222 THE CHINESE DRAGON. night was then changed to mid-day brightness by a profusion of sparkling candelabra, and pillars of rings of fire, calling forth the admiration of every spectator. And now came the climax, the last and best of all,—the Chinese dragon glittering in all his glory, surrounded with banners of all kinds, and thousands and thousands of winged creatures. On the back of the dragon burst forth, in blue lights, a gorgeous figure of the emperor, which shortly changed to glowing yellow and dazzling white. Over the head of the emperor rose a glowing canopy of green, the air was rent with the roar of ten thousand reports, and a volcanolike crater flung up apparently to the skies a flight of rockets, that in number and intensity of brightness excited universal astonishment. CHAPTER XXIV. COURT. GOVERNMENT. INSTITUTIONS. TRIBUNALS, AND MANDARINS. The Emperor is the Head and the High Priest of the Empire. An Imperial Procession.-Edicts of the Emperor written in Red.-Two Principal Courts.-Imperial Cabinet and Privy Council.-Ecclesiastical and Literary Establishments.-The Six Principal Boards.-The Ly-fan-yuen and Too-cha-yuen. -Penal Code.-Mandarins. It is possible that the same thing may have been said by me before; but if so, I will say it again, that, for many reasons, I have made up my mind never to be emperor of China. If Taou Kwang reigns over his three hundred million Chinese and Tartars till I dethrone him, his "tigers of war" may keep their swords scabbarded, for the gates of the imperial palace will never be broken. If you want to possess a little more trouble than ordinary, I will tell you how to obtain it :— With sceptre in hand, climb a throne and sit there, If to reign over a great number of people con 224 THE HIGH PRIEST OF THE EMPIRE. stitutes greatness, and if greatness renders a human being happy, then is the emperor of China the greatest and the happiest man under the canopy of the skies. Greatness, however, has its cares; and, no doubt, there are seasons when Taou Kwang would readily enough fall in with the sentiment, "Then, happy low, lie down! Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." The emperor, among his manifold titles, is called "Interpreter of the Decrees of Heaven, and his will is the supreme law, from which there is no appeal. He appoints his successor; the lives of his subjects are in his hands; and with the breath of his lips he can destroy the poor and the rich, the vicious and the virtuous, at his pleaThis is a fearful power to possess ; a fright sure. ful responsibility to bear. He is the High Priest of the empire, and as such is frequently occupied in wearisome ceremonials and processions. Pay attention to the following description of an imperial procession to the temple dedicated to Teën, or Heaven :-" This imperial procession was headed by twenty-four drummers, and as many trumpeters: next to them were an equal number of men armed with red varnished staves, seven or eight feet long, and adorned with golden foliage. Then followed one hundred soldiers carrying halberds, ending in a crescent, and gilded at the end; then four hundred THE EMPEROR, THE KINGS, AND MANDARINS. 225 torches, made of wood, which burn for a long time, and yield a great light; two hundred spears, some set off with flowing silk of various colours, others with tails of panthers, foxes, and other animals ; twenty-four banners, painted with the signs of the zodiac; fifty-six banners, exhibiting the fifty-six constellations, into which all the stars are divided; two hundred fans, supported by long gilded sticks, painted with figures of dragons, birds, and animals; twenty-four umbrellas, richly adorned; and a beaufet, carried by officers of the kitchen, and furnished with gold utensils, such as basins, ewers, &c. The emperor followed on horseback, with a grave, majestic air, pompously dressed; on each side of him was carried a rich umbrella, large enough to shade both him and his horse: he was surrounded with ten white horses, led, whose saddles and bridles were enriched with gold and precious stones; one hundred spearmen, and the pages of the bedchamber. "After this appeared, in the same order, the princes of the blood, the kings, the principal mandarins, and the lords of his court, in their habits of ceremony; five hundred young gentlemen belonging to the palace; one thousand footmen in red. gowns, embroidered with flowers, and stars of gold and silver; then thirty-six men carried an open chair, followed by another that was close and much larger, supported by one hundred chairmen. Lastly came four large chariots, two drawn by elephants, 226 THE PRINCIPAL COURTS. and two by horses, covered with embroidered housings; each chair and chariot had one hundred and fifty men following it for its guard. The procession was closed by two thousand civilians, and as many military mandarins, in magnificent habits of ceremony." The edicts of the emperor are written in red. "The vermilion pencil" is the instrument with which he makes known his decrees. While alive, thousands regard him as a god. "One God in heaven, and one Ta-an-lang-te (emperor) on earth," say the Chinese; for they strangely think all the earth is beneath his control; and when he dies, the whole of his subjects go into mourning. The empress also is highly regarded; and while the emperor is the representative of Heaven, she personates the Earth. The imperial family, the princes of the blood, are created kings at the pleasure of the emperor. There are two principal courts in China: the first of them is composed of the princes of the blood alone, and the second consists of the same princes, with the addition of ministers of state. You would not be much interested were I to give you a lengthy account of the Imperial Cabinet and Privy Council. I ought, however, to tell you that in the cabinet there are four principal members, of supposed wisdom and probity: they are alternately Mantchow Tartars and Chinese, with two assistants. With these the emperor, on every state affair, confers. |