The Great Empire. Joaquim Augusto Barbosa de Melo
self-esteem was thus at a high level, as she had long since forgotten! That day, after dinner, she took another walk through the garden of her house. It was a beautiful moonlit night! For the first time in many years, she realized that the shapes and shades of the plants and objects she walked by seemed different to her! Maybe because of her eyes, maybe because of the tranquility of her heart, or maybe because of the radiant clarity of that night! Ever since she was a little girl, she had got used to being a good observer - she was enchanted by the beauty of things and especially by the magic of the difference caused by the effect of light! A simple flower seen in the moonlight seemed different to her - it did not have the same brightness and beauty when, in broad daylight, the star king shone down on her, yet it was the same flower! This made her reflect on the form and essence of things - even though they were the same, to our senses everything is configured differently. As she wandered through those thoughts, Li came to a conclusion: things and beings, including people, are very dependent on each other, even in the image they give of themselves. These thoughts reminded her of her first encounter with Zeng, when he appeared among the schoolmaster candidates. From the very beginning she felt an intense light in his eyes (from then on Zeng had focused his attention on Li and this one had in her image the reflection of his fascination) - without realizing it, they had let themselves be caught in the meshes of passion...!
On the way back from the walk in the garden, Li noticed the reclining chair, which her mother had left forgotten by the old tree hours before. Li sat down (the night mirrored a particularly pleasant moonlight) and, enveloped by the serenity of the moment, she let herself fall asleep. Soon after, she failed to answer her mother’s call, nor did she feel her approaching, who, without interrupting her sleep, gathered back to the house, with a smile on her lips. Some time later Li awoke - hours had passed for her! She had had a dream, pleasant and intense, so when she woke up, she went to meet her mother to tell her. As she entered the house, she noticed that she had already retired to her room. However, not wanting to leave it until the next day to tell her about that dream, Li knocked.
- Mom, is it still possible to talk to you?!
-Of course, my dear. Oh, come in! What’s that face?! What can I do for you?
- That’s exactly why I want to talk to you!
- I confess, I don’t understand! Can you be more precise?
- You’ll understand! When I sat in the rest chair you left outside, I fell asleep. Then I had a strangedream that I want to share with you. What I have to tell you won’t take more than a few minutes, can I?
- I’m always available; do tell me what you have to say!
- So here it is... “The first images appeared at a time that seemed to be the present. We lived in a kingdom of vast territory on whose throne a small king sat. Because of his tender age, the decisions of governance were made in his place by a cunning, cruel and manipulative queen. In that kingdom the court was surrounded by the greatest luxury, while outside the palace the people lived with great difficulties, burdened with taxes. Despite the constant complaints of the population, the queen remained on the throne and with her back turned to the people, caring little for their suffering. When the successor came of age, already with full rights over the throne, the queen cunningly induced him to take part in a royal hunt from where he returned dead. In addition to the protests that were heard throughout the kingdom, the queen usurped the throne for her own benefit. And despite the constant outbreaks of revolt of the people and aggressions of neighboring kingdoms, her reign was long. When the queen finally felt that her end was near, she put her nephew in her place. With her death, the successor, still of a young age, was transformed by the military into a powerless figure. I remember that after this I had another dream, but from the images I realized that I had gone back to the time when the queen was still ruling, yet showing a different reality. It was a bright sunny day, I was walking along the path that led to the village and in the distance I saw a young man coming towards me, riding a horse of a shining white. As he approached, he smiled at me and said that the girl I was holding by the hand was also his daughter. At that moment I became aware that I was not walking alone and that I was holding a child. The young man stretched out his hands and raised the child, putting her in front of him on the horse back, and then he did the same to me. We left towards the village. When we arrived there many people from the village came to meet us and threw flowers at our passage and waved to us happily! Through the following images and as time went by we began to rise in the air towards the sky. As I looked back, I realized that a trail of light had formed with many stars following us! Then those stars began to fall on the earth, becoming people, multiplying and spreading across all continents! They lived in peace, with joy, without hatred or war. At the same time as all this was happening, I was invaded by a feeling of immense happiness... Then I woke up!”- What does this strange dream mean, Mother?!
- I don’t know! I only know that the gods have many ways of showing us their purposes!4
4. From the romance between Li and Zeng was born a daughter, Lili, who, years later, continued, not only the school created by her mother, but also the Import and Export business that expanded throughout Europe.
Aimlessly 19th century
With the first rays of sun the city slowly woke up for another day. Everywhere there were signs of gradual awakening. The morning was fresh and bright. The girls and other palace staff began their preparations for another event very early in the morning, so that there was nothing missing for the main meal of the day for the about nine thousand guests. For the widowed Empress, it was just another day among many, since these events represented the way she had to present herself in the social and political life of the nation.
When the Emperor passed away, the palace’s finances were under control, so Empress Xi did not have to worry about financial management. Luxury extended to all the Empress’ acts and were now the golden rule. Meals acquired an additional reason for pleasure and extension of her social life. More than ten thousand guests often gathered at the table with a rich and varied menu - sometimes more than a hundred different dishes were served. In social life the Empress had an open attitude; however, in political activity she tried to be restrictive. At first, she made an effort to keep a daily agenda similar to that of the Emperor. In the morning she dealt with the affairs of the State, received noblemen and provincial authorities and foreign delegations. Over the years she gradually delegated the Palace Administration and a large part of her public functions to Zhu. As a result of this gradual detachment from the realities of governance and increased influence of the eunuchs in the life of the palace, the discontent of the noblemen and military as well as the provincial representatives grew.
A few years later...
As a result of the Empress’ growing self-disengagement from public life, an event would mark her reign forever, initiating a profound political change with devastating consequences for the entire Empire. Still very early, the officials had not even started their usual tasks and already a large number of senior military officers entered the palace, being led by the deputy of Zhu to the palace of Harmony to be received. The Empress had once again delegated the task to her advisor, to the displeasure of all the participants. The hearing began shortly afterwards, presided over by Zhu. For the uniqueness of the meeting, here we leave some of the records:
- I ask your understanding for the absence of Her Excellency, the Empress, who, for very particular reasons, could not be present. However, all matters dealt with here will be known to her and decided as quickly as possible.
After several considerations Zhu gave the floor to the Admiral in charge of the Navy who, after giving a brief description of the conflict that occurred in territorial waters with foreign forces, moved on to the main subject.
-We need a reinforcement of facilities, particularly in warships. The defense of the empire and the best interests of the Nation demand urgency in the treatment of this matter. The new boats will make it possible to effectively repel the attacks by foreign armed forces we’ve been subjected to. Our petition includes a comprehensive description of all urgent needs and respective cost estimates,