This chapter has some sayings & quotes so I added some footnotes where I attempt to incoherently explain the meanings without cluttering up the main text.
Chapter Thirty-Two
One Meeting in Our Lifetimes.
When the few of them re-entered, the room was tranquil. Only the faint fragrance of ginger tea lingered in the air.
'Your Majesty, one's happiness is multiplied when our joy is shared with others. You shouldn’t drink this cup of tea all by youself.'
The person who said these words with a jovial face was Xiahou Chu, a scholar who had ranked first in the imperial examinations conducted during the fourteenth year of Emperor Qingjia's reign. Now, he was concurrently a Minister in the Ministry of Civil Office as well as a high-ranking official in the Imperial Hanlin Academy. Though his father, the Minister of Rites, was bosom friends with Minister Nian, and Xiahou Chu himself was also on close relations with the Nian family, he was still the first-ranking scholar personally selected by the Emperor.
On the surface, while it appeared as though the Emperor and Minister Nian were on good terms, history has long proven that conflict between an Emperor and his Ministers who wielded significant power was inevitable. As such, given Xiahou Chu's unique position, many within the imperial court were suspicious of where his loyalty truly lay.
With a glance at the pot of tea on the desk, Long Fei-li said with a smile, 'You did not come at the right time.'
Other than Xiahou Chu, the newcomers included the Right Minister, Yu Jingqing, as well as the Minister of Justice, Lin Sizheng.
The other two men exchanged a glance. With a laugh, Yu Jingqing said, 'We're running short of time, so don't stir up trouble, Xiahou.'
Xia Sang led the few men to their seats before summoning another eunuch to serve tea. Xu Xi and Qingfeng returned to their positions, standing guard on either side of the Emperor.
Long Zijin and the others had already begun conversing in quiet voices.
Long Fei-li had only just sat down behind his desk when he felt his leg brush against something warm. He paused, an image of a woman's scarred hands flashing across his eyes. Slowly, he closed his eyes, erasing that image from his mind.
At this moment, Xuanji was left powerless by her awkward position. Judging by the quality of the wood, Long Fei-li's desk was extremely expensive and precious, yet it was small, proving to be a lousy place to conceal a person. She struggled to shift into a better position, but could not avoid brushing against Long Fei-li's leg.
Their skins came into contact; she could feel the warmth of his body.
This kind of intimate contact and close dependence… after that cup of tea had been shattered, it was something she no longer wanted to think about, something she no longer wished for.
As she tried to move away from him, her hand was suddenly snatched into his tight grasp. She wanted to break free from his hold, but eventually decided against it - he was only trying to warn her against alerting the others of her presence, wasn't he?
His palm was a lot larger than hers; it was warm and dry. Hidden beneath the cramped desk, a faint haziness enveloped her head even as an inexplicable sadness welled within her.
Dimly, she heard Long Zijin ask, 'Xiahou, you had a drink with Nian Songting last night. Has he displayed any movements in recent days?'
With a glance at the Emperor, Xiahou Chu said instead, 'Your Majesty, the Xiongnu have indeed been stirring. Though you've summoned both Wen Rukai and Nian Songting back to the capital, you have delayed seeking an audience with them…'
In a worried voice, Lin Sizheng added, 'Your Majesty, I do not understand. You have summoned these two men back to the capital because you wish to hand the control of the three-hundred thousand strong army over to either of them, but when it comes to loyalty, it is Consort Hui's father, General Rong, who is extremely loyal to you. But why have you not summoned him back to the capital, choosing instead to let him remain at the borders? Shouldn't the military command be handed over to him?'
A barely perceptible smile appeared on Long Fei-li’s lips.
With a thin laugh, Yu Jingqing said, 'Although I am inadequate, let me have a guess at Your Majesty's intentions.'
'Please do say,' Long Fei-li said.
His tone was extremely humble and Xuanji's heart gave a jolt. She had never seen this side of Long Fei-li before, and suddenly recalled what the blue-eyed man had said: that the young Emperor was a mild-mannered and unsophisticated man…
Unconsciously, she strained her ears to listen, her hands unknowingly shifting. Above her, Long Fei-li tightened his hold on her.
She heard Minister Yu say, 'Precisely because General Rong is the only upright man that at this crucial point in time, he cannot leave his station at the borders. Only with him guarding the borders of Xi Liang can His Majesty's worries lessen.'
He paused. 'Even so, the power behind the three-hundred thousand strong army is not to be underestimated, so the allocation of the military command remains a problematic issue. If either of those two factions expand in their influence, the scales balancing the power of the imperial court will tip -'
With a line between his brows, Long Zijin said, 'Ninth brother, what do you think about this?'
***
Chuxiu Hall.
'Your Majesty, I will take my leave now. Don't let this bowl of soup cool - you should drink it while it is still warm.'
'En.' Long Fei-li stood up and removed his cloak, wrapping it securely around the Empress.
The Empress's heart fluttered with happiness and she said in a low voice, 'Luanxiu Hall is not far from here and you are still unwell… next time, I will definitely wear warmer clothes before I come over.'
Long Fei-li only smiled as he said, 'How could you not know if I am feeling unwell or otherwise -'
His words carried a hint of teasing, and as Yu Mixiu recalled their days of passion in the nights, her cheeks reddened… with a glance at Xia Sang who stood attentively by a side, she bowed to the Emperor and said shyly, 'No matter if Your Majesty will come or not, tonight, I will be waiting for you at Luanxiu Hall.'
***
Staring calmly at the crowd of servants who followed behind Yu Mixiu as she departed, Long Fei-li said, 'Xia Sang, close the door.'
Xia Sang did as he was told, before he strolled back to the Emperor's desk and said, 'Your Majesty, you should drink the soup.'
Long Fei-li set the documents he had been perusing to one side. Without lifting his gaze, he said in a lukewarm voice, 'No one from Qiuying Pavilion came today?'
Xia Sang froze even as he began to understand what the Emperor was referring to - this Concubine Jin had turned out to be an unexpectedly stubborn person. After that day's events, the Emperor did not spend the night in Qiuying. Yet in the next morning, An Jin had sent one of her eunuchs over to deliver a new pot of tea.
Trying to fathom the Emperor's heart, Xia Sang had been convinced that the Emperor would surely not accept that second cup of tea, but he had been proven wrong, for the Emperor had drunk that tea after a glance at the tea tray.
In Xi Liang, the morning assembly of all the court officials begun shortly before dawn, when the skies were still dark and the air was bitterly cold.
Long Fei-li had contracted a cold. Xia Sang had heard some officials privately remark that this was a good thing, for they could now skip a few days of morning court.
But Long Fei-li was a man with extreme self-discipline. Even though he was feeling unwell, he continued to hold the assembly each morning. If there was no matter of importance for the day, after the morning's assembly, he would usually return to Chuxiu Hall where he continued to peruse the submissions from the various prefectures.
In these past few days, the eunuchs of Qiuying would always deliver a pot of tea to Chuxiu Hall after the morning’s court. When noon arrived, another eunuch would come to retrieve the teacups and tea tray.
Xia Sang was a meticulous and observant man. He soon discovered that Long Fei-li had developed a new habit in the recent days. The moment he entered the rooms of Chuxiu Hall, his gaze would land in one corner of his desk - the place where the eunuch from Qiuying would leave the pot of tea.
Hurriedly, he said, 'Your Majesty, after you left for morning court, a eunuch came to report that Concubine Jin could not prepare any tea today as she is feeling unwell.’
Long Fei-li assented, his attention on one corner of his desk.
Xia Sang followed his gaze and looked over. The Emperor was not looking at the stack of documents. Instead, his eyes were intent on a few slips of paper.
Seeing that Long Fei-li's attention was concentrated on those slips of paper, Xia Sang did not dare to say anything else, including the earnest entreaties made by the eunuch who had left earlier. That eunuch had pleaded with him to convince the Emperor to pay a visit to Concubine Jin, who was feeling unwell…
There appeared to be ten or so slips of paper. They had not been cut in a tidy manner, and one could imagine the absent-mindedness of the person who had torn the paper into strips. Yet the words on them were written with great attentiveness, each stroke carefully imprinted, the words evenly distributed.
- The four elements are vanity. In this world, nothing is forever, yet our meeting is considered an affinity, so what harm is there for us to have a drink together before the parting of our ways? [1]
- The first drink to erase our sleepiness, our bliss and heartiness filling the earth; the second drink to cleanse my thoughts, just like the rain, falling upon the dusts; the third drink to grant my enlightenment – for what do I worry and vex over? [2]
- The vast skies crossing centuries; a temporal beautiful scenery. [3]
Each slip of paper had been written with various sayings. Some were long while others were short… or perhaps, some concealed deeper meanings while others were relatively straightforward. Yet they were all related to the teachings of Buddhism. Every day, within the tea tray, a small slip of paper would be hidden, its location different each time. Sometimes, he would even have to search for it.
Long Fei-li's expression relaxed as his lips lifted in a warm smile.
Between his fingers was another slip of paper - it was the latest which accompanied yesterday's tea.
On it were the words: One meeting in our lifetimes. [4]
'Xia Sang, head over to Fengjiu Palace and check if they have summoned for a physician lady today,' Long Fei-li said as he placed the slip of paper down, his voice unchanging.
Surprised, Xia Sang asked uncertainly, 'Your Majesty, you are referring to Qiuying Pavilion?'
Long Fei-li's expression cooled. 'Did you not hear what I said?'
'Yes, Your Majesty.' With a jolt, Xia Sang hurriedly exited. Although he was not perceptive of the Emperor’s wishes, it never did harm to speak less and do as he was ordered.
Long Fei-li closed his eyes.
An Jin had only learned the ways of preparing tea for two days, so how could she possess such skill?
And An Jin was no longer the woman he had met days ago in Qiurong county - a woman who possessed an untouchable aloofness despite her scheming mind.
He had brought her back only because the expression in her eyes was a few shades similar to that person, causing his curiosity to be temporarily ignited.
Yet it was a pity that with the passage of time, a person's heart would inevitably change.
Though An Jin was intelligent, she was no longer able to write such words devoid of desire or demands. In the imperial palace where all the powers and riches of this kingdom coalesced in his one person, she wanted more.
Only, she had her use, so whatever it was that she wanted, he would give -
Coldly, from a distance like an unaffected third party, without a tremor in his heart.
And today, she did not prepare tea. Nian Xuanji… was she ill?
Footnotes:
The sayings written on the slips of paper came from various Buddhist teachings. I tried to translate the meaning the best as I could, but given my limited understanding of tea & Buddhism (my idea of tea is like XJ’s: tea bags!), I may have missed some cultural references.
[1] 四大皆空，坐片刻无分你我；两头是路，喝一杯各自东西
From the Qing Dynasty.
Literally translates to the four elements (earth, water, fire, wind — from Buddhism) are vanity. Emotions come and feelings fade – any predestined love and affinity will not last.
This saying was used to describe the drink shared between a monk and a businessman when they happened to cross paths at an inn: the two of them have their own ways to go and their own lives to lead, but what harm is there for them to have a drink together, without caring about who they are, before they depart for their own paths in life?
[2] 一饮涤昏寐，情思爽朗满天地；
三饮便得道，何须苦心破烦恼。
From 《饮茶歌诮崔石使君》 in the Tang Dynasty.
The first drink to erase our sleepiness, our bliss and heartiness filling the earth;
The second drink to cleanse my thoughts, just like the rain, falling upon the dusts;
The third drink to grant my enlightenment – for what do I worry and vex over?
[3] 万古长空， 一朝风月
wàn gǔ cháng kōng，yī zhāo fēng yuè
From 《五灯会元》 in the Song Dynasty.
Literally translates to ‘The vast skies crossing centuries; a temporal beautiful scenery’. I think it means that time and space are eternal, but our happiness and disappointment are temporal.
[4] 一期一会
It’s a saying from originating from Japan. It means that in our lives, there are some things or people who we can only meet once. In the art of tea, a tea preparer should always use this mentality when brewing tea for each person so as to convey his sincerity.
一期 is a Buddhist term referring to a person’s lifetime.
一会 signifies a single meeting.
一期一会 when combined means ‘one meeting in our lifetimes’.
The complete saying is:
一期一会，难得一面，世当珍惜
yī qī yī huì ， nán dé yī miàn ， shì dāng zhēn xī
Looks familiar? xD
In this context, the complete saying means that in our lives, we may only have one encounter with the person we love. The possibility of meeting such a person is minute, but since fate has brought us together, we should treasure the time we have together.