chapter 11

The door groaned open.

A hand with a jadeite prayer bracelet swept to the right, knocking off a precious white-glaze eight immortals vase from the table. Such an imperial treasure that took three years to make was reduced to a pile of trash.

Concubine Jia witnessed this scene upon entering the room. A few shards landed by her feet, and she retreated a few steps from fear. Her voice trembled a bit as she said, “Your Highness, the Noble Consort, why the sudden burst of anger?”

Chuxiu Palace¹ was something out of a dream, exquisite and noble in appearance. Especially with a display cabinet of famous antiques. Inside was full to the brim of gold, silver, and jade. Full of antique vases that cost more than a life and treasures that couldn’t be properly described with words. A jade pillow used by Lady Shi of the West², the pipa used by Wang Zhaojun³, the dangling night pearl earrings worn by Diaochan⁴, the rainbow basin that Noble Consort Yang⁵ often used to hold lychees. All of this was shoved to the ground by Noble Consort Hui. Breathing hard, she said, “It’s none of your business! Get out! Scram as far as you can!”

Concubine Jia helplessly retreated. She pulled aside a palace maid standing by the door. “What happened?”

The palace maid softly said, “Your honored self⁶ has no idea. Noble Consort was fine just a while ago, but as soon as she received a painting from His Majesty, the Ban Ji’s Refusal⁷, Her Majesty became like this.”

Concubine Jia thought for a moment, then started to push the door open to walk inside again. With a smile, she said, “Your Highness, I heard that the emperor gifted you the painting ‘Ban Ji’s Refusal.’ Congratulations!”

“What’s there to congratulate?” Noble Consort Hui was so angry her face was turning green. “Emperor Cheng of Han invited Ban Jie Yu to ride his large palanquin with him. But she refused him. Because of this, the commoners and the high-ranked officials knew her as Consort Xian⁸. So the emperor is warning me to be a Consort who knows and abides by protocol!”

Concubine Jia said, “Your Highness, you’ve been mistaken…”

“It’s all for the sake of that woman!” Noble Consort Hui knocked down another jade basin. Then she paced about in the room, her face full of anxious resentment. “As soon as she entered the palace, she became the Qing dynasty’s most noble empress. Her annual allowance is fifty kilograms of silver⁹. That’s twenty kilograms more than me. Changchun Palace uses utensils made of pure gold. Chuxiu Palace is stuck using silver. She gets to use a Yijia procession. I’m stuck using a Yizhang! Even for the holidays gifts, I also get less than her! Fine! This palace¹⁰ can let those slide. Back then in Yanhui Loft, I was standing close to His Majesty. A grown adult, yet he still could not see me! Both his eyes and his heart could only see that woman! If I can endure this, then what can I not endure¹¹? The emperor gifted me this painting to tell me I have overstepped my boundaries! That I have bullied his precious empress!”

“Your Highness.” Concubine Jia rushed over, her voice soft and calming. “You’ve misunderstood His Majesty’s intentions.”

“Oh?” Noble Consort Hui arched a brow. She sent a sideways glance Concubine Jia’s direction. “Explain. How did I misunderstand him?”

“His Majesty did not only bestow the ‘Banji’s Refusal.’ Zhongcui Palace received ‘Empress Xu’s Case’¹² and Qixiang Palace received ‘Empress Jiang Unravels Her Hair’¹³. Even the empress received a painting, the ‘Tai Si Teaching Her Sons,¹⁴’” said Concubine Jia.

Noble Consort Hui asked, “She got one too? What is the meaning of the ‘Tai Si Teaching Her Sons’ painting?”

“In this Imperial Concubine’s¹⁵ opinion, His Majesty wants for the harem to imitate the virtues of those women displayed in the paintings,” said Concubine Jia, smiling. Not quite answering the question. “Why should Your Highness get upset because of this?”

Hearing that the empress also received a painting, Noble Consort Hui had her bad mood decrease by half. She sat down on her chair. The maid next to her quickly gave Noble Consort Hui a cup of tea. After she took a sip, the corners of her lips tilted upward. She graced Concubine Jia with a slow smile. “You have quite a glib tongue, always saying what this palace wants to hear.”

Concubine Jia averted her gaze, looking down. “This Imperial Concubine doesn’t dare, and is only helping Your Highness relieve stress.”

“Keep talking.” Noble Consort Hui ordered. “This palace does not believe His Majesty gave those paintings without an intention behind it. In your opinion, what is His Majesty’s intention?”

For palace maids to survive in the Forbidden City, they must be observant, clever, and pay attention to what they hear. When the masters, those at the top of the hierarchy, cough once, those on the bottom must discern the meaning behind the cough just by the sound. Were the masters thirsty or sick? Should they give the masters tea or medicine? The emperor had only bestowed a few paintings, yet the receivers of the paintings were left pondering until the next day.

Concubine Jia spent a moment to gather her thoughts. Then she said, “His Majesty bestowed twelve paintings all at once. If this Imperial Concubine were to guess, these twelve paintings stand for the virtues the emperor wants to see in his women. For example, ‘Consort Xu’s Blunt Refute of the Emperor’ illustrates his hopes that his concubines would tell him when he has wronged. When the Tang dynasty’s Emperor Taizong committed a mistake, his Consort Xu bluntly told him what his mistake was. And ‘Empress Cao’s Physiocracy’¹⁶…”

“‘Empress Cao’s Physiocracy?’” As soon as Noble Consort Hui heard the painting’s name, she burst into laughter. The jeweled hanging ornaments in her hair trembled. “Who’s the one with such bad luck to get this painting? Does His Majesty want her to tend a field?”

“He hopes that that person will be like Emperor Renzong’s Empress Cao of the Song dynasty. Dressing plainly, living frugally, and paying attention to agriculture,” said Concubine Jia. “It’s not a big deal. This Imperial Concubine has heard that another person received the painting, ‘Consort Blocking a Bear¹⁷.’”

“Oh my! This palace’s stomach!” Noble Consort Hui held her stomach as she laughed. She rocked back and forth in her seat. Any more and she would have fallen off. “So who was this person? Did His Majesty warn her not to block people, to not think the bear is blind?”

“His Majesty hopes the receiver of this painting is like its topic, Consort Feng. During times of danger, she will use her life to protect the emperor.”

After Concubine Jia explained all twelve paintings, Noble Consort Hui once again held her stomach as she laughed uncontrollably. A thoughtful gleam to her eyes, she said, “So if that’s the case, this means His Majesty wants us to be beautiful, frugal, practice filial piety, and kill tigers and bears with our bare hands?”

“Yes,” said Concubine Jia. The smile never left her lips until now. “Your Highness is very smart, understanding it in one shot.”

Noble Consort Hui sucked in a laugh. Then she lost interest and leaned back in her seat. She tilted her head toward the ceiling, and muttered, “So does he want a woman or a god?”

Tonight, sleep would escape everyone.

Some people would toss and turn in bed. Others would anxiously wonder if the painting was supposed to resemble themselves. In Yangxin Palace¹⁸, the most noble person under the heavens also had not gone to bed, still reading memorials under the candlelight.

Candlelight cast a shade of gold upon his profile. Under such a light, he seemed divine. His demeanor serious, as one looking down at the world from the peak¹⁹. The servants of the palace respectfully obeyed his every order, hoping that he would cast them a glance once.

“Your Majesty.” Li Yu, a head eunuch who had worked in the palace for a long time, approached Hongli. He held a tray in his hand. “The empress has sent over some evening snacks. Your Highness should take a break.”

Sitting on the tray was a bowl of Rock Candy Pear Soup²⁰. Hongli took a few sips. It tasted clear and sweet. He leaned against his chair, closed his eyes, and said, “Did anything out of the ordinary happen these past few days?”

“What does Your Majesty want to know?” said Li Yu with a smile.

“Anything is fine,” Hongli said in a lazy manner. “Did anything interesting happen in the harem? Tell Us so that We will wake up.”

Although the imperial harem seemed large, in reality it wasn’t. There were only a few masters. The majority of the population was made up of palace maids and eunuchs. And Li Yu was the head of most of the eunuchs. Because of this, he had a lot of eyes and ears in the palace. Most of the secrets were not secrets in his position. For him, such a large inner courtyard was like a wall with many holes.

This was one of the reasons why Hongli liked to use him often. As long as Li Yu was there, the emperor was privy to all that happened in the imperial harem.

“If we’re talking about the harem, all the masters are losing sleep over the same reason.”

“Oh?” Hongli’s eyes were still closed, arms crossed in front of his chest. “What’s the reason?”

“The source of their worry are the paintings Your Majesty bestowed…” Li Yu briefly summarized Noble Consort Hui’s concerns. If she were here, she would definitely shake from fear, because of the ruckus she made. In less than two hours, Li Yu told the emperor everything. Noble Consort’s words, expressions, and actions had all been laid bare for the emperor to see. “…This is the entire case from Chuxiu Palace. Because of the painting ‘Banji’s Refusal,’ Noble Consort Hui threw a huge tantrum.”

“When has she not thrown a tantrum?” Hongli said disinterestedly. “What about the others?”

“At Consort Xian’s side, her mother came over and told her to increase the pillow talk with Your Majesty. So that her father can get promoted. But Consort Xian refused, saying that the harem must not interfere with court politics,” said Li Yu with a sigh. “Her mother left in a fury. Consort Xian did not stop her. Then she hung the painting bestowed to her, lit an incense, and prayed. ‘First, I pray that my husband will have a long life; second, I pray to be healthy; third, I pray that my husband and I will be happy together, that we may meet often.’”

Hongli opened his eyes for a second, then closed them again. “…What about the empress?”

“Her Majesty, the empress was not in a good mood,” said Li Yu. “Although she did not say anything, her two personal servant girls hid away to talk among themselves. They said…”

He looked conflicted. Impatient, Hongli pressed on, “What did they say?”

“They said… The painting is to tell the empress not to let what happened three years ago depress her. To instruct the empress not be apathetic about everything.” As Li Yu reached this part in his report, he carefully sneaked a peak at Hongli’s expression.

Three years ago, the empress’ son, the second prince, suddenly passed away,

The love between a mother and a son was very strong. The empress became a shell of herself after his death. It wasn’t until this year that her mood finally saw a slight increase. Although in other people’s eyes, she appeared to love the emperor dearly, Li Yu knew that in reality, the two of them drifted apart because of what had happened. A crack had formed in their relationship.

Naturally, this brought the emperor a headache. He no longer wanted to think about this matter.

As soon as Li Yu saw the emperor furrow his brow, he quickly dropped the topic. He could guess what the emperor was thinking from his expression. “Your Majesty, if this slave may be so bold, do these twelve paintings represent what Your Majesty desires from the concubines?”

Hongli lightly shook his head. He drank the last half of the Rock Candy Pear Soup in one gulp, then he continued reading the memorials. He did not seem to be paying them much attention, unlike before when had he focused solely on his work.

Li Yu dared to continue speaking, albeit hesitantly, prodding the waters. “Your Majesty, this slave is at the very least half a man, and has seen many women in the Forbidden City! These women are very beautiful, with curves in all the right places, and are even proficient in poetry and song. Flute and pipa²¹ and guqin²². For women to be this talented is already rare! Where can one find a thousand virtues in a single person?”

“We felt they were too leisurely,” Hongli said, without even lifting his head from his work.

Once he heard this, Li Yu couldn’t help but grunt in surprise.

“If they’re too free, they’ll make trouble to entertain themselves.” A slight smile formed on the emperor’s lips. A mischievous smile. It washed away the serious expression on his face prior. “The paintings that We bestowed will keep them busy for a while.”

The entire imperial harem wracked their brains to figure out the meaning of the twelve paintings. But in the end, they could not arrive at an answer. In fact, the answer to this question even evaded Li Yu for a moment. He muttered, “What’s the use of thinking hard for just a while?”

Hongli burst into laughter. He rolled up the parchment in his hands, and tapped it a few times on Li Yu’s head. “Because most people are as dumb as you, they will only come to the conclusion that We are reminding them to have good conduct and be virtuous²³. And in order to live up to my imagination, they will need a few days to determine how to please me. This should give Us a few days of peace and quiet!”

A gasp of surprise left Li Yu’s lips. “Your Majesty is messing with them!”

Loud laughter filled Yangxin Palace. The imperial guards at the front shared a look, puzzled by the cause of the emperor’s hearty laughter.