Chapter Six: Streamlining Begins in the Imperial Palace
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Without wasting words, Lu Xiaohua addressed the assembled men: “Ge Shuhan, from this day forth, I appoint you as Senior Fourth-rank Commandant of the Imperial Guards. You will take charge of the palace’s forbidden troops on my behalf.”
“Your servant receives the imperial decree with gratitude.” Ge Shuhan was visibly moved; the emperor had exceptionally promoted him, lifting him directly from a subordinate fifth-rank post to a senior fourth-rank general. Such grace was as boundless as the heavens.
“Rise.” Gao Buyi continued, “Li Sheng and Yan Wu, you will serve as assistant generals, aiding General Ge Shuhan in commanding the palace guards. At the same time, you are to learn diligently from General Ge.”
“Yes! Your servant obeys!” Overnight, Li Sheng had risen from a mere commoner to a general—he was overjoyed.
Next, Gao Buyi appointed Pei Mian and Cui Yuan as imperial scholars.
Once the rewards were conferred, he dismissed them, though Gao Buyi did not intend to stop there.
At that moment, the palace gates were tightly shut. From the outside, nothing seemed amiss, but within, the court was in turmoil. First, Gao Buyi sent Chen Xuan in person to summon troops from other guards, replacing all palace sentries except his personal bodyguards. Had the crown prince not already been summoned to the palace, such maneuvers might well have been interpreted by outside officials as a prelude to rebellion.
Within the palace, the crown prince and Chen Xuan personally directed the redeployed guards outside, while Gao Buyi himself oversaw the inner palace, instructing the eunuchs to streamline the staff.
He was stunned when he received the eunuchs’ report: there were over forty thousand palace maids. My word, that old lecher! At that time, the entire nation’s female population numbered no more than thirty million. No wonder later governance was so degenerate—he was truly lost among the flowers.
So, he ordered the eunuchs: apart from titled concubines, each concubine would retain only two maids and one eunuch; all others were to assemble outside Hanyuan Hall, carrying their belongings. They were given the time it took to burn two sticks of incense.
“Your Majesty, does this include the Noble Consort as well?”
“Did I say the Noble Consort was exempt?” Gao Buyi replied impatiently.
The eunuch shivered, realizing he had overstepped.
“I will await you in Hanyuan Hall.” With that, Gao Buyi turned and left. The rear palace immediately erupted in commotion, with weeping everywhere. Yet none dared to defy the emperor’s order; all moved swiftly but in an orderly fashion.
By now, the guards in the front palace had been replaced. Seeing the emperor approach, the crown prince and Chen Xuan hurriedly paid their respects. “Our obeisance to Your Majesty!” “Father Emperor!”
“Rise.” Gao Buyi nodded approvingly at the crown prince. “Well done. Did you receive my command to supervise affairs?”
“I did. Upon receiving the edict, your son came at once to see you.”
It felt odd to be called ‘Father Emperor’ by men older than himself, but Gao Buyi betrayed no emotion. “Life in the palace has become overly extravagant. Soon, I will release a number of palace maids. They will gather here. Make the arrangements. I have heard that your own quarters are equally luxurious. Once the palace is settled, I want you to carry out similar reforms in the residences of the princes and imperial grandchildren.”
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Gao Buyi was determined to assist Li Heng, lest the man’s spirit be crushed by Li Linfu’s oppression.
Li Heng was delighted by Gao Buyi’s words. He had long been displeased with the palace’s excessive luxury, but without the emperor’s mandate, he had been powerless. Now, to his surprise, the emperor had come to this realization—what excellent news!
The crown prince immediately replied, “As you command!”
Soon, palace maids started appearing one after another in the square of Hanyuan Hall. What was thought to be a task completed in two hours dragged on until dawn before everyone had assembled.
At last, a sweat-soaked eunuch hurried over. “Your Majesty, forty thousand and ten are present.”
“There are still three thousand missing? Are there truly a thousand titled concubines in the rear palace?”
The eunuch instantly knelt in silence; some concubines were simply too difficult to deal with, and he dared not force them. The Noble Consort alone had kept over thirty personal attendants—her own trusted people, unwilling to part.
Gao Buyi, though dissatisfied, knew he could not push too hard all at once. He let the eunuch rise, then walked to the balustrade. At his presence, all below fell silent—well-drilled indeed.
Without further ado, he declared, “Those willing to leave the palace, stand to the left; the rest, to the right. Move now.”
With so many people, it was impossible for all to hear or understand at once; it took half a day to sort them.
In the end, over thirty thousand expressed their wish to leave.
The eunuchs, uncertain of the emperor’s intentions, trembled with fear.
“Very well! Open the palace gates!”
As the heavy gates slowly swung open, Gao Buyi swept his arm wide. “You may go.”
Seeing the broad avenue outside, many palace maids burst into tears. Having thought they would either grow old and die in the deep palace, or perish in intrigue, none had dared hope for freedom. Now, with hope before their eyes, they were overwhelmed—frightened yet overjoyed. They all gazed at Gao Buyi, but none dared take the first step.
It was an awkward moment—so many beauties, and not one giving face.
Fortunately, an alert eunuch shouted, “What are you waiting for? Don’t you want to leave?”
That call jolted them from their daze. In a rush, the maids hurried toward the gates. Outside, many officials, unaware of what was happening, prepared to intervene, thinking something amiss. Then the crown prince appeared in haste. “By order of His Majesty, disperse at once. None may obstruct. All departing palace maids are to return to their native places, with official status restored. Any who dare harass them will be executed without mercy.”
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At once, the city of Chang’an was thrown into an uproar.
Within the palace, some six or seven thousand maids remained.
Upon investigation, all were found to be women who, having gained some standing in the palace, were unwilling to leave. The oldest was not yet twenty-six; the youngest, only fifteen or sixteen.
“Those with living family, stand to the left,” Gao Buyi ordered, frowning.
In the end, sixty had no kin; the rest, Gao Buyi had the guards forcibly expel from the palace. The remaining sixty he allowed to stay, sheltering them temporarily in Hanyuan Hall, as the weather outside was cold and they were shivering.
Next came the dispersal of eunuchs. All but one hundred and thirty were expelled from the palace, granted household registration and gifted parcels of land.
By the time all this was done, Gao Buyi’s head was spinning. Night had fallen. The crown prince had already been sent to reform the residences of the princes and imperial grandchildren, and to inspect the imperial estates.
The capital’s officials responded swiftly. By whatever means, they too reduced the number of retainers in their households. This led to many families being reunited after years of separation. For a time, the people of the realm were deeply grateful to the emperor—a consequence Gao Buyi had not foreseen.
Looking at the now almost empty Hanyuan Hall, where sixty maids stood scattered, Gao Buyi asked the eunuch, “What’s the situation in the rear palace?”
“The noble ladies are quite reluctant to part,” came the reply.
“How many titled concubines are there?”
“Thirty, Your Majesty. In addition, there are nine Talented Ladies, and twenty-seven each of Baolin, Yunu, and Cainu.”
“All these are the emperor’s women? I mean, have they all shared his bed?” Gao Buyi, knowing a bit of history, was aware that even imperial intimacy was meticulously recorded.
“Fewer than sixty in total.”
That was still astonishing—this Emperor Xuanzong truly was a rake. As for the rest, those among the concubines would be especially difficult to deal with. There was simply no way to send them away; at most, they could be consigned to the Cold Palace, or to accompany the emperor in death, for they were, in every sense, the emperor’s women. There was simply no possibility of their leaving the palace.