughts in front of your brothers. Your compassion might be denounced. You in turn would be suspected of being allied to the conspirators.”
“Oh, Heavenlight, I regret Empress Mother’s death more than ever. She would know how to soften Father’s harshness and how to heal my uncle’s murderous madness!”
“Highness, wipe your tears, you who dream of being a conqueror, do not be conquered by pity. The sovereign must defend his crown for he has built a powerful empire and made the people happy. Tomorrow, free of these troubles, he will strive again for the prosperity of the dynasty. Compared to this substantial task that benefits millions of individuals, the hundred or so men who are to be decapitated count
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