A meeting

Lü Yinglong died, the realm donned white mourning clothes, and the crown prince ascended the throne.

The new emperor was only twenty-two. He resembled neither his father nor Empress Chen; his disposition was exceedingly mild, and he treated everyone courteously.

He was, however, rather enamored of women. Though he had only been an adult for a few years, he had already taken in more women than Meng Yuan, though he was not as prolific.

The new emperor, Lü Chan, honored Empress Chen as empress dowager and lifted the restrictions on the Chen clansmen. Then, following the empress dowager's advice, he had a formal edict proclaimed appointing Meng Yuan chancellor.

Being chancellor was not really difficult. It was simply a matter of balancing yin and yang.

Governing a great realm was like cooking a small fish. Even if you could not cook a small fish properly, surely you could boil an egg! Toss the egg into the pot, add firewood if the flame was low, and add water if there was not enough.

In any case, before Meng Yuan became chancellor, he had already been considered a candidate destined to be a renowned one!

Meng Yuan had never handled practical administration, but he at least had vision. Besides, the empress dowager had never actually expected him to do particularly well; she simply wanted a founding meritorious official to hold things steady.

Take the present situation, for instance: Lü Yinglong had killed a great many people, chilling the hearts of the realm.

Toward those below, then, they would govern leniently, stop pursuing major prosecutions, and reassure the officials and common people throughout the realm.

As for those above, they would encourage farming and sericulture, have the emperor and empress set an example, reduce taxes a little, and hold a special imperial examination.

After over twenty years of turmoil and so many deaths, everything awaited renewal. So long as they did not take up arms or impose harsh policies, and properly nurtured the realm for ten or twenty years, it would brim with life.

Meng Yuan presided over the new court. The new emperor was no fool, either. Knowing his own position was weak, he brought large numbers of former Chen retainers back into service and even entrusted military authority to Chen Huaixian.

Chen Huaixian was the eldest son of Empress Dowager Chen's deceased elder brother, and a capable man himself. After gaining power, he urged the emperor to pardon the descendants of meritorious officials who had once been implicated and punished.

The new emperor, Lü Chan, immediately agreed, affectionately addressing him as his elder cousin in private.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye, and the realm enjoyed a bountiful harvest.

Meng Yuan's reputation gradually rose. Meanwhile, the Chen clan's influence at court also grew rapidly.

Lü Chan was not a diligent ruler. He trusted the Chen clansmen deeply and was exceedingly filial toward the empress dowager, almost to the point of obeying her in everything.

This was, of course, a road to disaster. But Meng Yuan had no intention of interfering, nor could he be bothered.

Meng Yuan had his own affairs to attend to, and stopped pretending otherwise. Apart from handling major matters personally, he had people search for precious texts collected by their forebears, vainly hoping to find clues about immortals. He also kept seeking martial arts manuals.

Sure enough, becoming chancellor made all the difference. Every day, people came bearing ancient texts as offerings, but most contained only vague, illusory matters.

Some even claimed to practice immortal techniques and possess methods of spirit writing. But Meng Yuan was no muddlehead. After seeing through their tricks, he had several swindlers beheaded in succession.

After several years of this, Meng Yuan actually obtained a treasure: someone presented him with a martial arts manual called the Purple Cloud Technique.

"This was passed down by my late father. My only wish is to offer it to my gracious chancellor!" The person presenting it was a young man whose father had been a eunuch of the previous dynasty.

Meng Yuan had read many manuals. Though his own practice had not amounted to much, his discernment had long since changed, and he immediately recognized that the Purple Cloud Technique was extraordinary.

After finding someone to test it for half a year, Meng Yuan adopted the man who had presented the manual as his son and recommended him for a provincial appointment, making him a full-fledged regional governor.

With that, everyone knew that this new chancellor kept his word. So long as the goods were genuine, the official appointment would be genuine too!

Even the Duke of Anle brought out an ancient work from the previous dynasty, an erotic illustration, to offer to Meng Yuan.

"Marvelous indeed!" Meng Yuan accepted it with pleasure, then reported to the new emperor and secured a larger residence for the Duke of Anle.

And so, with his great reputation, Meng Yuan spent every day sorting through ancient texts and secret manuals. His eldest niece often said he was dealing in junk.

After that, however, he never received another worthwhile martial arts manual.

Of course, all that effort did yield something. According to legend, when the immortal had originally divided the land into eighty-one states, the Chen, Pei, and Bai families had been placed foremost because the immortal had chosen several people from those three families as disciples.

But after that, neither the immortal nor his disciples had ever been seen again.

The Chen clan were now imperial in-laws, so there was little point in mentioning them. Meng Yuan also invited descendants of the Pei and Bai families to the capital, but learned nothing from them either.

Those two families had long since faded into the masses, with none of their ancestors' glory remaining. Meng Yuan arranged official posts for them, and they kowtowed in delighted gratitude.

Meng Yuan had also spoken with Empress Dowager Chen. She urged him to focus on governing the realm and stop thinking about the Chen, Pei, and Bai families all day.

After another two years as chancellor, Meng Yuan was more or less just muddling through his days.

Yet the willow planted without intent took root: the realm actually enjoyed one bountiful harvest after another, and all the people lived in peace and contentment.

It reached the point where no one pocketed lost property on the roads, and the granaries overflowed.

Meng Yuan's reputation actually grew better and better, and everyone at court and beyond praised him as a worthy chancellor.

In his seventh year as chancellor, Meng Yuan requested leave to retire. The emperor refused, merely appointing Chen Huaixian deputy chancellor to assist him.

Back when Chen Huaixian was in Shu, Meng Yuan had even taught him to catch rabbits. Now, he held Meng Yuan in great respect and obeyed him in everything. But Meng Yuan had no desire whatsoever to hoard power, and instead dumped all the work on Chen Huaixian.

In his tenth year as chancellor, following Meng Yuan's policy of rest and recuperation, granaries everywhere were full and every household had grain to spare. The whole realm remembered the chancellor's contributions. Meng Yuan wanted to resign; the emperor was inclined to agree, but the empress dowager refused.

In his eighteenth year as chancellor, Meng Yuan was already seventy. He had scarcely handled any affairs for seven or eight years, retaining only the great power to appoint and dismiss officials.

The emperor and empress dowager finally allowed Meng Yuan to lay down his burden, but would not let him return home, saying that the state should keep an elderly minister available for consultation, that he should enjoy his retirement in the capital, and so forth.

That year, most of the important positions at court were controlled by the Chen clan. Emperor Lü Chan sank ever deeper into his obsession with women, and rumor had it that he had already begun taking medicine.

Meng Yuan had long since tired of being this damned chancellor. His hair had turned completely white over the years, and he had spent his days wearing out his mind and body. Moreover, the Chen clan grew ever stronger and acted with ever greater impunity. But if even the emperor did nothing, Meng Yuan was all the less inclined to interfere.

Even so, after nearly twenty years as chancellor with great power in his hands, he had still gathered many people under him.

His hundred-plus sons and daughters had also gradually grown up. One person came seeking a marriage, another came offering a daughter, and he had forged marriage ties not only with martial sects, but even with the imperial family and its in-laws.

When one man ascended to heaven, even Yang Dayong's granddaughter married into the Chen family!

Though there were many Chen clansmen at court, Meng Yuan's influence was considerable too.

Fortunately, Meng Yuan held no military authority, the emperor was still in his prime, and the empress dowager stood between them, so they could still coexist peacefully.

On Meng Yuan's birthday in his first year after stepping down as chancellor, the empress dowager bestowed countless treasures upon him, and the emperor came in person to offer birthday wishes, bringing eighteen foreign dancing girls as well.

By his birthday the second year, half of those eighteen foreign girls had borne children. But neither the empress dowager nor the emperor came; there were only some gifts.

On his birthday the fifth year, the emperor came again. He had not come to celebrate Meng Yuan's birthday, however. The Chen clan now controlled both the chancellorship and military authority. Though the emperor was incompetent, he was no fool, and had come specifically to ask Meng Yuan to return to office. Meng Yuan would have none of it, merely trading on his age and spouting muddled nonsense.

On his birthday the eleventh year, Meng Yuan turned eighty-one. He did not hold a lavish celebration, merely setting up an opera stage and having his children and grandchildren come to see him, share a meal, and enjoy themselves.

Even so, many outsiders still came to offer birthday wishes, and Meng Yuan turned them all away.

"Why doesn't that child look like me?" Seated in the place of honor, Meng Yuan's aged eyes were dim, but he still spotted a five- or six-year-old child whose nose and eyes looked nothing like his.

"Master, that's your younger brother-in-law. How could he look like you?" Yang Dayong had grown old too. Seeing that Meng Yuan was still confused, he explained, "Last year, on your eightieth birthday, you took a new woman into the household. You even composed a poem to boast about it: 'An eighteen-year-old bride, an eighty-year-old groom; hoary white hair faces rosy bridal bloom. Beneath the mandarin-duck quilt, they pair through the night; a pear tree's blossoms press the begonia beneath their white.' That was why you bestowed the name Begonia Madam on her. That child is Begonia Madam's youngest brother."

"Now I remember. I recall her hair was black and her body was white." Stroking his beard, Meng Yuan said, "An old steed may rest in its stable, yet its ambition still ranges a thousand miles. Have Begonia Madam come to my room tonight. This treasured blade has not grown dull!"

"Master, have you gone muddled? Begonia Madam only gave birth a few days ago. She hasn't even finished her month of confinement! Have you forgotten? She wanted your wet nurse to attend her, and you refused. Your eldest niece even called you an old fool over it!" Yang Dayong had broadened his horizons greatly over the years and had long since learned bad habits. He whispered, "But Begonia Madam's mother is here. She's still fairly young, not bad-looking, and a widow too..."

"Forget it. Young widows are no fun." Meng Yuan shook his head. "When it comes to widows, it has to be the empress dow-"

"Master!" Yang Dayong immediately stopped him. "Why do your words grow more outrageous the older you get?"

As the two chatted idly, a sudden commotion arose outside. Unexpectedly, an oral decree had arrived from the emperor.

Only after asking did they learn that the empress dowager was gravely ill.

Meng Yuan was being told to hurry to the palace for a meeting.

"A meeting? I haven't attended a meeting in over ten years, and now they suddenly summon me to one? Is this what meetings are for?"

Meng Yuan had not attended court for many years, but he still remembered his friendship with the empress dowager, so he stirred himself into motion.

"Wasn't it the emperor who was ill? How has the empress dowager fallen ill too?" After so long in the capital, Yang Dayong's nose was no longer what it had once been. He smelled something amiss and offered a warning.

"Who cares? I've lived long enough anyway!" Meng Yuan said.

"Then I'm coming with you!" Yang Dayong immediately said.