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Chapter 2
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Chapter 2
Yi Xing performed a formal curtsy and withdrew to the side with a graceful retreat.
Being selected to "retain the plaque" was expected; as long as no one deliberately sabotaged her, a daughter of the Shang family possessed a beauty that no first-round official could overlook.
Palace lanterns hung high overhead, casting light upon the colorful murals on the walls. The combination of the people and the scenery created a scene of exquisite beauty.
Standing there, Yi Xing looked like a figure crafted from fine porcelain. The title of "Old Auntie," when applied to her, took on a strangely playful tone. She was like a child wearing an adult’s oversized hat—putting on airs while secretly stifling a laugh. Her deliberate air of composure formed a sharp, vivid contrast with her lively, spirited eyes.
Because she shared the Shang lineage, comparisons were inevitable. According to the private, blunt remarks of the manager of Zhong Cui Gong, who had served the former Empress, the former mistress had been "proper"—every feature in its right place—but that very correctness always seemed to lack something. It was only upon seeing Yi Xing that one realized what was missing: that spark of genuine interest in everything and everyone.
The former Empress possessed an ethereal, distant air that kept people at bay. When she first entered the palace, her eyes occasionally held a brilliance, but as time passed, she grew as silent and still as a deep well. This Old Auntie was different; she was vibrant and beautiful, with a mind unburdened by heavy thoughts—if perhaps a little muddled. If the Shang family hadn't met with disaster, she was destined to leap from one golden nest into a phoenix’s nest. Stripped of their kingfisher feathers and elaborate hairpieces, it was doubtful if any mistress in the entire palace could outshine her in raw looks and stature.
Yet, fate often hangs on a single "coincidence." Had the former Empress not been deposed, her blood aunt would never have had to enter the palace for selection. The Shang family had never anticipated this. Normally, once she reached the age, they would have found a prominent family of equal status for her to marry, and she would have naturally become a noble consort or a lady of rank. Because the family foundation was strong and she had been pampered since childhood, no one had ever told her how difficult life could be. She knew nothing of worldly suffering or the treachery of human hearts, let alone the realization that entering the palace was akin to stepping into a sea of fire.
Chief Liu glanced at her again. Noticing the faint smile she habitually wore, he sighed internally and shifted his gaze.
"Daughter of Chong Xiu, Banner Captain of the Bordered Yellow Banner: Retain the plaque."
Another girl was drawn into the ranks of the selected and stood beside Yi Xing. Yi Xing knew this was the girl who had greeted her earlier and couldn't help but steal a few glances at her.
The girl was about her height but slightly more plump, standing with her chest puffed out. Seeing Yi Xing observing her, she gave a small, secret grin. "Auntie, I was selected too. I’ll keep you company."
Good friendships between girls often start with "keeping company." Seeing the girl’s broad forehead and fair, clean complexion—looking very much like a steamed bun—Yi Xing liked her instantly. She asked in a hushed voice, "What is your name? How old are you?"
A blush crept onto the girl’s face. "Our family name is Jiao; you can call me Yin Zhu! I’m also sixteen. I was born in the second lunar month, so I’m likely older than you, but I must still call you Auntie. Seniority must never be muddled."
Yi Xing felt a bit embarrassed. "My seniority is indeed a bit... imposing."
"The higher the seniority, the thicker the blessings," Yin Zhu comforted her expertly. "Even your Empress niece called you Auntie. I’m just being bold by addressing you the same way she did."
As more candidates were selected and moved to the side, Yi Xing and Yin Zhu were soon swallowed by the crowd.
There were over five hundred candidates in the first round, and only a handful of eunuchs and nannies to review them. No wonder it would take until tomorrow morning.
With nothing to do, Yi Xing looked around. It was only now she realized that when the eunuch asked to "see the hand," he wasn't reading palms. Rather, when they encountered someone who required closer scrutiny, they checked the face, the ears, and the fingernails, all to ensure the candidate was as flawless as possible.
Realizing this, her spirits dampened slightly. She felt she had made a fool of herself earlier. But Yin Zhu told her it was no big deal—the worst that could happen was having her plaque dropped.
"But now that you're here, have you made up your mind?" Yin Zhu asked. "Do you want to stay, or do you want to be rejected and go home?"
Yi Xing was a person who looked down on herself when she lacked ambition, but when she decided to be competitive, she possessed the spirit of a "brass pea"—unyielding and tough. She said, "I am the only Auntie left in the Shang family. I must follow my niece’s example and earn merit."
"That’s not 'merit,' that’s 'rank,'" Yin Zhu gestured with her eyes. "There are so many people here. At least three to five will be promoted. The harem will be so crowded then. Don't you long for someone who treats you with a single heart?"
Yi Xing thought for a moment and shook her head. "I don't. A whole crowd of people living together for a lifetime—how lively!"
This left Yin Zhu stunned. Perhaps because Yi Xing had read too few romance novels, she lacked a "string" in her heart regarding emotions, and thus genuinely thought a crowd of people fighting for favor sounded like fun.
Yi Xing didn't understand why she was being asked this, so she countered, "You’re in the selection; don't you want to become a mistress in the palace?"
Yin Zhu laughed. "I come from a bondservant family. People like us are born to be servants. Right now, I’m being selected alongside the daughters of officials, but after another two rounds, I’ll likely be assigned as a 'palace maid.' After serving for a few years, I can leave the palace when the time comes. That’s quite good, too."
But wasting nine years in the palace meant being twenty-five upon exit. That didn't seem "good" at all.
Yin Zhu disagreed. "Entering the palace is like gold-plating for us. Having served a mistress and seen the great world, there will naturally be families lining up to marry us as the head of their household later."
Yin Zhu smiled as she spoke, but Yi Xing pondered the truth of those words. What kind of noble family would marry a twenty-five-year-old girl? Ordinary men were engaged by their early twenties. In reality, many palace maids became second wives upon leaving, entering a household where several snotty-nosed children were already waiting to call them "mother."
So, it was better to stay in the palace. Marrying anyone was still marriage. While at home, she had heard rumors that the Shang family would never produce another Empress and that Fu Hai would grow old and die by the Ussuri River.
To Yi Xing, not producing an Empress wasn't the end of the world—producing a high-ranking consort would do.
Once she had power in her hands, she would find a way to transfer her eldest brother back to the capital. And her niece... she heard that after being deposed, she was sent to the Outer Eight Temples to practice asceticism. Once Yi Xing achieved success, she would find a way to get her out and let her live the good life she deserved.
The road was long and the responsibility heavy. Yi Xing’s small head was filled with big dreams: to participate well in the selection and strive to become an Imperial Noble Consort(Huang Guifei) was her lifelong goal.
With this newfound ambition, the once-delicate Auntie—who used to find even the New Year’s ancestral worship exhausting—stood in the palace all night without a single complaint. Her fellow candidates, being newcomers themselves and uncertain of their futures, did little more than glance at her occasionally.
Chief Liu and the nannies of the Bureau of Ceremonies inspected every face, finishing only around eight o'clock the next morning. Finally, those whose plaques were dropped each received one tael of silver for a carriage and were allowed to leave the palace.
Yi Xing finally breathed a sigh of relief. Standing all night was grueling work; she and Yin Zhu leaned on each other as they walked out of Shenwu Men.
Outside the palace gates, the mule carriages formed a long dragon. They were still organized by Banner. By the time Yi Xing boarded her own carriage, it was already noon.
After crossing the Tongzi He, as they were about to go their separate ways, Yin Zhu leaned out of her carriage and shouted, "Auntie, go home and rest well! The second round is the day after tomorrow. We’ll be together again then!"
Yi Xing called back in agreement and waved goodbye. When she arrived home, she found her mother—the Old Lady, staring blankly at the pomegranate tree in the courtyard.
Yi Xing went up and greeted her. "Enie, I passed the first round. I’ve come back to pay my respects."
The Old Lady didn't even turn her head, murmuring to herself, "Look how well the pomegranate tree is growing this year! Ever since your Ama passed, half of this tree withered. Because he planted it with his own hands, I couldn't bear to have it dug up. After the rain these past two days, it has actually sprouted new branches... Kan-er, I fear this is not a good omen."
Yi Xing’s childhood name was "Kan-er" (Threshold). Whether in great houses or humble ones, people favored "lowly" names, believing they made a child easier to raise. A threshold didn't require the fine wood used for roof beams, but a house couldn't do without it. Furthermore, Old Beijing tradition forbade stepping on the threshold when entering a door. It was a name that wasn't prominent, yet one that no one dared to oppress—the most honest and simple wish a parent could have for a child.
Hearing the Old Lady’s words, Yi Xing also craned her neck to look. Indeed, tender new buds were emerging from the old, decayed branches. "Spring returning to a withered tree—how is that not a good omen?"
The Old Lady shook her head, her hands tucked into her sleeves. "In normal times, it might be. But now, during the selection..."
In her heart, the Old Lady was extremely unwilling for this youngest girl to enter the palace. The child had never suffered; once inside, she would have no one to rely on. It was even possible that because she was a Shang, someone with an agenda would deliberately bully her. Thinking of this made the Old Lady truly anxious.
Following the sudden family disaster, the court—out of respect for the ancestors’ past merits and the old master’s face—had confiscated their grand mansion by the Rear Sea but allowed them to keep the property in Fengsheng Hutong to settle the women. But things were not as they used to be. It was an undeniable fact that a Shang daughter now held less prestige than a palace bondservant. The Old Lady would rather have the child stay by her side than have her reach for that "high branch." The higher one climbs, the easier it is to break one's neck; this was a truth she saw clearly at her age.
"Sigh..." The Old Lady sighed and turned to look at Yi Xing. "Your brothers have been sent away, and there’s no one in the house to consult with. The next generation are all boys. You, alone..."
Seeing the Old Lady’s worry, Yi Xing told her about meeting Yin Zhu. The Old Lady pondered for a long time. "Oh, I remember now, the girl from Chong Xiu’s house. At least you have a companion. But if you ask me, it would be better to have your plaque dropped. The palace is full of schemers; a simpleton like you will suffer greatly once you're inside."
No one knew a daughter like her mother. The Old Lady could always accurately hit Yi Xing’s "death point." Yi Xing was not pleased. "I am muddled on the surface, but shrewd in reality—it makes people let their guard down."
Give me a break, the Old Lady thought. Even a dog would shake its head at you. You have no discernment and love to rush headlong into things.
Back when Fu Hai was the Silk Commissioner of Hangzhou, the Late Emperor had brought the Crown Prince to the south, and the Shang family had hosted the imperial party. At that time, Yi Xing was only five or six years old, wandering the gardens all day. The Shang gardens were boundless. The Crown Prince, wandering alone, couldn't find a latrine and decided to relieve himself behind a flower wall. When he turned around, a child was standing right there, looking at him with a beaming smile, asking, "What are you doing?" It nearly scared the life out of him.
Later, when the Late Emperor summoned the Shang women, Yi Xing—after performing her kowtows—decided to be a "good host" and told the Crown Prince, "In that spot where you were standing, if you go fifty paces south, there’s a latrine." The Crown Prince lost face in public once again. Even though he was only twelve then, he was still the heir to the throne. Amitabha. Now the Crown Prince had become the current Emperor. If he remembered that old grudge, would Kan-er’s little life be safe?
So, it was better not to enter the palace. This girl was truly not clever, though she refused to believe it. Listening to her heap praises upon herself, the Old Lady’s worries doubled. She was already wondering if there was some way to use a back door to get her rejected.
Alas, after the Shang family’s fall, the relatives and friends who were once so warm had all cut ties. Now, she could call to heaven and earth, but no one would answer.
Yi Xing comforted her: "Enie, Ama will protect me from the heavens. Don't you worry."
The Old Lady’s face was full of gloom. Not worrying was impossible. But there was no way around it; two days later, she still had to watch her daughter board the mule carriage.
No one knew what would happen. She could only pray that some mistress in the palace would trip her up and get her disqualified: that would be the greatest blessing of all.
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