Red Chamber 8
The first thing upon entering the palace was room assignments.
A Yuan had progressed smoothly all the way, and with her lovely appearance and graceful figure, she clearly belonged to the promising type. The matron in charge of room assignments was not blind either—as soon as she stood still, she was pulled out of the crowd and assigned to a double room.
Sharing the double room with her was a Candidate Maiden from Yangzhou, surnamed Chu and named Yunying. Her father was a county magistrate in a small town under Yangzhou’s jurisdiction, barely considered an official.
But with such a background, she still couldn’t avoid the selection?
Perhaps her expression was too obvious, for Chu Yunying smiled gently and explained softly, “Although Yangzhou is prosperous, life as a county magistrate isn’t easy. This time, my mother fell ill, and the family’s savings were completely drained. On top of that, there are three younger brothers below who need to study. I heard that coming to the capital for the Imperial consort selection would bring Betrothal Gold, so I took the initiative to sign up.”
Rather than waiting helplessly, it was better to sacrifice one person to save the whole family.
Her father, though honest and dutiful, would not remain faithful to her mother if she passed away—he would surely remarry. By then, the children from the previous marriage would be in an awkward position. She, being older, could simply marry out, but the three younger brothers would be ruined.
“What about you? Why did you come for the selection?” Chu Yunying asked curiously. At the palace gate, she had seen this Miss Lin step down from her carriage. That carriage was no ordinary green-canopied one; it was even more luxurious than those used by the wealthy gentry in the county town.
A Yuan had no intention of hiding it and didn’t mind exposing her family’s shame at all: “My stepmother is unkind. She secretly signed me up behind my father and brother’s backs. I only found out my name was on the roster when the eunuch delivered the Betrothal Gold. By the time I tried to make arrangements, the eunuch had already boarded a boat to the capital.”
Chu Yunying immediately showed pity on her face.
At least she had volunteered, but this Miss Lin had been forced.
“No need to pity me. I actually think it’s a good thing. If I can really stay in the palace, it’s better than returning to Gusu and being married off casually by my stepmother.”
After pondering for a moment, Chu Yunying also felt Miss Lin’s perspective was right. After all, with her marriage entirely in her stepmother’s hands, staying in the palace—even if not favored—would at least allow for a stable life. If she returned and was married off arbitrarily, who knows what kind of family she might end up with?
The mere phrase “stepmother is unkind” already foretold how unfortunate married life would be.
After sharing their stories, both were quite satisfied with their roommate. Chu Yunying had a gentle and beautiful appearance, and her voice was melodious and pleasant. Her Yangzhou dialect, though slightly harder than A Yuan’s soft Gusu speech, could still sweeten the heart.
A Yuan, hailing from Gusu, naturally spoke the soft Gusu dialect and could even sing folk tunes. However, her Mandarin was also quite good—clear in articulation and eloquent.
After just three days of learning, both of them stood out directly, successfully moving from the large class to the small class for instruction.
The matron responsible for teaching A Yuan was surnamed Fang and was from the imperial presence. After selecting A Yuan, she began crafting a curriculum schedule for her—behavior and demeanor, etiquette norms, music, chess, calligraphy, painting, instrumental music and dance… In short, the course content was extremely rich, thoroughly implementing the study principle of “as long as you don’t study to death, study as if you’re dying.”
It was as if they were molding the Candidate Maidens into the perfect template of an imperial consort.
Chu Yunying’s curriculum was the same, except the matron who selected her was surnamed Zhen and always wore a stern face, much fiercer than Mama Fang.
After extensive artistic training and with her exceptional learning ability, A Yuan quickly became Mama Fang’s favorite. Beyond regular studies, Mama Fang even gave her extra tutoring and brought her snacks, clearly hoping to build good karma.
Perhaps in the future, this Miss Lin would gain the Emperor’s deep favor and become an imperial consort. By then, it would be these old matrons rushing to curry her favor.
In stark contrast was Chu Yunying. She excelled at singing and playing the qin, but when it came to reading and writing classes, she immediately fell short. Despite being the daughter of a scholar, she had been raised without learning a single character. Completing her assignments required two candles every day, not to mention her handwriting—even Mama Zhen found it painful to look at.
“I really can’t do it anymore,” Chu Yunying said wearily, lying on her bed, exuding an aura of utter defeat. She truly wanted to give up.
A Yuan stood by her bedside, holding a pipa and softly plucking its strings.
Her skill was extraordinary, and her casual strumming didn’t feel noisy at all. Instead, it created a serene, relaxing atmosphere. “Did your father never teach you to read all these years?”
“My father? He’s just an old-fashioned fool. In his eyes, only sons should study the classics. As a daughter, I only needed to learn needlework and embroidery from my mother,” Chu Yunying replied, gazing enviously at A Yuan’s slender, jade-like fingers as she played the pipa.
She could tell that Miss Lin’s father truly doted on his daughter. Over these days of study, Miss Lin may not have mastered everything, but she had touched upon each subject. If not for that stepmother, this Miss Lin could have married into a noble family as a legitimate wife.
“Assignments still have to be completed,” A Yuan didn’t know how else to console Chu Yunying.
In truth, if Chu Yunying had remained in the large class, her workload wouldn’t have been so heavy. But unfortunately, she had entered the small class early alongside A Yuan.
A Yuan could already see that the matron teaching Chu Yunying was growing increasingly impatient.
Impatience was good…
Impatience meant giving up. That matron was the Retired Emperor’s person. Even if Chu Yunying eventually entered the Imperial harem, she was destined to fall out of favor. Now that she had made it to the third round of the Imperial consort selection, even if she were eliminated and sent home, many good marriage prospects would come her way.
Unfortunately, what A Yuan hadn’t anticipated was that while Mama Zhen indeed gave up on Chu Yunying, Chu Yunying still didn’t leave the palace.
On the twenty-first day, Mama Zhen took Chu Yunying to Ningshou Palace.
—That was the Retired Emperor’s residential palace after his abdication.
In other words, Chu Yunying indeed failed to become the Emperor’s woman but was instead selected by Mama Zhen to be presented to the Retired Emperor, becoming the Emperor’s concubine-mother.
A Yuan: “…”
What a tragedy!
That old man, the Retired Emperor, with his broken leg and disfigured face, had ruined another fresh, delicate flower.
Though they had only spent twenty short days together, A Yuan genuinely liked Chu Yunying. She was a rare, clear-minded person. Who could have imagined fate playing such tricks—instead of becoming sisters supporting each other in the Imperial harem, they ended up as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law?
Moreover, she had heard that the most favored in Ningshou Palace now was Concubine Zhen.
Yet, when Chu Yunying returned to pack her belongings, she appeared optimistic. “Who I marry is all the same. I’ll work hard to have a child, so I won’t be buried alive later.”
A Yuan sighed, her heart heavy with gloom.
Then, a moment of panic struck her. Would she, due to her outstanding performance, also be chosen to become the Emperor’s concubine-mother? That wouldn’t do. An imperial concubine’s range of movement was limited to Ningshou Palace, and she still needed to go out to complete her missions.
However, she soon calmed down again. Mama Fang was someone from the imperial presence—how could she possibly help the Retired Emperor select Candidate Maidens?
Once her emotions stabilized, her entire demeanor appeared extremely composed. Mama Fang, who had been secretly observing all along, was quite satisfied.
Just as A Yuan had thought, the Matron sent by the Retired Emperor naturally had the primary task of screening Candidate Maidens for the Retired Emperor. As for the remaining spots, they would only be taken over by the Matrons from the imperial presence after they had made their selections. And these Candidate Maidens often found it difficult to gain favor after entering the palace.
Such unspoken rules were predetermined from the very beginning during the selection and grouping process.
Chu Yunying was beautiful in appearance, with a graceful figure and an innocent, lovely temperament. More importantly, she was illiterate, so when the Retired Emperor summoned her to attend to ink grinding, he would not need to be overly cautious.
The Retired Emperor had grown old, and he had begun to fear—even women were now subjects of his wariness.
The training within the palace lasted a total of one month.
In the first twenty days, almost every day saw Candidate Maidens eliminated and sent out of the palace. By the twenty-first day, the total number of Candidate Maidens had dwindled to just seventy. Over the following ten days, another twenty-five were eliminated in various ways, leaving only thirty-eight who were ultimately selected to enter the Imperial harem. Additionally, seven others were chosen to enter Ningshou Palace.
The selected thirty-eight had no official rank or title for the time being, nor were their residences even assigned. Instead, they were all crammed together in Chuxiu Palace.
Only after being summoned by the Emperor to attend the bedchamber would their respective ranks and titles be determined based on His Majesty’s satisfaction.
Chuxiu Palace was not particularly large to begin with, and it had few rooms. As a result, A Yuan was unable to secure a double room this time and instead ended up on a communal sleeping platform. These platforms looked quite new and were not made of fine wood, clearly having been newly constructed for this Imperial consort selection.
Carrying her small bundle into the room, none of the girls were in the mood for pleasantries.
Despite having been selected to enter the palace, each of them wore a somber expression, not as if they were about to become imperial consorts, but rather as if they were heading to the execution ground.
The bedding on the communal sleeping platform was already laid out. A Yuan chose a spot closest to the wall and placed her small bundle there. Just then, she heard a Candidate Maiden say tearfully, “My mother… my mother was waiting for me to return home.”
“I miss my mother too…”
“Wah…”
Immediately, the room filled with sobs.
These Candidate Maidens were all girls from ordinary families, and their households naturally lacked the silver to pull strings. After being selected, they had no choice but to travel to the capital to participate in the selection. They had all assumed they were merely going through the motions—who could have imagined they would actually be chosen?
Just as A Yuan was about to say, “Stop crying,” she heard wailing sounds coming from the neighboring room.
Goodness, even louder than the noise in this room.
Soon after, cries could be heard from other rooms as well. A Yuan quickly pinched her handkerchief and dabbed the corners of her eyes, putting on a show with a few fake “whimpers.” After all, she had to blend in.
Perhaps the palace attendants had anticipated such crying, as it was only a quarter of an hour later that a Matron entered, leading a group of young palace maids.
“Quiet now! What are you all crying about?”
The month of training had left these Candidate Maidens with a psychological shadow regarding the Matrons. At this stern command, the noise immediately ceased, and A Yuan promptly lowered her handkerchief.
“This is the Imperial harem, not your family’s backyard!” the Matron scolded harshly again. “If you incur His Majesty’s displeasure, it will be your fault. Harming yourselves would be one thing, but what we fear most is that it might bring disaster upon your families.”
A group of fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girls grew even more frightened, their faces visibly paling.
Seeing the group of Candidate Maidens stop their crying, the Matron assigned four young palace maids to each room. These young maids were mainly responsible for brewing tea and styling hair. Outside in the courtyard stood seven or eight young eunuchs, who were not qualified to serve inside the main halls and could only perform tasks such as sweeping, fetching meals, and carrying water.
Additionally, at the main entrance of Chuxiu Palace stood a stern-looking elderly Matron in charge of guarding the gate.
She had previously been an instructing Matron, and now, due to her advanced age, she had been reassigned to gate duty. Having witnessed many Candidate Maidens over the years, her posting to Chuxiu Palace served both as a retirement arrangement and as a deterrent, ensuring these young women would not attempt any tricks in her presence.
With these palace servants around, the newly arrived Candidate Maidens dared not cry any longer. One by one, they selected their beds, settled in, and awaited the arrangements of fate.
Meanwhile.
In the Imperial Study.
Emperor Shui Cong was silently flipping through a booklet in his hands. The palace attendants serving nearby dared not make a single sound, rendering the entire Imperial Study exceptionally quiet, with only the rustling of pages breaking the silence. Before the imperial desk stood two middle-aged Matrons, one of whom was A Yuan’s instructor, Mama Fang.
“Thirty-eight were selected?” Shui Cong scoffed, casually tossing the booklet onto the imperial desk. “Quite a number. One might think I were some lust-driven fiend.”
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger.” The palace attendants instantly dropped to their knees.
The two Matrons also prostrated themselves on the floor, their voices trembling as they explained, “Due to the ancestral regulations, the quota for selecting maidens from the common populace is fixed. By rule, fifty Candidate Maidens should have been retained, but ultimately…”
“Ultimately what?”
Upon hearing “ancestral regulations,” Shui Cong’s slightly furrowed brow relaxed somewhat, though his tone remained displeased.
“Ultimately, Ningshou Palace also sent Matrons and selected quite a few individuals, so… only thirty-eight were chosen.”
So it seemed thirty-eight was actually a small number.
Shui Cong felt a headache coming on. These thirty-eight Candidate Maidens had no background whatsoever—neither from the clean stream faction nor the hereditary nobility—offering him no assistance at all. How could he possibly be satisfied with this?
Thinking of the imperial concubines of noble birth residing in Ningshou Palace and then looking at the common-born women in his own imperial harem, how could he possibly be content?
He closed his eyes, slowly suppressing the anger in his heart, and eventually returned to his previous unruffled demeanor. Picking up the booklet again, he nodded toward Mama Fang. “Among these Candidate Maidens, the most outstanding is the Lin family of Gusu?”
“Yes,” Mama Fang nodded.
Not only that: “This servant has also discovered that this Miss Lin has a distant cousin who currently serves as the Salt Censor in Yangzhou.”
“Oh?” Shui Cong instantly leaned forward.
To think there was still a fish that slipped through the net?
Mama Fang nervously clenched her fingers. “This servant has already investigated thoroughly. Miss Lin’s father is a teacher at the Gusu County School. Her birth mother passed away early, and now her stepmother manages the household. It was this stepmother who secretly registered her for the imperial consort selection without the family’s knowledge.”
“However… her maternal family has long had no contact with that cousin, so perhaps…”
Long had no contact?
Shui Cong reopened the Candidate Maiden booklet. The first page featured the small portrait and information of the Lin family of Gusu.
Lack of familiarity didn’t matter. Since they were relatives, they could become acquainted in time.
In that case: “Chang’an.”
“Your servant is here.” The chief eunuch Chang’an, who had been kneeling in the corner, hurriedly approached the front of the imperial desk and knelt beside the two Matrons.
“Investigate the Salt Censor of Yangzhou.”
“As you command, Your Majesty.” Chang’an accepted the order and quietly rose to leave the Imperial Study.
Meanwhile, Shui Cong resumed reviewing the Candidate Maiden roster. From the first entry, A Yuan, to the last maiden listed, there was already a significant disparity. Clearly, this Lin clan not only likely had concealed connections but also far surpassed the other maidens in excellence.