Taiping Dao at the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 34 Eating at a Feast in the Han Dynasty (Thanks to reader "Lying Dog Aba" for the generous donation!)
"Master Zhang, please! A banquet has already been prepared in the back hall. If you have any orders, just call the servants... Tomorrow morning, the family will hold a Yu sacrifice, gathering clansmen and guests. Please set up an altar, erect banners, and perform the ritual to summon the soul and pray for blessings!"

"This humble Taoist dares not refuse, nor dare he disobey the order."

"Haha! Please, please!..."

As dusk settled outside the manor, the manor was brightly lit, like daytime. The group from the Way of Peace entered the Duan family manor, immediately enveloped in an atmosphere of luxury and extravagance. Ordinary disciples were not allowed to enter and were accommodated in the hundreds of rooms in the front courtyard. Zhang Chengfu, Gao Daonu, and Zhao Jun, however, followed Zhang Jiao, passing through the halls and rooms, witnessing firsthand the truly elite lifestyle of this prominent family in the late Han Dynasty.

"A front courtyard with hundreds of rooms, a screen wall inlaid with pearls and jade, a vermilion and purple lacquered gate, a front courtyard for singing and dancing with a hundred people... then, a pavilion with corner towers, the main hall among all the buildings, a separate inner courtyard, and a rear hall for banquets with a hundred people..."

"Tsk tsk! Such grandeur and elegance of a noble family... I've never seen anything like it in this late Han Dynasty!"

Zhang Chengwu remained expressionless as he carefully observed the manor's magnificent appearance, as if he were looking at a torch that could be ignited at any moment.

"This is... the Changxin Palace Lantern?"

Standing before the pavilion in the manor, Zhang Chengfu paused, seeing for the first time the lighting equipment used in the palace. Two exquisite bronze lamps, carved in the shape of kneeling palace maids, emitted countless rays of light from their hands, clearly resembling the Changxin Palace Lanterns of the Han Dynasty!

Then, his gaze followed the palace lanterns upwards and he saw the carved beams and painted rafters illuminated by the lights. They were all painted with green glaze and red lacquer, inlaid with gold and silver threads, and carved with various auspicious birds and beasts. Looking around to both sides, he could see multi-branched lantern trees and nine-branched lanterns, each filled with candles costing hundreds of coins each, burning brightly.

Further away, bright lights stretched out, faintly swirling with ethereal, otherworldly smoke. Those were the delicately carved incense burners, lit beside the lanterns and palace lanterns, releasing a relaxing aroma of pine resin. Within this manor, the cost of a quarter of an hour's worth of lamps and incense was equivalent to ten years' worth of food and clothing for a family of five!

"."

Zhang Chengfu remained silent. He watched as a group of maids, dressed in thick silk robes, stepped onto the paved stone floor, adding oil, candles, and pine resin to the lamps and incense burners. Then, their graceful figures disappeared into the courtyards and gardens on either side.

"What a beautiful garden! Fine trees and flowers, strange rocks and high platforms, jade ponds and fragrant herbs, like a fairyland..."

The artificial hills and ponds are meticulously arranged. Around the square pond, towering rocks are piled up, and even pavilions are built, creating an extremely magnificent and splendid scene. Around the pond, peach and plum trees that bloom in spring, pomegranate and jujube trees that bear fruit in autumn, evergreen pines and cypresses, and fragrant orchids and calamus are all planted in abundance and in a dense manner.

The aesthetic style of the time revered a divine and ethereal atmosphere. Therefore, artificial mountains had to resemble celestial palaces and pavilions, and ponds had to resemble magical pools and fairylands. The former required high platforms, and the latter had sacred herbs. The cost of such an arrangement was millions of coins, which was merely for watering. And if this was the case for powerful eunuch families, how could other aristocratic clans lag behind in the slightest?
"."

Zhang Chengfu lowered his eyes, no longer looking at the manor, and simply followed the Great Teacher of Virtue forward. It wasn't until he entered the room where the distinguished guests were settled that he saw for the first time the carved folding chair, the painted clothes rack, the silk curtains, the half-person-high bronze mirror, and the desk with hanging jade ornaments.

The Boshan incense burner, with its winding mountain peaks, emitted wisps of smoke resembling those from a "celestial mountain" in the side room. Upon closer inspection, however, it was not pine resin, but rather the more expensive agarwood.

"Bearing burdens, how do you feel about enjoying this?"

"Master... I don't think this is good."

"Oh? All this luxurious splendor hasn't shaken your resolve in the slightest?"

“Master… this place is indeed very luxurious, but I cannot say what I am thinking here.”

"Um…"

The Great Teacher Zhang Jiao stroked his short beard and looked intently at his disciple, who had lowered his eyes, for a moment. Then, a smile appeared on his lips, and he spoke.

"Let's go! Come with me for a good meal! We have the Yu Sacrifice early tomorrow morning~"

"Yes!"

Zhang Chengfu nodded, and Gao Daonu, full of enthusiasm, accompanied Zhang Jiao to the banquet. The banquet was divided into upper and lower seats, and dishes were served one after another like flowing water, respectfully brought by the maids, which broadened the horizons of the disciples from the countryside.

"This is roasted goose breast...made from Rushui white geese, roasted until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with an irresistible aroma~~"

"This is deer tendon soup... Made with the finest deer tendons from Dongjun, stewed until tender, with a rich and flavorful broth~~"

"This is Longyou yellow sheep... Yellow sheep transported from Longyou over a thousand miles away, the meat is delicious, roasted with a coating, and melts in your mouth~~"

"This is Puyang perch sashimi... Perch from the Puyang River, sliced ​​and eaten raw with seasonings, is exceptionally delicious~~"

When the Pu River perch and fish soup were served, Zhang Chengfu took two bites and his eyes widened in surprise. He subconsciously looked at his master, Zhang Jiao, who was also looking up from the head of the table, smiling with amusement.

"Chengfu, this fish soup is delicious, have some more!"

The banquet lasted a full hour, featuring goose, beef, mutton, fish, roasted meats, and soups—all exquisitely prepared and cooked to perfection. Besides the meats, Zhang Chengfu finally got to taste desserts made with white flour and honey, dried lychees and longans from Jiaozhou, and even a pomegranate sent from Liangzhou!
“Chengfu, has such a feast, compared to coarse wheat porridge, shaken your resolve?”

This time, Zhang Chengfu remained silent for a long time before answering.

“Master… I love these delicacies. But I don’t want them to be enjoyed by only myself or a few others! Though the wine and meat of these wealthy families are fragrant, when I eat them, I think of those emaciated, starving corpses who died of hunger and cold, and the countless disaster victims who died before my eyes and in my arms. If, when the people are starving to death, in this year of great disaster, one can still so comfortably feast on meat and fish… then that would violate the path I follow. It would be better to simply eat plain wheat and millet rice!”

"I have experienced much of this gluttony, these pleasures and debauchery, but they are merely desires bestowed upon me by this young, growing body. They are not the true aspirations or original intentions of my soul, but simply external things diminished by age. My true aspiration is for peace throughout the world..."

"Um…"

Upon hearing this, the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao gazed intently at Zhang Chengfu for a long time. Then, he smiled, shook his head, and then nodded.

"That's right! I hope you will always remember your true self and the words you said... even decades later."

"Go to sleep! Look at Dao Nu, he hasn't even wiped the grease off his lips, yet he's already snoring away."

The night was long and dark, and the bright lights of the Duan family manor made it even harder to fall asleep. But when the sun rose the next day, the atmosphere of the entire manor changed after a night of preparation.

"The ritual of Shi Yu was performed to welcome the gods and offer sacrifices to their spirits and the corpses!"

The grand Yu sacrifice unfolded in the front hall, filled with solemnity and grief. The body of the clan elder who had succumbed to the plague had already been buried, so this posthumous ceremony could only be performed by a direct descendant who would act as the "corpse" to receive the sacrificial offerings. This was definitely a Yu sacrifice, and not the first one since the burial.

The term "Yu" means "peace." The Yu sacrifice is a ritual to appease the soul. If strictly adhering to ritual law, the entire ceremony should completely follow the regulations and requirements of the "Shi Yu Li" (士虞礼) in the *Yili* (仪礼). At this time, prominent families with a long tradition of Confucian scholarship would all act in this way. However, the Duan family was a newly emerging powerful eunuch clan; while their requirements for ritual were not high, their requirements for grandeur were extremely high!

"Arise! The music of the suspended carriage!"

"Clang...thump...buzz..."

Solemn and ancient music resounded from three sides, as if transporting one back to the ancient Zhou Dynasty. Zhang Chengfu looked in the direction of the sound and saw the chime bells and chime stones hanging on three sides being struck simultaneously by three groups of musicians.

"A three-sided set of chime bells? What does that represent?"

He frowned, not quite understanding the meaning of this "three-sided pavilion, the music of princes" regulation. But soon, he saw the "grandeur" that he could understand.

"The yellow birds chirp and sing, perching on the thorn. Who followed Duke Mu in death? Ziche Yanxi… If he could be redeemed, a hundred men would gladly give their lives!"

As the mournful song "Qin Feng: Yellow Bird" played, six troupes of female musicians, dressed in solemn attire, entered the spacious front hall and began to dance mournfully. Zhang Chengfu stared wide-eyed, counting the six troupes of musicians, each with six members... After a few breaths, he suddenly realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise.

"This...this...this is the Six Dances in the Courtyard? A feudal lord's funeral?!"

"Ahem...Young man...Shh! Speak softly, speak softly!..."

Upon seeing the young man dressed in priestly attire exclaim in surprise, a middle-aged scholar who had been observing for some time quickly interrupted him. Then, with a smile, he addressed Zhang Chengfu.

"Young man, you are wearing ceremonial robes. Are you a member of the Duan family who has come to attend the banquet?"

“No. I am a disciple of the Way of Peace, surnamed Zhang. I am here with my master to perform the subsequent soul-summoning ritual.”

"Oh! So you're a disciple of the Great Teacher! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged scholar's expression became even more friendly. He glanced around and whispered.

"This is indeed a funeral rite according to the regulations for feudal lords... Well, however, Lord Duan was granted the title of Marquis of a Township in Luoyang... so it's understandable that the Duan family elders would use the rites for a feudal lord's funeral!..."

"."

Hearing this, Zhang Chengfu pursed his lips and remained silent. Wasn't it an overreach to use the funeral rites for a prince as a standard for an elder of a eunuch family? If there were any scions of Confucian scholars present, they would surely rise up in indignation, exclaim, "This is intolerable!" and then leave in a huff, their fame spreading throughout the land.

However, given Zhang Chengfu's status as a disciple of the Way of Peace, after a brief moment of shock, he could only curse inwardly, "The rites and music have collapsed, and the Han Dynasty is doomed." He paused for a moment, then looked up at the middle-aged scholar who had shown him a friendly expression, and said in a deep voice.

"May I ask who you are?"

“Wang Du, Assistant Magistrate of Dong’e County, Dongjun.”

Wang Du smiled, bowed at the table, and began to speak.

"I, Wang, have long admired the virtuous teacher's reputation and yearned for the Way of Peace... Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to meet him. To meet Young Master Zhang today is truly an honor! The Way of Heaven, the alternation of the Five Elements, is indeed the true mandate of Heaven!..."

"Oh? Fate and destiny?... "

At that moment, the two men met eyes, paused slightly, and then both revealed meaningful smiles. Zhang Chengfu carefully observed the county magistrate, who was in his thirties or forties, as if he had sensed some kindred spirit.

Today's sacrificial ceremony was attended in person by the other party, who was sitting very close to me. Therefore, I could only pay my respects as a "nephew or junior." Those who could grace the court of a powerful eunuch family and wear mourning clothes for their elder eunuchs were certainly not from the aristocratic clans, nor were they the so-called "pure stream" members of the gentry. For someone of such advanced age to be a county magistrate, or even possibly to have obtained that position through petitions to a eunuch…

The person in question could only be a commoner from an extremely low social class, seeking advancement through the influence of eunuchs, and bearing the stigma of being despised by the aristocratic families. Such low-ranking scholars and minor officials were numerous, genuinely responsible for the administration of the prefectures and counties, yet rarely had any chance of promotion. They were precisely the targets that the Way of Peace could recruit, manipulate, and transform!

Thinking of this, a friendly smile appeared on Zhang Chengfu's young face as he smiled and said.

"Has Your Majesty also heard of the prophecies of destiny? Now that we have some free time, why don't we discuss it?"

"Haha! That's exactly what I wish for, I wouldn't dare ask!"

Wang Du was overjoyed. He glanced at the Grand Master of the Court at the head of the table and moved closer to Zhang Chengfu. The two spoke in hushed tones, and the music of chime bells and sheng and xiao began again, accompanied by the singing of the female musicians, which drowned out everything else.

"The artemisia grows tall and luxuriantly, but it is not artemisia, it is wormwood. Alas, my parents, who bore me with such toil... All the people are well-fed, but I alone cannot die!"

"Look how tall that artemisia grows, yet it's not artemisia, it's just wild artemisia. My poor parents, raising me was so hard for them! ... Everyone else has had their share of misfortune, but they couldn't care for me until the end!..."

A mournful dirge began, and thirty-six female musicians sang a sorrowful song, occasionally sobbing and weeping. This was "Liao E" from the *Xiao Ya* section of the *Book of Songs*, powerfully expressing the grief of a filial son unable to fulfill his filial duties. And after this pre-Qin dirge was finished, it was time for the dirges of the Han dynasties…

"The virtue of fire will decline, the Han dynasty will perish... there will surely be cries of sorrow!"

"Does Your Majesty also hold this view? I wholeheartedly agree. We once observed the stars last night and saw that the Imperial Star was dim, and an ominous aura was rising from the north..."

The middle-aged and young people on the lower seats chatted intimately in hushed tones, glancing occasionally to their sides. Meanwhile, music resumed in the courtyard, and the Duan family relatives and scholars participating in the ceremony on both sides chatted and wailed intermittently. As for those truly wailing and weeping, only a handful were the deceased's immediate family.

"The dew on the leek, how easily it dries! The dew dries and falls again tomorrow morning, but when a person dies, when will they return?!"

When will you come back?!

Zhang Chengfu tilted his ear and recognized it as "Xielu," a Han Dynasty folk song. It was a "Xianghe Song," with string and wind instruments harmonizing, sung by a musician, much like the famous "Shang Xie." However, "Xielu" was used in the funerals of kings and nobles, symbolizing the fleeting nature of life, like morning dew. After "Haoli" was sung, it would be time for their group of Taoist priests to take the stage for their soul-summoning dance.

"My lord, Dong'e in Dongjun is a wonderful place... It's connected to the Great Lake to the south by a river!..."

"Hmm, Ohnosawa? Young Master Zhang, that place is rife with thieves, filled with ponds and forests; it's hardly a pleasant place..."

"Haha! If there's another opportunity later, I'd love to have a long talk with you about what's so great about Onozawa. However, that would require us to be fellow members of the Taiping Dao..."

"Ah! Fellow practitioners of the Way of Peace? If I am fortunate enough to join the Way of Peace and meet the Great Master or two great physicians... that would be truly a great blessing!..."

Having reached this point in their conversation, the two close friends at the table had essentially reached an agreement, and the discussion had come to a limit. Further matters required further verification of sincerity and could not be discussed here. Soon, the musicians finished singing "Xie Lu" three times, and the more direct and mournful "Hao Li" began to play as Liu You danced.

"Whose land is this, Haoli? It gathers souls, both wise and foolish. Why does the ghost urge us on so urgently? Human life cannot be delayed even for a moment."

"Don't hesitate any longer!"

The mournful song echoed through the courtyard, and the wailing of the crowd suddenly intensified, as if they had received a command. After the "Haoli" song was sung three times, the panting and tearful musicians were finally able to withdraw. A large banner for summoning the soul was raised, and the Great Teacher of Virtue ascended the altar that had been erected, calling out with solemn conviction.

"O soul, return! The path leads through the fragrance! Do not lose your way to the distant land, do not linger by the cold pond!~~"

The chanting of the spirit-summoning ritual suddenly arose, like the ancient call of a shaman. Zhang Chengfu and Gao Daonu exchanged a glance and slowly put on their masks. A black dog, a black deer—their time had come.

"Thump thump... thump thump..."

"Jingle Bell…"

The drums thundered again, the bells jingled loudly. Amidst this opulent splendor, surrounded by lavishly dressed guests, and in the ceremonial rites befitting a feudal lord, they were to perform an ancient and eerie ritual dance, a sacrifice to the deceased eunuchs and elders, and also to mourn the decay and decline of the Han Dynasty!
Thank you so much! A big thank you to reader "躺狗阿巴" for the generous donation. During the new book period, I'm keeping the word count low and waiting for recommendations; there will be extra chapters later. Thank you all so much for your support! (ω)

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(End of this chapter)