Chapter Ninety-Five: The Rhapsody of Epang Palace, Part Two

At seventeen, Lord of the Pavilion Zhang Yu composed the Rhapsody on the Epang Palace. Once it appeared, it astonished the entire world of letters; scholars hurried to recite it, and few were willing not to bow before its brilliance. Thus Zhang Yu’s name spread across the realm, and men of the time called him the Jade Young Master.

Because the poem’s target was so unmistakable, Cai Yong did not linger over its content in any great detail. After all, to do so would be little different from hanging Dong Zhuo’s faction’s face out in the open and beating it raw.

The Qin dynasty fell because it was wantonly corrupt and without principle. Your deeds, Dong Zhuo, are far more brutal than those of the tyrants of old. If you cannot practice thrift and show compassion for the people, then your death, barbarian from Liang Province, is not far off.

That was the general thrust of the piece.

The greatness of a truly fine work lies precisely here: every reader understands the deeper meaning, yet so long as no one tears away the veil and says it aloud, even the one being cursed can only swallow the insult.

Of course, setting aside the Great Qing’s infamous peak of literary persecution, the only truly fatal case in the Han era was the letter written by Yang Yun, the grandson of the Grand Historian, in reply to Sun Huizong.

That fellow may be said to have risen by informing on others, and to have fallen by the same means. He was rewarded for exposing the Huo clan’s conspiracy and made Marquis of Pingtong, then promoted to Palace Attendant General. Later, someone reported that after leaving office he had remained arrogant and extravagant without repentance, and that his misconduct had even brought about an eclipse of the sun. After the accusation, Emperor Xuan read his letter in reply to Sun Huizong. In it, Yang Yun was all laughter and wrath, all bitterness and grievance over his relegation to commoner status, saying that he had been demoted by the emperor for three years, as though he had been keeping vigil for his own father. The period of filial mourning was now over; he owed the dead no more, and the same was true of the emperor. From this point onward, sovereign and subject should be as separate as wells with no shared water.

In truth, those words were not so terrible. At most they were a bit sophistical. But in comparing himself with his dead father, he gave Emperor Xuan the impression that he was secretly cursing the emperor to die as his father had, struck down after a horse bolted and crashed against the palace gate.

So the man was sentenced for supreme treason and executed by waist-cutting, while his wife and children were exiled to Jiuquan Commandery.

Returning to the matter at hand, apart from those pieces that openly raced toward self-destruction through their hidden meanings, most other forms of veiled ridicule and sharp satire were harmless enough. This Rhapsody on the Epang Palace was plainly a masterpiece of indirect remonstrance and layered allegory.

Besides, Cai Yong’s dislike for Dong Zhuo had never been especially deep. After all, he had spent many years in exile, and only in his old age had that demon of a man respected and employed him. His gratitude toward Dong Zhuo was clear enough from the fact that he was later punished for mourning Dong Zhuo’s death.

Thus Cai Yong merely commented on the piece’s significance, intending only to help Zhang Yu win a place in the world of letters and in the literary circles of the day.

“The tone of this rhapsody is somewhat loose, drawing the methods and sentence patterns of prose into the rhapsody form. Its purpose leans toward argument and reason rather than strict meter. No earlier poem or rhapsody has been quite like it, so I would call it a loose rhapsody...”

“As for Zhang Yu’s seven-character verse and his new lyric forms, those need not be discussed for now. In the art of rhapsody, he may indeed be called a master, and even a pioneer.”

“His lines alternate unusually with paired and unpaired phrasing, using both parallel prose and free prose, long and short passages woven together, blending narration, description, and argument into one body. It joins the logic of historical analysis with the radiance and spirit of poetry and painting. Even I, Yong, must admit my inferiority.”

Zhang Yu, already famed among scholars for his seven-character verse and his poem to Water Melody, was once again thrust into the center of attention by Cai Yong’s praise, and even Cai Yong’s own commendation came under suspicion.

Soon after the full text of the Rhapsody on the Epang Palace began to circulate, the entire world of scholars fell silent.

This was the darkness before dawn, the hush before boiling.

Yet what none of the literati had expected was that, before they could voice their own opinions, someone else spoke first.

That man was Zheng Xuan.

The most renowned master of the classics and Confucian learning of the age.

Cai Yong truly hoped that this piece might wake Dong Zhuo from his dream, but because of all sorts of concerns he had spoken only obliquely.

What he had not expected was that this friend, who shared his fame and devoted himself to scholarship, would actually step forward to offer an appraisal.

Such is the charm of a great work.

“Epang Palace was destroyed in the flames of war, and no one today can name its original form. Yet this Rhapsody on the Epang Palace can be said to have restored its splendor.”

“The opening line moves with urgent rhyme, seizing the listener at once, abrupt and forceful, like a mountain suddenly bearing down upon one’s head. From it, one can glimpse the majesty of Qin’s unification and the grandeur of Epang’s construction.”

“‘Within a single day, within one palace, and yet the climate is not the same’—what a magnificent scene, awe-inspiring and impossible not to long for.”

“‘The stars glittering bright were the dressing mirrors being opened’... ‘They stood there in idle length, gazing far off, hoping for imperial favor’—indeed, the mirrors are like bright stars, the coiffures like green clouds. The discarded rouge swelled the Wei River, and the burning of pepper and orchids turned to smoke. How wantonly corrupt and lawless it all was!”

“When people are humiliated and things are trampled underfoot, arrogance and indulgence must bring their own ruin!”

“With a long sigh beginning in ‘Alas,’ the Jade Youth reveals that Qin’s luxury ultimately harmed the people. Layer upon layer of preparation, a brush turning again and again, until even those who dare not speak can still feel outrage, and the wolfish and tigerish grow ever more arrogant and entrenched. Who, then, is to prevail? Who is to fall? ...”

“In the end, Epang became nothing but scorched earth!”

“The whole rhapsody is written with a force of a thousand jun, each word worth a fortune. I, Xuan, cannot cut or amend a single stroke. To have such a man appear in our age is truly a blessing to the literary world.”

Cai Yong, plus Zheng Xuan!

That could be called the highest-ranking pair of Confucian masters at the end of the Han.

From that moment on, Zhang Yu’s position was as though officially ordained, and in the world of letters it could no longer be shaken.

Ding! Congratulations, host. Your impromptu discussion of seven-character verse at Cai’s residence, along with your composition of Jade Rhapsody and Brocade Strings, has exerted tremendous influence on the literary world and on seven-character poetry. You have gained 2,000 reputation points. Current reputation: 5,200 out of 15,600.

Ding! Congratulations, host. At the banquet in Cai’s mansion you created the pioneering lyric work Water Melody, "How Long Will the Moon Be Bright?" causing a sensational impact on the literary world. You have gained 2,000 reputation points. Current reputation: 7,200 out of 17,600.

He had made it!

Struck by those two notifications, Zhang Yu was overjoyed, and in his excitement he began dancing awkwardly around the room again.

Ding!

There was more?

Zhang Yu froze at once, tilting his head to listen in silence.

Congratulations, host. Your Rhapsody on the Epang Palace has received the praise and endorsement of Cai Yong and Zheng Xuan, reaching a phenomenon-level effect and causing an explosive impact on the literary world. You may now be called a literary giant of the moment, first among gifted talents. Your name is known throughout the realm, and for the short term your reputation stands unmatched—

What the...?

Zhang Yu felt dazed, as though drifting in a dream.

You have gained 5,000 reputation points and 1,000 experience points. Current reputation: 12,200 out of 22,600. Current experience: 4,200.

Ding. Congratulations, host. Your reputation has exceeded 20,000. System 3.0 will now update automatically. Update cost: 4,000 experience points—

“Damn, you deduct it the second you say it?”

5%... 15%... 55%... 75%... 100%!

Ding! Update completed successfully. Current system version: 3.0.

Ding! Congratulations, host. Your current reputation is 22,600 points, and you have successfully obtained the title Renowned Scholar of All Under Heaven!

Beyond the border desert, even the barbarian horsemen say: avoid the Jade Youth at all costs!

In the southern waterways, Zhang Yu’s name can hush a crying child at night.

Though your martial skill is barely fit for use in the dead of night on a bed, and your intellect only just passes for the product of a nine-year compulsory education;

Though you carry a body that always looks as if it has little time left in this world, and seem to possess nothing at all beyond your looks—

Still you endure stubbornly, and have forged for yourself a vast and resounding name!

Writers and men of letters hear your name and tremble before the wind; all the princes and warlords rush to sweep the dust from their doorsteps and welcome you in.

The refugees remember the kindness of you, Jade Youth. You are the great savior of the common people!

In this age of chaos, what has appeared is only the tip of the iceberg. Live well, keep going, and fight on, father!

...To advance to the next rank, Eternal Fame, you still need 27,400 points.

“What... does that mean?” Zhang Yu stared blankly.

“Why do I have the feeling something is terribly wrong... when did leveling up become so reckless with human life?”