The first year of Shunde in the Great Jin Nation, November the fifteenth, an event that shocked the entire Capital occurred.
Chai Feng, the Chief Guard of the Great Jin Palace, unearthed several monster bones at Qingzhou Yuanning County’s Two Dragons Mountain. These bones were terribly massive; a single leg bone was larger than a man, and the skull of the monster was frightful, not only being huge but also having two cow-like horns on it.
The common folks who witnessed these imnse bones on the carts knelt down in reverence and worshipped them. So even spread rumors that an evildoer had appeared and that the world would soon plunge into chaos.
However, before these rumors could spread far, the Guards distributed notices adorned with the double-horned monster design, posted conspicuously along the way, to inform the people about what these bones were to prevent them from being exploited by those with ill intentions due to their ignorance.
When the skeletons had been assembled in the Palace, they exactly matched the drawings by Cai Wei. Seeing this, all officials couldn’t help but express their sincere admiration for the Empress Dowager’s extensive knowledge and scholarship, and Nangong Yi felt particularly proud.
It was thanks to his wife’s profound knowledge that tens of thousands of people at Erlong Mountain had not lost their lives due to the ignorance of certain powerful Ministers in the court; had it not been for her, he would bear the guilt of countless human lives!
Seizing the opportunity, Nangong Yi dismissed several obstinate and conservative Ministers, stripped them of their power, and in their place promoted a number of young and promising visionaries to reform the court hierarchy. Very soon, the court and political scene was revitalized with a new spirit.
Nangong Yi attributed all these achievents to his wife. Without her, he would not have found the opportunity to deal with those Powerful Old Ministers and reclaim the authority they held in their hands; this was of great benefit to him and to the court.
...
At the end of November, Nangong Yi, accompanied by the Empress Dowager and his wife, as well as the Prince and Princesses of the Royal Family and Ministers ranked third or higher, went to the Royal hunting ground for the annual Autumn Hunt.
In reality, Cai Wei did not approve of the Autumn Hunt. In her view, every animal had the right to live, and as humans, being of higher intelligence, it was acceptable to hunt them for survival or sustenance. However, to deprive them of their right to life purely for entertainnt was simply immoral.
But she also understood that every society had its own rules for existence and that the developnt of society and the progress of people’s l thoughts and awareness required a gradual and steady process. She was determined to facilitate the rate of societal advancent and progress, but she would not force it upon society, as that would be counterproductive.
Now, many of her practices had already challenged the authority of the Feudal System. For instance, she had persuaded Nangong Yi to abolish cruel punishnts such as slow slicing and five horses rending a body, the irrational penal system of punishnt extending to the Nine Clans, and the Emperor’s funerary burial system. These decisions had caused no small stir in court; so even accused Cai Wei of overstepping by dictating to n and blad Nangong Yi for being swayed by a woman, letting her ddle in Court Politics. If it were not for the Triceratops incident that sowhat redeed her, the Ministers would still be harshly impeaching her now.
Thus, regarding the hunt, although she disapproved, she chose to remain silent and not further intensify the conflicts between her and the officials. It was no great matter; she could just stay idle in the Hunting Ground and refrain from participating in the hunt...
On the day of the Autumn Hunt, Cai Wei and Nangong Yi rode together in the sa carriage, setting out from inside the palace. They traveled from the Inner City to the Outer City and finally onto the Imperial Street, passing through The Great Gate of the Capital in a grand procession heading directly for the Hunting Ground.
Naturally, when The Emperor and Empress were to travel, advanced security asures were put in place and streets were cleared. Along the way, not a sound was heard from birds or pedestrians, who had been dispersed; only the steady clip-clop of horse hooves and the rolling sound of the carriage wheels could be heard.
Reviews
All reviews (0)