Week 5_Reading 2

 


When the Empress of Hui couldn’t birth a son, she took a child born to one of the emperor’s ladies in waiting, subsequently murdering the child’s legitimate mother, and installing said child as heir apparent and eventually as emperor (273t). As this emperor grew older, he caught wind of the truth of his parentage and dreamed up vengeance (273tm). Empress Lu, averse to any signs of revolt, grew worried, thus deciding to keep the emperor locked up, using illness as an excuse (273m). At first glance, the grave illness attributed to the emperor may seem like a lie, but once the symptoms described by Empress Lu are examined, it can be argued that said emperor was indeed as ill as the Empress had claimed. According to Empress Lu, a fit ruler must shelter the multitude “like the heavens” and “support them like the earth” (273mb). With a personal vendetta in his heart, the Empress considered said shelter and support compromised (273mb). Although the emperor’s vendetta was not aimed at the masses, but rather against his pseudo-mother, Empress Lu feared that the personal would influence the societal (273m). She viewed herself as responsible for exterminating any such risky personal dynamics, which would in effect keep the people calm. According to Empress Lu, it is a ruler’s "joyous heart" which brings peace to the masses, and said peace which brings the people "gladness" (273m)—with the emperor’s heart filled with vengeance rather than joy, the mingling of the ruler’s joy and the people’s gladness wouldn’t occur, and the governorship of the empire would be at risk (273mb). Perhaps this is what Sima Qian meant when he wrote that Empress Lu “conducted the business of government without ever leaving her private chambers” making the world at peace (284b)—by exterminating and manipulating those within her royal circle, she didn’t have to rule the people with force (284b). She manufactured an image of ease amongst the rulership which naturally effected calm amongst the multitude. Perhaps she realized that using force on the select few in power was more effective than using force against the masses—the multitude wouldn’t revolt if they weren’t oppressed. And as long as the people were kept ignorant of the chaos occurring at the royal level, they would have no reason to distrust those in power. The price for said ignorance, of course, was being paid by the lives of the powerful. Was this a fair bargain?

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