Along the River (21 page)

Ah Zhao leaned forward. “Forgive me for asking, but are you happy? Do you have any regrets?”

“As soon as I entered the Palace, I knew I had found my permanent home. Strange as it seems, things came together for me when I became a eunuch. Yes! I am happy. I am also immensely successful. There’s no way I could have become who I am today without having entered the Palace.”

“It’s certainly a great honor for me to see you today,” Ah Zhao says.

“I showed His Majesty your
Dragon Rock
painting after I returned from your master’s birthday party…” Tong Guan hesitates at this point.

“Did He like it?” Ah Zhao asks eagerly.

“His Majesty is a great patron of the arts. He has a general interest in chess, music, dancing, poetry, calligraphy, antiques, architecture and gardening, but He’s passionate about only two subjects: rocks and painting. And those two passions happen to be combined in this painting of yours titled
Dragon Rock.”

“How lucky I am!”

“His Majesty is in the process of creating two new departments in His Imperial Palace. The first is a Royal Academy of Art. He’s currently modernizing the Civil Service Imperial Examination so that candidates will be required to come into the Palace and be evaluated on their paintings, under the eye of the Emperor himself.”

“Why is His Majesty so interested in painting?”

“The Emperor believes that beauty is virtue. He intends His reign to be remembered for its culture. However, since you cannot even read or write, you will obviously not be part of the Royal Academy.”

“I understand, General.”

“The second unit will be called
Rui Si Dian
(Palace of Divine Inspiration). It will be staffed entirely by eunuchs of talent. I’m happy to say that His Majesty has just appointed me to be the Director of this division.”

“Congratulations!”

“His Majesty and I both feel that you will be an ideal candidate for this second unit.”

“I don’t understand…”

“Then let me illustrate by showing you your own painting; your birthday present to Magistrate Zhang.”

Tong Guan removes the silk scroll from a box at his side and unrolls it.

Ah Zhao is clearly surprised when he sees that ten vertical lines of characters have been written to the left of the rock.

“Who wrote all those words?”

“What a shame you can’t read! Otherwise you’d know at once who has written them.”

“I had deliberately left the space blank for my master to write a poem…”

“Well, the painting’s new master has chosen to write something there instead.”

“Who is that?”

Tong Guan laughs. “You have no idea of your own luck, do you?”

“Am I lucky?”

“You are the luckiest man of all under Heaven because His Majesty has taken ownership of this painting.”

“Is Magistrate Zhang aware that His Majesty has taken ownership?”

“I informed him just now.”

“What did he say?”

“What
can
he say? He’s happy for you. I must say, though, you don’t seem as pleased as you ought to be.”

“I’m still trying to understand. Everything is happening so fast.”

“Do you know what the Emperor wrote?”

Ah Zhao shakes his head. “Please read the words to me.”

“Xiang Long Shi
(
Auspicious Dragon Rock
). His Majesty begins with these three words because they represent the title of this painting.”

“What else has His Majesty written on my painting?”

“Ah Zhao, I must tell you that this is no longer your painting. It’s vital to remember this at all times.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just told you that His Majesty has taken ownership of this painting.”

“I know that. But nothing can change the fact that I painted it.”

“His Majesty is the
Tian Zi
(Son of Heaven). As such, He can change anything. Let me read you what He wrote in the fifth vertical line:
nai qin hui jian su liao yi si yun ji zhi
. Here, His Majesty is saying that He personally painted this on silk and is commemorating it with the four lines of rhyming poetry which follow.”

“But He didn’t paint it. I did!” Ah Zhao sounds outraged.

“Curb your tongue! Don’t you realize you can be beheaded for claiming this? How dare you contradict the Emperor! Do you want to lose your life?”

“Of course not.”

“It may very well come to that, if you’re not careful. See here?” Tong Guan points to the painting. “In the fourth line of the poem, His Majesty wrote
gu feng cai bi qin mo xie
(therefore, using a colored brush, I copied the rock myself). He then wrote the words
yu
zhi yu hua bing shu
(Imperially produced, Imperially painted and scripted). It ends with His signature written in cipher,
Tian Xia Yi Ren
(First Man of All Under Heaven). That’s the autograph of His Majesty, followed by the impression of His seal.”

“So, His Majesty has claimed authorship as well as ownership of my painting.”

“You should be flattered—it means your future is assured. His Majesty is in the midst of recruiting China’s best and brightest artists to paint for Him. They will be housed in a special new building named the Palace of Divine Inspiration. It will be part of His imperial compound. He wants to offer you a position there at the starting salary of one hundred and ten ounces of silver a year.”

“One hundred and ten ounces! I can hardly believe my ears! What do I have to do for this fabulous salary?”

“You are to spend your time painting. However, you will not choose your own images to paint; His Majesty will choose them. You will no longer work as an individual, and must leave no trace of yourself on any of your works.”

“Whose name will be on the paintings?”

“His Majesty’s name.”

“How many artists will be working in this Palace?”

“The exact number has not been determined yet. Besides artists, we are also recruiting writers, calligraphers, poets, engravers and sculptors. There will be a few hundred eunuchs altogether.”

“Eunuchs! Did you say eunuchs?”

“Yes. I said eunuchs.”

“Does that mean I’m to become a eunuch?”

“Yes, of course. Only eunuchs are allowed to live and work in His Majesty’s Palace.”

“I’m afraid I will have to decline.”

“Don’t be so hasty! His Majesty is offering you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you take this road, you are bound to become rich and successful. I can guarantee this.”

“How so?”

“Being the Son of Heaven, the Emperor is all-powerful. Everyone under Heaven dreams of being close to His Majesty. You are one of the few whom He has noticed, and whose work He admires. Once you enter the Palace, you can exert more and more influence, just like I did.”

“Is there any possibility that I can work for His Majesty without becoming a eunuch?”

“No.”

“Will I be able to travel?”

“Only if His Majesty allows you to do so. Presently, His vision for you is to stay in the Palace of Divine Inspiration and paint whatever He wants you to paint.”

“I understand. May I think this over before making my decision?”

“The Palace of Divine Inspiration will be completed in two months—you can have until then. His Majesty is giving you a lot of face by recruiting you. Do not disappoint Him. Otherwise, the consequences may not be pleasant for you or the Zhang family. Is that clear?”