Chapter 1507: Beneath the Gorgeous Fireworks

In the former Ming dynasty, to prevent the power of imperial in-laws from growing too great, from the mid-dynasty onward the consorts of emperors and princes were generally sought from humble households. But the Great Han is a newly founded dynasty, with meritorious officials and veteran generals everywhere. Both His Majesty and the Empress feel that the crown princess should ideally be chosen from among the distinguished noble houses with exceptional service, which would not only reassure the nobles but also make it easier for the crown prince to command them in the future.

And judging by the Empress's tone, she no longer wishes to delay and intends to have the wedding completed when the crown prince turns fifteen — which leaves just over a year. The crown prince also has to visit Goryeo in the meantime, so by all accounts time is indeed extremely tight.

"Your son will follow whatever Mother Empress decides," the crown prince sighed inwardly, then lowered his head and assented.

Amid the royal family's casual conversation, the sky grew darker and darker, and the hands of the Western-style clock slowly pointed toward the late-night hour.

The imperial dinner ended. Palace attendants came forward to clear the tables and tableware, while the several princes gathered around their father.

"Imperial Father, can we set off the fireworks now?" Prince Qi, Zhao Hu, who was always the least restrained by etiquette in front of his father, grabbed his father's arm and shook it ceaselessly, his eyes full of eager anticipation. "Let your son fire the first shot!"

The fireworks in the palace were all prepared and waiting for the imperial family to take the lead in lighting them.

Ever since the new dynasty was established, in order to add some festivity to the palace during the New Year season, fireworks were set off every New Year's Eve. The hours-long display would turn the sky into a brilliantly colored stage, year after year. After several years of persistence, this practice, imitated from above, gradually became a custom in the capital. Every New Year season, the whole city would be filled with fireworks — a truly beautiful sight.

To be honest, aside from adding to the holiday cheer, the imperial family's arrangement also had the intention of setting a trend and opening up a source of revenue for the many gunpowder factories.

During the rise to power, in order to meet the demands of warfare on various fronts, the Zhao army had established many gunpowder factories in Xuzhou back then. The workers in those factories toiled diligently, producing vast quantities of gunpowder that supplied the Zhao army's campaigns and helped the Zhao clan seize the realm.

But now, peace has been restored everywhere across the land. Military campaigns are fewer and smaller in scale. Moreover, to facilitate the supply of materials, the frontier provinces have also set up new gunpowder factories, so the court and the military's demand for the local gunpowder factories in the Xu-Huai region has grown smaller and smaller.

Yet even though demand has shrunk, the many workers and technicians in the gunpowder factories cannot simply be left unemployed, nor can the machinery sit idle and rust. So another way out had to be found.

After much careful deliberation, the imperial family decided to spur civilian consumption of fireworks in order to sustain the operations of most of the gunpowder factories in Xu-Huai and the livelihoods of their workers.

In the former Ming dynasty, civilian fireworks and firecrackers had already reached a very high level of craftsmanship, with hundreds of varieties capable of depicting lifelike patterns of flowers, plants, and human figures. After the gunpowder factories began their transformation, the technicians inside learned the methods of making fireworks from specialists and devoted great effort to improvement and innovation, making the varieties of fireworks ever more abundant.

In those days, some powerful and wealthy households would hire skilled craftsmen every year to produce all kinds of fireworks and set them off all through New Year's Eve. A single year's fireworks alone would cost several hundred taels of silver — equivalent to a county's entire annual fiscal revenue. Under the imperial family's deliberate guidance, setting off fireworks became a common trend from the nobility down to the common people. Whether during the New Year season, other festivals, or joyous celebrations, vast quantities of fireworks were consumed. The enormous market demand this created finally revitalized the gunpowder factories across Xu-Huai, sustaining their output, and the government-run gunpowder factories were able to earn considerable income, no longer needing official subsidies.

As long as the factories exist, the workers and production capacity remain. Today they produce fireworks; when the need arises, they can return to making gunpowder. So long as the existence of the gunpowder factories is maintained, when the need arises in the future, they can once again produce gunpowder on a large scale and swiftly overwhelm the enemy with immense production capacity — this was the conclusion reached after joint discussions between His Majesty, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the military.

This campaign against Japan will require the consumption of an extremely large amount of gunpowder, and it is expected that some of the gunpowder factories will need to switch back to producing shells and gunpowder. The Ministry of Industry has already issued the arrangements. Therefore, this year's fireworks market supply is rather tight, and prices are considerably higher than in previous years — though, firstly, the imperial family never has to worry about prices, and secondly, the Japanese could hardly detect anything amiss from this, so it matters little.

Having obtained His Majesty's permission, Prince Qi, Zhao Hu, and the other younger princes rushed excitedly over to the fireworks the palace attendants had prepared.

The fireworks for the imperial family were produced by specially designated gunpowder factories, which naturally sought out the most masterful craftsmen to make them. Safety was the foremost priority for these fireworks; the gunpowder was carefully separated and specially treated so that it would not suddenly explode from shaking or handling. At the same time, the explosive effects were the most brilliant. Those master craftsmen ensured that every firework's pattern was absolutely unique and carried auspicious, festive symbolism.

Prince Qi took a lit incense stick from a nearby palace attendant, then reached it toward the firework with a trembling hand. The fuse quickly caught fire and slowly burned toward the other end, until finally the spark vanished into the bamboo tube and disappeared.

Everything returned to silence, as if nothing had happened at all.

Then, a moment later, there was a loud "Bang!" A fiery dragon shot out from the bamboo tube and raced swiftly into the sky. Before everyone's eyes, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, this fiery dragon rose higher and higher, then hovered in midair, and then abruptly burst apart.

"Bang!" Another thunderous sound. Red, green, and purple sparks burst forth from the point of explosion, scattering outward in a spray. A colorful disc suddenly appeared in the sky, like a seven-colored flower.

"Wow! So beautiful!" Prince Qi was, after all, a child. He was beside himself with excitement, pointing at the sky and shouting, "Imperial Father, brothers, look! It's so beautiful!"

Following their brother's lead, the other princes also picked up incense sticks and reached toward the fireworks in front of them.

One after another, the fireworks shot straight into the sky like sharp scissors tearing through silk, accompanied by unassuming hissing sounds. They traced fiery scars across the pitch-black night sky, then burst apart deep in the heavens. Hundreds of sparks cascaded down in a riot of brilliant purples and reds, dazzling and resplendent.

As if responding to some signal, after the imperial palace set off its fireworks, the residences surrounding the palace also slowly began to light their fireworks, and then places farther away, and farther still... Before long, the entire capital was enveloped in gorgeous colors. Everywhere, the sounds of firecrackers and fireworks boomed in the pitch-black night sky, and splendid, beautiful fireworks streaked toward the horizon.

From time to time, thunderous roars came from the sky, weaving all kinds of gorgeous tableaus.

Amid the unending sounds of laughter, the young princes frolicked with one another while each lighting fireworks, as if competing in this way. Because of his age and status, the crown prince did not join in his younger brothers' games, nor did he wish to.

He stood on the steps before the main gate of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Looking up, he saw the fireworks blaze brilliantly for an instant, then turn to ash. After their brief, resplendent burst, the colors slowly faded until they vanished... until at last one could no longer make out any trace of the beauty and brilliance they had once possessed.

All worldly things are impermanent.

This thought suddenly flashed through the crown prince's mind.

Among the teachers who instructed him, there were naturally great scholars who, besides Confucianism, were also well-versed in Buddhism and Daoism. In their leisure time after lessons, during casual conversation, they had also discussed some Buddhist and Daoist theories, especially the Buddhist concept of impermanence, which was brought up time and again.

This was quite normal. These men, being so widely read, generally came from some background, and thus their memories of the dynastic transition were the most vivid. Some of them had grown up in the last splendid sunset of the Great Ming's Wanli era and had witnessed with their own eyes how the realm had suddenly turned from prosperity into a hellscape, then witnessed the meteoric rise of the Zhao clan and the Xu-Huai faction suddenly seizing the realm, and then watched as the realm gradually returned to peace under the new dynasty.

The rapid vicissitudes of the world were truly etched into their bones. Whether these men had gained from it or lost power because of it, they could not help but sigh in their hearts at the "impermanence of all worldly things."

As they conversed with one another often, the crown prince, influenced by what he constantly saw and heard, also came to feel a good deal of the same sentiment.

However, because his Imperial Father valued practical work and disliked Buddhism and Daoism, and even held Confucianism in considerable disrespect, the teachers did not explain the fundamental principles of Buddhism and Daoism to the crown prince in detail, and the crown prince himself would never reveal such thoughts in front of his Imperial Father.

Yet he had never expected that even his father, who in his impression was incomparably resolute, had said to him just a few days ago: "All feasts under heaven must come to an end. Since ancient times, what dynasty has never perished? Some things cannot be salvaged by human effort. We can only do what lies before us; who knows what our descendants will do..." Did this not perfectly confirm the principle that "all worldly things are impermanent"?

If everything is impermanent, then what meaning does the realm, the throne, and everything else have? In the end, it is nothing but a handful of yellow earth, and one cannot control what comes after... This thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Bang!" Just then, a firework exploded in midair.

A golden disc unfurled in the sky, its golden tendrils stretching toward the horizon, ceaselessly flashing with golden light — overbearing and stubborn. Though it inevitably and slowly dimmed, that light made the crown prince's eyes burn as well.

Yes, all worldly things are impermanent, and no one can control what comes after.

But at the very least, right now, while I am here, I can still do well the things that I ought to do — just as Imperial Father has done.