SYNOPSIS OF ACT I
Chao Chi, Queen Mother of King Cheng, has a rendezvous with her former lover, Premier Lu Pu Wei, the actual sire of King Cheng. The young King, arriving unannounced, disrupts the love scene. Lu, fearing the consequences of his illicit love, sends her a professional paramour named Lao Ai. Insulted, the Queen Mother retaliates by investing Lao Ai with power rivaling that of Lu Pu Wei.
Act II: The Coup d’Etat
Prelude
(Before the curtain rises. Enter Eunuch Chao Chung.)
EUNUCH CHAO CHUNG: (To king backstage.) Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Wake up! Please wake up!
KING CHENG: (Offstage, yawning.) What time is it?
EUNUCH CHAO: The cock has just crowed.
KING: Why did you wake me up this early?
EUNUCH: We have to start early for Chi Nien Palace and the auspicious’ time of your coronation.
KING: The city of Yun is only five li from here.
EUNUCH CHAO: But Your Majesty, the formal rehearsal...
KING: (Annoyed.) All right, all right. I’ll get up. (With a rustle and a hustle, the king pushes through curtains and appears on stage. He wears black silk pajamas. The top piece comes to his knees with two over-lapping front flaps, secured by a sash. Eunuch Chao Cheng claps his hands and in come other eunuchs and maids with toilet articles and ceremonial robes. The king carries on a conversation with Eunuch Chao Chung while being served by his attendants.)
KING: Eunuch Chao, I’ve been waiting impatiently for the coronation. Now that it’s here. I’m a little scared.
EUNUCH CHAO: Why is that, Your Majesty?
KING: Henceforth I’ll be entirely on my own.
EUNUCH CHAO: Her Majesty the Queen Mother and His Excellency the Premier can still be of assistance to Your Majesty.
KING: That’s the very thing I don’t want. I’m going to strip them of power and influence as soon as I take the reins of government in my own hands.
EUNUCH CHAO: Is that why Your Majesty forbade them to participate in the coronation ceremony?
KING: (Nodding.) But I did it nicely. I asked the imperial astrologer to inform them that their presence would dim the aura of the crown.
EUNUCH CHAO: I’m afraid they’ll suspect it was just an excuse.
KING: (Heatedly.) I want them to know. I want them to know that they are no longer wanted in the new government. (A pause: Worriedly.) But I’m afraid Lu Pu Wei is going to make trouble.
EUNUCH CHAO: (Definitely.) I don’t think so.
KING: (Displeased.) Why not?
EUNUCH CHAO: (Sensing the king’s displeasure.) He wouldn’t dare. All the legalists are against him. Now he even has made an enemy of the Queen Mother.
KING: (Chuckles.) At first I was afraid that they would gang up and treat me as a puppet. (A pause.) I wonder what has made them hate each other. (Eunuch Chao shakes his head.) Maybe because he and my mother’s paramour Lao Ai are jealous of each other. (Eunuch Chao shakes his head again. The King has finished dressing. With a wave of his right hand, he sends all the attendants away except Eunuch Chao.) Go out, all of you! Prepare my chariot. I’m ready to leave. (Maids and eunuchs bow and exit. Slapping Eunuch Chao’s shoulder.) Eunuch Chao, you are my only bosom friend. You have taken care of me since I was born. Now I’m going to share a secret with you. Ever since my row with Queen Mother at Chi Nien Palace when I was sixteen, I’ve learned not to overplay my hand. All these years I have acted as meek, stupid and physically weak. Do you know why? (Eunuch Chao shakes his head.) Because it’s the only way to save my hide. I’m caught between Lu Pu Wei and his clique on the one hand and Lao Ai and his gang on the other. One wrong move and I’ll be crushed. Luckily they are too busy vying with each other for power to take much notice of me. Now that I’ve come of age and am to be crowned, I can no longer hide in my shell. As I have no intimates of my own, I have to side with one of the two factions. I’ve already made my choice but I want you to make a guess which faction it is.
EUNUCH CHAO: (Without hesitation.) Side with the Premier, of course.
KING: No, no, never! That dirty merchant! He looks down on me and I hate him. The mere mention of his name makes me boil.
EUNUCH CHAO: (Worried.) But Your Majesty, in my opinion, Lu is a gentleman while Lao Ai is a despicable character.
KING: (Chuckles.) That’s one of the reasons why I choose to side with Lao Ai. He is so infested with vices and so unpopular that he can’t be any real threat to me. Lu, however, is learned, shrewd, rich and keeps thousands men of parts as his retainers. Ever since he compiled that damned book, his fame has reached the far corners of the earth. He is the one I must watch and eventually get rid of.
EUNUCH CHAO: (Still looking very worried.) I think the Premier is quite loyal to Your Majesty.
KING: (Laughs.) Don’t be so naive. He just wants to use me as a puppet, knowing full well that being an alien, he can never ascend the throne.
EUNUCH CHAO: Still, I don’t think Lao Ai is a good choice. He is just a bagful of hay, not a bit of learning in him.
KING: I’m only using him to achieve my own end. When he has outlived his usefulness, I’ll get rid of him, too.
EUNUCH CHAO: (Shudders.) I think he will do you more harm than good.
KING: (Slightly irritated.) I’m not asking for your advice. (Eunuch Chao’s face flushes. The King senses his embarrassment and changes his tone.) I haven’t told you the other reason why I have chosen Lao Ai. You know, despite the Queen Mother’s vices, I still love her. She is the only woman I have ever respected. Compared with her, all other women are clay dolls. Because I want to patch things up with her, I have to befriend Lao Ai. (Eunuch Chao nods, then sighs and shakes his head. A eunuch comes in, kneels down and announces the arrival of the Premier.)
EUNUCH: Your Majesty, His Excellency the Premier wishes to see you.
KING: Tell him I’m in a hurry. I’ve no time to receive him. (At this juncture, Lu enters. He is much thinner and his hair and beard are now snow white. The changes bespeak the hazardous times of the last six years. Lu bows to the King.) I’m in a hurry. Make your report short and quick. (Lu looks surprised at the King’s unusually impolite tone. He suppresses his temper and speaks quietly.)
LU: Your Majesty, do you have to go to the Chi Nien Palace to have your coronation?
KING: (Expressionless.) The imperial astrologer advised me not to have my coronation in Hsien Yang. He said he saw a comet sweeping across the sky over this capital.
LU: I hope Your Majesty will not pin much importance on what astrologers and soothsayers have to say.
KING: (Indignantly.) I think it’s time you stopped telling me what to do and what not to do. I’m no longer a child. I’ve a mind of my own. I trust the imperial astrologer is an honest person.
LU: (Still controlling his temper.) It’s not the astrologer I’m worrying about. It’s Lao Ai ...
KING: (Laughs.) I know you and Lao Ai do not see eye to eye. I don’t quite like him either, but for the sake of the Queen Mother, I have to tolerate him. (Lu’s hand unconsciously moves to his heart at the mention of the Queen Mother and he frowns as if in pain.)
LU: I hope Your Majesty will listen to me just this once. Choose any other palace for your coronation but the Chi Nien Palace.
KING: (Impatiently.) It’s too late to change now. (A pause. Changing his tone.) My beloved uncle, I think old age is telling on you. You have too many unnecessary worries. (Meaningfully.) Maybe I can help you remove some of them. (Lu, taking the hint, bows and leaves. Deliberately, in a loud voice.) You have done well by using my late father as a tool but you’ll find me not so easy to handle. (Laughs.) Ha … Ha ... Ha ... (All the while Eunuch Chao has looked worried but has kept his mouth shut. A eunuch enters.) EUNUCH: Your Majesty, the royal chariot awaits. (Exit the King with his attendants.)
The Coup d’Etat
Scene: The rear garden of Chi Nien Palace.
Time: Ninth year in the reign of King Cheng of Ch’in (238 B.C.)
Dramatis Personae: Two small boys: one five and the other three. They are the sons of the Queen Mother, both sired by Lao Ai.
King Cheng: He is 22 years old now with high cheekbones, eagle-sharp eyes, a hooked nose and thin lips. He is well built with a thick chest and broad shoulders. His unstable and conflicting traits are even more pronounced than in Act I.
The Queen Mother: Still charming in her early 40s.
Lao Ai: Now Count of Cheng Hsin, he rules the Provinces of Da Yang and San Yang, almost a kingdom within a kingdom, vying for power with Lu Pu Wei and even the King. Eunuch Chao Chung: An elderly eunuch with a benign-looking face like that of an old woman.
Chao Kao: Nephew of Eunuch Chao Chung. The King’s attendants and guards.
Lao Ai’s soldiers.
Prince Cheng Ping: A prince in exile from the Kingdom of Chu, deputy prime minister of Ch’in.
Prince Cheong Wen: A prince of Ch’in.
Stage Setting: It is spring. Early peach and pear blossoms are out. Over-hanging willows cast a reflection in the pond. Already the plum flowers are shedding petals in the gentle breeze. Songbirds can be heard in the trees. Under the well-pruned aspen and cypress are stone seats and teapoys, and amidst the peonies there is a stone bench. In the background, a corner of the palace building can be seen, with a moon shaped door and a white marble balustrade. A bronze tripod of Act I has been placed near the pond. The green lawn still glistening with shuttlecocks, colored balls, wooden and bronze animals and miniature weapons. The curtain rises with two boys, one five and the other three, dressed in miniature armor and carrying toy swords and shields, engaged in a hot duel. The King enters, flanked by his attendants.
KING: (Surprised to see the little boys, he stands still for a moment, then suddenly realization dawns). You are ... well, you are ... (The two stop fighting. The older one walks boldly to the King.)
OLDER BOY: We are the princes. Who are you? (The King is slightly angry. With a wave of his sleeve, he orders his suite out. Exit the King’s attendants.)
KING: Is your father Lao Ai? (The smaller boy hides behind his brother. Something in the King’s eye scares him.)
OLDER BOY: Yes. (Proudly.) He is big and strong and he can lift that tripod. (Pointing to it.)
KING: How high can he lift it?
OLDER BOY: About a foot from the ground.
KING: (Contemptuously.) Only one foot!
OLDER BOY: (Angry at this insult to his father, he challenges the King.) Can you lift it? This tripod weighs a thousand catties. (Without a word, the King goes to the tripod, squats in front of it, rubs his two hands together, then lifts the tripod slowly, higher and higher, until it is over his head.)
BOTH BOYS: (Jumping and clapping their hands with excitement.) BRAVO! BRAVO! (The Queen Mother appears in the doorway of the palace; She slowly walks down. The boys rush to her, each taking one of her hands.)
BOTH BOYS: Mother, look at him! He is the strongest man, stronger than father. (The King slowly puts down the tripod. The Queen Mother watches him in silence.)
KING: (Slightly winded.) So these are your illegitimate sons! (The Queen Mother blushes. Realizing his mother’s embarrassment.) Well, excuse me, Mother, I came here to try to close the old wound, not to deepen it. (A pause.) Since you have chosen Lao Ai, I’m ready to tolerate him.
QUEEN MOTHER: (Pushing the two boys.) Go play in the outer courtyard! (Exit the boys. To the King in even tones.) I doubt your sincerity. You were crowned in this very palace. Yet you didn’t even invite me to attend the ceremony.
KING: I couldn’t.
QUEEN MOTHER: What do you mean you couldn’t?
KING: Your presence would have made people think you were still the power behind the throne. From now on you shall not interfere nor even inquire into affairs of state. I alone am going to rule Ch’in. In the sky there is only one sun and in the kingdom of Ch’in there is only ONE SOVEREIGN! (Sharp cries and shouting, clanking of metal, horses neighing and hoofs pounding, sounds of great tumult and scuffle are heard from offstage. Lao Ai enters. He has a defiant look on his face. A group of soldiers file in and stand behind him. The King senses imminent peril, his face turns white, and his voice trembles.) Who are you?
LAO AI: (With a wry smile) I’m your stepfather.
QUEEN MOTHER: (Flaring angrily.) Lao Ai! What are you doing here? (The commotion outside subsides.)
LAO AI: (Chuckles.) Don’t you know? I’m just trying to help you.
QUEEN MOTHER: I don’t need your help! Get out!
KING: GUARDS! GUARDS! GUARDS!
LAO AI: (Chuckles under his breath.) Hear it with your own ears - SILENCE! Only silence! What does that mean? It means your guards are either disarmed or dead! This palace is under seige by my men. (Lao Ai slowly approaches the King with his right hand resting on the handle of his sword. He looks straight into the King’s eyes with an ominous smile on his face. The Queen Mother quickly comes between him and the King.)
QUEEN MOTHER: Lao Ai, if you dare to touch one hair of my son, I shall have you beheaded!
LAO AI: (Unruffled.) My virtuous wife ...
QUEEN MOTHER: (Snappily.) Who’s your wife!
LAO AI: (Refusing to be provoked.) Very well, shall I call you the mother of my sons? (The Queen Mother gives no answer but stares at him with violence in her expression.)
LAO AI: (Jestingly.) Still not right! All right, (Bows.) Your Majesty! Please get out of the way. I’m doing this for your sake.
QUEEN MOTHER: I didn’t ask you to do anything for my sake.
LAO AI: But you have been so worried about what this young man would do to you after his coronation.
QUEEN MOTHER: (Expressionless.) It’s strictly a family affair. You have no right to interfere.
LAO AI: (Nastily.) So I’m only an outsider! (Sarcastically.) Yet you sleep with me on one long pillow and under one quilt.
QUEEN MOTHER: (Bitterly.) You dirty swine! Get out of my sight!
LAO AI: (Brusquely.) Not that easy! I’m riding a tiger. Either I kill him or he’ll kill me. (He tries to push the Queen Mother aside. She takes a dagger from her breast and points it at Lao Ai. Surprised but unruffled and without turning his head, he shouts.) SOLDIERS! (Pointing to the King.) Kill that young man! (Turning round, Lao Ai knocks aside the Queen Mother’s dagger and draws his sword. The soldiers level their weapons. The King quickly runs to the tripod and tries to lift it but in his perturbation cannot summon his strength. Tremblingly he kneels behind the tripod.) STOP! (An authoritative voice comes from behind Lao Ai and checks the advancing soldiers. An officer, apparently commander of the group, quickly steps out.)
OFFICER: (Seizing Lao Ai’s right hand, which holds the sword) Lao Ai, you summoned us here by Her Majesty’s edict. Why doesn’t Her Majesty know anything about it?
QUEEN MOTHER: (Hotly.) False edict! A fraud! (Staring at Lao Ai.) Lao Ai, CONFESS!
LAO AI: (Unperturbed.) All right! I summoned them in your name. You entrusted me with your Royal Jade Seal. I made use of it. That’s all.
QUEEN MOTHER: How dare you! (Her lips tremble. She is speechless with emotion.)
LAO AI: (Shaking free from the officer’s grip, shouting to the hesitant officer and his soldiers.) You fools! All of us are on the tiger’s back now. Either we kill him or he will kill us all! (Shouting.) KILL HIM NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE! KILL HIM EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO HARM THE QUEEN MOTHER! (Some of the soldiers make a slow advance toward the King while eyeing their commander for his decision. The officer stands hesitating. The soldiers advance again. The King is transfixed with fear.)
LAO AI: (Amused and triumphant.) Ha! Ha! As soon as I get this bastard out of the way, my dear Queen, you and I shall sit on the throne side by side!
QUEEN MOTHER: (Stunned before, she now rushes to intercept the soldiers. In her haste, she brushes against the sword of a soldier. Blood streams from her left arm but she takes no heed.) Don’t harm him! Don’t harm my son! (She covers the King with her own body. The soldiers hesitate again, standing there, not knowing what to do.)
LAO AI: Kill them! Kill both of them! (His command is unheeded. Lao Ai raises his own sword. At this juncture a crescendo of galloping horses is heard from off-stage. Lao’s eyes become fearful. All the soldiers turn rigid, listening intently.) “DON’T HARM THE KING! PROTECT HIM AND YOU LIVE! SURRENDER, YOU INSURGENTS! SURRENDER OR DIE!” (The shouts are repeated, even more deafeningly. The Queen Mother holds up her hand and smiles faintly. The King also looks up. He looks less fearful. Suddenly a man rushes in from the door behind them. Both the Queen Mother and the King are startled. But the man immediately declares which side he is on.)
CHAO KAO: Fear not, Your Majesties! Chao Kao is here to protect you.
LAO AI: (Shouts to the soldiers.) Kill him! Kill them! All of them! (But the soldiers only want to get away and rush from the garden. Lao Ai, sensing that the tide is turning against him, also runs. Chao Kao quickly goes over to the Queen Mother and the King. He helps them to their feet and brushes the dust from their clothes with his sleeves. The Queen Mother and the King appear grateful. Neither of them speaks, however, for the din of tumult and scuffle outside is too great for anyone to be heard. Battle cries, dying shrieks, clashes of encounting weapons, horses neighing and pounding of hoofs are mingled with women’s hysterical screams. A few stray arrows land on the stage. After a while all is quiet. The three on the stage are excited and nervous. Their faces are pale. A few eunuchs and maids rush in with their apparel in rags and some with blood on their faces and bodies. The eunuchs and maids prostrate themselves. Old Eunuch Chao Chung is leading the group.)
EUNUCH CHAO: We should be beheaded. We let Your Majesties suffer. But thank heaven, it’s all over now.
QUEEN MOTHER: Where are the rebels?
KING: Did our cavalry catch Lao Ai?
EUNUCH CHAO: We don’t know. We were beaten and locked in an ante-room by the rebels until the cavalrymen released us. As soon as we were free we rushed here. We’re so thankful that Your Majesties are safe. We don’t know anything else. (During their conversation the sound of horses galloping is heard again, going away.) “There they go!” “Don’t let the insurgents get away”! (Another group of galloping horses is heard chasing after the first group. Everyone on the stage listens intently until the last sound of horse hoofs fades away. People on stage begin to stir.)
KING: (Notices that his mother’s left arm is injured. He speaks tenderly.) Mother, you are hurt! You got hurt protecting me. (To eunuchs.) Get the imperial physician to tend the Queen Mother’s wound. Quickly! Quickly! (Exit two eunuchs. The King rolls up his mother’s sleeve, examining the wound with care.) Thank heaven, it’s not deep and the bleeding has stopped. (He takes off the white scarf on his neck and wraps it around the Queen Mother’s wounded arm.) Mother, you are a wonderful woman. I’ve never seen anyone so courageous and so composed in time of great danger. I have to confess my dependence. I feel afraid and helpless when I am away from you.
QUEEN MOTHER: (Greatly moved.) My son, I need you too. (Eunuch Chao dabs his eyes with his torn sleeve. Other onlookers also are moved.)
KING: Let bygones be bygones! From now on we shall live happily together as we did in the old days. (The Queen Mother is so choked by emotion that she cannot speak. She keeps on nodding her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. Enter Prince Cheong Ping and Prince Cheong Wen, swords in hand. Upon seeing the King, each puts his sword back in its scabbard. Coming forward, they hold their hands in front of them and bow to the King.)
BOTH PRINCES: Forgive us for not being able to perform full salutation in our panoplies, Your Majesty. Thank heaven you are unharmed. We’ve been looking all over this palace for Your Majesty.
KING: (Embracing Prince Cheong Ping.) To think I owe my life to an exiled prince from Chu. I can only attribute this to the will of heaven!
PRINCE CHEONG PING: (Moved.) It’s I who should feel thankful to the host country that grants me refuge, and thankful for the graciousness of Your Majesty in giving me a high post I don’t deserve.
KING: Tut, tut! You deserve everything and more. I shall give you a more responsible post. (Smiling.) You know Lu Pu Wei is getting old. (Prince Cheng Ping opens his mouth, trying to say something but is stopped by the King.) I shall discuss this with you at a later time. (The King turns to Prince Cheong Wen and embraces him likewise, but less warmly.) My loyal cousin. I thank you, too, for coming to my rescue.
PRINCE CHEONG WEN: I’m only repaying one thousandth of Your Majesty’s kindness to me.
KING: (To both princes.) I shall remember this as long as I live. (A pause.) Where is Lao Ai?
BOTH PRINQES: Lao Ai got away through a secret exit!
KING: (Angrily.) HE GOT AWAY! How could you let him get away! How could you be so stupid! (Seeing the princes’ embarrassment he realizes he has been too harsh.) I mean your soldiers. They ought to have caught him. (Prince Cheong Ping bows his head. Prince Cheong Wen is the less embarrassed of the two.)
PRINCE CHEONG WEN: Our cavalries are chasing him and his followers. We were worried about Your Majesty’s safety, and decided to stay behind to find you.
KING: (Placatingly.) I’m sorry for being so irritable. This has unnerved me. Please send more cavalry in pursuit. Make it known that whoever catches Lao Ai alive will be rewarded with five hundred thousand coins.
PRINCE CHEONG WEN: Yes, Your Majesty. (Both princes bow to the King and exit. Meanwhile, the imperial physician has come to tend the Queen Mother’s wound. From offstage is heard the screaming of two little boys. The Queen Mother’s face turns white.)
QUEEN MOTHER: (Standing up.) My boys! My sons! The soldiers are hurting them. (Rushes to the King.) Save them! (The King stands rigid and cold. The Queen Mother kneels down before him, shaking his arms with both hands.) Please, please save them! (The King still does not answer. As the screaming grows louder, she becomes hysterical. She rushes toward the sound.)
KING: (To attendants.) Stop her! (The eunuchs hold her back.)
QUEEN MOTHER: (Screaming and struggling.) Hands off me! Let me go! (A group of soldiers appears dragging the two little princes. “When the boys see their mother, they struggle hard and cry out.)
BOYS: Mother! Mother! (The eunuchs free the Queen Mother and the soldiers let go of the boys’ hands. Like scared rabbits, the boys run into their mother’s arms and sob violently against her breast. The Queen Mother tries to console them.)
QUEEN MOTHER: (Kissing their hail softly.) It’s all right now. You’re with mother. Mother will protect you. Stop crying, my precious ones. (The King looks on jealously.)
KING: (Ordering the soldiers). Take the boys away! Chop off their heads!
QUEEN MOTHER: (Holding the boys with all her strength, hysterically.) Don’t take them away! They are innocent! They are so little! (The boys are so scared they stop crying. They bury their heads deep in their mother’s breast, trembling violently.)
KING: (Urgently.) They are the sons of that rebel. TAKE THEM AWAY! (Eunuch Chao Chung kneels before the King.)
EUNUCH CHAO: (With tears streaming down his face.) Your Majesty, your humble slave has been serving you faithfully ever since you were born. Your humble slave has never asked anything of you. Now I beg Your Majesty to grant only one wish: let me die for these young princes! (All the eunuchs and maids kneel before the King.)
ALL ATTENDANTS: Have mercy, Your Majesty!
KING: (Expressionless.) Under the legalist system there is no mercy, no leniency; everything must be done according to law and the law says that not only the family but the whole clan of a rebel must be destroyed. (To the soldiers, decisively.) Take the boys away! (The soldiers tear mother and sons apart by force.)
BOYS: MOTHER! MOTHER!
QUEEN MOTHER: (Frantically.) Don’t take them away! They are mere babies! (The soldiers pay no heed. They drag the boys away. From offstage comes their cries: “Mother! Mother! Mother! Mother!” All the women on the stage burst into tears. The Queen Mother crawls to the King, holds his legs, and pleads.) Have pity on them! I’ll slave for you! Take my life but let my little sons live. ALL ATTENDANTS: (Still kneeling on the ground, in a chorus.) Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!
KING: (Eyeing the wailing attendants with disgust, paying no heed to his mother’s plea.) Guards! (In come a handful of guards in disarray and battle-scarred. They are the survivors of the King’s guards. Some of them are wounded, with bandages on heads or arms. They bow to the King.)
KING: (To the guards.) Take all the maids and club them to death! (The maids, subdued after a feeble struggle, are pulled from the stage. The Queen Mother stands up. She shakes the King with all her strength.)
QUEEN MOTHER: (Furiously.) Why do you do this? Why do you do this?
KING: (Pushing his mother away.) Since these girls are so taken with the two bastards, let them serve them underground!
QUEEN MOTHER: (Slapping the King’s face hard.) You wolf-hearted beast!
KING: (Voice pregnant with hatred, contempt and anger.) Woman! Don’t you realize that you are the cause of all this? You are no better than a whore! I should have you buried alive with my father to save the royal family from such disgrace and scandal! Woman! I could have you beheaded, too.
QUEEN MOTHER: (Covers her face with shame and remorse.) Why didn’t you? Why didn’t you? Death will be much more merciful by comparison. (Re-enter soldiers with the severed heads of the two little princes in their hands. The Queen Mother gives one last cry and faints. People on the stage avert their faces. Even the King, who has ordered the execution, is transfixed. With a quick sweep of his sleeve, he orders the soldiers to take the heads away.)
KING: (Numbly.) Take them away. (He stands stunned. To one of the eunuchs.) Have the undertaker sew their heads back on their bodies and bury them in good coffins. (A eunuch gets up, bows, then hurriedly leaves. The King looks at the Queen Mother, who is lying unconscious. In an undertone.) Woman, you have reaped the evil crop of your own evil seeds. I’m not to blame. (To eunuchs.) Take her away! Confine her in that old Hsien Yang Palace!
EUNUCH CHAO: (Pleadingly.) Your Majesty, that old Hsien Yang Palace is in terrible condition. It’s been abandoned for years.
KING: Still it’s better than the dungeon where she ought to be sent. (To eunuchs again.) Are you deaf? Haven’t you heard my order? (The eunuchs hurriedly get up. The unconscious Queen Mother is carried out by four eunuchs. To the rest.) Leave me alone! I need to rest. (All the attendants take a few steps backward, bow low, then file out in silence. Eunuch Chao Chung hesitates for a while, then decides to go with the rest but the King stops him).
KING: (To Eunuch Chao Chung.) You stay. (Eunuch Chao Chung pauses with his head lowered.) What’s the matter with you? You do not approve of what I’ve done. (Eunuch Chao remains mute.) Well, I don’t blame you. (After a long pause). Eunuch Chao, you’ve been very faithful to me. Now that I have been crowned, I’m going to reward you. I’m going to make you the Chief Eunuch, Keeper of the Imperial Seal and my private secretary.
EUNUCH CHAO: (In a husky voice.) Thank you, Your Majesty. But I’m old. I beg you to let me go back to my village to spend the rest of my days quietly.
KING: No. (Definitely.) No! I can’t let you go. I need you here. (A slight pause.) There are so few people here I can really trust. I am a suspicious man. Sit down and let’s talk for a while. (The King sits on a stone bench. Eunuch Chao sits on the ground.)
How long have you been with our family?
EUNUCH CHAO: Many, many years. I have lost count.
KING: You served in my grandfather’s house before you joined us.
EUNUCH CHAO: I was one of the slaves given to the late King, then Prince Yi Jen, as a part of the dowry.
KING: I remember you used to carry me on your back to see the open air shows during festivals.
EUNUCH CHAO: (Dabbing his eyes with his sleeve.) You were so little then. (He holds up his head and looks at the King.) Now you are so tall and strong, about twice my size! (Shakes his head and sighs.) Ai! How time flies!
KING: (Takes the eunuch’s right hand and holds it in both his and speaks affectionately.) Eunuch Chao, I need you more than ever now that both of my parents are gone.
EUNUCH CHAO: The Queen Mother is still living.
KING: She is worse than dead. I don’t wish to talk about her any more! (A pause.) Eunuch Chao, why do you want to go home? Have I ill treated you? Did anyone in Ch’in displease you?
EUNUCH CHAO: (Strongly.) Oh, no! Oh, no! As a slave I should not even entertain the idea of going home. I have had nothing on my mind except doing my chores dutifully. But after you said you wanted to reward me, I felt that I didn’t want power, nor wealth nor glory, but freedom.
KING: You have all the freedom you want. Have I ever treated you like a serf?
EUNUCH CHAO: Please do not misunderstand me. I only meant freedom from my responsibilities. I am like an old horse that has outlived its usefulness. I fear I can no longer serve you well.
KING: Tut, tut, you are not old. What’s your age?
EUNUCH CHAO: Fifty six.
KING: A man in his fifties is like the sun in mid-sky. It’s nonsense to talk about retiring!
EUNUCH CHAO: But my mother, Your Majesty, is already seventy-three.
KING: (Displeased.) I’ve a hunch that you are using your old mother as an excuse to leave me. I know you disapprove of what I did. (Eunuch Chao looks perturbed. He opens his mouth to defend himself but the King stops him. Coldly.) Do you know the real reason why I have to keep you in the palace?
EUNUCH CHAO: (Worried.) No, Your Majesty.
KING: (Scornfully.) It’s not because you are indispensable.
EUNUCH CHAO: Of course not, Your Majesty.
KING: I can easily find someone to replace you.
EUNUCH CHAO: I know you can, Your Majesty. (A moment of chilling silence has passed. Great commotion is heard from offstage.)
“The chief rebel is caught!”
“Lao Ai is caught!”
“May Prince Cheong Ping and Prince Cheong Wen live a thousand years!” (The princes appear on the stage through the moon shaped door.)
BOTH PRINCES: (Bowing to the King.) We are happy to report to Your Majesty that we have caught the leader of the coup d’etat.
KING: (Stands up and claps his hands with joy.) Bring that dog in. (Lao Ai is pushed in by two soldiers. His hands are tied behind him. His face is swollen and his clothes torn. His body is covered with dust. Dark spots of clogged blood show where he has been wounded. Not a single trace of his old self can be noted. He is forced to his knees by the soldiers. The soldiers salute the King, then back out.)
KING: (With a wry smile.) Lao Ai, name your accomplices! (Lao Ai does not answer.) Name them and you will be exonerated. (Lao Ai still remains mute.) Was the Queen Mother in it?
LAO AI: (Speaking with difficulty because of his swollen face.) Nau! Nau! Her Majesty was merely a decoy.
KING: (After a meditative pause.) Was Lu Pu Wei in it? (Lao Ai’s eyes suddenly open wide at the mention of Lu Pu Wei. He smiles ominously. )
LAO AI: (Wittingly.) He was the mastermind of the plot. Your Majesty, it was he who recommended me to the Queen Mother.
KING: (Grudgingly.) I thought so! I thought so!
LAO AI: (Trying to mitigate his own crime by incriminating others.) The Imperial Astrologer is also an accomplice.
KING: (Stamping his foot in anger. To the princes.) Get the astrologer! Kill him on the spot.
PRINCE CHEONG PING: Your Majesty, I wish to report to you that it was the Premier ...
KING: (Cutting him short) Hurry up and catch that damned astrologer before he gets wind of it and makes his getaway. Report to me later. (Exit both princes.) Guards! (Enter the guards. Pointing to Lao Ai.) Take him away and behead him outside the palace gate.
LAO AI: (Frantically.) Wait... Your Majesty said that if I named the accomplices you would spare my life. (The King laughs ironically.)
KING: (Stops laughing. Seriously.) Yes, I did say that. But being the leader of a coup d’etat, your death penalty is tenfold, so even if I pardon you on nine counts, you still have to die for the tenth one.
LAO AI: (Shouting.) You liar! (He stands up shakily and tries to charge the King. He is surrounded by the guards and beaten mercilessly. The guards drag him out.)
KING: Wait! I’ve changed my mind. He shall not be beheaded.
LAO AI: (Weakly but gratefully.) Oh, thank you, thank you, Your Majesty.
KING: (In steely tones.) Have him torn apart by five chariots!
LAO AI: (Cursing.) You bastard! I curse you! I curse your ancestors and I curse your descendants. Your ancestors will bleed in their graves and your sons and daughters will be murdered. Not a single one will be left! (He keeps on swearing while being dragged out. The King and Eunuch Chao again are alone on the stage.)
KING: (To Eunuch Chao.) Bring me a jug of wine, the best in this palace.
EUNUCH CHAO: Shall I also bring some cups?
KING: No.
EUNUCH CHAO: Yes, Your Majesty. (Exits Eunuch Chao at left.)
KING: (Calling after him.) A small jug.
EUNUCH CHAO: (Offstage) Yes, Your Majesty.
KING: (Stretching his arms and yawning.) I’m so tired. (He goes to the stone couch and lies down, pillowing his head on his arm, deep in thought. He speaks to himself.) How unbelievable! A disaster turns out to be a blessing. With one arrow I have killed two birds. With Lao Ai dead and Lu Pei Wei out of power, there is not a single care to keep me awake at night. (He chuckles.) Not a bad start. The road ahead is cleared of obstacles. Not bad indeed. (He chuckles again and sits up.) It’s most gratifying to see your opponents die; see them wriggle on the ground, breathe their last, give a violent convulsion, then become rigid. No matter how strong or how tricky they are, they cannot do any more harm when they are dead. Ha! Ha! (Suddenly he shudders.) The idea of death always upsets me. To think that one day I’ll have to die, too! Oh! How horrible! (He sits up abruptly.) How horrible! I must not die! I want to live forever. (He pounds on the bench with clenched fist. Eunuch Chao reappears with a small jug of wine.)
EUNUCH CHAO: Your Majesty, here is the wine. Where shall I put it?
KING: (Pointing to the ground near his feet.) Here. (Eunuch Chao puts down the jug. The King fishes a reddish blackbird feather from a small bag hanging at his belt. He examines it with a wry smile. To Eunuch Chao.) Remove the seal of the jug. (Eunuch Chao does so. The King dips the feather in the wine jug, then he takes it out and shakes it dry. Noticing the curious look on Eunuch Chao’s face, the King hands the feather to him.) Have you ever seen this kind of feather?
EUNUCH CHAO: It looks like the feather of a black falcon.
KING: Yes, it is of the falcon family.
EUNUCH CHAO: Does the feather contain some sort of cure?
KING: (With a sinister smile.) Yes, it has a magic touch. Anyone who drinks the wine touched by this feather will forget all his worldly worries, fears and pains.
EUNUCH CHAO: (Suddenly realizing the King’s intention, his face turns pale.) Is this the feather of Cheng?
KING: Then you know.
EUNUCH CHAO: Eunuch Liang once told me that in his native place there is a kind of falcon called Cheng that feeds on poisonous snakes. Within a radius of 10 feet under its eyrie not a single blade of grass will grow. If the feather is dipped in a cup of wine, whoever drinks it will die instantly.
KING: (Frustrated.) Give the feather back to me. (Eunuch Chao hands back the feather. The King replaces it in his bag.) Bring in some wet clay and reseal the jug.
EUNUCH CHAO: Yes, Your Majesty. (Eunuch Chao moves nervously toward the exit.)
KING: (Laughing triumphantly.) Lu Pu Wei! Lu Pu Wei! Very soon, you’ll have to leave all your power, all your riches, all your accumulated learning behind you.
EUNUCH CHAO: (Turning back.) Your Majesty!
KING: (Angrily.) What do you want?
EUNUCH CHAO: (Incoherent with anxiety.) The poisoned wine ... Is it... Is the poisoned wine meant for the Premier?
KING: Yes, so what!
EUNUCH CHAO: The Premier is very loyal to you, Your Majesty.
KING: (Narrowing his eyes.) Are you by any chance taking his side?
EUNUCH CHAO: (Greatly perturbed.) How dare I take sides. I only wish to say that the Premier’s loyalty to you is genuine. Please don’t believe in his enemies’ vilifications.
KING: You heard with your own ears what Lao Ai said. It was the Premier who recommended that scoundrel to the Queen Mother. It was he who was the mastermind behind the plot against my life.
EUNUCH CHAO: (Shaking his head violently.) No, no, he wasn’t in it. He couldn’t have done it ...
KING: (Outraged.) He couldn’t have done what? Nothing is beneath him. That filthy merchant! He is only an opportunist, a hypocrite. (Bitterly.) A USURPER! The mere mention of his name is a rasp on my mind.
EUNUCH CHAO: He couldn’t do anything against his own, his own ...
KING: (Stands up abruptly, then shakes Eunuch Chao’s shoulders with vehemence. When he speaks, his voice is heavy with anxiety.) His own what?
EUNUCH CHAO: His own SON! (The King turns rigid with his hands still on Eunuch Chao’s shoulders. A tense moment of silence reigns. When the King recovers himself, he slaps Eunuch Chao’s face hard. Eunuch Chao covers his face with both hands.)
KING: It’s not true! You lied in order to protect him.
EUNUCH CHAO: Ask the Queen Mother. I never lied in my life.
KING: You are just as bad as a loquacious woman. Don’t you know how dangerous my position will be if this news leaks out.
EUNUCH CHAO: (With a trembling voice.) Please trust me. I won’t breathe a word of it to anyone. I had to let you know because I couldn’t let you kill your own father.
KING: (Speaking in an unusually salt voice.) Eunuch Chao, you’ve been very loyal to me. Haven’t you?
EUNUCH CHAO: The only thought in my heart is to serve the royal family loyally.
KING: As I cannot see your heart, I want you to prove it.
EUNUCH CHAO: How am I to prove it?
KING: It’s easy. (He claps his hands. A eunuch appears. To the eunuch.) Get me a wine cup.
EUNUCH: Yes, Your Majesty. (A pause.) Gen. Chi Yung, Prince Cheong Ping’s aide, has been waiting outside for some time. He says he has something very important to report to Your Majesty.
KING: Let him wait.
EUNUCH: He says it’s vitally urgent.
KING: (Reluctantly) All right, tell him to come in. (Exit the eunuch. Eunuch Chao’s face has paled. He looks at the King pleadingly, but the latter avoids his eyes. Silence reigns. Reenter the eunuch with a cup in his hand, followed by Chi Yung. Both bow deeply before the King.)
KING: (To eunuch, pointing to the jug.) Pour a cup of that wine for Chao Chung. I want to express my appreciation for his loyalty.
KING: (To Chi Yung.) On with your report and be quick.
CHI YUNG: Prince Cheong Ping is pursuing the imperial astrologer. He ordered me to report to Your Majesty that it was the Premier who asked him and Prince Cheong Wen to come here to protect Your Majesty. The Premier sensed danger; he did not trust Lao Ai. Prince Cheong Ping beseeches Your Majesty not to believe what Lao Ai said about the Premier. His Excellency is very loyal.
KING: (Weakly in tired voice.) Thank you. You may go now. (Chi Yungbows and exists. Meanwhile the eunuch has poured a cup of wine and handed it to Chao Chung. Chao Chung takes the cup in his right hand and with his left hand he indicates that the eunuch should cover the wine jug. As soon as the eunuch turns his back, Chao Chung pours the wine into the pond. Then he bites his tongue until blood drips from his mouth.)
KING: (Turning to Chao Chung, seeing the empty cup in his hand and blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, feigns ignorance) What’s happened?
EUNUCH CHAO: (Kneeling, speaking with a benumbed tongue.) May I see my nephew Chao Kao for a moment.
KING CHENG: Where is he?
EUNUCH CHAO: Chao Kao is in the outer court talking to the guards.
KING: Ask him to come here. HURRY! (The eunuch rushes off.)
EUNUCH CHAO: (Kneeling before the King.) Your Majesty, I’m a dying man. As the old saying goes, “When a man is dying, his words are good”. (He pauses and grimaces as if in great pain.) Therefore please hearken unto me. (Another grimace and another pause, then he takes a deep breath and speaks rapidly.) A king is mandated by Heaven to rule his people, therefore we call a king the Son of Heaven. As the son of Heaven is blessed by Heaven, he has only to treat his people with justice and compassion and he will be assured of a long and peaceful reign. (He coughs, screws his face in pain and bites his tongue again. Fresh blood trickles from his mouth.)
KING: (The frustrated look on his face disappears. He watches the eunuch as though he were deriving satisfaction from his faithful slave’s ordeal.) Well said, Eunuch Chao. I promise I’ll bury you according to the rites for a high-ranking official.
EUNUCH CHAO: Thank you, Your Majesty. (He knocks his head against the ground.) But I prefer to be buried in my home town, in my own country.
KING: Granted. There will be a great funeral procession all the way to Han Tan.
EUNUCH CHAO: (Knocks his head again.) Thank you, Your Majesty. (Enter Chao Kao, led by the eunuch.)
KING: (Recognizing Chao Kao.) You are the youth who came to my rescue just a while ago. (With a sweep of his sleeve he orders the eunuch to leave. Exit eunuch.)
CHAO KAO: (Kneeling down.) Heaven sent me to serve you, Your Majesty.
KING: I like you. Come to Hsien Yang Palace and serve me. (Suddenly realizing there is something wrong with Chao Kao’s attire.) Why are you not in eunuch’s uniform?
CHAO KAO: I’m not a eunuch. I mean, not yet.
KING: (Displeased.) Then how could you come from the inner palace?
CHAO KAO: (Uneasily.) The Queen ... I mean Her Majesty said the silkworm room treatment is inhuman. A number of us didn’t go through it.
KING: (Angrily.) That’s how the scandal and trouble started! (A pause.) All of you who didn’t must report to the eunuch in charge of the silkworm room of this palace AT ONCE!
CHAO KAO: Yes, Your Majesty. (Meanwhile, Eunuch Chao has bitten his tongue again and smeared blood under his nostrils and at the corners of his eyes. He rolls on the ground and moans loudly.)
CHAO KAO: (Frightened.) Ah! My Uncle! What has happened? (To the King.) Your Majesty, please send for a physician.
KING: (Noting the blood.) I’m afraid it’s too late. Your uncle has taken poison.
CHAO KAO: (Tearfully.) Oh! Uncle! Why did you do it?
KING: (Cooly.) Your uncle does not like what’s happened to my mother. You know, he is very loyal to her.
EUNUCH CHAO: (To Chao Kao.) Don’t cry. No mortal can avoid death. I have only made it come sooner. (A pause.) His Majesty has kindly consented to bury me in Chao. I trust you will send my bones to my own country.
CHAO KAO: Yes, yes, my good uncle.
EUNUCH CHAO: (To the King.) Your Majesty, this boy (Pointing to Chao Kao.) has no other kin except me ...
KING: Don’t worry, I’ll treat him well.
EUNUCH QHAO: (Panting.) You know, Your Majesty, this boy used to be your playmate while on Han Tan.
KING: Ah, yes, now I remember. (Pointing to Chao Kao.) You are Little Kao, who used to crawl on all fours and let me ride on your back.
EUNUCH CHAO: (Between moans.) Your Majesty has a wonderful memory.
CHAO KAO: I was so privileged. (At this juncture Eunuch Chao’s limbs twitch and he lies still.)
CHAO KAO: (Crying.) Oh, my uncle, my uncle!
KING: Don’t feel sad, Chao Kao. I’ll make you my chief eunuch and the Keeper of the Imperial Seal.
CHAO KAO: (Quickly wiping away his tears, prostrating himself and knocking his head against the ground three times.) Thank you, thank you, Your Majesty.
KING: But I must warn you that I’m a difficult master to serve.
CHAO KAO: I’m not afraid, Your Majesty.
KING: Say it again.
CHAO KAO: (Puzzled.) I’m not afraid.
KING: I wish I could say ‘I’m not afraid’ with such ease. I’m forever haunted by fear. When it seizes me I lose control of myself. I’m apt to do something outrageous or ... (his voice trailing off.) … silly. (He looks as though in a trance.)
CHAO KAO: Maybe it’s because Your Majesty had such a hazardous childhood.
KING: Perhaps, but the fear grows with my age. When a seizure comes, I go mad. I feel that I’m being persecuted, hated, and that my life is in danger. Only your uncle knew how to pacify me. Now that he is gone, I begin to realize how much I have depended on him. (A pause.) Chao Kao, henceforth I’ll treat you like my own brother.
CHAO KAO: (Knocks his head on the ground three times.) Your slave Chao Kao will not hesitate to die for Your Majesty.
KING: Rise up and be at ease. (Clapping his hands. Eunuchs enter.) Get everything ready for my return trip.
EUNUCHS: (Bowing.) The preparations already have been made.
KING: Good, I’m leaving right away. (A pause.) Ah, do remind me, as soon as I reach Hsien Yang, to send ten thousand taels of silver for Eunuch Chao Chung’s funeral.
EUNUCHS: Yes, Your Majesty.
(The King, about to leave, turns his head to give the garden a last look. He sees the jug of wine and smiles.)
KING: (To Chao Kao.) Send this jug of wine to the Premier. Tell him it was sent by the Son of Heaven and to drink heartily.
CHAO KAO: Yes, Your Majesty. (Exit the king and his attendants. From offstage comes sounds of the King’s party taking leave. On stage, a fish jumps out of the pond, flaps several times and dies. A second fish leaps out then a third. Chao Kao is bewildered.)
CHAO KAO: Hei! Are these fish committing suicide! (Eunuch Chao Chung stands up behind Chao Kao.)
EUNUCH CHAO: They are dying for me. (Chao Kao, turning round, sees Chao Chung and is about to cry out. Chao Chung quickly puts his hand over his nephew’s mouth.) I didn’t take the poison. I poured it into the pond. Put me in a coffin and send me to Chao. Remember to put food and water in the coffin and don’t forget to bore some holes in the cover.
CHAO KAO: Yes, uncle.
CURTAIN
(To Be Continued)