Chapter 122: Entering Official Service and Joining a Noble’s Retinue
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The ingredients for the broth were all ready. Once they had been chopped, washed, arranged on plates, and set out, a steaming dual-flavor hot pot was soon placed before Li Cui.
It was already the hour when the lamps were lit. Feeling hungry in the residence, Li Cui caught sight of the fragrant lamb-spine soup and first drank several bowls to warm his stomach before tucking in with gusto.
The entire Zhen residence had been surrounded by guards. Though it made the place secure, their presence left Zhen Qian deeply uncomfortable. Fortunately, Li Cui had not kicked him out of the house and left him homeless.
Such was the reality under feudal autocratic imperial power: privilege existed in every age, and it was especially evident during the Tang dynasty.
The commandery princess had already left the steam room. Her condition was fairly good, and after coming out she had fallen into a drowsy sleep. If she awoke the next day with her illness stabilized, half the battle would be won. One of the accompanying physicians checked her pulse, which had become much steadier. It seemed that all this was somehow due to his efforts.
“Your Highness, the commandery princess has fallen asleep, and her pulse is stable. Most of the chill within her body has already been expelled. After a few more courses of treatment, she should recover completely!”
Li Cui was delighted. Throwing back his head, he laughed. “Reward them! A thousand coins for each!”
Li Cui was indeed generous. Even the guards standing watch received a thousand coins. The only people left out were himself and Fujiwara no Sawao.
“Master Zhen, your contribution was the greatest of all. How should I reward you?”
Zhen Qian stole a glance at the luminous pearl hanging in the room. His heart practically drooled at the thought of having Li Cui bestow it upon him.
“Your Highness, the princess’s condition has only just stabilized. We will not know for certain until she wakes tomorrow. It would not be too late for Your Highness to reward this commoner then.”
“To render great service without becoming arrogant, and to understand honor and disgrace—now that is the conduct of a true gentleman.”
Dipping a large piece of mutton into the sauce, Li Cui stuffed it into his mouth, splattering broth in every direction.
“I have just thought of an excellent way to reward you.”
Zhen Qian had a bad feeling. What was called a good thing was usually aimed at someone in particular. Something that was good for him might not necessarily be good for anyone else.
“The chief clerk of my princely residence is old and has asked to resign many times, but unfortunately I have yet to find a suitable replacement. I think you would do very well. Would you be willing to become my chief clerk?”
Zhen Qian nearly toppled over and died on the spot.
So this was Li Cui’s idea of a good thing? Damn it, what a pain!
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A chief clerk generally held a fairly high position. In a county, he ranked among the top three officials: the magistrate, the assistant magistrate, the chief clerk, and the county commandant. The magistrate oversaw the county’s administration and decrees; the assistant magistrate handled documents, granaries, and the like; while the county commandant was responsible for public order and the apprehension of criminals. The chief clerk was somewhat like a county secretary-general, overseeing provisions, taxes, labor service, official receptions, and correspondence, as well as document review, custody of seals, and certain judicial functions. It was a position of considerable power and abundant opportunities for profit.
Yet although they shared the same title, the chief clerk of a princely residence was worlds apart. Aside from managing the household’s finances and the comings and goings of its personnel, he was essentially a prestigious but powerless post for retirement. It was not a flattering position either—part steward, part lackey. A county chief clerk was usually around the ninth rank, while the chief clerk of a commandery prince’s residence reached at least the eighth. The chief clerk of a royal prince’s residence ranked even higher. That was its sole advantage.
Zhen Qian truly wondered whether Li Cui had been kicked in the head by a donkey. He was barely in his twenties, yet Li Cui had already found him a post for his old age. Li Cui certainly thought highly of him.
“Thank you for Your Highness’s kind intentions. I fell from a horse last year and lost my memory. I have only just recovered, and for the time being I have no plans to enter government service.”
This was the first time Zhen Qian had openly rejected Li Cui’s intention of bringing him into officialdom. If Li Cui genuinely wished to thank him, a little more gold and jewelry would have been fine. Failing that, even an honorary post that paid him to do nothing would have been acceptable.
Li Cui seemed determined to draw Zhen Qian into public service, and his expression immediately darkened.
“Do you feel that serving as chief clerk in my residence offers you no future?”
If you know that, why say it aloud? You truly have no idea how to make a tactful refusal!
“It seems you misunderstand the position of chief clerk in a princely residence. High officials from the imperial court are constantly coming and going here. With your talents, it would be easy for you to win their appreciation. As the saying goes, the moon is seen first by those who live near the waterside. Surely you understand the principle.”
Li Cui was not wrong. Those who entered and left the residence were mostly princes, nobles, and high ministers; no commoners were admitted, and the people with whom one dealt were powerful officials who held the fate of the realm in their hands.
The problem was that once one entered the gates of a noble house, one was as deep as the sea. From then on, Zhen Qian would bear Li Cui’s mark. If Li Cui rose to power, that might be another matter. Unfortunately, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang did not trust his own princes. He had established the Ten Princes’ Residence and the Hundred Grandsons’ Court, keeping every prince who might threaten him confined and pampered like livestock. The status of a chief clerk could be imagined. Did Li Cui really take him for a fool?
Yet Zhen Qian could neither say these things nor wished to.
The deeper reason lay in Li Cui’s political allegiance.
Politics was a mechanism of compromise and negotiation. But in an autocratic society, the only possible outcome was to stand on one side or the other.
Those who followed me would prosper, and those who opposed me would perish. Throughout history, countless renowned ministers had not died of old age or retired honorably, but had perished in brutal struggles because their political positions differed.
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This struggle was the contest for the succession. Ever since Chen Sheng and Wu Guang had cried out, “Are kings and marquises born to their rank?”, sycophancy, deceiving superiors while concealing the truth, and ingratiating oneself through every possible means had become the tools by which men climbed step by step. They stopped at nothing to achieve their aims, winning allies, suppressing rivals, and cultivating their own factions—all for the chance to ascend one day to the throne.
The petty men skilled at scheming and opportunism were like flies in a latrine: once they found an opportunity to display themselves, no one could hope to remain aloof.
The current Crown Prince, Li Heng, presented himself before Emperor Xuanzong as exceptionally obedient, benevolent, and filial. During Li Linfu’s administration, there had been attempts to abolish him, but after hesitating, Emperor Xuanzong concluded that Li Heng had committed no moral failing. Later, when Yang Guozhong took power, he too sought to depose Li Heng in his desire to monopolize authority. In such an atmosphere, hidden currents surged beneath the surface of the imperial court, while demons and monsters danced in chaos.
Where there was a Crown Prince’s faction, there were naturally those who wished to overthrow Li Heng and become crown prince themselves. Emperor Xuanzong’s eldest son, Prince Tan Li Cong, and his fourth son, Prince Dai Li Yan, believed the time was ripe. Coveting the position of heir with every fiber of their being, they secretly joined forces with numerous court ministers and attempted to whisper slander into Emperor Xuanzong’s ear. Li Heng’s position as crown prince was perilously unstable. Had the An Lushan Rebellion not erupted later, there was truly no guarantee that he could have retained the throne.
If Li Cui had merely been an idle prince, that would have been one thing. But what if he had political ambitions and threw in his lot with Li Yan or Li Cong? Zhen Qian knew that Li Heng would ultimately ascend the throne as Emperor Suzong of Tang. Would he really be foolish enough to leap into a pit of fire?
Even if Li Cui belonged to the Crown Prince’s faction, what difference would it make? Yang Guozhong now held supreme power and was using every means to suppress the Crown Prince’s supporters. If Zhen Qian joined Li Heng’s camp, no one could say whether he would live to see the day Yang Guozhong died. If he ended up dying before achieving anything, it would become a laughingstock.
“The attitude of preserving one’s purity and remaining indifferent to fame and wealth revealed in Household Registrar Zhen’s Inscription of the Humble Abode is plain for all to see. Why, then, must Your Highness insist that he enter government service?”
Fujiwara no Sawao appeared at just the right moment and extricated Zhen Qian from his predicament, much to Li Cui’s displeasure.
“It is already late. Lord Fujiwara, should you not return to your official residence and rest?”
Go back wherever you came from. Why are you meddling here when you have nothing better to do?
Fujiwara no Sawao showed not the slightest awareness that he was unwelcome.
“Household Registrar Zhen and I took to each other at first sight. I was just thinking that we might talk by candlelight through the night. What could be more delightful?”
Zhen Qian suddenly found Fujiwara no Sawao far more endearing. The man had said everything Zhen Qian had wanted to say.
Li Cui’s molars ached with anger.
“See him out!”
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