Su Qingyao had lived to nearly eighty in her previous life, and she had only attended the bedchamber once—right after entering the palace. Because it was such a unique experience, she remembered it vividly to this day.
She recalled that it was around mid-May in the fourth year of Jianyuan, when The Emperor, having concluded the busy spring plowing season, visited the rear palace for the first time and chose her name from the roster.
Earlier, it was said that Su Qingyao had poor luck, but looking back now, no one had worse fortune than she did.
Su Qingyao sighed. She remembered clearly: that day, she dressed herself beautifully and went to Pomegranate Hall in Qianyuan Palace. She waited from the hour of Xu until the hour of Hai, until she could no longer stay awake and fell asleep at the table, never catching a glimpse of The Emperor.
It was Aunt Tingqin, who served in Pomegranate Hall, who came in to inform her that The Emperor had caught a slight chill and advised her mistress not to wait any longer, but to retire for the night.
Su Qingyao was young at the time and, without a word, went to sleep. Little did she know that would be the only time in her life she would attend the bedchamber. After that, Emperor Jianyuan never summoned her again.
Lost in these memories, she was brought back to the present by Liu Qin, who proved rather quick-witted. Liu Qin fetched a tip and warmly handed it to the Junior Palace Attendant, her words sweet and flattering: "You've worked hard, companion. Please go back and enjoy some tea."
The Junior Palace Attendant was young and didn’t seem like an important figure in Qianyuan Palace. Perhaps unaccustomed to such fawning, he grew a bit carried away.
Seeing Liu Qin’s eager gaze fixed on him, he racked his brains and offered a piece of advice: "His Majesty prefers those who take the initiative. Don’t let your mistress be too reserved."
Liu Qin was immediately delighted. She politely escorted him to the side gate before turning back to the bedchamber.
Watching Liu Qin’s beaming face, Su Qingyao couldn’t help but sigh. The Junior Palace Attendant’s voice had been loud and clear—likely audible even to Hui Pin in the rear hall, let alone Sun Xuanshi just a wall away.
When Liu Qin returned and saw little joy on her mistress’s face, she asked curiously, "Today, mistress, you are to attend the bedchamber—a great occasion! I just asked that Junior Palace Attendant, and he said His Majesty prefers enthusiasm. You must put in some effort tonight."
Su Qingyao nearly choked on her tea.
To be honest, having lived a life of abstinence for so many years, preserving her purity and ending her days alone, she had never yearned for marital intimacy. She came into this world pure and left it pure and unburdened—a small fulfillment in its own way.
Now, suddenly being called to attend the bedchamber felt rather awkward.
That matter… she had no experience!
When she first entered the palace, the instructing matrons had taught her about such things. In her youth, she had harbored some interest, daydreaming of gaining a sliver of favor. But as time passed, she realized it was no longer possible and embraced a life of abstinence, putting all those matters out of her mind.
Su Qingyao’s face paled. She strained to remember… but nothing came to mind.
So, how exactly does one attend the bedchamber?
Su Qingyao sat there in a daze for a while, her eyes fixed on the book in her hands. After a long moment, she looked up at Liu Qin’s concerned face and asked, "How many times has Sun Xuanshi across the way attended the bedchamber?"
If she didn’t know, she could always ask. It wasn’t a big deal—no need to feel embarrassed.
Liu Qin didn’t understand why her mistress’s expression had shifted so quickly but answered, "Last month, Sun Xuanshi attended the bedchamber for two days. After that, His Majesty never summoned her again."
Su Qingyao glanced at the sky outside, thoughtful. "I wonder if she’s taking her midday rest. Once she wakes, go invite her over. Tell her I have an important matter to discuss."
Liu Qin always obeyed her mistress without question. Receiving the order, she nodded without even asking for a reason.
"Mistress, did you remember what this servant just said?"
Su Qingyao thought for a long moment before recalling her saying, "The Emperor likes enthusiasm."
She casually tossed the storybook she had read over a dozen times onto the table, stood up, and began pacing around her bedchamber.
As she had grown older, she paid great attention to health preservation, walking two thousand steps after each meal. If she didn’t break a sweat, she would add more steps; otherwise, she would feel uncomfortable sleeping at night.
Although there was a spacious backyard outside, Hui Pin resided in the rear hall—someone she couldn’t afford to offend. So, it was better to obediently pace around inside the room.
As for what kind of woman the Emperor liked, probably every woman in the palace still believed it was someone like Noble Consort.
Except for Su Qingyao, perhaps even the Emperor himself couldn’t quite figure out what kind of woman he truly desired at this moment.
Su Qingyao chuckled softly. Enthusiasm? No… the Emperor did not like passionate beauties.
Since attending the bedchamber was an evening affair anyway, and she had free time now, Su Qingyao continued pacing while saying to Liu Qin, "Take out all my clothes. I want to see which one is suitable to wear today."
Just as Liu Qin was about to do it herself, Su Qingyao stopped her. "Let Liu Ye handle the task. You go fetch the chestnut cakes."
Thus, Liu Ye reluctantly rummaged through the cabinets, pulling out all her clothes and hanging them one by one on clothing racks for her to see.
Apart from one or two outfits she particularly liked, Su Qingyao had largely forgotten what clothes she had in her youth. Looking at them now, she was quite dissatisfied.
Having changed her inner self, she naturally found her past tastes rather unbearable.
Look at those color combinations—as if afraid others wouldn’t know she was from Nanyang, she practically stamped the words "outsider" on her face. Wasn’t that enough to invite ridicule?
She carefully examined the embroidery patterns and colors of several outfits, then separated the blouses and skirts, rematching them.
A light yellow narrow-sleeved, gold-buttoned jacket paired with a light green sea-wave horse-face skirt; another light pink cross-collar short blouse matched with a white Luo embroidered skirt; and a light red gauze blouse selected as an overlay. With just these simple changes, the outfits immediately appeared elegant and refined.
Once these two sets were matched, even Liu Qin, who had entered carrying the chestnut cakes, couldn’t help but remark, "They do look much more pleasing than before."
She didn’t have too many or too few clothes. When she first entered the palace, the Embroidery Workshop of the Shang Gong Bureau had provided two sets of blouses and skirts. Combined with what she brought from home, it was enough for daily social occasions.
Thinking of this, Su Qingyao glanced at Liu Ye, who stood there woodenly, and instructed her, "Take this white Luo embroidered skirt to the outer room and iron it. I’ll wear it this evening."
Liu Ye had no choice but to carry the clothes out. Only after she left the inner room did Su Qingyao say to Liu Qin, "Find the dressing case. I want to take another look."
Her grandfather was the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Nanyang Province. The Surveillance Commission wasn’t a lucrative office, and their ancestors weren’t from a wealthy family either. With several sons who weren’t particularly ambitious, the family was merely getting by, not particularly affluent.
For her entry into the palace, her mother had even sold one of her early dowry shops to scrape together a thousand taels for her, hoping she wouldn’t suffer hardships in the palace.
Thinking of her mother, her heart stirred once more.
Starting over—did it mean she could see her parents again?
With this thought, Su Qingyao immediately felt invigorated. So what if it was attending the bedchamber? Just like in the storybooks, all she had to do was lie there obediently and let the Emperor do as he pleased!
Liu Qin brought two dressing cases, interrupting Su Qingyao's reverie.
At the moment, she didn't have many decent accessories on hand; all her hair ornaments and jewelry had been brought from home. Su Qingyao rummaged through them and found that the hairpins and earrings were relatively simple and elegant, which eased her mind a little.
She asked Liu Qin in a low voice, "How much money do we have left?"
After her rank was elevated, she had rarely worried about money. Later, when she followed the abdicated Emperor Jianyuan to live in Jianyuan Garden, with only three or four elderly consorts remaining, life became even less of a concern.
The Emperor truly did not wish to see them and often forgot about them, but their clothing, food, lodging, and daily necessities were of the highest quality—no one dared to neglect them.
Later, when the Emperor passed away and she became the only elderly consort left, the new emperor treated her like a revered elder, naturally ensuring her life grew increasingly comfortable.
Su Qingyao was still thinking of her spacious and bright Taoxiang Pavilion in Cihe Palace, still longing for the lush and exquisite Cining Garden. But when she saw the gesture Liu Qin made to indicate their remaining funds, her lips immediately drooped.
She had brought one thousand taels into the palace. After much effort to enter Biyun Palace, two hundred taels were spent even before her rank was confirmed. Adding to that were the expenses for clothing, food, lodging, and daily necessities this month, leaving her with less than five hundred taels remaining.
The money was truly flowing away like water.
She could hardly recall how she had managed those financially strained days in her youth. Now, the most urgent matter was to build up her own assets and move to the East Side Hall across the way to live alone.
Having sorted through these thoughts, Su Qingyao felt much more at ease. She instructed Liu Qin to take out the hairpins and earrings she would need for the evening and tidy up the disordered inner chamber, then said, "Go and invite Sun Xuanshi over."
That plate of chestnut cakes was prepared for Sun Xuanshi.
Sun Xuanshi was a person of very gentle temperament—kind and graceful in a positive light, but timid as a mouse in a less flattering description. Her life in the palace was even less comfortable than Su Qingyao's; she was afraid of everything all day long. In her youth, Su Qingyao had a good relationship with her. Though they grew distant after moving to different palaces, the early affection remained. Now, looking at her again, Su Qingyao felt a touch of maternal fondness.
"Sister Sun, come quickly and try these chestnut cakes. I saved them especially for you," Su Qingyao said with a smile to Sun Xuanshi. "I have an impertinent request and would like to ask you a thing or two."
Sun Xuanshi hadn't expected her to know she liked chestnuts, but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless. "You're too kind, Sister Su. Please, go ahead and ask."
Su Qingyao raised an eyebrow, her almond-shaped eyes sweeping over Liu Qin, Liu Ye, and Sun Xuanshi's junior palace maid, Bai Xue.
The three junior palace maids were quite sharp; they all withdrew together.
Once the door was tightly closed, Su Qingyao lowered her head to gather her emotions. When she looked up again, her face carried a hint of shyness and timidity. "Sister Sun, did you hear the message just delivered by the Junior Palace Attendant from Qianyuan Palace?"
At the mention of Qianyuan Palace, Sun Xuanshi trembled all over, appearing genuinely frightened.
Though Su Qingyao looked bashful and timid on the surface, she observed every move Sun Xuanshi made.
Unaware of why Sun Xuanshi was so afraid, she continued, "It's been a month since I entered the palace, and I'm still very unaccustomed to it. The Emperor has yet to summon me to attend the bedchamber, so I… I've forgotten the rules for attending the bedchamber."
Sun Xuanshi lowered her eyes, her long, curled eyelashes trembling slightly. Su Qingyao's few words had left her utterly disconcerted.
Su Qingyao felt puzzled, but she also firmly remembered her reaction. Afraid that Sun Xuanshi might remain silent and scare her away, she had to patiently restrain herself, taking a sip of tea on her own, waiting for her to speak up.
After about the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, Sun Xuanshi spoke: "Attending the bedchamber isn’t difficult, you just… obediently listen to instructions. The Emperor… they tell you what to do, you do it, don’t say too much."
Su Qingyao: …
Who are they?