She was weighed down in silks, precious jewels, and furs, but Xiang gui ren–
Ah.
Xiang pin had never felt lighter.
“Lai Huifen,” The female official cried out, “Has served His Majesty as an earnest and virtuous wife. On account of Her Highness The Empress’ grace and Her Highness De gui fei’s care, she is to be promoted to Imperial Concubine Xiang,”
Xiang pin accepted the Imperial rites from the official and smiled up at De gui fei. Her jiejie woke at the crack of dawn to help her into her very own Imperial Concubine chaofu. Now, she sat at The Empress' elbow, beaming right back at her. For the happy occasion, De gui fei wore a fuchsia outfit embroidered with golden chrysanthemums. The Empress sat at the head of the room in a bright red changyi peppered with yellow and white peonies, the white fox fur edging her waistcoat shining brilliantly. The only one dressed more festively than they were was Yikungong itself. Swaths of red and green fabric draped the pillars and windows. Fat bows of red silk dotted the room. The gold and yellow tables glowed.
Lai Huifen, an orphaned prostitute, had somehow become an Imperial Concubine. She could hardly believe it. As horrible as these last few months had been, Xiang pin chose to see this as an auspicious sign. The New Year would be different as an Imperial Concubine. Fewer people could look down on her and would think twice before trying to start trouble. With this promotion, everyone could see what a risk they were taking trying to attack her. His Majesty loved her enough to risk wagging tongues and promoted her anyway. She was no longer an easy target.
The ceremony came to an end with the deep bang of a gong. She and De gui fei took their leave and, arm in arm, began to walk back home.
“I had the Imperial Kitchen make us our own New Year's feast to celebrate,” said De gui fei.
Xiang pin smiled, “Hmm, jiejie is so eager to fatten me up. Trying a new technique to steal His Majesty away from me?”
“Fatten?” Said De gui fei, “If this breeze blew any stronger, you’d fly away!”
“Aiyo! Jiejie is such a smooth talker, but I know the truth! Ah, but who can blame her when His Majesty speaks of her beautiful neck and elegant hands that copy scripture so delicately?”
The servants tried to stifle their laughter. Molan was doing a particularly terrible job of it.
Xiang pin pretended to swoon into Jiayi’s arms, “How could she want to be away from His Majesty when he always speaks of her soft, clear voice that soothes even the King of Hell himself? How–“
De gui fei’s ears and neck were as red as Yikungong’s auspicious decorations.
“Stop–stop this nonsense at once! How dare you speak like this in public!”
“Eh? Nonsense? I would never! Hupo, don’t you think His Majesty would say something like that about your mistress?”
Hupo nodded, her cheeks pink from mirth, “Of course! Her Highness is all that and more!”
“You! You! All of you are ungrateful!” De gui fei said. She pulled her arm away and walked ahead, “I’ll have the servants throw the food away,”
Xiang pin tugged her back, laughing, “Jiejie, don’t be mean!”
Their laughter stopped abruptly when a raised chair approached them from a distance. It was Shen huang gui fei.
“Wishing Your Highness peace,” they greeted.
“Rise,”
“Xiang meimei,” Shen huang gui fei said from her perch, “I hope my congratulations aren’t too late,"
Xiang pin smiled, “A kind word from you is always right on time, Your Highness,”
Shen huang gui fei laughed, “You really have the bearing of an Imperial Concubine now. We should all be scared of you. Before we know it, we’ll have to call you Xiang fei,” her eyes cut to De gui fei, “Maybe even Xiang gui fei,”
Sly bitch.
Xiang pin laughed, "I’m not worthy. If someone like me stood next to De jiejie, wouldn’t it cheapen the title?”
“Hmm, De meimei looks different today. I haven’t seen you in that sort of thing for years. Did Huahuan have a hand in it?”
“It is fashionable, isn’t it, jiejie?” Said Xiang pin, “De jiejie had it made for my promotion ceremony. It’s the latest fashion in the capital,”
“It has been lively in Chengqiangong, hasn’t it? I should thank you, Xiang meimei. I don’t think De meimei has had a single friend since marrying in. Though, things will quiet down when you move into your own palace,”
Own palace?
As excited as Xiang pin was for her promotion, she never thought about the fact that as an Imperial Concubine, she was entitled to that. The thought of living away from De gui fei made a pit open in her stomach.
"I–"
“I thank Shen jiejie for her concern," De gui fei said, stopping Xiang pin's words, "I admit, I’ve grown used to meimei's company and will find myself out of sorts when she leaves,”
Then a smile that Xiang pin had never seen appeared on De gui fei’s face, “Huabao was left in Mongolia all those months ago, and Shen jiejie is always so rosy and chipper. If you could instruct me on the best way to fill an empty palace, I would be grateful,”
The temperature cooled further as De gui fei and Shen huang gui fei locked eyes.
Shen huang gui fei eventually dipped her head.
“De meimei is too kind. When it comes to loneliness, wouldn’t someone with a tag as pristine as yours be the expert? Well, the cold is getting to me. I’ll be on my way,”
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“Sending Your Highness of with respect,”
“Jiejie…” Xiang pin said, reaching out to touch De gui fei’s arm, “I’m not leaving. I don’t care about those silly rules, I–“
De gui fei shook her head, “Let’s hurry back before the food gets cold,”
The rest of the walk back was somber, but at the sight of The Emperor’s raised chair parked outside of Chengqiangong's corridor, raised her spirit.
“His Majesty is here!” Said Xiang pin, tugging De gui fei along.
The eunuch at the gates announced their arrival, and Zhang Wei came to meet them.
“Your Highnesses, His Majesty is waiting inside for you,”
De gui fei pulled her arm away, "I'll–"
"Let’s go jiejie. We shouldn’t keep His Majesty waiting,” Xiang pin said, taking custody of De gui fei's arm again.
“Er–meimei, I think His Majesty only means to have a meal with you,” said De gui fei.
“Aiya, how can I kick you out of your palace?” Said Xiang pin, ignoring De gui fei’s whispered protests and walking inside, “His Majesty won’t complain! He’s having dinner with two beautiful women instead of just one!”
As eager as she was to greet The Emperor, Xiang pin was struck dumb when she walked inside. It looked better than Yikungong. Frankly, Yikungong couldn't hold a candle to the decorations in here! Every surface was bursting with red, green, and gold sashes, curtains, and flags. Auspicious poems and scrolls dotted the room. Lao zí* of all kinds hung from the ceiling. And right in the center was the largest portrait of herself that she’d ever seen! She sat in the center, donned in her chaofu, Yiqiang by her side and Thunder by her feet. Xiang pin turned to Jiayi.
“You! You! Are you a witch? When did this happen?”
Jiayi blushed, “De gui fei asked the moment you told her of your promotion, Your Highness. I’ve had plenty of time,”
“And look at all these knots," said Xiang pin, “there have to be hundreds! Jiejie, you didn’t do this all by yourself, right? You only have two hands!”
“She did,”
His Majesty strolled towards them with a soft smile on his face. Xiang pin’s knees didn’t have the chance to hit the ground before His Majesty waived away the formalities and helped her upright again. He walked over to one of the knots and ran his thumb over one of the thick red cords.
“When it comes to lao zí, no one can rise above De gui fei,” he said.
“Your Majesty exaggerates,” De gui fei replied, “Anyone could do this with a bit of work,”
The Emperor shook his head and lifted up the golden knot hanging below the scent pouch tied to his waist.
“A dragon?” Xiang pin gasped, "Jiejie, made a dragon knot?”
“Almost 20 years ago,”
“It looks brand new,” Xiang pin said, running her fingers over the pristine thread, “Jiejie–“
De gui fei couldn’t stand any more of their praise because she quickly ushered them to the table filled with their small banquet. De gui fei stepped back to take the seat across from The Emperor but Xiang pin suddenly had an idea. She plopped herself down, leaving De gui fei to sit next to His Majesty.
Shen huang gui fei was right, His Majesty rarely flipped De gui fei’s tag. But she planned on changing that. All the two needed was a push in the right direction.
After Jiayi filled her cup, Xiang pin raised it.
“I’d like to make a toast,”
De gui fei filled her and The Emperor’s cups.
“I toast to His Majesty for giving me the honor of becoming an Imperial Concubine. I toast to jiejie; a woman so perfect she only comes second to The Empress. May your New Year be filled with health, longevity, and peace,”
The Emperor laughed, “Of course!” He said and drank.
De gui fei gaped at her for a moment before sipping her wine. Xiang pin kept polite conversation with The Emperor as they began their meal. She didn’t personally place food on his plate or feed him from her own hand. What questions he asked, she managed to steer them back to De gui fei. When the meal was over, De gui fei looked flustered. By the way she was wringing her hands, Xiang pin knew De gui fei was going to try to make an escape.
"Your Majesty, jiejie has beaten me soundly in every weiqi† game we've played. Will you avenge me?" she asked with a pout.
"Always," He replied, "Prince Han isn't much of a challenge these days,"
"Lovely! I'll even play for you both,"
When her guzheng arrived, Xiang pin plucked out a sweet tune, glancing up occasionally. His Majesty and De gui fei moved the stone pieces across the board, gently grazing fingers. The sharp tang of betrayal curled Xiang pin's lips as she watched The Emperor give De gui fei a look that she'd privately claimed as her own.
Taking a deep breath, she continued her song. The pain surprised her. She wasn’t ignorant of the fact that His Majesty spent his days and nights with women other than her. She was more than well aware that she occupied only the smallest piece of his heart. She just hadn't expected it to hurt so much to see him look that way at someone else. When the final note fled from her strings, Xiang pin stood.
“I won't take any more of jiejie's time. I'll take my leave,”
“You’ve had a long day,” The Emperor said, “Rest well,”
She walked away carefully, ignoring the tickle in the back of her throat when His Majesty didn’t walk away with her.
✺
Shen huang gui fei let the icy wind whip across her face as she stared at the eunuch scurrying out of the courtyard. His Majesty would be spending the night with De gui fei, he informed, so she need not wait on his arrival.
She curled her lips into an ugly smile.
“De gui fei, De gui fei,” she said, “You should’ve stayed in the background where you belonged,”
✺
The Empress Dowager scrutinized the ring on her finger. A diamond the size of a quail’s egg was nice, but not nice enough. She handed it to a maid.
“Bring me the pearl ring, the one with the jade band,” she said.
Jerjer tucked another golden chai into her dianzi**, adding to the dazzling array, of jade, coral, amber, and pearls. It was the one time of year when the other dowagers still in the capital would see her again and she was determined to remind them of their place. Every year they had to suffer and bow their heads to the woman they used to think was nothing. So no, she couldn’t just look good, she had to look amazing.
“Your Highness, the banquet will start soon,” a eunuch said.
“The banquet starts when Her Highness arrives,” replied Jerjer.
The Empress Dowager admired herself in the mirror for a few moments longer before sighing, “Let’s not deprive them of my presence any longer,”
She stood and allowed Jerjer to wrap her in a golden cloak edged with black mink before walking to her raised chair. The cool air cleared her mind. So what if she took a chance on a maid who was too stupid to do what she was told? There would be many more before her and after her. That Xiang woman may have become an Imperial Concubine but it seemed that luck was still on The Empress Dowager’s side. Xiang pin was barren. All that time in His Majesty’s bed and not a single sign of a child.
Early that morning, the shamans came and danced to wash away the bad luck. Jerjer hand picked each maid and eunuch who set foot in Cininggong, ensuring that what happened to Huaguang would never happen again. The Empress Dowager could feel it in her bones.
This year would be her year.
Jerjer helped The Empress Dowager descend from the chair and the eunuchs announced her.
“Her Highness The Empress Dowager has arrived!”
The banquet hall doors opened and every single person dropped to their knees. They chorused their greetings to her, eager to curry favor with the most powerful woman in the world.
She slowed her strut to her place at the head of the hall when she noticed a woman standing defiantly in the crowd. The woman raised her head and a flash of fear sliced at The Empress Dowager so powerfully that it jellied her knees. It only took one weak step for The Empress Dowager to plummet to the ground. Pain lanced through her body, hot and white.
The room devolved into hysterics. Through the commotion, only one thought ran through The Empress Dowager’s head.
Dowager Noble Consort Ling had come back to finish the job.
–––––––––––
*The art of Chinese knotting
† Strategy board game that originated in China
**In the manchu language is literally translated as a “hat ring”. this “hat ring” referred to the kind of hat supported by a circular iron wire in its rim. The base of a dianzi is usually made of thin rattan strips or wires wrapped with black silk, and woven into check or coin patterns, or other auspicious designs. gemstones and pearls are fixed onto the hat base in various auspicious patterns. dianzi is usually worn by noble women for special occasions, like weddings and birthday ceremonies, and traditional festivals.