Within the Qing court, there were only three legitimate masters: the Emperor, the Empress, and the Empress Dowager.
Among them, the Emperor held the highest authority, the Empress was the most revered, and the Empress Dowager was the eldest.
The Emperor was the ruler of the nation, his word was law, and his power was supreme; the Empress was the mother of the nation, the model for the six palaces, and her status was the most exalted; while the Empress Dowager, as the elder of the Emperor and Empress, occupied the moral high ground of filial piety.
Every morning, unless under special circumstances, everyone in the rear palace, including the Emperor and Empress, had to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.
Of course, due to the large number of people, the timing of these greetings varied slightly, mainly divided into three major batches.
The first batch consisted of the late emperor's concubines. Since they all lived near the Cining Palace, they were close by and arrived early, gathering outside the gates of Cining Palace around the beginning of the Chen hour, clustering in small groups and whispering secrets among themselves.
Su Muyao did not recognize any of these consorts. Moreover, her own temperament was introverted, not the type to easily mingle with strangers, so she had no intention of integrating into their circles. With Yun Mo, she found a less crowded spot by the palace wall and quietly waited for the Empress Dowager to rise and summon them.
She thought nothing of it, but her first appearance here immediately caught the attention of the other consorts.
A middle-aged consort, dressed more lavishly than the others, approached from the distant palace path. Seeing Su Muyao, she stopped and said something to the matron beside her.
The matron walked over, curtsied, and asked, "Our mistress finds your face unfamiliar and has sent this old servant to inquire: which palace do you belong to?"
Yun Mo returned the courtesy and replied, "Greetings, madam. Our mistress entered the palace in the winter of the 69th year of Kangxi's reign, currently resides in Qianxi Sisuo, and holds the rank of Taichangzai. She had been recuperating from illness until recently, and now that she is somewhat better, she has come to pay respects to the Empress Dowager."
Su Muyao noticed the golden phoenix embroidered on the hem of the consort's robe in the distance—a design only those of Imperial Consort rank or above were permitted to wear. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Is your mistress Empress Dowager Consort Quehui?"
The matron smiled and said, "Indeed."
Su Muyao then understood that this consort was no ordinary figure. At the very least, among the late emperor's concubines present, her status was the highest.
Empress Dowager Consort Quehui, Lady Tongjia, hailed from the Manchu Xianghuang Banner. She was the illegitimate daughter of the former Grand Councillor Tong Guowei and the half-sister of Emperor Kangxi's third empress, Empress Xiaoyiren.
Empress Xiaoyiren had once raised Yongzheng but passed away in the 28th year of Kangxi's reign.
As the sister of his foster mother, Yongzheng, upon ascending the throne, immediately conferred upon Lady Tongjia the title of Huang Gui Taifei. She was now the only Huang Gui Taifei in the palace, her status second only to the Empress Dowager.
Su Muyao followed the matron over to pay her respects. When she rose and lifted her gaze, she got a clear look at this Huang Gui Taifei.
Lady Tongjia had entered the palace at twenty-three, serving Emperor Kangxi for thirty-one years. Now fifty-five, though well-preserved, she was no longer young, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes could not be concealed.
Nevertheless, she appeared quite kind.
The elderly Taifei looked Su Muyao up and down. Though she was only fifteen or sixteen, she possessed a rare, soothing, and serene aura. As for her appearance, it went without saying—those who successfully passed the Xiuanxiu were beauties chosen from thousands.
She couldn't help but sigh, "It must be hard for you, child."
So young, yet destined to spend the rest of her life in widowhood within these deep palace walls.
Su Muyao dared not accept such words, speaking softly, "Your Majesty has shown great kindness by allowing your concubine to recuperate in the palace. Your concubine is already deeply grateful and has no other requests."
The elderly consort nodded and instructed a matron beside her, "Lead Consort Yi Taichang to meet everyone."
With that, she entered the gates of Cining Palace surrounded by a large entourage.
As a Huang Gui Taifei, she naturally did not need to wait outside like the former emperor's concubines.
The matron led Su Muyao, introducing each person to her one by one.
There were indeed very few of the late emperor's consorts left in the palace.
Apart from the Huang Gui Taifei just now, there were two remaining Taifei, both from the Xiangbai Banner of the Manchu people, hailing from the Guoluoluo clan.
One was Consort Li, the other Consort Yi—they were cousins.
What puzzled Su Muyao was that Consort Li had no children, so it made sense for her to remain in the palace. But Consort Yi was the birth mother of the Ninth Prince. When Yongzheng ascended the throne, he issued an edict stating that all former emperor's consorts with children could leave the palace to reunite with them. Why, then, was Consort Yi still here?
Moreover, this Consort Yi did not seem to be in good health. She kept covering her mouth with a handkerchief, coughing incessantly. Clearly ill, yet instead of resting, she had risen before dawn to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. It was all very strange.
But she could not ask, so she kept her doubts to herself.
Below the rank of Taifei was Taipin. There were also two Taipin remaining, both sent by Mongolian tribes for marriage alliances during Kangxi's military expeditions.
One was Consort An Taipin, from Zhun Ga'er; the other was Consort Jing Taipin, from Ga'erdan.
Su Muyao noticed their indifferent expressions, as if they had little desire to speak. After paying her respects to them, she moved on.
Below Taipin were the lower-ranking consorts: Tai Guiren, Taichangzai, and Tai Daying—the circle Su Muyao now belonged to.
Among the lower-ranking consorts, the situation changed abruptly.
First, in terms of age, consorts like Consort Li, Consort Yi, Consort An Taipin, and Consort Jing Taipin were all over thirty-five.
But among these lower-ranking consorts, the eldest, Noble Lady Chen, was only twenty-five.
Next, aside from Su Muyao, there were two Taichangzai: Attendant Xu and Taichangzai Rui, both nineteen this year.
And the only Tai Daying, Respondent Miao Tai Daying, had just turned seventeen.
Counting them, Su Muyao was the youngest among them.
Because they were all young, the atmosphere was much livelier than before.
Palace intrigue was completely absent. Everyone was of the "Tai" generation—even if they wanted to scheme, there was nothing left to fight over.
Their conversations revolved around retirement.
There was talk of food, drink, and enjoyment; of daily necessities and trivial matters; of family gossip and mundane life.
As soon as Su Muyao arrived, she was immediately pulled into the group and bombarded with questions.
They chatted until 7:30 a.m., when several matrons emerged from Cining Palace. The leading matron announced, "The Empress Dowager has risen."
At these words, everyone lined up with their maids in a single column according to rank, entering Cining Palace in order.
Su Muyao was near the end of the line. As she stepped through the gates of Cining Palace, she caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye: at the far end of the palace path, a beautiful woman in phoenix robes and an ornate crown descended from a Phoenix Carriage, leading a group of consorts slowly toward them.
From a distance, it looked like a stunning procession.
Needless to say, this was the second group coming to pay their respects—the consorts of the current emperor, Yongzheng.
Su Muyao sighed inwardly. Indeed, new faces replaced the old. Just look at their attire and accessories, then compare them to the dress of their own group—the former emperor's concubines. Not to mention the exquisite craftsmanship and luxurious materials, even the colors alone were far brighter and more vibrant.
Su Muyao stole a quick glance before entering the room.
According to palace rules, only consorts of the rank of pin or higher were permitted to enter when paying respects to the Empress Dowager. Lower-ranking consorts such as guiren, changzai, and daying could only offer their greetings outside the door.
Su Muyao had already heard about this rule from Yun Mo and was prepared to finish her curtsy with the others outside the main hall before immediately leaving.
But unexpectedly, after the greetings, a head matron suddenly emerged from inside and said, "Yi Taichangzai, the Empress Dowager summons you inside. Please come quickly."
Su Muyao was taken aback for a moment, then entered.
The Empress Dowager was seated on the heated kang in the side hall's warm chamber, with a palace attendant combing her hair from behind. The two Taipin and Taifei had already left, leaving only the Huang Gui Taifei sitting on the edge of the kang, sipping tea and smiling at her.
Seeing this, Su Muyao immediately understood why the Empress Dowager, who was perfectly fine, would summon a lowly Taichangzai like her—it was likely that the elderly consort had mentioned her.
Su Muyao guessed correctly.
The Empress Dowager indeed did not seem particularly concerned with her presence. She glanced at her indifferently and said, "Wait for a moment."
Su Muyao tactfully retreated to a corner.
Shortly after, the second group of current consorts arrived to pay their respects.
Although Su Muyao was inside the room, out of propriety, she could not openly stare at the other consorts, so she kept her eyes lowered the entire time.
She heard the Empress Dowager ask, "How has the Emperor been lately?"
The Empress replied, "The Emperor is occupied with state affairs. For the past ten days or so, he has rarely visited the rear palace. Even when he does, he only goes to Consort Nian's quarters."
The Empress Dowager then asked, "Why hasn't Consort Nian come to pay her respects?"
The Empress said, "Consort Nian is unwell and has requested leave."
The Empress Dowager fell silent for a long moment, as if thoroughly annoyed, and waved her hand dismissively. "Very well, you may go."
The Empress performed a bow and led the consorts out.
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes in contemplation. After a while, the Huang Gui Taifei reminded her, and it seemed the Empress Dowager finally remembered Su Muyao's presence. She ordered, "Come here."
Su Muyao walked over. During this process, she also got a clear look at the Empress Dowager's appearance: her brows slightly furrowed with worry, dark circles under her eyes, hair at her temples tinged with white, and sunken cheekbones.
She looked exceptionally haggard.
Though only in her forties, she resembled an elderly person on the brink of decline.
Though Su Muyao did not know the exact reasons, she could roughly guess a few.
After all, historical records noted: Yongzheng's birth mother, Lady Wuyashi, the former Consort De, did not have a good relationship with Yongzheng, especially after he ascended the throne, nearly reaching the point of open conflict.
Lady Wuyashi had always wanted her other son, the Fourteenth Prince, to inherit the throne and had even personally pleaded with Emperor Kangxi.
Although Yongzheng was born to Lady Wuyashi, he was not raised by her.
As the saying goes, the bond of birth is not as strong as the bond of upbringing—there is truth to that.
Unaware of the many thoughts running through Su Muyao's mind in those few steps, Lady Wuyashi waited until she approached, looked her up and down, nodded lightly, and remarked, "You seem to have recovered well from your illness. It is commendable that you still remember the palace rules and know to come pay your respects to me."
Turning to the attendant matron beside her, she gave an abrupt order: "Inform the people at the Imperial Household Department and Shoushanfang as well."
Then, she said indifferently to Su Muyao, "Alright, you may go back."
Su Muyao performed a curtsy and left Cining Palace with Yun Mo.
Just outside the palace gate, she locked eyes with a rather attractive young consort standing at the entrance.
By now, it was almost nearing the fourth quarter of the Chen hour.
According to protocol, the consorts' morning greetings should have ended long ago, yet for some reason, this one was lingering here, dawdling about who knows what.
But it had nothing to do with her anyway.
Su Muyao nonchalantly averted her gaze and had only taken two steps when a clear, sharp shout from a woman rang out behind her.
"Halt!"