Chapter Eighty-Nine: Ancient Ruins

Not long after, I heard a knock at the door. Master rose to open it and found Cao Wen standing there with two waiters behind him. Master smiled and said, “You’ve come at last. I was almost starving just thinking about this.”

Master rubbed his hands together. Cao Wen smiled and nodded, then told the waiters behind him, “Hurry up and bring it in, carefully.”

The two waiters answered and pushed the cart into the room, setting every dish down on the table. Cao Wen then said to Master, “You take your time and enjoy your meal. I still have things to attend to, so I’ll head off for now. When I’m free, I’ll come back and have a proper chat with you.”

Cao Wen gave Master’s arm a light pat. Master replied, “All right,” and saw them out before hurrying back and sitting at the table. “Good heavens, I haven’t had Tan-style cuisine in ages. Stop standing there, boy, come over and taste it.”

At his urging, I sat directly across from him. As soon as I lifted the cover from one dish, a rich fragrance rushed up into my nose. My eyes lit up. “Master, what is this made of? It smells wonderful!”

Master smiled faintly and pointed to the dishes on the table. “This is Tan-style cuisine, a famous Beijing specialty. I’ve always liked this flavor whenever I came to Beijing.”

I nodded and asked, “Tan-style cuisine? Was the cook also surnamed Tan, like you, Master? Why does it have that name?”

Master filled a bowl with soup and took a sip. Then, as if suddenly struck by something, he pointed at the broth and ignored my question. “Mm. Boy, this soup is excellent. Just like it used to be. Try it quickly.”

I nodded, scooped half a bowl, and took just one sip. In an instant, I felt as though my whole body had floated up into the air. I smiled in contentment. This was unquestionably the best food I had ever eaten. Even the dumpling shop across from my house could not compare. When Master saw my expression, he laughed. “Well? Not bad, is it?”

I nodded hard, my thoughts completely carried off by the feast, and did not answer him. Master had no mind for anything else either and ate heartily. Before long, every dish on the table had been cleared away. It was the very picture of an empty plate.

I patted my round, full stomach, leaned back, and let out a burp. “I’m stuffed to the gills. This is far too good. When I have money someday, I’m going to hire someone just to make Tan-style cuisine for me.”

Master wiped his mouth and said, “Then you had better work hard. First clean this place up a bit. This afternoon I’ll take you out for a stroll.”

Delighted, I said yes at once. I stacked the plates together, wiped the table with the cloth the waiters had given us, and tossed it aside.

After I had finished, Master glanced over and nodded. “That’s fine. Someone will come to clean up later. Come on, let’s go see the Forbidden City.”

I bounced happily on my feet, changed into an outfit with a traditional Chinese style, and followed Master out of the hotel. Once in the car, we headed straight for the Forbidden City. I checked the time: it was only a little past noon, and the gates would not close until five, so we had plenty of time to enjoy ourselves.

The weather was especially clear that day, and a little warm besides. When we arrived, the outer grounds were packed with people. Nearly everyone wore sunglasses and sun hats, and some tourists even held bright red national flags in their hands. There were many foreign visitors too, snapping photos here and there with their phones. After Master and I bought our tickets, we entered the Forbidden City.

Inside, the place was vast. The moment I stepped through, I felt as though I had crossed into another age. Before my eyes seemed to rise the figures of palace maids and eunuchs from ancient times. Master smiled and said to me, “Come on. I’ll take you to see a six-hundred-year-old imperial capital.”

I nodded and followed him as we wandered about. We first went to the Hall of Supreme Harmony. All along the way, I kept asking questions, and Master, who seemed to enjoy it, explained everything to me in detail.

“This is the Hall of Supreme Harmony. In the old days, it was where grand ceremonies were held. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the emperors ascended the throne here. Imperial accession edicts were proclaimed here, imperial weddings were held here, empresses were installed here, and commanders were appointed before campaigns. On New Year’s Day, the Winter Solstice, the emperor’s birthday, and other festivals, the civil and military officials would come here to offer their respects and attend banquets.”

I nodded and pointed at some of the decorations inside and outside the hall. “Then what are those bronze tripods, that bronze tortoise, and that crane for? Were they just there to look nice?”

Master smiled and shook his head. “Partly for decoration, to give an air of solemnity. But those bronze objects were also used to burn incense during major ceremonies. In ancient times, emperors cared deeply about the flourishing of the nation, and they were also rather superstitious, so these pieces were meant to symbolize the stability and enduring strength of the realm.”

Only then did I begin to understand. I nodded, and Master pointed somewhere else. “Look there!”

I turned and saw two rather large spheres standing before the hall. Confused, I asked, “Master, do those balls have some meaning too?”

He nodded. “Of course they do. Those two spheres are auspicious jewels of good fortune. Between the two dragons, one represents the Heavenly Emperor and the other the earthly ruler. The ruler receives the Mandate of Heaven and follows Heaven’s will, so that the winds and rains may be favorable and the country remain peaceful and prosperous. The mountain-and-sea pattern beneath the two dragons symbolizes the eternal security of the realm. And look: the golden throne and folding screen inside the hall are set upon a two-meter-high gilded platform, placed among six coiled-dragon golden pillars. All of this serves to emphasize the emperor’s supreme and solitary position. There is also the coffered ceiling above; from the mouth of the coiled dragon at its center hangs a large round sphere. That is called the Yellow Emperor Mirror. It is a charm to ward off evil, and it also carries the meaning of the bright mirror held high above all.”

In one breath, Master explained to me both the history of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the meaning behind its arrangement. Since I was deeply interested in ancient architecture, I listened very carefully. After that, we wandered around the hall a little longer, and I even sneaked a seat on the dragon throne. Its comfort was beyond words.

After touring the Hall of Supreme Harmony, we went on to the remaining two of the three great halls of the Forbidden City. Master patiently explained many things to me, mostly the history behind the halls. Once we had finished visiting the three halls, we went on to other sights within the Forbidden City and saw many treasures from former ages.

When we reached the red wall, Master stopped and walked to a shaded spot. The corridor by the red wall was full of strolling visitors, all talking and laughing, and I followed him over to rest for a while.

Master crouched down and pointed along the long corridor beside the red wall. “Boy, do you know what history this passage has? Do you know what happened here?”

I paused, then crouched down beside him. “This corridor has history too?”

Master wore an expression that made it obvious the answer was yes. “Of course. Every place in the Forbidden City has history.”

“What happened here, then?” I asked.

Master smiled and simply sat down on the steps. Leaning closer, he pointed again at the corridor by the red wall. “The Forbidden City is majestic, and it is enough to make all of us Chinese proud. But think about which era it came from, and how many years it has passed through.”

After hearing him, I thought for a moment. The Forbidden City had come down through the Ming and Qing dynasties and had already been weathered by wind and sand for nearly six hundred years. It was only natural that all sorts of strange and curious things should have happened there. I looked at Master. He smiled faintly and said, “Though the Forbidden City is magnificent, many inexplicable things have happened within it—such as the Well of Consort Zhen, Shoukang Palace, and this corridor beside the red wall before us.”

He pointed to the passage once more, and my curiosity rose even higher. “What happened here, Master? Tell me about it.”

Master glanced at me and said, “Don’t rush. There’s still plenty of time. If you want to know what happened before, then listen while I tell you slowly, and let me speak of those years long past...”

He gradually took on the bearing of a storyteller, speaking with great enthusiasm, his hands moving as he talked. I listened just as earnestly, as if I were a child again, hearing my grandfather tell stories from a rocking chair. What was more, some of the tourists who had grown tired from walking drifted over and gathered around us to listen to Master recount the history of this place. He spoke so engagingly that more and more people were drawn in. Some even raised their phones to film us, but Master paid them no mind and went on speaking with bright, lively animation.