“This device is truly ingenious. Each of you are great scholars—come tell me what principles are at work here…”
In the sleeping chamber of Changxin Palace, a person-height clock ticked as the pendulum swung. Inside the wooden casing, the mechanism springs made crisp “click-clack” sounds. The beautifully crafted pointer adorned with cast gold filigree trembled as it moved across the dial. Qing Yang had been studying it with great interest for two days. Last night she had even personally made two trips to compare it with the armillary sphere in Lingtai Hall. The time was accurate to the slightest fraction.
The armillary sphere theory was the most important astronomical and cosmological theory of the age. Since the two Han dynasties, various armillary spheres had been constructed to observe stars and celestial phenomena. It could also be said to be one of the most precise timekeeping and calendar calculation tools.
The Bureau of Astronomy of Great Chu had repaired an armillary sphere left from the previous dynasty years ago. It could be said to be a treasure of the Chu court, currently housed in Lingtai Hall.
Facing the Grand Empress Dowager of Changxin’s inquiry, the officials of the Bureau of Astronomy looked at each other helplessly.
They had been summoned to the palace, and over two days the back cover had been opened countless times. They had stopped just short of completely disassembling the clock to study each component. The overall structure was not extremely complex, but in the end they still could not figure out how, through the pendulum’s swinging, each movement of the mechanism spring was precisely controlled to occur at absolutely equal time intervals.
“Lord Han Qian of Liang proposed new learning theories in Luoyang such as gravitational force and heliocentrism. To penetrate the principles of this clock, perhaps one needs some research into Luoyang’s new learning,” Yang En said, standing to one side.
“Heliocentrism is all heretical nonsense. Objects created by new learning are nothing but frivolous tricks that corrupt people’s hearts. Our Great Chu has no need to pay attention to such things,” Song Hailong of the Bureau of Astronomy said, his graying beard trembling. He didn’t feel he needed to give Yang En any face and spoke directly.
“If heliocentrism is heretical nonsense, then when will the Bureau of Astronomy make such a timepiece for me?” Qing Yang stared at Song Hailong and asked methodically.
“…” Song Hailong stood there stunned, not daring to rashly agree. Never mind the principles inside—even copying it exactly, those ingenious components were beyond what the Chu court’s craftsmen could manufacture.
“You have little ability, yet your minds are more stubborn than each other. Have you managed to replicate the Liang army’s spring-arm giant crossbows and iron-armored warships these past years? Are those also useless frivolous tricks?” Qing Yang asked with displeasure in her rebuke.
“That’s the responsibility of the Ministry of Works,” Song Hailong said.
“Then what can the Bureau of Astronomy and the Imperial Library do?” Qing Yang’s expression became severe. Impatiently, she drove Song Hailong and others out. “All of you leave. You’re annoying to look at.”
Watching Song Hailong and others slink away dejectedly, Qing Yang looked toward Yang En and asked: “Marquis Yang, is the court now increasingly dismissive of the Liang army?”
“Gu Zhilong and Huang Lu have returned to court with their troops in grand military array. Spirits are high throughout court and countryside,” Yang En said.
“In your view, if one day it truly became unavoidable, could Great Chu’s forces decide victory or defeat against the Liang army?” Qing Yang asked.
“In this old minister’s view, I fear we could not,” Yang En said.
“How so?” Qing Yang glanced at Lei Cheng, whose expression remained calm as stone, and continued questioning Yang En.
“Speaking of territorial extent and population, our Great Chu naturally far surpasses the Liang army. The great success in conquering Min and Yue not only made the southern front secure without worry, but also gained one hundred thousand elite troops to reinforce the Jianghuai defense line. Great Chu appears strong in troops and horses, thriving and prosperous. However, Great Chu forces being strong is only ordinary at best—perhaps even slightly inferior to the time of Emperor Gaozu.”
Yang En spoke calmly.
“Meanwhile, the Mongols’ first-rate elite troops in southern Jin, Hezhong, and Xingyang can be said to have no power to resist under the Liang army’s attacks. Whether Great Chu’s forces can truly be stronger than the Mongol army, Liang Shixiong’s Weibo elite troops, or Tian Weiye’s Luzhou elite soldiers is truly hard to say. Furthermore, according to the peace agreement, the total transport capacity of Liang army warships at the Eastern Lake and Tangyi naval bases has been controlled to below fifty thousand shi. But as long as there’s need, with the Liang army’s shipyards at Xuzhou Qianyang, Chaohu, Wabu Lake, Bailong Lake, and other locations, they could probably construct warships with ten times that capacity in an extremely short time. Although our Great Chu has also restored some shipbuilding capacity in recent years, whether the warships or merchant vessels we build, none can compete with Liang ships. Jinling sits right on the great river’s banks. Without controlling the Yangtze waterway, any talk of victory or defeat is rash.”
“I heard from Lei Cheng that some in court have privately discussed relocating the capital. Have you also heard such talk?” Qing Yang asked.
“This old minister is slow-witted and has not yet heard of this matter,” Yang En said.
Qing Yang didn’t believe Yang En hadn’t heard such discussions, but seeing him flatly deny it, she didn’t pursue the matter further.
“If the Grand Empress Dowager has no other orders, may this old minister take his leave?” Yang En asked.
“You may withdraw,” Qing Yang said.
After Yang En withdrew, Qing Yang carefully examined the clock. Just as it reached the hour, a small door below the dial opened and a silver figurine about an inch in size popped out, crisply ringing the silver bell in its hand to announce the hour.
“Oh! You startled me!” Although she knew the clock would chime the hour, Qing Yang still clutched her high bosom, startled.
“Among the common people there seem to be some criticisms about the old friendship between the Grand Empress Dowager and His Majesty. I don’t know which side is spreading such news, or perhaps the common folk simply delight in gossiping about such matters…” Lei Cheng said.
“What criticisms? Just because I celebrate a birthday and receive some tribute gifts, people must wag their tongues? If people want to wag their tongues, let them wag. I can’t very well pull out the tongues of hundreds or thousands of busybodies!” Qing Yang didn’t care much, but said rather wistfully, “Since Luoyang can manufacture so many ingenious devices, it must be much more prosperous than Jinling. What a pity—I have no opportunity to see it.”
Lei Cheng did not respond to this remark, seeming not to have heard the wistful tone in Qing Yang’s words at all…
Yang En walked out of Chongyang Gate. While waiting for someone to prepare his carriage and horses to return to his residence, he saw Shen Yang in the distance surrounded by a group of people, emerging from the Secretariat office compound. He didn’t know whether Shen Yang was heading to his residence or running off somewhere else.
The Inner Court Office and the Secretariat compound were adjacent. Yang En walked over and cupped his hands in greeting to Shen Yang.
“I just happen to have something to discuss with you. Come drink at my residence?” Shen Yang asked.
Nearly seventy years old, Shen Yang already had a full head of white hair. Having someone help him board his carriage, he invited Yang En to ride with him as they headed toward the Prime Minister’s residence.
In late autumn, the sky didn’t darken too early yet. At this moment, fire-like evening clouds flowed across the horizon with distinct layers of color, but the wind blowing carried several degrees of piercing chill.
Or perhaps it was truly that with advancing age, one could no longer withstand even a little wind and cold.
Sitting in the carriage and looking at Shen Yang’s wrinkled, aged face, Yang En thought to himself that he probably wasn’t much better off.
“When Feng Yi served as envoy to Shu, Ruogu was also in Chengdu Prefecture. I didn’t expect Han Qian would immediately dispatch him to Jinling without pause,” Shen Yang said.
“What’s the situation in Chengdu?” Seeing Xue Ruogu bend down to squeeze into the carriage compartment, Yang En asked.
“Cao Gan went as envoy to Luoyang in June and returned to Chengdu in August. After making that trip, he seemed frightened.” Xue Ruogu bowed to Yang En and said, “Shu Lord Wang Yong agreed to Liang state’s request to repatriate the families of surrendered officers and commanders. When I left Chengdu Prefecture, Feng Yi was leading the first batch—about twelve hundred family members of surrendered Shu military officers and commanders—rushing to Luoyang. I didn’t expect he would arrive in Jinling again today…”
Yang En hadn’t expected the Shu state’s posture to be so weak. He furrowed his brow, not knowing what to say.
“I heard Ruan Tao came to Jinling again the day before yesterday and has been staying at Prince Shou’s residence these past two days. Has Marquis Yang heard?” Xue Ruogu asked.
Yang En nodded. Ruan Tao’s visit to Jinling this time to see Prince Shou Yang Zhitang hadn’t been concealed from anyone.
Anyone who attended banquets or paid visits to Prince Shou’s residence these past two days could easily see that Ruan Tao was lodging there. Yang En even roughly knew some of the content of their conversations.
However, what could he do knowing all this?
Over these years, although Yang Zhitang seemed to have been driven from court, he had not left Jinling to retire to Hongzhou—in fact, Yang Zhitang was younger than all the ministers in the Council of State.
Zheng Yu and Zheng Chang were the first to retire and return to their hometowns. Zhou Bingwu had also submitted his resignation multiple times requesting retirement. Zhang Chao wasn’t overly attached to office, but both he and Shen Yang were nearly seventy. Yang En himself was also seventy. Besides the affairs of the Inner Court Office, he had little energy to concern himself with other matters. Du Chongtao, over sixty, could be considered in the prime of life, but he alone could not support the central government.
Huang Hua wasn’t old, but as the father of Grand Empress Dowager Mingcheng and maternal grandfather of Prince Fu, with these taboos attached, he could not enter the central government as a minister.
Although Shen Yang had devoted effort to cultivating Xue Ruogu early on and even sent him out to serve as Governor of Yangzhou for experience, implicated by Qin Wen’s affair, Xue Ruogu was subsequently forced to resign as Yangzhou Governor. Returning to Jinling, he had only ever served beside Shen Yang in the capacity of private secretary and advisor, making it even more impossible for him to enter the central government to assume ministerial positions like Vice Administrator.
In comparison, although Yang Zhitang had remained dormant for several years, he was currently only fifty-seven years old.
Over these years in court, the voices of the young hawks advocating a hardline attitude toward Liang state had grown increasingly strong. The person behind this was Prince Shou Yang Zhitang.
Yang Zhitang didn’t even conceal this. Idle in Jinling, Prince Shou’s residence held small banquets every three days and large banquets every five days. The guests were all young hawk military officials from court.
In fact, even if they hadn’t succeeded in capturing Min and Lingnan regions these past two years, even if the young hawks’ voices in court weren’t so intense, even without Yang Zhitang and Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan secretly promoting things, Yang En thought that he and Shen Yang, if they didn’t want the people of Great Chu pointing at their backs in criticism, truly had no grounds to refuse the Sima clan offering the Xusi territories in submission.
The current problem wasn’t simply whether to accept or refuse the Sima clan’s offer of Xusi territories. Rather, with Yang Zhitang having rendered merit in facilitating this matter, they would find it very difficult to prevent Yang Zhitang from returning to the central government.
When he and Shen Yang successively retired, with the Great Chu court under the leadership of Yang Zhitang and others, where would it head?