The Imperial Concubine

Chapter 6

Once again, the sun had set and l heard the beating of the drums to show the change of the hour. My maids had not yet come back so l was in my room plotting my own schemes. 'Since l'm the highest ranked out of all the women here, l will have to get married either to the chief or a high ranking official in the plains. And being a Di daughter, l have to be either the main wife or the cefei. Naturally, it would be better to marry the chief so l must throw myself into these lessons and become the most ideal wife: elegant yet wild.'

After about half a shichen, both Yingyue and Guyue returned bearing good news that my orders were well received. All l could do now was wait for the next day. So l prepared for sleep and entered my bed hoping to have a dreamless sleep. 

The next day, l awoke at dawn, ready to start the period of lessons. Yingyue and Guyue both helped me with my appearance and l ended up wearing a pale green hanfu with flowing sleeves and in my hair, elaborate jade hair pins were inserted. Rising from my stool near the mirror, l examined myself before saying: "Not bad. Shall we go then?"

Guyue supported me and led me out into the clearing to wait with the other women. I put on airs so that none of the women would approach me easily. I did not want to have to tolerate scheming talks and hurtful words being aimed right at me. Instead, l waited patiently until a mama came. Once the mama arrived, we all curtisied and she arranged all of us into two lines. Then she immediately gave each of our personal maids a teacup and put it on our heads for posture practice.

We all had to walk gracefully from one end of the clearing to the other while reciting poetry and confucian texts. Everytime a lady stumbled, her legs would be hit and even more so if she stumbled and did not recite. I was hit a few times due to my lack of concentration but it was just so that the mama could look impartial. As an imperial daughter, l should not be treated like this but l had no connections in the palace that supported me.

"Ladies, continue walking gracefully in one line. This is basic palace ettiquette and you shall be evaluated based on this."

'Why would we even need to be evaluated if we were going to the barbarian's camp?' I wondered but stopped trying to think about the emperor's actions logically.

While everyone else was walking, Mi Yanwan suddenly fell and injured her face slightly. She screamed in pain and the other ladies ran away from her in fear! Her personal maid quickly pulled her to her feet and then sent her other maid to get a gaue mask to cover her face. I averted my eyes and instead concentrated on maintaining my posture. Mi Yanwan was then escorted into her room and an imperial doctor was called to wait on her. 

Guyue whispered in my ear: "It wasn't our people."

I shook my head and went back to my own residence since the ladies were too frightened to continue. It seemed that my reaction was really too hasty. There were others who could harm her first, l didn't have to personally go through all those troubles.

I had scarcely even entered my outer chamber before l noticed a maid servant kneeling on the floor. Guyue walked in front of me and asked her: "Respectfully asking, which palace's maid are you?" The maid replied: "This servant is from the Hall of Mental cultivation!" My brows raised in disbelief: "You're from the emperor's residence?" The maid stood up and said: "Replying to the Imperial princess, I am. Listen to the emperor's oral decree." Immediately, Guyue and l both knelt down and kowtowed: "Come and see us in our palace tomorrow at the hour of chen. We have things to discuss with you." We both kowtowed again before rising. The maid curtsied and left.

"Yingyue, go and arrange my palace dress for tomorrow. Make sure that l am wearing the most exquisite jewellery! After all, l'm going to visit Uncle Emperor." She left to do what l had told her whilst l sank into the settee and mulled over the day. Guyue offered me a cup of oolong which l accepted. Skimming, the surface of the tea with a cover, l drank the slightly bitter tea. My entire residence settled into a still quietness and l enjoyed the peace.

Suddenly, two eunuchs burst into the room and said: "Zhang momo requests for your imperial presence in the outer chamber." I closed my eyes and thought of the exact reason why l was being asked over. Guyue rearranged my outer robes and then we walked into the other room where we saw Mi Yanwan's maidservant kneeling on the cold floor and begging the momo for justice.

Feeling scared, l faked confidence as l walked into the room haughtily. Guyue announced my presence and everyone curtsied before l took a seat next to Zhang momo. The maidservant continued crying out mournfully: "Please avenge my master Zhang momo! She has been disgraced by the Imperial Princess! The princess even arranged for her face to be disfigured! I'm begging you!" She even banged her head on the floor and each bang filled my heart with even more fear than before.

Outraged, l hit the handle of the chair with a bang and said: "You wicked thing! How can you frame me like this? Did l ever talk to your master apart from yesterday? Don't spour nonsense and destroy my reputation!"

Zhang momo looked at me and smiled: "Naturally Imperial princess, it can't be you of course but l am here to investigate some money that had been found in the eunuch's chambers this morning." I nodded: "You can investigate that of course! But l have nothing to do with it." The momo then gestured for two servants to step forward: "That shall be found out soon. You two, check the Imperial Princess' chest. Yesterday, when all ladies arrived, they submitted the amount of taels they came with to the maintenance bureau. If the money in your chest is not the same, then you should be the culprit. I have checked all others except you."

A sense of crisis washed over me. All l had left to rely on was pure luck and God's grace. "Guyue, lead them to the chest." The two servants were led to my inner chamber to check my money while the maidservant on the floor was ignored. As time passed, l felt even more and more scared. After about half a shichen, the two servants came back and one of them whispered in Zhang momo's ear. She turned to me and smiled benevolently: "All your accounts are in order! We shall depart now." I curtsied to send her off and walked back into my inner chmabers before collapsing on the settee in relief. "Guyue, just what exactly is going on! It seems as if my actions yesterday were seriously too dumb and hasty! I almost fell into my own trap!"

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