At the hour of You, Li Jianting went to stroll in the garden; this was her leisure time of the day. Fengquan accompanied at her side. The Crown Prince walked slowly along the pebbled path, still thinking about the affairs in the hall.
“In a few days we must honor the gods and pray for rain,” Li Jianting raised a finger to brush aside a flower branch that had reached her cheek. “The matter is important. That day, nothing must go wrong.”
Fengquan moved the branch aside for her and said obediently, “This servant will certainly do her utmost.”
Li Jianting stepped to the edge of the pond, scattered a handful of fish feed into it, watched the carp scramble, and said, “You used to follow Consort Mu. Your temperament was arrogant, you did not know how to yield, and many court officials criticized you. Now that you’ve walked once through the gate of death, you’ve restrained yourself quite a bit.”
For the Crown Prince to bring this up while discussing state affairs was by no means a whim; there was something in these words. Fengquan’s gaze shifted slightly. She bowed, weighing the Crown Prince’s meaning in her heart, and said softly, “A servant follows the master’s nature. Your Highness treats people with generosity. Having received Your Highness’s guidance, this servant naturally dares not be as unrestrained as before. It is shameful to say, but in the past when I met the gentlemen of the Grand Secretariat, I did not understand the rules. Now, having received Your Highness’s grace, I should take past matters as a warning.”
Li Jianting glanced at Fengquan and said, “You are good.”
Fengquan had served the Tianchen Emperor. Li Jianheng’s mind was simple; his joys and sorrows all showed on his face. But since Li Jianting entered the palace, she had already faintly carried imperial authority; she was truly hard to read. When she dined here, she had no preferences. No matter how delicious the food, she would not lift her chopsticks more than three times, and it was hard to discern her emotions from her words.
“You were previously in prison. I heard Fuman gave you many difficulties. Now that you work together before the hall,” Li Jianting said, “do you feel any resentment?”
Fengquan lifted her robe and knelt, saying, “This servant is Your Highness’s servant and knows deeply that Your Highness’s arrangements must have profound meaning. Though I once had enmity with Fuman, this time he also acted impartially in carrying out his duty. This servant dares not harbor resentment.”
“He nearly broke your leg.” Li Jianting looked toward the carp still scrambling for food.
Fengquan knocked her head to the ground, choking up, and said in a thin voice, “The eunuchs who carry the rod are all veterans of the Eastern Depot; they understand restraint.”
Li Jianting focused on the fish and said as if casually, “Although Fuman is an old eunuch from the late emperor’s time, he only began moving about before the throne after the Eastern Depot was idled.” She smiled slightly. “I never heard that the late emperor had him manage Eastern Depot affairs, yet he is so familiar with the old men of the Eastern Depot. I suppose even the cats and dogs in my palace he knows well.”
Fengquan used the motion of wiping tears to wipe sweat. In an instant she understood the Crown Prince’s meaning. Li Jianting had been poisoned in the hall. The people in her palace had all been selected by Xue Xiuzhuo, yet they still had not been able to stop the Empress Dowager. There must have been someone familiar with the routes assisting. Li Jianting had used Fuman when she hosted the banquet to kill Han Cheng. Now that this confidant threat, Han Cheng, had been removed, she would settle accounts after autumn.
Thinking of this, Fengquan felt somewhat steadier and said, “Since Fuman is a man from the late emperor’s time, he is different from others in the inner court offices. His seniority is deep, and he is much favored by the Grand Secretaries, so naturally he knows more people than this servant. Though he has many descendants, he treats people amiably, handles duties carefully, and strictly observes ritual.”
“You didn’t finish that. Strictly observes ritual? I see his ambition reaches the heavens—he’s an ‘old ancestor,’ isn’t he?” Li Jianting wiped her hands with a handkerchief. “He is an inner eunuch. He has neither the merit of stabilizing the state nor the courage to remonstrate with the sovereign. Just because he has long been before the throne, he can become an ‘old ancestor’? Whose ancestor?” She cast a sidelong glance at Fengquan. “Mine?”
Fengquan only felt those light three words weigh as heavy as towering mountains, pressing her so she dared not raise her head. She hurriedly kowtowed. “Your Highness is of imperial blood! The resplendent ancestral enterprise is entrusted entirely to Your Highness. Your Highness is the supreme of the realm!”
“In Lord Xiande’s time, eunuch factions interfered in politics, and one ‘old ancestor’ was killed. I did not expect that in my time, Li Jianting, I would encounter another.” Li Jianting said, “It shows that human desire is insatiable; even boundless favor cannot earn true loyalty. Excessive trust will inevitably breed disaster.” She handed the handkerchief to the palace maid beside her and mocked herself. “But he indeed has ability. Without a reason, he could truly become my ancestor.”
Fuman’s descendants were everywhere. Taking advantage of his duties before the hall, he had dealings with court officials. Yet here he was more clever than Pan Rugui. Before the Grand Secretaries he dared not break rules, almost kowtowing every ten steps. When Kong Qiu had previously been ill and still forced himself to handle duties, Fuman, serving in Mingli Hall, personally tested the medicines and attended to the Grand Secretary with meticulous care, winning Li Jianting a good reputation. Fuman went to such lengths to curry favor, yet he happened to violate a great taboo—he took it upon himself to flatter censorial officials. He was an inner-court eunuch; why was he currying favor with outer-court officials? Wanting to be an “old ancestor” in the palace and also a “good eunuch” outside, securing face on both sides, he instead neglected his proper duties.
Inner eunuchs are the Son of Heaven’s servants; serving the Son of Heaven is their duty. If not for Pan Rugui opening the path of political interference, the power to countersign edicts would not have become a pass for eunuchs to line their pockets. But Fuman was humble outwardly and amassed power inwardly. If Li Jianting wanted to remove Fuman, she needed a reason that could convince the masses.
By now the sky had grown dim. From the far end of the garden, a line of people carrying lanterns approached. Fuman had been handling his duties well lately, and his complexion was naturally ruddy. From afar he saw Li Jianting standing by the pond. The young eunuch beside him leaned close and whispered, “Ancestor, Fengquan is kneeling!”
Fuman flicked his horsetail whisk and said, “He rendered merit at the banquet before. If he is willing to behave himself, Your Highness will naturally not make things hard for him. But his temper truly cannot be presented on stage. To anger Your Highness over trivial matters is to be expected.”
After saying this, he gave a light snort, went forward with a smile, and bowed to Li Jianting.
“You’ve come,” Li Jianting smiled. “Is there some urgent matter?”
“This servant is always thinking of Your Highness,” Fuman passed by Fengquan. Knowing Li Jianting disliked being touched, he only made a show of supporting her as she descended the steps. “Waiting in the hall, I received no news and grew anxious! This servant also saw clouds gathering in the sky, feared it might rain shortly, so I hurried to bring an umbrella for Your Highness.”
Li Jianting said, “You are thoughtful, thorough in everything.”
Fuman seemed only now to notice Fengquan. He exclaimed, “Ah! What is this?”
The light had dimmed. In the interplay of lamplight and shadow, a plan suddenly formed in Li Jianting’s mind. Her expression turned cold as she said, “An arrogant, self-important thing. I heard that while serving before the hall, he was quite disrespectful to the various officials. So I punished him to kneel here.”
“I know you once served as a brush-holder in the late emperor’s time, but how can eunuchs be compared with officials of the former court? Those local officials come into the palace to report on their duties for the sake of local governance, laboring with heart and mind. You show them attitude—what are you?”
Local officials.
Understanding dawned on Fuman. No wonder Li Jianting was angry. In these past days, the drought in Yong City had made the Crown Prince sleepless. Both inside and outside the palace were cutting expenditures. Even the Crown Prince herself ate polished rice, saying she would not forget the people’s hardship. She valued local officials highly.
“Your Highness toils over state affairs in the hall. Coming out to stroll in the garden is a rare moment of relaxation. One must not let this spoil Your Highness’s mood,” Fuman led Li Jianting along, smiling apologetically. “Lord Xue has also arrived in the hall and is waiting for Your Highness.”
The young eunuch snickered. “He’s kneeling.”
“Have him get up.”
“Ancestor,” the young eunuch said curiously, “he usually acts lofty, and his mouth is sharp. Why help him? Let him kneel until Your Highness finishes discussing affairs—wouldn’t that be just right?”
“As a servant, one must think what the ruler thinks and relieve the ruler’s worries,” Fuman said. “He has ties of the former residence with Your Highness. Your Highness only had him kneel and did not punish him severely; that is already lenient. Your Highness may forget for the moment. Later, when she remembers, if he cries a bit, recalling old feelings, Your Highness will soften. If I did not plead for him just now and let him kneel too long, Your Highness would instead blame us servants for not understanding.”
“Ancestor truly thinks everything through,” the young eunuch said admiringly. “You always reach into the master’s heart. Brilliant! I’ll go call him to rise.”
Fuman turned back to look at the dim yellow candlelight shining from Mingli Hall and could not help but smile to himself.
With that old dog Han Cheng gone, he would have no more handles outside. As long as he served the Crown Prince well and gained the Grand Secretariat’s recommendation, a meteoric rise lay ahead. What Pan Rugui could do, he could do as well—only better and more elegantly.
Fuman shifted his gaze. The Empress Dowager was still there, preventing him from resting easy. To eliminate future trouble, he had to act as soon as possible.