Held in the Lonely Castle Chapter 14

 

 Held in the Lonely Castle  

 Chapter 14

Translated by : DANMEI HEAVEN

   Head Ornaments

The fifth day of the fifth month, the Dragon Boat Festival, is also known as the "Orchid Bathing Festival." From the first day of the fifth month to the day before the festival, the streets of the Eastern Capital were filled with vendors selling peach branches, willow twigs, sunflowers, calamus leaves, and Buddhist mugwort. On the day of the festival, every household displayed these at their doors along with rice dumplings, five-colored rice balls, tea, and wine as offerings. They also wove mugwort into human or tiger shapes and nailed them to their doors to ward off evil spirits. Scholars and commoners alike held feasts to celebrate.

The palace was no exception. Every gate was adorned with mugwort figures and tigers. Purple perilla, calamus, and papaya were finely chopped, mixed with fragrant herbs, and placed in plum-red boxes. Along with hundred-ribbon mugwort flowers, silver drum flowers, exquisitely painted fans, sweet candied fruits, rice dumplings, and white rice balls, these were arranged as offerings for the Dragon Boat Festival.

Additionally, the inner palace used calamus or rice-paper plant to carve statues of the Heavenly Master riding a tiger, placing them in the palace. They dyed calamus in five colors and hung it around the statues, then carved various insects and placed them atop, surrounded by sunflowers, pomegranate flowers, mugwort leaves, and blossoms, creating a dazzling display as grand as the lantern-decorated mountains of the Lantern Festival.

That day, the palace was bustling with activity. The eunuchs changed into summer robes of gauze and silk, while the palace maids wore flower-adorned crowns and carried gifts bestowed by the emperor and empress to various palaces, ministers, and the imperial clan: hundred-ribbon colored threads, delicate gold-inlaid flowers, silver drum flowers, sweet honeyed fruits, cleverly wrapped rice dumplings, five-colored beaded scripture pouches, imperial calligraphy on sunflower and pomegranate fans, mugwort tigers, and bolts of silk. The rear gardens were ablaze with sunflowers and pomegranates, gardenias and mugwort competing in fragrance. Imperial relatives summoned to the palace played polo and shot willow branches, while palace ladies played pitch-pot and competed with grass blades, all amidst a scene of peace and prosperity.

On this day, I met the thirteenth regiment commander, Zhao Zongshi. He was also a teenager of fourteen or fifteen, gentle and quiet, somewhat shy. Around elders, he spoke little, usually answering only when asked. He seemed somewhat afraid of the empress in her presence but was more at ease with Consort Miao, who had often cared for him when he was young in the palace. The princess liked him very much, calling out "Brother Thirteen" repeatedly and running over to ask him many questions. He, too, seemed happy to see her, speaking more freely in her presence.

Perhaps out of affection for the princess, the thirteenth regiment commander was also very friendly to her attendants. In the afternoon, he and several other imperial clansmen played a game called "hitting the ball," but they were one person short. He looked at me, who was standing nearby, and asked, "Come join us."

I was flustered, saying I didn't know how to play, but he didn't mind, pulling me into the game. "I'll teach you," he said.

Hitting the ball had recently become popular in the capital. The game involved drawing a base on uneven ground, then digging several holes at distances ranging from tens to hundreds of paces away. Players took turns hitting a marble-sized agate ball with a spoon-shaped wooden stick, aiming to land it in the holes with the fewest strokes.

At first, I didn't understand the technique, either choosing the wrong stick or misjudging the angle, sending the ball flying too far or too near but never into the hole. The thirteenth regiment commander was extremely patient, explaining slowly and even guiding my hands. Eventually, I began to get the hang of it and could barely compete.

Among the noble ladies visiting the palace that day was the empress's other adopted daughter, the great-granddaughter of the renowned general Gao Qiong and the daughter of the empress's elder sister, Taotao. Miss Gao had been selected to enter the palace as a child and was raised there with the thirteenth regiment commander. At the time, palace insiders called the thirteenth regiment commander "the emperor's son" and Miss Gao "the empress's daughter." Since they were the same age and shared similar temperaments, the emperor and empress intended to match them. His Majesty often pointed to Miss Gao and teased the thirteenth regiment commander, "Can the empress's daughter be your bride?" Later, after Prince Yu was born, the thirteenth regiment commander was sent back to the residence of the Prince of Runan, and Miss Gao returned to her family. The empress then adopted Miss Fan.

While the thirteenth regiment commander and I played hitting the ball, Miss Gao and the princess sat watching nearby. Miss Gao's gaze never left the thirteenth regiment commander, and he occasionally glanced at her. When their eyes met, they would quickly look away, their faces flushing but their lips curving slightly upward.

On the Dragon Boat Festival, the emperor traditionally did not hold court. His Majesty had initially been in the rear gardens chatting with imperial relatives when eunuchs reported that several admonishing officials sought an audience on urgent matters. Though reluctant, His Majesty changed into a yellow dragon robe, a flat-topped hat, and a red belt with a rhinoceros-horn and jade ring, then went to the Chuigong Hall to receive them.

He was gone for a long time. As dusk fell and the banquet was about to begin, the empress summoned several young consorts and instructed them to wait in His Majesty's sleeping quarters, the Funing Hall. If he returned to change clothes, they were to escort him to the rear gardens for the feast.

Hearing this, the princess volunteered to go to the Funing Hall to wait for her father. The empress agreed, letting her go with the consorts.

I accompanied the princess. After waiting a while in the Funing Hall, His Majesty finally returned hurriedly, his forehead beaded with sweat. As he walked, he ordered the young eunuchs in the hall, "Quickly summon Lady Li of the Head Ornaments Office."

The Wardrobe Bureau had four offices: Treasure, Clothing, Ornaments, and Regalia, each headed by two female officials. One of the heads of the Ornaments Office was surnamed Li, skilled in hair-combing techniques and quite beautiful, known as "the combing lady." She often combed His Majesty's hair and enjoyed his great favor.

Answering the imperial summons, Lady Li of the Ornaments Office quickly arrived to comb and style His Majesty's hair. The consorts stood by waiting, and the princess watched too.

During this, the princess asked His Majesty, "Why are you combing your hair now?"

His Majesty sighed and said, "Those admonishing officials kept lecturing me earlier. I wanted to leave early, so I smiled and told them, 'I understand your points, let's discuss them after the festival.' But as soon as I turned to leave, one of them grabbed my sleeve and insisted, 'Your Majesty must hear us out...' I tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let go, so I had to sit back down and listen until they finished. One of them had a particularly strong body odor, and it's sweltering today... My head is aching, my ears are hot, and my scalp is numb. I need to comb my hair to clear my mind."

The consorts burst into laughter, asking, "What were they admonishing about? What took so long to say?"

His Majesty didn't answer, only saying, "It's nothing you need to know."

One sharp-eyed consort noticed a memorial in His Majesty's sleeve and, seizing the moment, swiftly pulled it out, laughing, "Their words must be written here. Your Majesty, let us see."

The other consorts joined in, laughing and clamoring to read it first. His Majesty initially tried to stop them, but his hair was in Lady Li's hands, so he couldn't move much. He could only shake his head and sigh.

After much jostling, none could get a clear look. Finally, the consort who had taken the memorial announced, "Enough! Let's have the princess read it aloud for all to hear."

Everyone agreed, handing the memorial to the princess.

The princess took it, opened it, and began reading word by word: "Your servant humbly hears that Your Majesty, due to frequent disasters, has already issued edicts seeking honest advice..."

His Majesty said with a wry smile, "They said this year's floods and recent earthquakes are punishments for excessive yin... Skip to the last few lines."

The princess nodded, skipping the middle, and read the key lines: "Within the palace, the multitude of women—are there none redundant, merely confined in seclusion? We hope you will select the useless ones and release them to dispel the excess yin."

Silence fell. The consorts were clearly stunned, not expecting the admonishment to concern them. Anxiety flickered in their eyes as they stole glances at His Majesty, fearing they might be deemed "useless."

His Majesty also remained silent, offering no words of comfort. The princess's gaze darted between her father and the consorts, curious and slightly confused, her expression adorably thoughtful.

Suddenly, a light laugh broke the silence: "Your Majesty, if you dismissed a few of these meddling officials, wouldn't your ears be at peace?"

This came from Lady Li of the Ornaments Office. Under the astonished gazes of the women, she leisurely tied up His Majesty's hair and continued, "Nowadays, even wealthy commoners with a few strings of cash take multiple concubines. How can outsiders criticize the Son of Heaven for having a few consorts? The two bureaus and two offices each have their own singing and dancing girls. As soon as officials gain a bit of favor, they add more without end. Your Majesty has only one or two, yet they say the excess yin must be reduced—so only they can live in luxury and pleasure!"

Some of the consorts likely agreed but knew His Majesty valued his admonishers, while Lady Li's words directly attacked them. None dared speak up, all watching His Majesty's expression carefully.

His Majesty sat straight, his gaze fixed on the mirror before him, silently observing Lady Li, his thoughts unreadable. Only after his hair was done did he finally speak.

Unaware of any issue, Lady Li placed a hat on His Majesty and stood behind him, her phoenix eyes lazily glancing at his reflection. She asked, "Your Majesty, will you really do as they say?"

His Majesty replied, "How dare I not heed the admonishers' words?"

Lady Li smiled again, casually tidying the dressing table as she said, "If you must reduce the palace staff, let me be the first to go."

She certainly had no intention of leaving. Her words were a deliberate slight to the admonishers, confident in His Majesty's favor.

His Majesty abruptly stood, his face cold as he ordered, "Summon the Palace Registry to the rear gardens."

With that, he turned and went to change, leaving the consorts exchanging bewildered glances.

Upon reaching the rear gardens, the empress called for the banquet to begin, but His Majesty delayed it, first ordering the chief of the Palace Registry to present the palace register. He personally marked it with his brush for a long time before decreeing, "From Lady Li of the Ornaments Office down, thirty persons are to be released from the palace immediately."

With the edict issued, the empress again invited His Majesty to the feast, but he declined, asking instead, "Have they left the palace?"

The empress sighed and ordered Ren Shouzhong to expel the thirty immediately. Only after the East Inner Gate Office reported their departure did His Majesty join the banquet.

The atmosphere was somewhat strained, no one daring to broach the subject.

Facing the assembled imperial relatives, His Majesty managed faint smiles, greeting the elder and higher-ranking first, then speaking at length with the younger ones. The empress guided the conversation, gradually lightening the mood.

During this, the empress ordered additional gifts distributed to the guests. Among them were several measures of pearls confiscated from foreign merchants in Guangzhou—pure white, lustrous, perfectly round, each measure increasing in size sequentially, yet uniform within.

The guests marveled, some consorts unable to resist holding the pearls for closer admiration, clearly enchanted.

Noble Consort Zhang, depressed and listless for over ten days, had barely attended tonight, her complexion pale, her figure gaunt, walking unsteadily like the ailing beauty Xi Shi. Yet even she was drawn to the pearls, her dull eyes lighting up as she drifted over, lingering by the containers.

Seeing the pearls brighten her wan face, His Majesty seemed moved and immediately declared, "These pearls are bestowed upon Noble Consort Zhang."

At the banquet's end, once the imperial relatives had left and only the princess and a few close consorts remained, the empress asked His Majesty, "The combing lady was Your Majesty's favorite. Why did you list her first for dismissal?"

His Majesty replied, "She urged me to reject admonishment. How could I keep such a person by my side?"

The empress smiled faintly and bowed slightly: "Your Majesty is sagely."

The consorts echoed her praise, though Consort Yang later added with a smile, "But now that the combing lady is gone, the vacancy in the Ornaments Office is minor. The greater trouble is finding someone new to comb Your Majesty's hair."

Consort Yu said, "Isn't there another head of ornaments, Lady Chen?"

Consort Yang shook her head: "Lady Chen's cosmetics are excellent, but she doesn't know the hair-combing techniques, and her styles are unremarkable."

"The maid who combs my hair is quite good," Noble Consort Zhang suddenly interjected. "She knows the techniques, styles hair well, and is gentle—hardly a strand falls out."

Glancing at His Majesty, she added, "It's the one you've met, Xu Jingnu, sixteen this year."

"I also have someone to recommend," Consort Yu said with a smile to His Majesty, then turned to the empress. "But it's for Your Majesty to decide. Palace maid Gu Cai'er, eighteen. Recently, she's been combing my hair. Her skill speaks for itself, but more importantly, her character is excellent—very steady, nothing like the frivolous combing lady. Those serving Your Majesty should be presentable, but lacking virtue is worse than lacking beauty."

Noble Consort Zhang scoffed, casting a disdainful glance at Consort Yu.

Consort Yang, fanning herself leisurely, interjected, "I've also thought of someone. Meticulous, skilled, and utterly reliable—Your Majesty and Empress know her well."

The empress quickly understood: "Qiuhe?"

"Exactly," Consort Yang said, bowing slightly with her fan. "Though Qiuhe is still young, she's mastered the hair-combing techniques. A morning session leaves one refreshed all day. When she combs my hair, she often comes up with novel styles. As for her character, Your Majesty and Empress have seen for themselves—no need for me to elaborate."

The empress didn't comment, instead turning to His Majesty: "Your Majesty, what do you think?"

His Majesty pondered before deciding: "Have all three prepare. For the next two months, they'll continue combing the ladies' hair. On the Double Seventh Festival, I'll see who styles the ladies best and promote her as head of ornaments, choosing my new combing lady."

(To be continued)