Notes:

FL actually shows up in this one, she doesn’t do all that much though so I may add a few more to the teaser section…

I mean. You all saw what happened the last time I did a ‘teaser’ *sweats*

No promises though.

Edit 10/3: I got the gender of the cat wrong, it has been corrected, no other edits were made.

Chapter 2: Flower Banquet

The Empress had, as it turns out, chosen to hold the feast in the Imperial Gardens in the afternoon, just at the right time to partake in afternoon tea.

After Shen-guifei brazenly gnawed away at the lamb leg served for lunch, she waved to have someone take away the plates. She washed her hands, then entered the palace hall, the Man Chen holding a plate of crisp-fried dried fish coming with her.

The cat Her Highness lazily sprawled on a cushion, licking her claws and swishing her tail. When her nose smelled the scent of fish, she rose with a shiver, meowing and rushing up to Man Chen.

Shen-guifei, jealous, reached out to take a cut and deboned piece of fish, feeding Her Highness with her own hands. Her Highness finally managed to split a bit of attention for the n.o.ble Consort, raising her head and shooting her a glance, then opening her mouth to sweep the meat down her throat.

Very tasty.

She gave a satisfied meow, nimbly leaped into the n.o.ble Consort’s embrace, then darted up to sit on top of her head, waiting for her cat servant to keep feeding her.

Man Chen could see Mount Tai collapse without a change in expression. Turning a blind eye, she kept pa.s.sing over dried fish.

Shen-guifei had long gotten used to it too, and quickly finished feeding her kitty.

After eating his fill, she could finally bury her face in that furry belly. But she could only do it for a little while, after too long she would get scratched all over.

The time pa.s.sed quickly with the n.o.ble Consort and Her Highness’s interactions, and when Man Xing walked in to remind her lady to prepare to leave, Shen Yuqing was play-fighting with her cat.

Her Highness yowled, displeased.

Shen Yuqing quickly moved oven to kiss her little chin. “Let me go change, my darling, then I’ll take you to the Imperial Gardens to play.”

Now Her Highness was satisfied and let Shen Yuqing go.

Bi Ge, the second-rank palace maid who had come in with Man Xing to help the n.o.ble Consort change, couldn’t help but sigh. The cat her lady rad raised was too humanlike, it could even understand human speech!

Shen Yuqing put on her bracers, then quickly changed her clothes, changing into a different hairstyle with Man Xing and Bi Ge’s help. She put on her hairpins and jade accessories, then slowly walked out of the sleeping hall, holding Her Highness. Outside in the courtyard, junior eunuchs were already waiting with a sedan chair. After Shen Yuqing sat down, they nimbly picked up the chair and began to walk towards the Imperial Gardens.

Walking through the Mo’xie path, then the Tai’a path, then pa.s.sing through a hanging-flower gate, they arrived at the Imperial Gardens. Most of the other concubines had already arrived, leaving only the ill Shen-guifei.

The concubines had each sat in their own places. Looking left and right, they didn’t know why the flower banquet had not yet begun. Even the Empress had arrived, who were they waiting for?

“Her Lady the Empress always arrives early, it is nothing strange.” Shu-fei held a round fan, hiding half her face, and spoke softly, needles hidden in the cotton of her words. “But Mi-furen served the Emperor yesterday, maybe her body is still unwell.”

Mi-furen had not yet arrived, but it was already afternoon, how could she still be unwell? It was not the first time she had been favored, it did not merit arriving late to the afternoon’s flower banquet. Shu-fei was drawing attention to Mi-furen so that everyone would mob her later when she arrived.

After Shu-fei spoke, all the concubines’ faces really did grow a shade darker.

There was a line of seats to the left and to the right of the Empress. The first seat to her left was the highest, and Shu-fei currently took that spot, the first seat to the Empress’s right still empty. After Shu-fei sat Wan-furen, and across from her was the second seat to the right, which was occupied by Yu-pin. Further down, Xue-xiurong and Yao-cairen. In such a large Imperial Palace, there were only these few concubines.

Adding that guiren in the Cold Palace, the Shen Yuqing claiming illness, and the Mi-furen who had not yet arrived, there were nine in total.

At this time, Shu-fei sat in the first seat to the left, no one in the first seat to the right. Everyone a.s.sumed that Shen Yuqing was not coming again, and they were only waiting for Mi-furen to arrive to begin. They never thought that Shen-guifei would actually come.

Though she was wearing light makeup, Shen-guifei relied on her overbearing att.i.tude to dominate everyone else as usual. White robes paler than snow stood out in the scene where everyone was wearing their splendid best, sucking up everyone’s gazes as soon as she appeared.

Shu-fei’s expression twisted slightly. She greeted her with a smile on her covered lips, “Why has guifei-jiejie come?”

Not angry but still imposing, Shen Yuqing swept her a glance. Apprehensive, Shu-fei cursed to herself, what did the Emperor see in this savage woman? She was a woman, and looking at Shen Yuqing still made her lose her appet.i.te. What did it matter how beautiful she was? She’d still scare you limp if you got into bed with her.

“Shu-fei? Shen Yuqing looked her up and down, gaze indecipherable.

Shu-fei acted timid, piteously looking back at Shen Yuqing.

Shen Yuqing was about to speak, but suddenly looked up at the Empress sitting at the head of the scene, watching the show. She smiled at her, eyes narrowed.

The calm and collected Empress gave her a slight nod, but did not moderate the struggles between the various concubines.

It was quite interesting.

Shen Yuqing raised her eyebrow and looked away, scowl sweeping towards Shu-fei. Voice gentle but with hidden threat, she said, “Has Shufei-meimei sat in the wrong place? This master has not come to the rear palace for a long time, but it has not been long enough for meimei to grow unfamiliar with the palace rules. Though Her Lady the Empress is busy with the affairs of the palace and does not have time to discipline you, you cannot act out so wantonly.”

Unlike how others in the palace would point at the mulberry tree and curse the locust, how Shen Yuqing would attack people depended completely on her mood. If she was in a good mood, she would talk in circles to attack you, but when she was in a bad mood, she would go straight for your sore points, completely merciless.

And Shu-fei was at least one of the first-ranked Four Consorts, only one rank lower than the n.o.ble Consort. But the n.o.ble Consort did not leave her any face, acting like Shu-fei was not one of the Four Consorts, but an unremarkable little concubine, free to torment as one pleased.

Attacked like this by Shen Yuqing, even a mud man would get angry. What do you mean by “disciplining” them? Shen Yuqing, do you actually want to discipline her, one of the Four Consorts? Do you think you’re the Empress?

A wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him, and Shu-fei did not have the right to sit in this seat. In case this formidable woman got up and dragged her off the seat by force, Shu-fei backed down and stood up to concede the seat. But this did not mean she would forget Shen Yuqing’s offense against her. This white lotus turned and began to lament tearfully towards the Empress.

“This concubine did not know that guifei-jiejie would come today and has offended guifei-jiejie, pleading forgiveness from My Lady.” She took out a handkerchief and wiped at her eyes, there were even real tears. “My Lady should discipline this concubine, this concubine is willing to receive punishment.”

The Empress should discipline her, but the n.o.ble Consort should not have gone beyond her place to meddle.

[T/N: 越俎代庖 (yue4 zu3 dai4 pao2), lit. ‘to go beyond the sacrificial altar and take over the kitchen’, when one goes beyond their place to meddle.]

After telling on the n.o.ble Consort, Shu-fei kneeled at the front, secretly waiting for the Empress to criticize the n.o.ble Consort, how could she have thought…

“It is good that Shu-fei knows. Copy the palace rules ten times after you return to the palace, then ponder your mistakes in seclusion for three days.”

Shu-fei’s expression instantly darkened. Why was the Empress not angry?!

Just at that time, Shen-guifei snickered, clearly ridiculing her overestimation of her own abilities. Shu-fei bit her lip and agreed, then sat at the head of the right row.

A blunder, the Empress and the n.o.ble Consort had actually joined hands. Maybe she had been too favored recently and they felt she was a threat?

While considering this, Shu-fei twisted her handkerchief, looking just like a bullied little white lotus. Unfortunately, everyone there was a woman and no one would appreciate her act.

Not entirely true, Shen-guifei did like women, and according to reason should be able to appreciate her. Unfortunately, women like this were not her type.

At this time, that Yu-pin sitting at the second seat to the right spoke to ease the atmosphere. Her appearance was charming and innocent like a girl that had not completely grown up. But she had in fact entered the palace three years ago and was not as pure and kind as she appeared.

“Why has Mi-jiejie still not come?” She blinked. “I heard in the last few days, the Emperor gifted her a hairpin, a very beautiful one, Mi-jiejie even said she would wear it here today. I can’t wait to see it.”

Compared to the verbal fight between the n.o.ble Consort and Shu-fei, of course the concubines would pay more attention to this tardy Mi-furen. Mi-furen had entered the palace one month ago. She was a princess from the small Western country of Lou Lan, sent here to gain favor. Her looks were much different from the people of Da Yan and she knew the dances of the Western region. She was quite well-liked by the Emperor these days, even surpa.s.sing the unfailingly favored Shu-fei and n.o.ble Consort.

It was said that the n.o.ble Consort had been angered sick by Mi-furen entering the palace one month ago.

But why was she better today?

The Shen-guifei of rumor leisurely played with her cat, completely ignoring this crowd of women. Her only task in coming here was to attack Shu-fei, what was Mi-furen? Unimportant.

But the Empress, hearing Yu-pin’s words, said cooly, “Mi-furen caught a sudden illness and could not come.”

So from the start, the places in the Imperial Gardens had been set. Without Mi-furen, the head of the left row had been set aside for the n.o.ble Consort. But Shu-fei had taken initiative and taken the head of the left row, thinking the n.o.ble Consort would not come, and got face-slapped afterwards.

In fact, there was not a large difference between left and right, Shen Yuqing was only looking for an excuse to attack Shu-fei. Conveniently, the head of the left row was a slightly higher position, closer to this mysterious Empress.

It had been a year, but Shen Yuqing still had not figured out this Empress’s story. She only knew that the Emperor cared about her very much. However, she seemed to be different from herself, and did not hold the position of Empress because of some business deal with the Emperor. But there was one thing that Shen Yuqing was sure of. She and the Emperor did not have the relationship of a husband and wife. In Shen Yuqing’s night-time journeys, she had pa.s.sed by Feng Yi Palace several times and discovered that the Emperor slept in the side hall, but his att.i.tude towards the Empress… was very respectful.

However, Shen Yuqing was not a particularly inquisitive person, so she had not considered snooping for more information. Thus, it had gone on until today.

The Empress did not mind everyone’s searching looks. In everyone’s eye, she was an unfavored Empress. Every month, the Emperor only went to stay in the Empress’s Feng Yi Palace on the first and fifteenth, when the rules dictated he must go.Though he often went to visit the Empress and was very respectful to this legal wife of his, this did not count for much.

She was more like a female official than a first wife.

In comparison, though the Emperor stayed with the n.o.ble Consort fewer times, she seemed much more favored. After all, the n.o.ble Consort went around all day aggressively attacking people left and right, and the Emperor still sided with her. Other than the matter of serving in bed, she was practically the model of a perfect beloved consort.

Perhaps the Emperor was just rather pure of heart and had few desires? He was a wise monarch, and stayed in his own Zi Chen Hall over half the month, correcting the memorial to the throne night after night.

“The main reason for today’s flower banquet was to inform you of one matter.” The Empress took the chance while the tea snacks were being served to give everyone a piece of news that practically no one wanted to hear, “His Majesty has declared that this year’s selection will be held as usual.”

The Da Yan imperial court held a major selection every three years and a minor selection every year. It was a selection for talented women to enter the palace and serve the Emperor, or to go to the imperial family’s relatives. As of today, of all the concubines in the harem, other than the Shen Yuqing who had entered one year ago and the Mi-furen who had entered a month ago, nearly all of them had entered the palace three years ago. Only Wan-furen and Yao-cairen had been palace maids and did not go through the selection.

But the minor selections the next two years had been canceled by the Emperor. They had been hoping the major selection this year would be canceled as well, who would have thought that it would be held as planned. Didn’t that mean that there would be another crowd of young and beautiful women entering the palace?!

All the concubines looked at their own disappointing stomachs, spitting hatred in their hearts.

It had been three years, but not to even speak of princes, there was only one princess, and she was one Wan-furen had birthed. Adding the fact that there were few people in the palace, no wonder they were holding a major selection. What a pity that they had arrived three years ago, yet had not birthed a son or daughter while they had the chance.

Everyone subconsciously looked at Shen Yuqing. This n.o.ble Consort, she should be even more angry right? No wonder she suddenly fell ill, it was because new people were entering the palace, and she was busy rolling up her sleeves and preparing to deal with the new concubines.

Author’s Notes:

All the concubines: (The type to think too much) The n.o.ble Consort is definitely blah blah blah, the Empress is definitely blah blah blah, Mi-furen is definitely blah blah blah…

n.o.ble Consort Shen: I’m just here to play with my cat and attack Shu-fei, you people do whatever.

Empress Fu: The Emperor is making me be a messenger again, if you’re brave enough come here and announce the selection yourself!

Notes:

This chapter was translated by Lily.

As I continue to play with name punctuation… here is the character/ranking guide if you’re confused. Feel free to ask if you have any questions!

Jiejie: ‘older sister’, meimei: ‘younger sister’. Concubines can use this to refer to other senior/higher-ranked and junior/lower-ranked concubines respectively.