In the late days of spring, with the peach blossoms still heavy with thick dew, the Imperial Barge sailed from south to north, reaching the center of the canal. Amidst the hazy mists and flowing jade of the early morning, the Imperial Barge loomed so high it seemed to pierce the clouds, resembling a divine vessel. To those unaware, it appeared as if they had glimpsed the Celestial Boat of Ultimate Bliss. At the Yuzhou port, officials and titled ladies had long been waiting.
Leading them was Madam Pang, the wife of the Governor-General of Jiangnan. She had already reached her fiftieth year, the age of knowing one’s fate, and lacked the stamina of the youth. Perhaps from the long wait, she began to cough. A maid quickly offered her a cloak, but she refused it.
There was no other reason than this: they were here to welcome the Empress, and she could not permit any lapse in etiquette.
Emperor Yuantai had been touring Jiangnan with Empress Xia, but now the Empress was returning to the capital alone. They did not dare to speculate too much on the reasons behind this.
When the Imperial Barge reached the shore, the Empress herself was nowhere to be seen. Only a grand, bustling procession was visible, surrounding a bright yellow sedan chair as it entered the traveling palace.
Upon her return, Madam Pang summoned a physician for a prescription. She spent the entire day gulping down bitter medicinal decoctions, fearing she might have caught a chill.
Nanny Wen, who served her, said, “Madam, why must you suffer so? Even if you had claimed to be unwell, the Master would not have blamed you. You must see the Empress tomorrow; if you fall ill from this back-and-forth between heat and cold, what will we do?”
Madam Pang gave a bitter smile. “If I do not go, what will become of Yingjie? This is my only chance. I have heard that Her Majesty the Empress is exceptionally just and strict in her dealings. I can only plead with her regarding Yingjie’s plight. Otherwise, the Master, blinded by his own greed and ambition, will certainly not stand up for her.”
Nanny Wen agreed wholeheartedly with this point. “I once heard that although this Successor Empress, Lady Xia, is different from the late Empress—not quite as frugal or renowned for her wisdom—she is upright and selfless. Furthermore, she is deeply favored by the Emperor. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have installed her as Empress after the late Empress passed, especially since she has no children of her own.”
“Having no children is a small matter,” Madam Pang remarked with a sigh. “Her background is unremarkable; her family boasts neither noble titles nor famous officials. Yet, at the age of thirty, she bypassed all the consorts who had borne princes to be crowned Empress. By now, she has held that position for twenty years.” She then turned to self-pity. “Even for someone like me, who is a first wife, what use is it? I cannot even protect my own granddaughter.”
Though Madam Pang was the esteemed wife of a Governor-General, Nanny Wen felt a faint sense of pity for her. Madam Pang’s luck had been remarkably good in her youth. She was the second daughter of a sixth-rank official. Her elder sister had been a peerless beauty with extraordinary literary talent, gaining a prestigious marriage match through her reputation as a gifted woman. However, just as she was about to marry the son of a Marquis, she fell gravely ill, and the marriage fell to Madam Pang instead.
Had it not been for that, with neither exceptional looks nor a grand reputation, how could she have married the son of a Marquis?
Yet, that marriage was only glorious on the surface. In reality, Madam Pang had no say in her household. After giving birth to her son, she lost her husband’s favor and became little more than a decoration in the home.
After Madam Pang’s only son died on the battlefield, only one grandchild remained: Yingjie. The girl lived in the Marquis’s manor in the capital, raised by Madam Pang’s sister-in-law, Lady Hou. Madam Pang had originally hoped that her sister-in-law would find a noble match for her granddaughter. She never expected that instead of a good marriage, she would receive the devastating news that her granddaughter was to be sent away for a political marriage. Madam Pang had cried until her eyes were nearly blind, yet her husband remained cold and indifferent, merely stating that she was the one who had left the granddaughter at the Marquis’s manor in the first place.
The couple had completely fallen out over this. Now, it was difficult for them to even maintain a facade of harmony, so Madam Pang naturally would not seek his help, even though he was the Governor-General of Jiangnan.
But now was not the time for such thoughts. After all, her granddaughter was set to replace Princess Anle and be sent far away to marry into the Wusun tribe. The Emperor wished to form an alliance with the frontier tribes to show his goodwill, and naturally, he did not want to send a real princess. Thus, he had chosen his own granddaughter to go in her stead. It was said that Wusun was a primitive wasteland where they ate raw meat and drank blood; how could her delicate Yingjie survive there?
Having no other choice, and with this rare opportunity to meet the Mistress of the Mid-Palace, Madam Pang was willing to try.
The next day at the traveling palace, she finally saw the legendary Successor Empress. Unlike the late Empress, whom the Emperor often praised for her virtue and compared to the great Empress Zhangsun, the first impression Empress Xia gave was one of immense beauty. Although she was fifty years old, she looked no older than thirty. Every inch of her skin and every feature of her face was the pinnacle of elegance and beauty.
Clearly, she and Empress Xia were the same age, yet Madam Pang looked as if she belonged to an older generation.
In truth, Empress Xia was dressed very simply. Her hair was held in place by a plain white jade hairpin, and she wore a green gauze skirt. When Madam Pang knelt, she caught a fleeting glimpse of the bright yellow lining beneath the hem of the skirt, and only then did she truly sense that this was the woman known for her legendary strictness.
Yet, she was clearly a world-shaking beauty, gentle and serene.
After listening to the request, the Empress actually smiled. “Your son died on the battlefield. If we then send your granddaughter to marry into Wusun, what would that make us? I grant your request.”
Madam Pang had not expected the Empress to be so easy to talk to. She thanked her repeatedly, and her withered body seemed to regain some strength.
The Empress’s carriage soon departed for the capital. Madam Pang held onto her final breath, waiting for good news from the city. To her shock, the first news to arrive was that Empress Xia had been deposed.
…
Madam Pang nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Nanny Wen rushed to wipe the stains from her lips, comforting her. “I’ve heard that many people are protesting the injustice against the Empress. Perhaps there will be a change. Besides, Her Majesty still has the Tenth Prince.”
Indeed, Nanny Wen’s words offered Madam Pang some peace. The Tenth Prince was a son of the legal wife. Although he had not been named Crown Prince, the Emperor had declared a general amnesty across the land when he was born.
However, three days later, the Emperor either executed or exiled those who spoke up for Empress Xia. He also elevated Consort Wan to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort to manage the inner palace. Empress Xia died in sorrow, without even a proper funeral.
Such a beautiful person, gone just like that…
For Madam Pang, the only bit of good news was that her granddaughter, Yingjie, would no longer have to replace the princess for the political marriage. Fearing further complications, Lady Hou had quickly secured a good match and sent word.
Madam Pang sat up abruptly from her deathbed and grabbed Nanny Wen. “The family my sister-in-law found for Yingjie is the Yu family. They are a great clan from Hebei. My sister-in-law’s letter says the boy passed the imperial exams at twenty-four, and his father is the Vice Grand Secretary. It truly is an excellent match.” She smiled weakly. “Yingjie escaping that marriage… it seems the Empress truly did put forth the effort.”
“Yes, Madam. Her Majesty kept her promise to you. Yingjie has a good marriage now. You can rest easy and focus on recovery,” Nanny Wen said, holding back her grief and turning away to wipe her tears.
“Wenlan, don’t cry. You’re so old, yet you’re still such a crybaby. Cough… cough…”
“Don’t speak anymore. Please, just rest.”
But Madam Pang insisted on finishing. “I have always loved gardenias. If I go, when you have time, please place a bouquet of gardenias before my grave.”
Nanny Wen shook her head in agony. “Madam, what are you saying? You still have to wait to see Yingjie married. Why speak such unlucky words?”
Madam Pang, however, felt her breath growing faint. She gave a bitter smile. “I fear I won’t see that day. But with my sister-in-law there, I am at peace. Wenlan, I have never liked owing favors. My body is likely to give out at any moment. So be it. I shall wait until I reach the underworld to repay the Empress for her kindness.”
Nanny Wen opened her mouth to speak, but she saw that Madam Pang had already departed from the world. She could not help but break into bitter wailing.