Meng Qi: You’re quite bold.
Meng Qi, of course, had no interest in becoming an emperor.
He knew what the crown prince really wanted to ask was not about that, but rather to persuade him to stay.
—Whether to become an emperor or to assist someone, it required staying behind.
“Finding no wise ministers, you’ve turned your attention to me. Quite bold!” Meng Qi narrowed his eyes, displeased.
The crown prince, unfazed, continued, “Master has served in the Chu dynasty for over thirty years, witnessing and personally contributing to a prosperous era…”
“Wait!” Meng Qi raised his hand to stop him, saying casually, “The crown prince overestimates me. I’m just an Imperial Teacher, of average talent, without any notable achievements, just practiced in martial arts.”
“In the memorials left by the Chu dynasty, and the daily records of Emperor Chu, records about the Master at first glance don’t seem remarkable, merely a competent official. I don’t know if this is the result of editing or if the Master is good at concealing himself.” The crown prince paused, then added, “I’ve met many people, and even if we haven’t met, I can guess their thoughts based on their habits and preferences. Only the Master remains inscrutable.”
Master Meng Qi of the Chu dynasty was indeed mysterious.
This mystery wasn’t just because he rarely took the lead in public affairs, but also because he had no family or clear origin, with some records even being inconsistent.
People usually have distinct characteristics due to their hometown and the place where they have lived for a long time.
Such as accent, food preferences, and local customs and traditions.
But Meng Qi had none of these, and his contemporaries couldn’t even pinpoint where he was from, so they simply remembered him as a man of ambition from nowhere, who came across a wise ruler in troubled times, thus leaving his name in history.
It’s easy to overlook him if one doesn’t read history attentively. However, if one is interested, one would find the peculiarities about this person. Those valued by emperors, such as monks and Daoists, couldn’t resist scraping some benefits from the emperor. Such as being conferred titles like Grand Master, gold and silver artifacts, jade coins, robes embroidered with gold and pearls, and even boys and girls, granted houses and farmland.
The gifts Emperor Chu rewarded to his ministers and royal family, and when they were given, can all be found in the documents and daily records.
What Meng Qi received was standard, almost inconspicuous, mixed in with a bunch of other rewards, and not very significant. Besides silks, brocades, and tribute fruits, there were ice blocks in summer, charcoal in winter, and the palace’s eight-treasure porridge… these were basic rewards given to close and senior officials during the festivals.
Other officials were different; their preferences could be seen.
Those who loved drinking received twelve jars of imperial wine, those who feared heat got more ice, and there were also famous swords, ancient books, and even rewards like mutton from the Hexi Corridor and spices from the Western Regions.
One could tell the health of the officials from the herbs, and infer the situation of the official’s family members from the number of longevity locks, children’s toys, and palace flower hairpins.
The crown prince needed to learn not just to govern but also to be a sovereign.
Rewarding officials according to their preferences, and showing proper care and consideration, was basic knowledge.
However, from an emperor’s perspective, Meng Qi appeared odd and troublesome, not falling ill for over thirty years, never marrying or having children, not fond of alcohol, and uninterested in divine weapons.
Some items were rewarded by Emperor Chu only once, then never appeared again, clearly not to the Master’s liking.
Such detachment, if not harboring greater ambitions, then he must be an immortal among men.
The Qi dynasty’s crown prince looked deeply at Meng Qi, almost suspecting Meng Qi was a mystical creature from the mountains, born to support the Chu dynasty’s cause. Once the Chu dynasty’s fate ended, he would disappear without a trace.
“I’ve read all the documents preserved from the Chu dynasty, especially those with far-reaching strategies for governance. Shamefully, not understanding the hardships of the common people, I only grasped them superficially, wishing I could personally hear the high opinions of those capable ministers. The Eastern Palace still holds several copied documents; I wonder if the Master would be willing to instruct my Sixth Prince… Otherwise, if someone with extraordinary talent and a heart dedicated to governing for the people ascends the throne, I too can close my eyes in peace.”
Meng Qi frowned upon hearing this.
To be honest, that Sixth Prince was really not up to much.
Impetuous and aggressive, with a tendency to take things personally.
Such a temperament in someone else might not be a major issue, but if an emperor were to suddenly act on a whim, insisting on having the last word with his officials, it would surely lead to tragedy.
Finally, Mo Li managed to escape the cat’s siege. He sighed lightly and seeing Meng Qi silent, he took the initiative to say, “To be frank, we have met the Sixth Prince once in Yongzhou.”
Mo Li didn’t continue, and the crown prince immediately looked disappointed.
“You don’t care about the Qi dynasty’s realm?” Mo Li handed the prescription to Yu Lan without looking up and asked.
After his death, the crown prince said weakly, “After I die, and when the emperor gets old… or even before he gets old, the world will change. The Lu surname will not be able to hold onto the throne for long, what’s the use of my caring?”
That might not necessarily be the case, Mo Li thought.
The crown prince didn’t notice Mo Li’s expression; his spirit flagging, he said with half-closed eyes, “Since the Master has not come for the imperial seal and has patiently listened to me speak so much, as well as asking his friend to diagnose and prescribe for me, I boldly guess that the Master has not come to assassinate the emperor or capture rebels… Is there a problem with the person the Second Prince is conspiring with?”
“He’s a madman,” Mo Li said succinctly.
The crown prince surprisingly did not ask further, instead signaling Yu Lan, “Get the box from under my pillow.”
“Your Highness, this…”
“It’s useless to keep it.”
Yu Lan reluctantly brought out a small zitan wood box.
This box was much more exquisite than the one holding the imperial seal, about the size of a fist, seemingly seamless without a lock or crack, like a solid block of wood.
The crown prince took the box, pressed some mechanism, and slats of wood protruded from its surface, then twisted in a certain direction a few times, gradually transforming the box into a bowl-shaped container.
Inside was a jade plaque, semi-transparent with a few strands of reddish-brown impurities inside, forming the outline of a koi fish.
Meng Qi, initially indifferent, was now captivated by the jade plaque.
“This is a token, along with two land deeds, both for shops on Chang’an Street in Taijing, below is a simplified map of the imperial city,” the crown prince pushed the box towards Mo Li, “Consider it a consultation fee.”
This was obviously more than the price of a consultation fee, and Mo Li refused, only taking the simplified map of the imperial city.
“The token could originally command Wei Pingbo to manage a private army I raised in Jingji, but once I’m dead, those nobles and ministers in court will no longer recognize the holder of the token. However, it has some value in itself, the carving is quite delicate, worth a hundred or so silver taels. As for the land deeds, if possible, pass them on to the Sixth Prince. Let him choose between the imperial seal and wealth.”
“Why not deliver them yourself?”
“I fear he will want nothing but the blade,” the crown prince said with profound sorrow.
Mo Li, puzzled, asked, “He doesn’t even want to be crown prince? As crown prince, wouldn’t he have more opportunities to assassinate or rebel?”
“He knows what kind of life I lead,” the crown prince said with a bitter smile, gasping for breath, “The power I hold is negligible, and even so, it was all I could muster with great effort.”
Yu Lan, the maid, whispered, “His Majesty strictly controls the crown prince. Everything the crown prince eats, says, or whom he meets is reported to Wanhe Hall. Steward Chen was originally His Majesty’s man. If His Majesty is displeased, we servants are punished, and the scholars who teach the crown prince must recite the Classic of Filial Piety for three days straight, repeating exactly what the teacher said. If even one word is wrong, the accompanying readers are punished and beaten, not to mention the servants. The courtiers and scholars must applaud, thinking the crown prince would be corrupted by the eunuchs. It’s best for the servants to be so frightened they dare not utter an extra word.”
Yu Lan couldn’t hide her resentment, “I don’t understand, if we talk about corrupt eunuchs of the Chen dynasty, aren’t the ones most fitting the description right beside His Majesty and those in charge of the Imperial Household Department? Everyone in the Eastern Palace respects the crown prince; there has never been any incitement towards bad behavior. Why do the scholars act as if they have deep hatred towards us lowly palace people, wanting to beat us to death in public, and even forcing the crown prince to give the order himself? If the crown prince refuses, they would kowtow until their foreheads bleed in Wanhe Hall until His Majesty orders the execution of the crown prince’s eunuchs, and they are satisfied… Eunuch Li and the others have always been diligent, never making a mistake, yet they died so trivially. Is this what it means to be a scholar?”
Mo Li was momentarily speechless, and Meng Qi mused, “Indeed, this is what it means to be a scholar.”
Since the Chen dynasty, the struggle for power between civil officials in the outer court and eunuchs in the inner court has been intense, with the Imperial Household Department holding significant sway, even being referred to as the “inner prime minister.”
The root lies in the civil officials’ Wenyuan Pavilion subtly overshadowing the emperor, and the Imperial Household Department was created by the emperor to counter the power of the Wenyuan Pavilion. However, it developed to the point where it could potentially overshadow the emperor as well.
Today, the two sides are irreconcilably opposed.
In the hearts of most civil officials, all eunuchs are inherently scheming. Not showing bad behavior now doesn’t mean they won’t in the future; the crown prince’s eunuchs must be repeatedly warned.
The civil officials pressuring the crown prince aim to intimidate the eunuchs, preventing future opposition, making the eunuchs “realize” the crown prince doesn’t care about these lowly people, and he will readily execute eunuchs at any time.
“Scholars are strange in that way; they shout about loyalty to the emperor and truly believe in the Confucian ideals while also being able to righteously pressure the heir apparent to ‘behave properly.’ Anything they consider bad, regardless of whether it’s done or not, is treated as if it were. The depletion of the Chen dynasty’s strength was largely due to the conflict between civil officials and eunuchs. They didn’t care if the opposing side’s governance ideas were good or bad; if proposed by the enemy, they must oppose it, even to the point of death by protest, considering it an honor.”
Meng Qi explained to Mo Li, shaking his head, “At the beginning of the Chu dynasty, the court also had such an atmosphere. Even without eunuchs, civil and military officials would form factions. Everyone thought they were acting for the country and the people. ‘Those who agree with us live, those who speak against us die.’ If by chance the emperor accepts a political opponent’s suggestion, they would go to great lengths to sabotage it, proving it was a bad governance strategy. Later, they would proudly explain in front of the court officials how they had foreseen it…”
Reflecting on this made Meng Qi feel sick, so he stopped talking.
The crown prince sighed, “That’s how it is. Some are foolish, some are clear-headed. If there are more foolish people, governance cannot be clear. Looking at the court now, there are few clear-headed ones, and even if there are, they can only go with the flow… It was I who asked too much.”
How fortunate Emperor Chu was to have a minister like Master Meng.
Not just one.
Such rare and capable ministers are hard to come by, yet what did Emperor Chu do?
The crown prince just thinking about it felt a pain in his chest; he took a few breaths and looked at Mo Li.
It seems that people are drawn to their own kind. This physician must also be no ordinary person, but—
“Cough, cough, since the Master is unwilling, I will not mention it again. You should leave now. If you delay further, someone will come to the front hall and discover the anomaly here.”
Meng Qi: You’re quite bold.
Meng Qi, of course, had no interest in becoming an emperor.
He knew what the crown prince really wanted to ask was not about that, but rather to persuade him to stay.
—Whether to become an emperor or to assist someone, it required staying behind.
“Finding no wise ministers, you’ve turned your attention to me. Quite bold!” Meng Qi narrowed his eyes, displeased.
The crown prince, unfazed, continued, “Master has served in the Chu dynasty for over thirty years, witnessing and personally contributing to a prosperous era…”
“Wait!” Meng Qi raised his hand to stop him, saying casually, “The crown prince overestimates me. I’m just an Imperial Teacher, of average talent, without any notable achievements, just practiced in martial arts.”
“In the memorials left by the Chu dynasty, and the daily records of Emperor Chu, records about the Master at first glance don’t seem remarkable, merely a competent official. I don’t know if this is the result of editing or if the Master is good at concealing himself.” The crown prince paused, then added, “I’ve met many people, and even if we haven’t met, I can guess their thoughts based on their habits and preferences. Only the Master remains inscrutable.”
Master Meng Qi of the Chu dynasty was indeed mysterious.
This mystery wasn’t just because he rarely took the lead in public affairs, but also because he had no family or clear origin, with some records even being inconsistent.
People usually have distinct characteristics due to their hometown and the place where they have lived for a long time.
Such as accent, food preferences, and local customs and traditions.
But Meng Qi had none of these, and his contemporaries couldn’t even pinpoint where he was from, so they simply remembered him as a man of ambition from nowhere, who came across a wise ruler in troubled times, thus leaving his name in history.
It’s easy to overlook him if one doesn’t read history attentively. However, if one is interested, one would find the peculiarities about this person. Those valued by emperors, such as monks and Daoists, couldn’t resist scraping some benefits from the emperor. Such as being conferred titles like Grand Master, gold and silver artifacts, jade coins, robes embroidered with gold and pearls, and even boys and girls, granted houses and farmland.
The gifts Emperor Chu rewarded to his ministers and royal family, and when they were given, can all be found in the documents and daily records.
What Meng Qi received was standard, almost inconspicuous, mixed in with a bunch of other rewards, and not very significant. Besides silks, brocades, and tribute fruits, there were ice blocks in summer, charcoal in winter, and the palace’s eight-treasure porridge… these were basic rewards given to close and senior officials during the festivals.
Other officials were different; their preferences could be seen.
Those who loved drinking received twelve jars of imperial wine, those who feared heat got more ice, and there were also famous swords, ancient books, and even rewards like mutton from the Hexi Corridor and spices from the Western Regions.
One could tell the health of the officials from the herbs, and infer the situation of the official’s family members from the number of longevity locks, children’s toys, and palace flower hairpins.
The crown prince needed to learn not just to govern but also to be a sovereign.
Rewarding officials according to their preferences, and showing proper care and consideration, was basic knowledge.
However, from an emperor’s perspective, Meng Qi appeared odd and troublesome, not falling ill for over thirty years, never marrying or having children, not fond of alcohol, and uninterested in divine weapons.
Some items were rewarded by Emperor Chu only once, then never appeared again, clearly not to the Master’s liking.
Such detachment, if not harboring greater ambitions, then he must be an immortal among men.
The Qi dynasty’s crown prince looked deeply at Meng Qi, almost suspecting Meng Qi was a mystical creature from the mountains, born to support the Chu dynasty’s cause. Once the Chu dynasty’s fate ended, he would disappear without a trace.
“I’ve read all the documents preserved from the Chu dynasty, especially those with far-reaching strategies for governance. Shamefully, not understanding the hardships of the common people, I only grasped them superficially, wishing I could personally hear the high opinions of those capable ministers. The Eastern Palace still holds several copied documents; I wonder if the Master would be willing to instruct my Sixth Prince… Otherwise, if someone with extraordinary talent and a heart dedicated to governing for the people ascends the throne, I too can close my eyes in peace.”
Meng Qi frowned upon hearing this.
To be honest, that Sixth Prince was really not up to much.
Impetuous and aggressive, with a tendency to take things personally.
Such a temperament in someone else might not be a major issue, but if an emperor were to suddenly act on a whim, insisting on having the last word with his officials, it would surely lead to tragedy.
Finally, Mo Li managed to escape the cat’s siege. He sighed lightly and seeing Meng Qi silent, he took the initiative to say, “To be frank, we have met the Sixth Prince once in Yongzhou.”
Mo Li didn’t continue, and the crown prince immediately looked disappointed.
“You don’t care about the Qi dynasty’s realm?” Mo Li handed the prescription to Yu Lan without looking up and asked.
After his death, the crown prince said weakly, “After I die, and when the emperor gets old… or even before he gets old, the world will change. The Lu surname will not be able to hold onto the throne for long, what’s the use of my caring?”
That might not necessarily be the case, Mo Li thought.
The crown prince didn’t notice Mo Li’s expression; his spirit flagging, he said with half-closed eyes, “Since the Master has not come for the imperial seal and has patiently listened to me speak so much, as well as asking his friend to diagnose and prescribe for me, I boldly guess that the Master has not come to assassinate the emperor or capture rebels… Is there a problem with the person the Second Prince is conspiring with?”
“He’s a madman,” Mo Li said succinctly.
The crown prince surprisingly did not ask further, instead signaling Yu Lan, “Get the box from under my pillow.”
“Your Highness, this…”
“It’s useless to keep it.”
Yu Lan reluctantly brought out a small zitan wood box.
This box was much more exquisite than the one holding the imperial seal, about the size of a fist, seemingly seamless without a lock or crack, like a solid block of wood.
The crown prince took the box, pressed some mechanism, and slats of wood protruded from its surface, then twisted in a certain direction a few times, gradually transforming the box into a bowl-shaped container.
Inside was a jade plaque, semi-transparent with a few strands of reddish-brown impurities inside, forming the outline of a koi fish.
Meng Qi, initially indifferent, was now captivated by the jade plaque.
“This is a token, along with two land deeds, both for shops on Chang’an Street in Taijing, below is a simplified map of the imperial city,” the crown prince pushed the box towards Mo Li, “Consider it a consultation fee.”
This was obviously more than the price of a consultation fee, and Mo Li refused, only taking the simplified map of the imperial city.
“The token could originally command Wei Pingbo to manage a private army I raised in Jingji, but once I’m dead, those nobles and ministers in court will no longer recognize the holder of the token. However, it has some value in itself, the carving is quite delicate, worth a hundred or so silver taels. As for the land deeds, if possible, pass them on to the Sixth Prince. Let him choose between the imperial seal and wealth.”
“Why not deliver them yourself?”
“I fear he will want nothing but the blade,” the crown prince said with profound sorrow.
Mo Li, puzzled, asked, “He doesn’t even want to be crown prince? As crown prince, wouldn’t he have more opportunities to assassinate or rebel?”
“He knows what kind of life I lead,” the crown prince said with a bitter smile, gasping for breath, “The power I hold is negligible, and even so, it was all I could muster with great effort.”
Yu Lan, the maid, whispered, “His Majesty strictly controls the crown prince. Everything the crown prince eats, says, or whom he meets is reported to Wanhe Hall. Steward Chen was originally His Majesty’s man. If His Majesty is displeased, we servants are punished, and the scholars who teach the crown prince must recite the Classic of Filial Piety for three days straight, repeating exactly what the teacher said. If even one word is wrong, the accompanying readers are punished and beaten, not to mention the servants. The courtiers and scholars must applaud, thinking the crown prince would be corrupted by the eunuchs. It’s best for the servants to be so frightened they dare not utter an extra word.”
Yu Lan couldn’t hide her resentment, “I don’t understand, if we talk about corrupt eunuchs of the Chen dynasty, aren’t the ones most fitting the description right beside His Majesty and those in charge of the Imperial Household Department? Everyone in the Eastern Palace respects the crown prince; there has never been any incitement towards bad behavior. Why do the scholars act as if they have deep hatred towards us lowly palace people, wanting to beat us to death in public, and even forcing the crown prince to give the order himself? If the crown prince refuses, they would kowtow until their foreheads bleed in Wanhe Hall until His Majesty orders the execution of the crown prince’s eunuchs, and they are satisfied… Eunuch Li and the others have always been diligent, never making a mistake, yet they died so trivially. Is this what it means to be a scholar?”
Mo Li was momentarily speechless, and Meng Qi mused, “Indeed, this is what it means to be a scholar.”
Since the Chen dynasty, the struggle for power between civil officials in the outer court and eunuchs in the inner court has been intense, with the Imperial Household Department holding significant sway, even being referred to as the “inner prime minister.”
The root lies in the civil officials’ Wenyuan Pavilion subtly overshadowing the emperor, and the Imperial Household Department was created by the emperor to counter the power of the Wenyuan Pavilion. However, it developed to the point where it could potentially overshadow the emperor as well.
Today, the two sides are irreconcilably opposed.
In the hearts of most civil officials, all eunuchs are inherently scheming. Not showing bad behavior now doesn’t mean they won’t in the future; the crown prince’s eunuchs must be repeatedly warned.
The civil officials pressuring the crown prince aim to intimidate the eunuchs, preventing future opposition, making the eunuchs “realize” the crown prince doesn’t care about these lowly people, and he will readily execute eunuchs at any time.
“Scholars are strange in that way; they shout about loyalty to the emperor and truly believe in the Confucian ideals while also being able to righteously pressure the heir apparent to ‘behave properly.’ Anything they consider bad, regardless of whether it’s done or not, is treated as if it were. The depletion of the Chen dynasty’s strength was largely due to the conflict between civil officials and eunuchs. They didn’t care if the opposing side’s governance ideas were good or bad; if proposed by the enemy, they must oppose it, even to the point of death by protest, considering it an honor.”
Meng Qi explained to Mo Li, shaking his head, “At the beginning of the Chu dynasty, the court also had such an atmosphere. Even without eunuchs, civil and military officials would form factions. Everyone thought they were acting for the country and the people. ‘Those who agree with us live, those who speak against us die.’ If by chance the emperor accepts a political opponent’s suggestion, they would go to great lengths to sabotage it, proving it was a bad governance strategy. Later, they would proudly explain in front of the court officials how they had foreseen it…”
Reflecting on this made Meng Qi feel sick, so he stopped talking.
The crown prince sighed, “That’s how it is. Some are foolish, some are clear-headed. If there are more foolish people, governance cannot be clear. Looking at the court now, there are few clear-headed ones, and even if there are, they can only go with the flow… It was I who asked too much.”
How fortunate Emperor Chu was to have a minister like Master Meng.
Not just one.
Such rare and capable ministers are hard to come by, yet what did Emperor Chu do?
The crown prince just thinking about it felt a pain in his chest; he took a few breaths and looked at Mo Li.
It seems that people are drawn to their own kind. This physician must also be no ordinary person, but—
“Cough, cough, since the Master is unwilling, I will not mention it again. You should leave now. If you delay further, someone will come to the front hall and discover the anomaly here.”
