Chapter 563 - 341: The Selection
The gossip from the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet lingered in the Capital City for a long time. The first topic was the ranking of the three concubines, a subtle move of suppression by the Empress Dowager. The second was how the Emperor had backed Ming Fei, personally bringing the Eldest Prince to the banquet and leaving with the mother and son once it was over.
The confrontation was invisible, but its results were tangible.
After the Empress Dowager’s banquet, both the imperial court and the harem entered a period of peace. During this time, Song Yunzhao received a string of good news. First, Song Jinxuan gave birth to a son, then Song Yexi had a daughter. Song Lirong, who was married far away in Yucheng, had also had children, and Song Hongjiao was now pregnant.
Song Yunzhao was overjoyed. ’The continuation of a family requires new life to be born.’ She first prepared a gift for Song Jinxuan. Because Song Jinxuan was far away in the south, the gift had to be delivered along with the Song Family’s congratulatory presents.
Next was Song Yexi. She was married in the Capital City, so for her child’s one-month celebration, Yun Zhao had someone send over a set containing a red gold lock inlaid with gems for peace and good fortune, a golden bracelet, and other such items. She also sent Song Yexi a box of restorative medicinal herbs and a set of tortoise shell jewelry that had come as tribute from the south. It wasn’t exceptionally valuable, but the style was quite novel.
In the blink of an eye, the end of the year arrived. Feng Ze could already crawl around the room at lightning speed and couldn’t be left alone for a moment. Yun Zhao and Consort Shu were managing the various affairs of the harem. With the new year approaching, things suddenly became much busier. There was the grand New Year’s banquet, and they also had to prepare the gifts the Emperor would bestow upon various households. The gifts for the courtiers were naturally decreed from Taixi Hall, but the harem was responsible for preparing those for the noble women.
Consort Shu was accustomed to this work, and there were precedents from previous years to follow. But since this was Yun Zhao’s first time, she found it quite novel. She followed Consort Shu and studied diligently, learning a great deal in the process.
This year’s banquet was as lively as ever. Song Yunzhao had expected the Empress Dowager to try to pull some tricks, but to her surprise, the new year passed very smoothly. It was as if the Empress Dowager had run out of steam.
For the New Year’s Eve vigil, Song Yunzhao accompanied Feng Yi with her son. The other concubines naturally returned to their own palaces, and the Empress Dowager did not ask the Emperor to accompany her at Shouci Palace either.
Feng Ze was just a small child. After 9 p.m., he was so sleepy he couldn’t keep his eyes open, so Nanny Qi carried him back to be put to bed.
Only Yun Zhao and Feng Yi remained in the hall. Meng Jiuchang led his attendants and withdrew as well.
The candle flames crackled. Meeting Feng Yi’s smiling eyes, Song Yunzhao slowly blushed. When fireworks exploded in the sky, Feng Yi pressed her into the bed hangings, and they clung to each other in a desperate, passionate embrace.
’This New Year’s Eve vigil was certainly different from the usual.’
After the new year and the Lantern Festival, the court returned to its normal work rhythm. For Yun Zhao, it was time to begin preparations for the concubine selection.
The Ministry of Revenue was the department in charge of the concubine selection, and the scope was, naturally, the entire country. Any woman of the correct age who was healthy and without disabilities could participate in the review. They were chosen level by level, starting from each Prefecture and County, with the most outstanding and beautiful being sent to the Capital City.
When the court convened at the start of the year, the Ministry of Revenue submitted a memorial requesting a decree for the concubine selection. After receiving the Emperor’s approval, the order was dispatched to all regions.
Local officials across the country would choose local women who met the criteria to participate. The most exceptional among them were sent to the various prefectural seats for another round of selection. After this screening by the regional Magistrates, the selected concubines were sent to the Capital City.
After arriving in the Capital City, the Ministry of Revenue would conduct another selection, choosing the finest women to await inspection in the palace.
Only the women who made it into the palace were qualified to come before the Emperor’s concubines for the final selection.
It may not have been an ordeal of passing five gates and slaying six generals, but the competition was still incredibly fierce.
After hearing the entire process, Song Yunzhao thought, ’I really had it easy during my own selection; the process was so much simpler.’
Ever since the Ministry of Revenue submitted the memorial to start the concubine selection, gossip had been rampant both inside and outside the palace. Yun Zhao, in particular, could feel the change in atmosphere. After all, she now occupied the top seat in the harem. Everyone wanted to pull her down, to use her as a stepping stone to win the Emperor’s favor and climb higher.
Before the selection began, Song Yunzhao had anticipated how she might react, but when the time finally came, she discovered she was perfectly calm.
This calmness surprised even her.
’A concubine selection every three years. This is just my first three-year mark in the palace; there will be many more to come.’
Perhaps because Yun Zhao was too calm, she could sense that Feng Yi seemed to be in a very foul mood. Yet whenever she looked at him, he would pretend that nothing was wrong.
Song Yunzhao didn’t understand at first, but she slowly began to.
As the concubines from various regions arrived in the Capital City one after another, Song Yunzhao noticed that the time Feng Yi spent pinning her down in the bed curtains each night grew longer and longer.
Song Yunzhao now understood what he was sulking about, but she refused to play along. She would rather have their nightly tussles behind the bed curtains than be the first to give in.
Although Feng Yi’s influence at court had grown significantly and his imperial authority was increasing by the day, he was still unable to stop the concubine selection.
’Besides,’ she thought, ’I’m not even sure what Feng Yi is really thinking, or if he even wants to call off the selection at all.’
The two of them had suddenly and inexplicably entered a strange phase.
Even Consort Shu could see that something was amiss. She came over one day with the Beauty List, and upon seeing Song Yunzhao’s poor complexion and the large, dark circles under her eyes, she assumed Yun Zhao was losing sleep over the concubine selection.
As an experienced woman of the palace, Consort Shu looked at Yun Zhao and advised, "You have the Eldest Prince on your side. Even if someone new catches the Emperor’s eye, they won’t be able to surpass you anytime soon. What are you afraid of?"
Song Yunzhao: ...
’Thanks, but I’m not comforted at all. In fact, it feels like she was taking a jab at me.’
Song Yunzhao also felt her own vexation was absurd, yet she couldn’t shake it. She had thought everything through clearly, and she and Feng Yi had a wonderful rapport, but things were just... awkward.
In truth, Song Yunzhao knew why. It was because she was starting to care.
’Six months ago, I wouldn’t have been so hung up on this. A concubine selection? So what? My looks can still hold up. What does it matter if new women enter the palace?’
’I’m not afraid.’
’I’m still not afraid now, but things feel different.’
Before the concubine selection, Feng Ze’s first birthday was approaching. Feng Yi wanted to hold a grand first-birthday banquet, so the palace began preparations for that event first.
Having turned one, Feng Ze could now walk on his own. Though not very steady, he was an incredibly energetic child. Ever since he could walk on his own two feet, he refused to be held.
As for the formal attire for the first-birthday banquet, even though he was only one year old, the Six Departments did not dare to be negligent. They came back and forth five or six times to take his measurements and make the clothes. Over a dozen outfits were made, for both inner and outer wear, which even Song Yunzhao felt was a bit of an exaggeration.
The people from the Clothing Bureau said this was nothing, explaining that because the Eldest Prince was so young and could easily soil his clothes, they had to make several extra sets as backups.
Song Yunzhao felt that made sense. The palace had its own rules and procedures, and she had no intention of trying to change them. The previous steward of the Clothing Bureau hadn’t been on good terms with her, but ever since Yun Zhao’s rank had risen higher and higher, the two had coexisted peacefully. At the end of last year, that steward was transferred. The newly appointed steward was very attentive to the affairs of Yaohua Palace, and everything from the New Year’s banquet attire to the new spring clothes was made to her great satisfaction.
"Take a look at this," Consort Shu said, pushing the booklet at her side toward Song Yunzhao.
"What is this?" Song Yunzhao looked at Consort Shu with suspicion. It was neither the guest list for the first-birthday banquet nor the list for the concubine selection.