Held in the Lonely Castle Chapter 27

 Held in the Lonely Castle  

 Chapter 27

Translated by : DANMEI HEAVEN

   Little Song

Before the Dragon Boat Festival, I found an opportunity to leave the palace to see Cui Bai and tell him about Qiuhe's situation. For me, this was a task several times more difficult than the ink examinations of the past. Initially, I had given him hope, and now I was personally shattering it, which filled me with immense shame. Haltingly, I briefly recounted the events, not even mentioning the emperor's favor toward Qiuhe, and even that made me unable to look him in the eye for a long time.

"It's alright," Cui Bai comforted me gently. "You've done your best to help me. Even if things didn't work out, it's not your fault. I have little fortune to begin with; it was already difficult to hope for a beautiful match like Miss Dong."

I could only hope that time might allow this match to be rekindled: "Perhaps if we wait a bit longer, until His Majesty forgets about the intercalary month incident, the empress might again ask him to release Miss Dong from the palace."

Cui Bai smiled faintly and said, "Huai Ji, to be honest, ever since the marriage was discussed, I've often felt uneasy. It felt like a sudden stroke of luck, progressing too smoothly—unlike the usual misfortunes of a poor, down-and-out fellow like me. Besides, she lives deep in the palace, accustomed to a life of luxury, free from worries, like a fairy from the heavens. If she were to marry me, she'd spend years tied to a man who only knows painting, worrying about daily necessities. Even if she didn't complain, I'd feel guilty. Now that she's been promoted, she'll likely have a better future. Why should I drag her down?"

I wanted to say something comforting, but this was never my strong suit. After thinking for a while, I could only say, "Miss Dong wouldn't think that way."

"I know," Cui Bai said, his gaze drifting over a distant landscape painting on the wall. After a moment, he slowly recited:

"Liu Lang already lamented Pengshan's distance,

Yet how many layers of Pengshan lie between us now?"

These were lines from a Zhegutian lyric by Song Qi, a Hanlin academician of our dynasty, borrowing from Li Shangyin's poetry.

Song Qi, styled Zijing, had passed the imperial examinations the same year as his elder brother, Song Xiang. According to the Ministry of Rites' initial ranking, Song Qi should have been first, and Song Xiang third. But Empress Dowager Zhangxian did not want the younger brother to outrank the elder, so she elevated Song Xiang to first place and placed Song Qi tenth. Now, both brothers served in the court. The world called Song Xiang "Big Song" and Song Qi "Little Song."

Song Xiang was known for his clarity and solemnity, while Song Qi surpassed his brother in literary talent but was fond of banquets and romance, always free-spirited and unrestrained. This Zhegutian lyric recorded one of his romantic encounters.

One day, Song Qi was riding his horse through Fantaijie in the capital when he encountered the empress returning from incense offerings at Xiangguo Temple with her palace attendants. Little Song reined his horse to the side of the road as the embroidered carriages passed by in a long procession. When one carriage passed him, a palace maid lifted the curtain, her eyes lingering on him briefly before she turned to her companion with a smile and said, "That's Little Song!"

With that, the curtain fell back into place, and the carriage rolled on toward the palace without stopping. Though it was just a fleeting glimpse, Song Qi remembered the maid's radiant beauty and melodious voice. Returning home, he immediately picked up his brush and wrote the Zhegutian lyric:

"Meeting by chance on a narrow road, a painted carriage and carved saddle,

A single phrase from behind the embroidered curtain breaks my heart.

Though I lack the colorful phoenix's wings to fly side by side,

Our hearts are linked as if by the mythical rhinoceros horn.

Golden houses, jade cages—

Carriages flow like water, horses surge like dragons.

Liu Lang already lamented Pengshan's distance,

Yet how many layers of Pengshan lie between us now?"

This lyric spread widely in the capital, even reaching the palace. When the emperor heard it, he asked which carriage the maid had been in and who had called out "Little Song." Eventually, a maid timidly stepped forward and knelt, saying that during a banquet, she had seen the emperor summoning Hanlin academicians, and the eunuchs around her had whispered, "That's Little Song." Later, when she happened to see him from the carriage, she impulsively called out to him.

The emperor then summoned Song Qi and casually mentioned the incident. Song Qi, terrified, apologized, but the emperor only laughed and said, "In your lyric, you lament Pengshan's distance. But to me, Pengshan isn't so far from you." He then bestowed the maid upon him.

This incident, like the romantic tale of "Inscribing Poetry on a Red Leaf," became a celebrated story passed down inside and outside the palace. Between the palace's young maids and the literati outside, there had always been a subtle mutual admiration, and this story added fuel to the fire, hinting at the possibility of a happy union. But...

"Pengshan isn't close to everyone," Cui Bai said soberly, unaffected by the story's happy ending.

I think he could vaguely sense the emperor's feelings for Qiuhe from the few words I had deliberately understated.

Though Xia Song had left the capital, the censor Wang Zhi remained in court. That September, he again brought up Consort Zhang's "meritorious service in protecting the emperor," arguing that she should be promoted to demonstrate the emperor's fairness in rewards and punishments.

The emperor naturally agreed, but faced opposition from the ministers and the need for the empress's consent, he couldn't immediately issue an edict. Unexpectedly, it was the empress who relented. During the Double Ninth Festival banquet, she publicly said to the emperor, "Consort Zhang has served Your Majesty for many years and has borne three princesses, yet her rank remains low. Now that she has rendered meritorious service, why not promote her to consort as a gesture of reward?"

The emperor silently gazed at the empress, while she remained composed, her eyes unreadable. Everyone held their breath, watching. After a long pause, the emperor finally said, "That day, the chaos was quelled thanks to the empress's command and coordination. If rewards are to be given, she should come first."

Seated beside a white sandalwood-scented chrysanthemum, the empress's lips curled into a faint smile, as light as the autumn flower. "Thanks to Your Majesty's grace, I, as the mother of the nation, already hold the highest honor and can receive no further rewards. Moreover, as Your Majesty's wife, I have nothing to offer in return. What I did was merely my duty and hardly merits reward."

Thus, in October, the emperor promoted Consort Zhang to the rank of Noble Consort and decided to hold an investiture ceremony for her at a later date.

The Hanlin academician tasked with drafting the investiture edict was none other than the eloquent "Little Song," Song Qi.

Previously, our dynasty had never held investiture ceremonies for consorts being promoted. The usual practice was to issue the edict and let the consort decline the ceremony. Because investitures were grand and costly, most consorts, knowing the importance of modesty, declined to avoid drawing criticism from the palace and court. Song Qi likely assumed the new Noble Consort would do the same, so he didn't follow the proper procedure: first, waiting for the announcement of the edict, then drafting it, sending it to the Secretariat for approval, and finally presenting it to the Noble Consort. Instead, he drafted the edict in advance, bypassed the Secretariat, stamped it himself with the official seal, and sent it directly to the Noble Consort.

Clearly, he had made a mistake: not all consorts declined investiture ceremonies.

Noble Consort Zhang, eager for the ceremony, was furious when the important edict arrived as casually as a concubine sneaking in through the back door. She threw the edict to the ground, refusing to accept it, and complained tearfully to the emperor about Song Qi's disrespect. The emperor, worn down by her, agreed to demote Song Qi to the prefect of Xuzhou.

When the details of Song Qi's demotion spread, sighs of regret echoed inside and outside the court. And amid these sighs, Noble Consort Zhang began her increasingly arrogant life as a consort.

The palace ladies were naturally astonished by Noble Consort Zhang's sudden rise. Everyone had expected her to be promoted eventually, but no one imagined she would jump directly from the fourth-rank consort to the first-rank Noble Consort. The Noble Consort ranked just below the empress, and the emperor had left the position vacant for years, with consorts at most reaching the second rank. Now, Noble Consort Zhang's promotion left many consorts who had long outranked her—such as Princess Fukang's mother, Lady Miao, and the mother of the deceased eldest prince, Lady Yu—suddenly beneath her.

Displeased, the ladies focused on uncovering the details behind Noble Consort Zhang's promotion. Soon, someone discovered that after Xia Song's departure, Noble Consort Zhang had grown even closer to Wang Zhi, gifting him vast sums of money. After her promotion, she became so brazen that she openly referred to Wang Zhi as "my family's censor."

This scandal of bribing court officials spread throughout the six palaces until everyone knew. It must have reached Noble Consort Zhang's ears, but far from feeling ashamed, she seemed to flaunt it, as if challenging the other ladies. She asked the emperor to let Wang Zhi present the edict and announce the ceremony.

As it was customary for officials to present edicts at investitures, the emperor referred the matter to the Secretariat for discussion. The Secretariat officials, disdainful of Wang Zhi, reported that according to protocol, the official presenting the edict must hold a rank above that of a court attendant—a qualification Wang Zhi lacked. When the emperor relayed this to Noble Consort Zhang, she seized the opportunity to request Wang Zhi's promotion. The emperor agreed, promoting Wang Zhi to a court attendant and ordering him to present the edict at the ceremony.

At the same time, however, the emperor also promoted He Yan to the Ministry of Rites and appointed him as a censor, explaining in court: "You do not flatter the powerful, so I am promoting you ahead of others."

Perhaps to compensate the empress, the emperor gradually promoted and ennobled many of her relatives, granting them generous stipends. He Yan protested, arguing that court honors were meant to reward meritorious officials, not to be granted without reason or seniority. He feared this would encourage relatives to vie for favors.

The emperor responded, "The relatives may lack merit, but the empress has virtue. This is an act of grace." He did not revoke the orders.

The relationship between the emperor and empress was another topic of interest in the six palaces. Since the palace disturbance, they had not shared quarters. On the day of Noble Consort Zhang's investiture, small signs led the ladies to speculate about their current state.

That morning, the emperor and empress emerged from their respective palaces with dark circles under their eyes, their eyelids slightly swollen. Though the empress had concealed it with makeup, traces were still visible. While the emperor, empress, and Noble Consort Zhang received court congratulations in the Zichen Hall, a story from the previous night began circulating quietly in the rear palace.

According to the Rouyi Hall maids, late the previous night, the emperor had sent a eunuch to summon the empress. She was already asleep but rose and went to the door of her bedchamber without opening it, asking through the gap, "What does His Majesty require?"

The eunuch replied, "His Majesty awoke in the night and sat alone drinking. Having finished his wine, he sent me to ask if the empress has any wine to spare."

The empress declined the summons, saying, "Even if I had wine here, I would not dare give it to His Majesty. The night is late. Please inform His Majesty to rest."

With that, she sent the eunuch away without even opening the door.

The princess overheard this and bluntly asked her father during the evening banquet at Shengping Tower: "If Father wanted wine last night, he should have asked the imperial kitchens or wine office. Why summon Mother so late?"

The palace maids stifled laughter. The empress sat upright, pretending not to hear, while the emperor looked embarrassed, coughing softly before saying, "It was late, and I didn't want to trouble too many people..."

The princess pressed, "Even if you didn't want to trouble the servants, there are so many ladies in the palace, all with wine in their quarters. Why ask Mother, who rarely drinks?"

The emperor was momentarily speechless. Noble Consort Zhang interjected, "My family has sent some excellent lamb wine. Next time His Majesty wishes to drink, he need only send someone to fetch it."

Before the emperor could respond, the princess retorted, "Everyone knows Noble Consort Zhang has plenty of wine. If Father didn't ask you, he must have had his reasons."

Noble Consort Zhang flushed with anger but, noticing the emperor watching her reaction, suppressed her temper and forced a smile. "The princess is right."

To the ladies, the late-night summons was a sign of the emperor's attempt to reconcile with the empress. Using wine as an excuse was merely a way to save face. Unfortunately, the empress did not take the opportunity.

"Look at their eyes—they must have been sleepless all night," Lady Yu remarked to Lady Miao the next day at Yifeng Pavilion. "It's like a quarrel between young spouses. What a pity!"

Lady Miao smiled faintly. "Outwardly, they've always been respectful, but privately, these quarrels have persisted for over a decade. Sometimes, even I can't understand them."

The princess, eavesdropping, edged closer to hear better, but Lady Miao tapped her forehead. "Silly girl, what were you thinking, asking your father such questions at the banquet and embarrassing him?"

The princess pouted. "I'm not silly! I only said that to put Noble Consort Zhang in her place."

(To be continued)