Finding The Way Read online

  The King flinched and was silent. The Duke continued.

  “Perhaps we can all save face. Perhaps I was too obtuse in suggesting our King required something that sounded like a form of ‘compensation.’ Shall we rather call it a contribution, or even an investment? This, in addition to safe passage for all craft belonging to Chu and her friends to ply the Yellow River and all it’s tributaries?”

  The King’s eyes widened. He lost all diplomatic restraint, and bolted up from his chair.

  “And where would Chu be if I sealed the borders and blocked all trade along the Yellow River from Lu to the western mountains? You have few friends. I am the Son of Heaven of all Zhou. I could slowly choke the lifeblood out of your people. How high and mighty would your precious King be then? How will you trade your precious little trinkets then? And as for you, your nearest companions are days away. Do you think you have enough time left?”

  The Duke didn’t flinch. “My Son of Heaven, my King’s generals expect to hear from me within five days. Should that not happen, they will act. My life is hardly worth the bloodshed that might follow.”

  The King stepped towards the Duke and pointed at him. “Perhaps you are the one who is ill-prepared.”

  “My Son of Heaven, this is a complex matter. It may be best for you and your court to take advantage of the next few days to discuss this. I shall be pleased to remain at your disposal to construct a message of peace to send to our generals.”

  Yi Ban approached the King and whispered in his ear. The King returned to his seat.

  “Rise, Duke Huilan, emissary from Chu,” the King commanded. He signaled to his Royal Guardsmen to surround the Duke. The Duke’s face finally started to lose some color.

  “You are dismissed. My Royal Guardsmen shall escort you to back to your chamber. You may await my answer there. I will send a Royal messenger to you.”

  The Duke kowtowed before leaving the Hall. The King dismissed all the guests but for the inner court and his advisors.

  Prince Chao took the initiative.

  “That filthy dog of a Duke can call it what he wants, but it is blood money, blackmail, extortion… Heavenly Father, it is time we end this humiliation and stand up to Chu.”

  The Minister of War and several generals nodded and chimed in with warlike bravado. Only Yi Ban disagreed.

  “Your Highness, fifty thousand troops are not to be trifled with. They could be upon us before we could mount an effective defense. Chengzhou would be plundered, and the court would have to evacuate. There would be little glory in this, your Highness.”

  “Heavenly Father,” Prince Meng added, “it could hasten the end of your reign. There would be…”

  The younger Prince interrupted him. “You speak with little faith for one who aspires to the throne. You ignore the fact that we are not without loyal followers. Let us ally also with Qin, Jin, Zheng, Chen and even Wu. They distrust and hate Chu even more than we. We could create a trade and military alliance that would surround Chu. If they move against any of us, together we will snap their necks like the wild dogs they are. To show weakness as some would argue…” He glared at Yi Ban and Prince Meng, “…would condemn us forever to be their stepping stools. Our people expect more of a future from their leaders.”

  The King stroked his beard and nodded in agreement. Then he looked at Prince Meng.

  “Heavenly Father, our people think that for building a house, the best place is upon the ground; for friendship, they value gentleness and truth; and in government they desire good order and effectiveness. In each case, they prefer what does not lead to imbalance and strife.” The elder Prince stole a look in my direction. He was paraphrasing words I myself had once said, long ago and in another place.

  Prince Chao laughed.

  “Zhou is in need of courage and bravery. Instead, my dear eldest Prince recites meaningless philosophy. And not just meaningless, useless too.”

  “And you counsel war,” Prince Meng interjected. “We have heard this talk of alliances many times before, of rearming for glory. Yet no one will openly join with us; no one dares stand up to Chu’s cavalry. We may be Zhou’s portal to heaven but we must not overestimate its current position. It cannot hold together a fragmented alliance. Being belligerent towards Chu plays into their hands. They would like nothing more than a pretext to undermine our authority.”

  “How dare you besmirch this House?” Prince Chao shot back.

  “We barely have a House around which to rally an army,” Prince Meng retorted. “Our farms and villages hide their remaining men of fighting age. And is it any wonder? Who would be left to harvest the crops?”

  “If you are such a man of the people then perhaps you might bring the harvest in yourself, dear eldest brother.” Prince Chao said, smiling coldly.

  “Enough!” The King commanded, raising a hand. He looked at each of his sons. “I am well advised. Each of you speaks a harsh truth. I will not need days to decide upon a course of action.”

  ******

  The next morning, as I approached the Archives, a servant scampered to me with news that Prince Meng was already in the study hall and was perusing tablets. This was his first visit to the Archives since accompanying his father and brother. I walked quickly to the study hall where I bowed and welcomed him.

  The Prince returned the scrolls he had been perusing to their shelf, then stared into the garden and spoke.

  “Yi Ban says that your Academy was renowned for a new way of thinking, and that you have few intellectual equals anywhere. Yet you make little effort to show this, unlike most of those in the court.”

  “Your Highness, I am hardly worthy of such praise. Minister Yi Ban is too kind. He exaggerates greatly. I can only hope to live up to the praise he has so generously bestowed.”

  The Prince’s voice became soft, almost reverential.

  “He also said you could be trusted and that your loyalty whether to slave or master was unquestionable. Yet he also said that your head often floats amongst the clouds, or dances with the butterflies.”

  I grinned. I had often been accused of being a dreamer, but never by Royalty.

  “Your Highness is also most kind. May I offer you some tea?”

  He declined, but accepted a tour of the garden. We strolled at a leisurely pace, unlike during the previous visit. He asked the names of various plants and bushes and marveled at the birds quenching their thirst in the pond.

  “I would have liked my mother to allow such a pond in our grounds. I understand we once had one,” he said.

  Such a personal comment startled me. I felt he was in need of a sympathetic ear.

  “Your garden is most impressive,” the Prince continued. “I recognize the burdock. That is a gingko tree, and of course the peonies.”

  “Your Highness possesses much knowledge in this area. And that one is rhubarb. Like many of the things in this garden, it is a wonderful contradiction. Its stalk is a useful laxative, but its leaves are poisonous.”

  The Prince fondled the rhubarb leaves for a moment and then moved on. He finally agreed to some tea, over which he had many more questions.

  “Lao Tzu, tell me of Sword Hill Academy. What kind of people become scholars, what homes and lives did they leave, and why did you abandon it?”

  His use of the word ‘abandon’ stung. For an instant it forced me to re-examine my purpose here. I dismissed the thought and re-focused on the Prince, who seemed to have an unflagging interest in every little detail of ordinary life and in what went on outside the Palace walls and beyond Chengzhou. Everything I said, he reflected upon before responding. He marveled at how lives could be so unrestrained.

  The Prince gazed upward. “As rulers, it has always been our belief that what people desire most is safety and security,” he said. “In government, it is good order, yet governing is complex. ‘If princes and kings could follow the W
ay, all things would by themselve abide, heaven and earth would unite and sweet dew would fall. People would by themselves find harmony without being commanded.’ Sound familiar, Master Lao Tzu?”

  There was no hiding my satisfaction.

  “Yes Your Highness, these are words I spoke I cannot remember how long ago.”

  “However long ago, it was recorded by a wandering scholar. But tell me, Lao Tzu, was it not trifling of you to say that the needs of the common man are simple yet their lives purposeful?”

  “Not all are striving to lead, to govern, or to master all that is about us,” I replied. “The highest good is like water. The goodness of water is that it benefits all. It does not discriminate and is content in places that all men disdain. It is that which makes water so close to the Way.”

  Again, the Prince quietly reflected on what I had said. He then asked many questions about the Way. His eyes searched mine as though he were a curious scholar, not a ruler-in-waiting in the style of his father.

  After several hours, one of his servants came in and knelt before the Prince.

  “Your Highness, the King has requested your counsel. Your presence in the Royal Court is desired.”

  The Prince sighed. As he turned to walk away he nodded as if to say goodbye, a common but most un-royal gesture. As he left the Archives, he stepped over the threshold and pulled at the hem of his long gold-threaded robe. He could have been preparing to shed one costume for another, one spun with coarse hemp threads.

  ******

  From then on, Prince Meng visited me in the garden regularly. Each visit lasted longer than the preceding one, as his curiosity about the world expanded. I also became aware that his visits either preceded or followed discussions with his father on matters of state. One day I was playing with two orphaned gold finches in a cage when he came into the garden. His forehead was creased with worry but his eyes said he was pleased to be back.

  “They are beautiful… so delicate, so frail,” he cooed, and blew gently into the cage.

  “Your Highness, they are in need of a new home, I can think of no one who would be a more devoted guardian than yourself. May I present them to you?

  He smiled, then gazed into the cage.

  “You are not only generous with your wisdom, but also of the heart. But I cannot accept them. My father forbids birds within the inner Palace.”

  “Then they shall live under your care here in the garden.”

  His eyes lit up much like a warrior-child’s when given his first sword. We spoke about birds and some new plants I had acquired through southern merchants, but I could see his mind was drifting.

  “Lao Tzu, have you ever found yourself wanting to be elsewhere?”

  “Your Highness, where else would I wish to be but in your service?”

  “Please Lao Tzu. Protocol may require that you flatter me, but my character does not.”

  “It was neither flattery nor duty your Highness.”

  He smiled again, but a troubled look overtook him.

  “Why is it that in a world as rich and advanced as ours, conflict is never far away? Surely this is not just.”

  “Are your Highness’ concerns to do with matters of the court?”

  He nodded. “There are those in our court who foolishly believe there is merit in returning to a strong central government at any price, binding all the lands together even if driven by the point of a spear. After the banquet with Duke Huilan, the King waited until the final hour before responding to him. Even then, he chose to insult the Duke by sending a lowly messenger from the Ministry of Public Works to deliver his answer.”

  “I see,” I said. “The King delivered a small but deliberate diplomatic cold shoulder, similar to what the King himself received from the previous Chu emissary.”

  “Our King had little choice, not with fifty thousand hostile troops only days away and friendly forces unprepared to intervene. So he relented, granting to Chu free trade along certain rivers. It might hold off Chu’s ambitions, but not for long. My father has also directed the Minister of State to initiate secret talks with our neighbors Qin and Jing, offering unimpeded access along the Yellow River as an incentive for an alliance. From the Minister of War, he demanded a rearmament and modernization strategy as soon as possible. To General Xie, he assigned a dangerous mission to the far north to learn what he could from the northern barbarians, masters of the horse and of new weapons including one which shoots arrows from a short, horizontal bow.”

  I nodded. “I have seen such a new killing device, just beyond these walls. This appeasement and rearming strategy… it is an interesting alchemy. Yet it is as old as yesterday’s broken promises.”

  “My father looked at my brother and said, ‘Peace and prosperity make great rulers.’ Then he turned to me and said, ‘But glory rains on those victorious in battle. Our moment is not at hand, but we shall be ready for it when it comes.’”

  “Your Highness is of another opinion?”

  The Prince stiffened. “The King showed resolve and has appeased Chu for now. But it is pride and face-saving that drive us. After so many hundreds of years, it is not easy to turn back the loss of such power to the throne and heal the many divisions within our realm. But I long for a different course and I am sick of contending with my brother at each and every step that I take. He hounds me endlessly, as though I alone am responsible for all that pains his world.”

  Prince Meng’s calm but weary voice hardened as he spoke of his brother. “He wastes no opportunity to beat his chest in front of the King and play me for a simpleton unprepared for rule. I am the first-born. He should not be so foolish as to forget that. And as for my father, I would have hoped for more.”

  “Your Highness, our Son of Heaven and the Mother of Our Nation are also your father and mother. As with all families, they cherish their kin, they bestow their love and…”

  “No. They bestow duties and obligations. They require that we suffer through endless and repeated formal customs and rituals. They surround us with servants and underlings charged with wiping our bottoms, grooming our hair and polishing our nails. When I feel pain, where is my comfort? When I grieve, who offers me a shoulder? If this is family, it is no wonder our house is but a façade.”

  I was stunned at such candor, but also pleased that he trusted me. During moments such as these I had to remind myself that ever since his royal birth, Prince Meng had been destined to struggle with his brother for his father’s attention, and for the throne, even if he did not share his brother’s relish for the fight. Every moment of every day of his life, he had been told to prepare to be King. Ill will towards his sibling had been encouraged, had been designed to promote mettle and had become a natural force within the court. It was clear that the love and comfort that I had received as a child were as foreign to the Prince as servants had been to me.

  “Your Highness, no lure is greater than what others have, and no disaster greater than to be discontented with what one already has. Truly, he who has once known the contentment that comes simply through being content will never again be otherwise.”

  “I do not know what it is to be simply content,” the Prince said in a whisper barely heard.

  It pained me to see him so forlorn. I imagined that paternal instincts were similar to what I felt and I wished to console him.

  “Your Highness, are you not content in this garden? Do you not feel contentment caring for your birds, being lost in a book, or in a painting? There are many moments when worries and concerns are banished and you are wrapped in a child-like joy.”

  The Prince paused. “Perhaps. But these moments should be never-ending. And they could be so if my brother were of a different nature, less ambitious. I believe my ascension will be the most peaceful and successful path for the reunification of Zhou. If Prince Chao were to ascend to the throne, his recklessness would mean endless bloodshed.”r />
  I urged the Prince to purge these ill thoughts and feeling from his mind, but I knew there were no words sufficient to heal this sibling feud.

  He bowed to me and walked away. He could not have bestowed more gratitude than that.

  10

  Prince Chao

  Unseasonably warm air fueled the excitement in the capital and the nearby surrounding villages as the mid-autumn moon festival approached. A good harvest and a recent lull in the many armed conflicts between the divided regions allowed the people, both privileged and poor, to enjoy a rare period of calm. The women within the Palace frolicked with one another as they picked mulberry leaves, while the men engaged in archery and hunting excursions. Prince Chao won most of the archery competitions, some of them fairly, and whenever an animal was trapped, he would never need more than a single arrow to finish the kill.

  Prince Meng was a reluctant warrior. He much preferred activities of the mind and was more likely to be found in my garden or immersed in a tablet within the Archives than out hunting.

  But on one particular occasion, it was not Prince Meng but Prince Chao whom I found sitting in the garden with a recently acquired tablet.

  “So this is where my dear elder brother’s head can be found,” he said. The Prince was heavily suffused with his favorite jasmine scent, which I found rather repugnant.

  I bowed. “Your Highness, I am honored. How may I serve you?”

  The Prince held up the bundle of tablets. “Have you read this?”

  “Yes, your Highness, that is a draft of General Sun’s book on military tactics. He has peculiar views of war. In fact he sees elements of art and strategy as paramount to simple raw power.”

  “A General?”

  “Yes, your Highness. He served under King Helu of Wu. He is also known as a philosopher and a strategist.”

  “But of course, General Sun Wu. With almost nothing to work with, he turned Wu’s pitiful army into a force that even Chu is wary of. Who else could say, ‘If you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win numerous battles without a single loss.’ For him the first lesson of war is to master deception. Correct me if I am wrong, scholar, but I do believe he thought strategies and tactics mattered far more than superior manners and civility in times of conflict. In fact, nothing matters more than winning. Do you know your enemies, scholar?”