Honoured friend,
It's been too long since your last letter. I feared that your message would be lost due to all of the chaos taking place in the empire, but thankfully that was not the case. It's been some time since I received your last message and the situation that I found myself in is quite… interesting.
The first thing I should start with is that I lost my position in the court - I'm no longer a Colonel of The Western Garden Army. I became a victim of a power play performed by my own clan. I still do not understand why my father decided to take such an action against me… no, that is not correct. I somehow understand why he would want to punish me in some way, or rather to temper me. But the actions he took seem quite extreme. I suspect that the true motive of his action is that he wanted to be close to the centre of power, instead of being a mere adjunct. That he increased the power of the Yuan clan by giving me a power base of my own, was just a second bird with one stone. He played it brilliantly, he took my position by playing a loyal servant, while granting me a position of inspector of Yang province, far on the fringes of the empire.
You would think that being an inspector of the entire province is a good trade-off for the position of being a mere Colonel? That is actually not the case. As a Colonel of the Army of the Western Garden, I was in a position to influence the court and the imperial royal clan, and thus, imperial politics. My assignment, on the other hand, puts me on the fringes of the empire. Furthermore, it gives me no real executive power, it's basically an advisory position. To make the situation even more difficult, I'm not the only inspector of the province. Apparently, the position of inspector of Yang province was sold to three other people already. I might've been appointed by Emperor Ling himself, but I doubt that the other inspectors would step down because of it. Considering how far the province is from the capital, they are more than likely oppose me and try to kill me, then report my unfortunate demise. Considering that I have absolutely no support among the locals, I have my work cut.
Fortunately, an acquaintance of mine, helped me to come with a plan to deal with this situation.
* * *
"You are going about it the wrong way."
I stopped pacing around the room and looked at
Empress He. She was sprawled across the couch, resting her head on the arm. Nodding slowly, I calmed down and took a seat. For last hour I made one plan after the other, trying to come up with a solution to deal with this mess – I must admit, in my frustration, my ideas started to become more and more ridiculous. When I made myself comfortable, the Empress started talking.
"What you are doing, is trying to improve your situation, given the circumstances." I nodded. "What you should be doing, is consider your current position, then consider the position you would like to be in and the steps necessary to be taken for the that to come to pass."
I raised my eyebrows, making her sigh. Her hand travelled to her ear. She traced her finger from the top of her ear to her earlobe. and slid to her earring. She paused as if considering something. After a moment, her finger moved in a swiftly down, flicking her earring and making it sway and tinkle lightly.
"An example, then. You know of Lady Wang?"
I nodded slowly frowning.
"The deceased mother of Emperor's
second son, who you had poisoned... according to rumours." She snorted.
"That's an overly simplified description of the situation." The Empress leaned back and narrowed her eyes as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Why do you think I had Beautiful Lady Wang killed and not her son?"
That was an interesting question. The most accepted rumour was that it was anger at her giving birth to a second potential heir. But anger… it didn't fit her character, well not entirely. But the case was, it was Lady Wang's son who was a threat to Empress's He's son ascendancy to the throne. Then why she went after mother and not the child itself?
"Because you didn't have it in your heart to kill a child? Your motherly instincts stopped you?" Even as I finished the sentence, it sounded rather stretched to my ears. The smile that I got from my host, told me enough about how naive she considered my answer to be.
"It could be possible. But I never held it, never meet it, so I would have no such qualms."
I stopped and tried to think, actually think of an answer instead of mindlessly jumping from one answer to another. I put my hands together and leaned forward. It was… difficult to concentrate. How was He Shi so calm, so collected?
No, that's not it.
Was my anger at the situation so great, that it influenced my thinking to such a degree? I realized that, yes, it was. For last hour I was like a wild animal bouncing around its cage. I was not thinking straight. I started massaging my temples, trying to collect myself and calm down. Mentally I had memories of two lifetimes, I was over five to six decades old and I allowed simple angst to dominate my judgment of the situation.
"Because she gave birth to a son. A possible contender to the throne." I answered now more sure of my answer.
"It might be a surprise to you, but a few other concubines also gave birth to sons. The children died soon after their birth, but I did not make any moves against their mothers while the babes were alive." That was a surprise, but considering the number of Emperor's concubines, it shouldn't be. "No, that is not the reason."
She paused gathering her thoughts, her face became blank, like a mask, devoid of serenity and calmness that she showed but a moment before. When she started speaking again, her voice was harsh… no, not harsh. It was hard to describe, but there was something… uncompromising in it.
"Many concubines gave birth to sons of the Emperor, yet none of the children did survive long enough to be considered an heir to the throne. When I gave birth to my son and the boy survived, I gained the Emperor's favour. Soon I was made an Empress. A second Empress of Emperor Ling. Emperor's first wife,
Empress Song, was a woman of weak personality who soon fell to the plots of concubines and eunuchs. To avoid the same fate, I needed to ensure that no other concubine would pose a treat to me and my child. When Lady Wang became pregnant, she became a clear threat to my position."
"But didn't lady Wang tried to get rid of the child during her pregnancy?" I do remember rumours and what I read about her. She was said to be terrified of Empress He and tried to get rid of the pregnancy.
"Oh, she made quite a show of it. I did not mind her giving birth to a son, there were other concubines who birthed boys, who died soon after. Either by sickness or poison of their own mothers. But no, Lady Wang had no intention of killing her child... and the moment she said she dreamed of sun, implying the extraordinariness of her child, her intentions about putting her son on the throne became clear."
That… True, if she was truly afraid she wouldn't make such an indication… that or…
"Or she was to empty-headed to realize the danger of the comment she made." I mused.
"Stupidity is a danger on itself. Even if she did not have any ambitious intentions, people around her made their own assumptions due to her comment. And they might put her on the throne, just so they could eliminate my clan."
"That still doesn't explain why you went after mother and not child."
"Killing a concubine is not as much looked upon as killing a member of imperial clan and made any moves against He clan far harder to the emperor. It achieved several goals." She raised her hand and extended her index finger.
"First, even if I killed the babe, that would leave the mother who, even if she did not want revenge, could give birth to another son. Without his mother, Liu Xian was harmless in a grand scheme of things, and I could kill him anytime I wanted."
She straightened her middle finger.
"Secondly, he became a focal point for my opponents, the knowledge of who was against me in court, that was a reward on itself."
She held her little finger with her thumb while straightening her ring finger.
"Thirdly, it put the other concubines in their place - it made them realize that should they go against me, they would pay the price."
She extended her little finger.
"Fourthly, it showed the strength of my clan and further established it as a dominant force in court. After all, even if Emperor was mad at me, he has done nothing out of fear of He clan." She finished with quite a satisfied voice. There was quite a pride in her accomplishment, and I could understand that.
"Four birds with one stone." I whispered with awe. I haven't considered that with one move she achieved so much. So that are the politics of the Han court and it's prime. I licked my lips, looking at my companion with a renewed appreciation of her.
"So, what would you consider an acceptable situation as an inspector of Yang province?" the Empress asked.
"The acceptable situation... would be with me being uncontested inspector of Yang province. An ideal would be also having the support of local clans." I need a loyal power-base from which I could recruit armies, gather supplies and taxes. Support of local clans as necessary if I didn't want to finish like
Sun Ce. If I wanted to survive, I needed to start building up before everyone else, yet at the same time, I needed to do avoid being labelled a traitor by the imperial court. But to do that… the
Shanyue! Yes… I could do that!
A smile slowly spread on my face. I had a long term strategy. Now, dealing with a couple of contenders for Yang province seemed so much simpler…
"So you have two goals: First, get rid of other inspectors… or make them your subordinates. Second, you need to acquire the support of locals. Now, consider how to achieve these targets."
I nodded slowly, my mind racing with possibilities. I could work with it. Finally, I smiled nodding.
My eyes widened.
Of course! If couldn't promote my cause, I just needed to make their claim invalid. To birds with one stone, indeed.
Empress He… my Empress had achieved four targets with one move. I wondered how men like Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi compared to her… I could almost laugh at that. True, they all achieved similar positions, able to influence the court. But the two were men and scholars from distinguished clans, while He Shi was a woman from a family of butchers.
"I thank you for your advice, my dear." I got up and walked up to her. There was no comparison in my mind.
"Such a disrespect in addressing your Empress." she said scowling playfully, she stood up. "You know that I could kill you for such disrespect."
"And wouldn't that be a pleasant death." She shook her head.
"Only you…" she smiled lightly. "Every man would want to die at the hand of the powerful enemy is service of their lord. There is no honour in dying at the hands of a woman."
I caressed her cheek and put my thumb on her lower lip.
"Well, I prefer dying at the hands of a beautiful woman, rather than a man. Even better if this was a woman I loved." I said and my lips meet hers.
* * *
After some initial planning, I think I will be able to not only secure future power base and loyalty of Yang province but also boost my reputation in the Empire – three birds with one stone. Of course, the first steps will be the most difficult, and if I am to gain all of my targets, I have to take quite a gamble. But that's how life goes, I think. To gain what you want, sometimes it's necessary to take a risk.
Due to my… promotion, I had to leave the majority of my troops in the capital, to protect the crown prince, the heir to the Han Empire and next wilder of the Mandate of Haven, Liu Bian.
Fortunately, a few of my most trusted companions and advisors decided to travel with me. They also managed to secure a small band of bodyguards…
* * *
"There were few soldiers who decided to continue serving under your command, Inspector."
Han Hao said as he handed me a bowl which I accepted with thanks. The scent of soup attacked my nostrils making my mouth water.
Han Hao was a great cook. All soldiers had to know how to cook their meals, but Han Hao was truly gifted in the art – he also genuinely enjoyed preparing the meals. The flavours that his dishes had were incredible. If he lived in modern times he would probably be a professional chef.
I took a sip of soup, allowing the taste of flavours wash over my mouth. I never knew that a pork soup with vegetables could be that good.
After giving bowls to
Xun Yu and
Cao Xing, he sat down with us. We enjoyed our meal, but unfortunately, we also had a business to conclude. But before that…
I put my bowl down on the table, then bowed deeply.
"Words cannot express how grateful I am, that you decided to stay with me." And I was. I was genuinely was grateful to these men for their continuous support. For they had no reason to stay with me in my exile. "I know that you could stay and find more worthy masters, the fact that you decided to travel with me to the fringes of empire, means much to me."
"Stop it, young master." Han Hao said. "We decided to throw our lots with you, what kind of retainers we would be if we left you on first sight of trouble."
"Mhm," Xun Yu nodded. "I agree with Master Han Hao. leaving your master in the time of turbulence would be dishonourable."
"Worry not Inspector. You have selected me from the troops and made me part of your retinue, not caring for my lowly birth." Cao Xing smiled. "I am not going to fail the trust that you put in me."
"Still, I thank you." I sat straight. "So, how does our situation look like?"
"There were quite a few soldiers who decided to follow you." Cao Xing started. "Majority of them are members of eight camp, which you commanded while under general
Huangfu Song…" He paused. "That gives you about forty soldiers serving as your bodyguards."
Forty soldiers… that is not much. But for the inspector, it's more than enough band of bodyguards.
"It's a pity that master
Chunyu Qiong hasn't decided to join us." Xun Yu remarked.
I had to wince at that comment. That particular meeting almost ended in a fight, when Chunyu Qiong not only refused my offer but also all but insulted me. Cao Xing and few present bodyguards were ready to kill the man were he stood. Even Han Hao had his hand on the sword's handle. Xun Yu could make that kind of comment because he was not present at the time.
"Yes, I hope that Chunyu Qiong survives the court life." I ignored the sound that Cao Xing made.
"We also managed to secure supplies for travel." Han Hao said while stroking his beard.
"Good. I don't fancy hunting rats for dinner, on my way to the Yang province." Cao Xing commented.
"If you don't like them, don't eat." Han Hao said, making all of us pause. Cao Xing gaped at him, while Xun Yu paled... I stopped chewing the meat.
This was, pork soup, wasn't it?
Han Hao's lip quirked a little, making Cao Xing burst laughing, while Xun Yu sight with relief – I on the other hand finally managed to swallow a piece of meat that was stuck in my mouth.
"We also managed to secure the equipment that you requested from the imperial armoury." Xun Yu said frowning. He was not entirely happy with basically stealing the equipment. But, it wasn't stealing, not really. I just bribed the person responsible for the armoury to misplace about two hundred pieces of
self-repeating crossbows.
* * *
Unfortunately, I didn't manage to gather all the people I wanted to. Master Chunyu Qiong decided to accept his commission as colonel of Army of Western Garden. Which is a pity, because I think that he will waste his talents on such a position. He is a brave and experienced vanguard officer, skilled in logistics – such competent people are a hard find.
I also decided to take my adopted daughter Lang Dü with me. But before we left, she has informed of a certain problem, that forced me to expand my retinue...
* * *
I narrowed my eyes at the woman who entered the room. Despite her age, she was quite a good looking, looking rather healthy and had a certain allure, that was quite hard to describe… She was also quite confident in the presence of, for all she knew a young powerful noble who all but barged into the building and demanded the most seasoned and old whore the brothel could supply. She wasn't that old.
"Truly?" I raised my eyebrow, keeping my tone dismissive. "You are the most experienced and oldest among the prostitutes this… the place can supply."
"I assure you, my lord." She lowered her head but continued confidently. "You will not find a more skilled woman in giving pleasure in
Luoyang." She answered making me pause. Maybe she was the one I was looking for.
"Strip." I command shortly.
The woman obediently unties her, a rather fancy robe, and allows it to slide on the floor. That simple action made by her was still quite entrancing. But I was not here for the pleasures of her flesh.
I slowly looked her body over, as I walked around her, looking for any imperfections.
"You seem quite healthy." I commented and grabbed her chin. "Open your mouth." I checked her throat and teeth and they seemed to be okay – at least for my limited medical knowledge. "Do you know how to prevent pregnancies?" I asked as I stepped back.
The woman nodded and gave me a satisfying answer.
"Intercourse at woman's monthly time can result in pregnancy, so at that time you should avoid being with a man. Also, there are certain animal guts that can be used for protection."
That… well, I knew that ancient Egyptians used that kind of protection about a one and a half millennium ago, still, finding out that the version of condom existed in this era was still kind of surprise.
"Are you skilled in satisfying men?"
"I am the be-"
"Spare me the answer you usually give and answer truthfully." I interrupted her.
"...My clients do tend to return to me, and ask for my company again." She answered truthfully. Her voice lacked the sultry undertone. She was begging to understand that my visit was not to have some fun with her. Smart woman.
I nodded.
"And your experience with women." She opened her mouth. "Answer truthfully." I commanded, my tone leaving no place for discussion.
"Same." She gave a curt answer.
I nodded slowly.
"Put on your clothes." I ordered her and sat down. After a moment the, now clothed woman sat in front of me.
"I wish to hire you."
"My lord, I-"
"Hear me out." I stopped her before she could object. "My daughter..." now, how to say it. "...had her first monthly period. I want to hire you as her attendant so that you could teach her how she should take care of her body." Because there is no way I will be teaching her that. To think that the decision to give away all of the female attendants to Empress has come back to haunt me so fast. "You are experienced, have years of work in a profession that leaves one's body destroyed, yet your body is healthy."
The woman blinked a few time surprised but didn't say anything, so I continued.
"I would also like you to teach my adopted daughter everything about seduction, pleasures of flesh and art of manipulation… as well as to recognize and resist seduction attempts on her." because having Lang Dü fall in love with some playboy and betraying me, was not something I wanted to happen. "Tell me, how many years can you continue your work here? You are still beautiful, but how long you will stay that way? I am offering you a place and a job, for the rest of your days. What do you say?"
She stayed still for some time, considering my offer. Finally, she put her hands together in a salute.
"Hou Tai offers her loyalty."
I put my hands together, my salute answering hers.
"Yuan Xi accepts."
* * *
I had to hire a new attendant and teacher since my daughter started having… womanly problems.
Laugh it up, my friend. Not all of us have so much experience as you in bringing up children – especially a number of daughters. While we are talking about them, how are they? I do hope they stay in good health.
The story, that you told me, was... fascinating. I did get an impression that it touched you deeply, as you were very passionate about it, and I agree, it's an incredible story. But I disagree with your conclusions.
True, the effect of the ruler going after his feelings and what he perceived as the best choice for his ream, had… almost catastrophic consequences. But I think you are blind to a few things.
First, there is the woman whom he married. While in the end, she died, saying that the marriage was a mistake is untrue. Saying so is basically spitting on all what the ruler gave her - and even if the time sacrificed to her, was short, it allowed her… a life. To regret that is to spit on all the moments she, and ruler had together.
To live, live one's passions. To survive, abandon one's passions.
The ruler decided to both, live and do his duty to his realm. I feel… and think, that it's the right choice. For, if you don't live, what's the point?
The other point that you are missing, is that the war, was inevitable. The division was inevitable. The loyalty that the ruler could gain by the marriage, fragile. Sooner or later, the clan he would marry into would come into conflict with him. Because that is the nature of man. It happened before, it will happen again. Sometimes, you have to cut off the rotting flesh with a burinng knife.
His choice had tragic consequences, but it's a choice that he sought to escape the cycle, to break the pattern. He failed, but it's not something to be condemned. It's something to be admired. For failure, is a part of life. Liu Bang, the founder of the Han dynasty, has suffered countless failures and defeats before he managed to unify the Empire. But he didn't allow the failure, no matter how painful, to defeat him.
In my opinion, in your story, the failure of the ruler was not in the decisions he made. It was in that, that he allowed a failure to defeat him.
That, is my interpretation, of your story, My friend.
But, while I might… admire, what the first Emperor achieved, I despise how he achieved it. He was given his domain, the Han kingdom, by his friend, the great Hegemon-King Xiang Yu, the overlord of the Empire… and soon after, he betrayed and attacked him.
The Empire he established, stayed in peace for four hundred years – I will give him that. But the court he established, the way the empire is ruled – it's all falling apart, drowning in corruption. The eunuchs, nobles, priests and bureaucrats all enjoy the bounty of the starving peasants, singing about the glory long past… while millions die from hunger. Already a great rebellion took place – millions died, but the Imperial throne prevailed.
A kingdom, established on betrayal. An empire, ruled by corruption. It works, the Empire continues to keep peace in its borders... but tell me my friend, is the price worth the peace?
Liu Bang believed in unified Empire, Xiang Yu aimed for the federation of kingdoms.
How would you organize an ideal realm, taking into an account of the nature of men?
...
Forgive my rumblings. The current events are taking a toll on my mind and health.
I will be finishing this letter. I hope to hear from you soon.
I wish you luck in the wars to come,
Emperor Gemellus Aurelius, Emperor of the Roman Empire.
signed,
Yuan Xi styled Xianyi, inspector of Yang Province.
* * *
I put down the brush after I finished my letter. The next one I planned on writing when I arrived at Shouchun. I took up the cup a drank the contents sighting with pleasure. I looked up as the doors opened and a familiar man entered. I carefully put down the cup, making sure, not to spill the precious liquid. I got up and walked up to greet the man.
He smiled at my sight – we grabbed our forearms and shook.
"Brother
Dong Zhuo!" I smiled "I'm glad that you made it!"
* * *
P.S. Once again, I thank you for the coffee beans. The brew made with it became my favourite.
* * *
From "Letters of Emperor Gemellus Aurelius to Yuan Xianyi".
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