A Thousand Pieces of Gold (12 page)

But the eunuch was not so easily dissuaded. He cited two precedents: the first a minister who killed his master, and the second a son who murdered his father, both for just causes. The former received approbation from the general populace while the latter was applauded by no less a person than Confucius himself, who did not consider the son to have been unfilial. “Great men do not perform grand deeds out of prudence. Neither do virtuous acts arise from gallant denial,” he said to the prince. “A person of decision and daring will carry the world before him, so much so that even spirits and ghosts dare not obstruct his way. Only then will he perform memorable feats. I beg you to consider my words. Now is the time! Now is the time! Be not afraid because fear is the only thing that can make us fail.”

At this, the young prince heaved a sigh and nodded his agreement. Having had his way with his student, the eunuch now said, “For our plan to succeed, we need to involve the prime minister. I request permission to speak to him on your behalf.”

Years earlier, the cunning eunuch had worked with Li Si on standardizing the script. He knew the prime minister intimately and was very much aware of his love of money and power. Besides having been ennobled as a marquis of the highest rank, Li Si had also seized for himself the greatest revenues from the government. Zhao Gao knew that he had but one chance to present his case. If he were to fail in his persuasive mission, he would be accused of treason and his life would be in jeopardy.

He now approached Li Si and said, “At this uncertain time, may I remind Your Highness of the close relationship between General Meng Tian and Prince Fu Su, the emperor’s oldest son and rightful heir. For many years now, the Meng family has held the reins of power in the Qin empire.

“I beg your lordship to pose to yourself the following questions: As to talent and ability, how do you compare with Meng Tian? In resourcefulness and strategic military planning, how do you compare with Meng Tian? Regarding meritorious service, how do you compare with Meng Tian? In popularity and legendary heroism, how do you compare with Meng Tian? Last but not least, in the mind and heart of Prince Fu Su, how do you compare with Meng Tian?”

“You know very well, sir,” replied old Li Si sadly, “that in all five aspects, I cannot compare with Meng Tian. Why do you question me thus?”

“I am but a lowly eunuch in His Majesty’s service,” said Zhao Gao humbly, “who has been fortunate enough to be admitted into the Qin palace through the writing of words. In my twenty years with the emperor, I have seen many exemplary ministers who have been dismissed. Alas! Not a single one has retained his feudal holdings to pass on to the next generation. In fact, every one has been eventually executed….”

He saw Li Si’s right hand trembling and knew that his warning had struck home. He cleared his throat and continued, “We both recognize that the emperor’s oldest son is resolute, steadfast, brave, and trustworthy. When he ascends the throne, he is bound to appoint General Meng Tian as his prime minister. In that case, it is certain that Your Highness will not be able to sustain your present exalted position and may even have to surrender your seal of high office and go back to your village.”

“What you are saying are
wang guo zhi yan,
‘words that would cause a nation to perish.’ I have read our late majesty’s final decree,” replied Li Si feebly. “According to the sages, we should listen and obey the will of Heaven. Who am I to question or doubt the emperor’s final intent?”

Zhao Gao knew that for his plan to succeed, Li Si’s complicity was essential. “Do not be so sure of your own reasoning,” the wily eunuch counseled. “What you consider dangerous may actually be safe. And what you consider safe may actually be dangerous. Would it not be wiser to decide first on what is dangerous and what is safe before worrying about the will of Heaven or how to honor the sages?”

“In spite of my lofty position, I began life as a commoner;” Li Si replied, “having been born in the narrow lanes of the village of Shangcai. Through the grace of the emperor, I was fortunate to have attained my present post of prime minister. Hence it is my responsibility to decide on
the measures that should be taken to safeguard the integrity of our empire. Do not tempt me by advising me to ignore my duty. One who is loyal to the memory of his emperor cannot hope to do a proper job if he blanches at the thought of his own death. I beg you to say no more.”

Sensing weakness in the old man’s words, Zhao Gao persisted, “It has been said that sometimes even the sages do not follow the usual patterns of behavior but adapt to change as they see fit. Besides, no rule is unerring. The only thing that does not change is that everything changes. If circumstances are constantly altering, how can there be but one correct rule of conduct?

“If you would only grant me the patience to listen to my plan, you will see for yourself that it has been specifically designed for you to maintain your power and position for as long as you wish. However, if you should reject my proposal, it is equally obvious that you and your offspring will suffer disastrous consequences. The adroit minister is one who can turn calamity into opportunity and success. Your Highness, please let me know your decision.”

The old minister looked up to Heaven and heaved a great sigh. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he lamented, “It seems that the fate of the great empire of Qin has fallen upon my shoulders. Why must I alone of all my family be saddled with such chaotic times? And since I am unable to face the possibility of sacrificing my life, what fate should I hope for?”

Zhao Gao continued, “Fortune is smiling on us because the conditions for carrying out my plan cannot be more perfect. The royal seal and His Late Majesty’s last letter are both in the possession of Prince Hu Hai.

“I propose that we first burn the emperor’s letter to Prince Fu Su. Using the emperor’s seal, let us send Fu Su a new letter instead. Meanwhile, let me report back to Prince Hu Hai.”

The eunuch hurried back to Hu Hai and said, “I hereby hand you the emperor’s seal as well as his letter to your oldest brother, Fu Su. I humbly ask your permission to relay your commands as heir apparent to the prime minister. From now on, he will not dare disobey your orders.”

The three men first prepared a false edict from the First Emperor, purportedly instructing the prime minister to establish Hu Hai as crown prince. They then forged a new letter to the eldest son, Prince Fu Su, after destroying the first letter.

The false letter read:

After the letter was sealed with the seal of the emperor, Zhao Gao said to Li Si, “For our plan to succeed, it is essential that no one must know of the emperor’s demise. We will say that His Majesty is indisposed and is keeping to his bed in the coach. The messenger who delivers this message to Fu Su must be someone with authority, preferably a nobleman.

“As soon as Prince Fu Su commits suicide, your position as prime minister and marquis will be secure. Prince Hu Hai is young, malleable, and intelligent. He will need your guidance for as long as you live. And after your death, one of your sons will probably take your place at the side of the emperor for many generations to come.”

The story of Zhao Gao, Li Si, and Prince Hu Hai after the death of Qin’s First Emperor was taught to me in class when I was in the sixth grade in my Shanghai primary school. I was fascinated and related the tale to my aunt when I came home from school. I have never forgotten our discussion that evening.

“Always remember this story!” Aunt Baba told me. “Up to the point of his conversation with Zhao Gao, Li Si was a loyal minister and a moral man. He listened to Zhao Gao and became corrupted. A person’s character is made or unmade by our intentions. If a person listens to an evil plan without protest, he has already compromised his integrity, even though he may think he has remained innocent and uninvolved. Eventually, a deception that Li Si secretly condoned behind closed doors was carried out and proclaimed by him in public without a second thought. By overlooking corruption for personal gain, Li Si tainted his conscience and came to behave in exactly the same way as Zhao Gao.

“In China, we have a concept called
qi. Qi
means the foundation of courage, will, and intention. It is dependent on moral conviction. Li Si knew very well that he was condoning evil when he went along with Zhao Gao’s plans. He thought that he could control and outsmart the eunuch, but he had forgotten about his personal morality. His own behavior eventually made him lose face in his own eyes, and he started loathing himself.

“A person’s moral integrity is of the utmost importance. It is the foundation of one’s sense of self-worth. If a person feels in his heart that he is right, he will go forth even against thousands and tens of thousands. But if he feels in his heart that he is wrong, he must stand in fear even though his opponent is the least formidable of foes.

“When Li Si listened to Zhao Gao, he lost his integrity and with it his moral authority. At one point, Li Si accused Zhao Gao of saying
wang guo zhi yan,
‘words that would cause a nation to perish.’ The same proverb also means ‘advice that leads to total disaster.’ Disaster for Li Si himself as well as for the nation because from then on, Li Si was a broken man and could no longer hold up his head. He went over to the side of evil and afterward had nothing but contempt for himself within his own heart. Outwardly, Li Si appeared the same and was still prime minister. But inwardly, he was rotting and he knew it.

“Never forget this story!”

Chinese journals and newspapers often publish articles identifying contemporary politicians with historical figures. The First Emperor is invariably represented as Mao Tse-tung and Zhao Gao as a current villain-at-large such as Lin Biao. The character of Li Si is more difficult to depict, but the general consensus is that he did more good than harm. Diplomatic, conciliatory, and compromising, Li Si has been compared with the Communist premier Zhou Enlai, who was similarly flexible, tactful, and adaptable. Both were skillful at handling human relations and often hid their true feelings so as not to offend anybody. In one of the publications, however, a warning was given that in life it is impossible to please everyone. A policy of accommodation toward amoral and ruthless individuals may, in the long run, lead to personal and national disaster.

Zhi Lu Wei Ma

T
hroughout my childhood, the sibling who was closest to me was my third older brother, James. We spent hours playing together and would confide to each other our dreams and fears. With him, I felt that I could discard my vigilance and reveal matters close to my heart. During that awful time, he provided a haven that I desperately needed.

James was the one who dutifully stayed behind in Hong Kong to look after our parents and their business affairs. In their separate wills, they both named him as the executor.

When my oldest sister, Lydia, was seventeen and still a student at Shanghai’s Aurora Middle School, Father and Niang decided to arrange a marriage for her. One Sunday they took her out to lunch and introduced her to Samuel Sung, the
thirty-one-year-old son of our family physician, who had just returned from America with an engineering degree. I remember Lydia wandering into my room later that afternoon, looking dreamy and preoccupied. Ye Ye, Aunt Baba, and I were playing cards. She sat down on my bed, refused to join our game, and kept doodling Chinese and English words on a sheet of paper. I finally leaned over and saw that she had scribbled “Mrs. Samuel Sung” in English and Chinese about thirty times. Then she smiled and told us that she had agreed to marry this stranger whom she had just met.

Although Lydia appeared calm and cheerful when she announced this, I felt horrified and frightened on her behalf, wondering if the same fate would befall upon me a few years later.

“Don’t do it!” I blurted before I could stop myself, knowing full well that I was courting disaster in advising her to go against Niang.

“Why not?” she asked defiantly.

“When you marry, you’ll be taken out of school! No more classes! No more schoolmates! No possibility of ever going to college! Not even a high school diploma! How awful!”

“What do
you
know?” she asked petulantly with a toss of her head. “What’s so wonderful about school anyway? It won’t be so bad not to do algebra or geometry again. I can just see Teacher Peng’s face when I tell her tomorrow that I haven’t done my math homework and have no intention of doing any more homework from now on. Math is a complete waste of time!”

“Is that why you’re agreeing to this marriage?” I asked incredulously. “So you won’t have to do any more math?”

“Don’t be so stupid! Of course not! Father has promised me a great big dowry! Twenty-five thousand American dollars! Who needs a high school diploma with that type of money in the bank. I’ll be set for life!”

Thirty years later, when we met again in Beijing, she no longer thought that she had made the right decision at seventeen. Mired in a loveless marriage and living in poverty in Father’s Tianjin house with six other families, she sobbed out the sorry tale of her unhappy life in Communist China.

“I was a fool to have trusted Father and Niang at that stage of my life!” she complained bitterly. “Compared to all of you, my life has been a disaster. When I heard that they had sent all my brothers and then even you to university in England, I felt so wretched and depressed. At seventeen, I was naive and weak. They wished to be rid of me. So they devised this plot to shift their burden to someone else, and
I walked right into it. As a result, I don’t even have a high school diploma or any skills whatsoever to support myself.

“Over the years, I have repeatedly written to our parents begging them for help, without ever receiving a reply. Niang is a sick woman seething with hate. I know her well. What she enjoys most are intrigues. The more everyone suffers, the happier she is.

“You are the only one in our family who has the courage to go against Niang and do what is right. I know that I am asking a lot of you. You might even get disowned yourself if Niang finds out that you are helping us. I want nothing for myself. But I beg you to help my two children, especially my son. Please give him a chance and sponsor him to go to university in America.”

On returning to California, my husband, Bob, and I helped Lydia’s family escape from Communist China and emigrate to the United States. Like the proverb that says
yi yuan bao de,
“No good deed will go unpunished,” Lydia secretly resented our assistance and began to hate us. To our faces, she deferred to us and continued to flatter us, but behind our backs, Lydia started her campaign to slander me in weekly letters to Niang.

Blithely unaware of the conspiracy brewing all around, Bob and I returned to Hong Kong in September of 1990 to attend Niang’s funeral. As usual, James met us at Kai Tak Airport. He was alone and looked very tired. Almost immediately, I sensed a difference in him that was hard to define. I put it down to the stress of looking after Niang in her last illness. That evening after dinner, the three of us took a long walk around our hotel for almost an hour. A few times James seemed almost ready to say something, but the words did not come. He had kept the secret so well for so long that it was now impossible to admit what he had known for some time. He was fundamentally a decent man and knew that I loved, admired, and trusted him. As we went around and around the hotel in the steaming heat, I felt his pain and wanted to reassure him. So I told him that the worst was over. Niang was irrevocably dead and he was now a free man. I did not know that by saying this I was making things worse. My words of sympathy embarrassed him and seemed to deepen his discomfort. As we went around again for the last time, I could see the sweat pouring down his face like tears. Still he kept his tie firmly knotted and his jacket on and said nothing.

The last time James and I saw each other alone was the day after I discovered Lydia’s letters to Niang. He refused to read any of the letters that I tried to show him, telling me that they were private and that he was going to burn them. I mentioned
a particular missive in which Lydia described her daughter Tai-ling’s wedding. “In front of over one hundred guests,” Lydia reported to Niang, “Adeline had gotten drunk. She stood up and denounced my children and me in a loud voice, using many swear words. All conversation ceased and everyone stared at us. The situation became so embarrassing that I had no choice but to dismiss Adeline from the wedding banquet and send her away.”

“Yes!” James said in a wooden voice, “That’s what Lydia claimed!”

With a pang I realized that he and Niang had discussed this incident between them. Had Niang shared all of Lydia’s letters with him week after week? And had he not said one word in my defense? Why had he not given me any warning while this was going on?

“Did Niang believe Lydia?”

James shrugged his shoulders. “What does it matter whether Niang believed her or not? Besides, it’s all water under the bridge. Niang is dead and her will is final.”

“It matters because the truth matters. What do you think, James? Do you believe Lydia?”

James avoided looking at me and muttered, “I think the truth lies somewhere in between….”

“Oh, James! What has come over you? How can you sit there and say something like that? Why are you
zhi lu wei ma, ‘
pointing to a deer and calling it a horse’? By doing so, do you not see that you will be unable to face yourself from now on?”

The chosen messenger, who was a follower of Prince Hu Hai, took the forged letter and rode day and night to the Great Wall. When he arrived, he identified himself as a special envoy sent by the emperor. Next he requested that Prince Fu Su, General Meng Tian, and Assistant General Wang Li all be present. In front of the three men, he presented his credentials in the form of the matching half of the tiger tally
(du hu fu).

The tiger tally was a traditional token by which Qin rulers bestowed power on their military generals. Forged in the shape of a tiger, it was cleaved into two halves. The right half was retained by the monarch while the left half was given to the commander in chief at the frontier (or battlefield). When the two halves tallied, it proved that an order came directly from the emperor and had to be instantly obeyed.

Meng Tian pulled out his half of the tiger tally hanging around his neck and demonstrated to everyone that the two halves fitted seamlessly. The four men fell to their knees and showed their respect by touching their foreheads to the ground, first toward the direction of the absent emperor, then to one another.

The messenger rose and handed to Prince Fu Su the edict from his father, together with His Majesty’s favorite sword. He said, “The emperor wishes you to read the message out loud to everyone present.”

On hearing the emperor’s harsh words, they were all stunned. Prince Fu Su read it aloud again, and this time his voice was choked with tears. Never for a moment did he doubt that the letter came from his father. Without a word, he held the sword in his hand and entered an inner room in preparation for killing himself.

Meng Tian tried to restrain him. He ran after him and said, “Your Highness, do not act in haste! Something is not right. Your father has been away from Xianyang for nine months. All this time, although he has not established a crown prince, he had enough confidence in the two of us to empower me with the command of 300,000 troops and for you to be my overseer. These are signs that he trusts us and wishes us to learn responsibility and leadership. Yet, upon the arrival of a single letter, you are about to slit your own throat. How can you be so sure that this is your father’s true intention? I suggest that we send back a request for clarification. If he should confirm our death sentences a second time, surely it will not be too late then for us to die.”

But Fu Su was adamant. With tears running down his cheeks, he said, “Only yesterday, you and I spoke of our dreams and made our plans together. After what we have gone through, you must know that you are closer to me than a brother. My only regret is that I must now bid you farewell. I have no doubt that the messenger’s tiger tally came from my father.”

At that moment the messenger entered the room. He picked up the emperor’s sword, which was lying on the mat, unsheathed it, knelt, and presented the naked weapon respectfully to Prince Fu Su. “It is His Majesty’s command that the deed be done at once!” he urged. “I beg Your Highness to honor your father’s wishes.”

Taking the sword in his right hand and clasping Meng Tian’s arm with his left, Fu Su said sadly, “When a father orders his son to commit suicide,
what sort of son am I that I should send back his order for confirmation? You would not think much of me if I were to disobey my father.”

With these words Fu Su killed himself with his father’s sword.

Meng Tian remained suspicious. He summoned Wang Li into the inner room and asked the messenger to leave them alone. The two officers wept while kneeling by the side of their dead prince’s body. After a long silence, Wang Li said, “As far as I am concerned, you are my commander and will always be my commander. Wherever you go and whatever you do, I shall follow. If you need anyone arrested, give the order and it will be done.”

Meng Tian gritted his teeth and replied, “The emperor’s edict simply makes no sense! For years now, Fu Su and I have fought together side by side. His father entrusted us with the best and brightest of his imperial forces against the northern nomads. We have the heart and mind of every soldier in the hollow of our hands. Yet despite all our hard work, he sentences us to death!

“Why did the Emperor not give any indication of his displeasure before handing us our death sentences? My brother Meng Yi, who has been traveling with His Majesty for the last nine months, sent me a letter not too long ago full of hope and good cheer. If anything untoward was happening at court, surely Meng Yi would have forewarned me.

“The two of us both know that I can easily have the messenger arrested and demand a full inquiry. Most of my men will follow me to the ends of the earth. But it is tantamount to declaring rebellion against His Majesty. This I cannot do.

“You and I, Wang Li, we have been comrades in arms as well as friends for many years. My loyalty to the emperor demands that I now order you to put me in prison. Send the messenger back to inform His Majesty that Meng Tian feels he has committed no crime and does not deserve to die. But alas! Prince Fu Su is no more!”

The messenger placed Meng Tian under guard and immediately transferred him south to Yangzhou, to be imprisoned hundreds of miles away from his power base at the northern frontier. Before leaving, he also appointed a former retainer of Li Si to be the military protector of Assistant General Wang Li and the mighty Qin army.

He then hurried back to report to the plotters, who were still acting out the charade of being on tour with the emperor. Since Fu Su was now
safely out of the picture, Hu Hai suggested releasing Meng Tian and reuniting him with his brother Meng Yi, who had just completed his assignment and was awaiting the group in Xianyang.

But the eunuch Zhao Gao said, “Meng Yi has recently gone back to the capital and is, of course, unaware that your father is dead. Already he has requested to see His Majesty as soon as we return. I should tell you that your father has wanted to name you as heir apparent for a long time. He knew how capable you are and that you will make a great emperor. However, whenever the subject was raised, Meng Yi would oppose your appointment. He obviously prefers Fu Su, and I foresee trouble if the Meng brothers are released, especially when they learn of the emperor’s death. The Meng family name is renowned, and the brothers have many followers. To prevent future problems, Your Majesty should have them executed.”

They sent word for Meng Yi to be arrested and placed in a prison in Dai, far from his older brother. Meanwhile, to maintain the pretense that nothing untoward was happening, the conspirators continued on their journey and visited the northwestern segment of the Great Wall. They let it be known that the emperor was still unwell and was compelled to stay in his coach. But the weather grew hot since it was high summer, and the emperor’s decaying corpse began to give off an increasingly unpleasant smell.