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Translator's note: Finally there are advance chapters availaible on Kofi
Chapter 128: The Vigil
Everyone was stunned. No one had expected that the Empress Dowager’s sudden appearance was for the sake of the Eldest Princess.
Lu Yu was also surprised, but he didn't object. He had always kept his feelings for his consorts and his children strictly separate. Regardless of anything else, the Eldest Princess was his flesh and blood. She had lost her mother at a young age, and her mother had died under the stain of murdering the Empress; if she weren't settled properly, there would always be short-sighted people in the harem who would treat her with cold neglect. Cining Palace was a good destination for her.
The Empress Dowager arrived quickly and left just as fast. She merely sent her people to Chonghui Palace to bring the Eldest Princess back to Cining Palace, taking the maid Fu Ling along with them.
The moon hung high in the branches. The Empress had gone into labor in the evening, and now the night was deep, the entire Forbidden City ablaze with lights. Lu Yu, long since exhausted, waved his hand and dismissed everyone.
The death of an Empress was a national mourning. The subsequent formalities would be tedious and exhausting; at the very least, Gu Han and the others would have no rest for the foreseeable future.
As the group hurried out of Kunning Palace, Gu Han walked the same path as Concubine Bin Zhou. Zhou Bin was still scratching her head, muttering quietly to Gu Han, "I can’t believe my Aunt would leave her palace for Lady Ling, and she didn't give me even a whisper of a hint beforehand."
Gu Han shot her a glance. If Lady Ling hadn't seen her daughter properly settled, she would have clenched her teeth and stayed alive even if she only had one breath left in her. Still, Gu Han hadn't expected the Empress Dowager to go so far as to break precedent for Lady Ling. If she weren't a fellow consort herself, she would have surely felt a sense of tragedy for Lady Ling’s fate.
Zhou Bin tugged at Gu Han’s sleeve and whispered, "Do you think the things Lady Ling said before she died were true?"
Since they entered the palace, the Empress they had seen was always gentle and upright. Even when she committed errors later on, they had seemed understandable. But if things were truly as Lady Ling described, then Lady Ling had truly been destroyed by the Empress’s hand.
Gu Han didn't answer. Zhou Bin’s question was mostly rhetorical anyway, and she felt a bitter taste in her heart. "Since entering the palace, I’ve often heard of Lady Ling’s reputation; everyone treated her with respect. Looking at her now, she was a pitiful person."
Gu Han didn't want to discuss this; it was meaningless. She lowered her eyes and said calmly, "In this harem, who isn't a pitiful person?"
Zhou Bin choked on her words. After a long moment, she realized with frustration that she couldn't find a single word to refute her. She had always loved excitement and noise, yet now she was trapped in this deep palace. She could see the end of the rest of her life in a single glance—no sons, no daughters, no favor. Who could say she wasn't pitiful?
Zhou Bin felt a surge of regret. "I was truly out of my mind back then." If she were given another chance, she would never have chosen to enter this harem, to spend her days watching one person harm another, where no one’s hands were clean and no one could sleep soundly at night.
Gu Han, feeling restless and troubled by the Lady Ling affair, raised a hand to her forehead. "Fine, stop talking. Go back quickly and change your clothes; we still have to keep watch over the Empress’s coffin."
They, the consorts, had to keep vigil before the funeral hall for seven days and nights. Only after the seven-day mourning period ended would the Empress be buried in the Imperial Tombs. After that, they wouldn't see a drop of meat for a month. They had it relatively easy; for the rest of the world, during a national mourning, no grand banquets were allowed for three months, and even pre-arranged weddings had to be postponed. For others, it was fine, but in the capital, under the Emperor’s very nose, if someone made a foolish mistake, losing their official rank would be the lightest of punishments.
Hearing this, Zhou Bin immediately looked dejected and lost the energy to speak. The two parted at the crossroads.
Upon returning to Yihe Palace, Jiu Si was already waiting at the gate. She hurried forward, looking Gu Han over with concern. "Is My Lady alright?"
Ever since she heard that Lady Ling’s schemes had been exposed, Jiu Si’s heart had been in her throat. Seeing her mistress return at last, she exhaled in relief. She whispered, "I have prepared the wormwood." Kunning Palace had seen the death of two high-ranking women; Jiu Si wanted to wash away the ill fortune.
Gu Han didn't have the heart for such things. She shook her head, went into the hall to change into a plain set of clothes, and instructed Jiu Si, "I won't be in the hall for these few days. You must look after the Prince and Princess."
With Nanny Zhao and Jiu Si there, Gu Han could rest somewhat easy. After all, now that the Empress was gone, there should be no one left in the palace to threaten her for a while. Nanny Zhao knew medicinal diets and Jiu Si understood basic pharmacology; this was the root of Gu Han's peace of mind.
Jiu Nian knelt on the ground and used thick quilted silk to bind Gu Han’s knees. This vigil would last seven days; even a body made of iron couldn't take that kind of kneeling, so the consorts naturally had to make preparations.
Facing the bronze mirror, Gu Han removed her ornate step-shakes and replaced them with a simple jade hairpin. She was naturally beautiful; the simpler her adornments, the more she looked like a clear lotus rising from the water. Jiu Si handed her several fresh handkerchiefs.
It was a vigil, but they weren't blood relatives; not everyone could truly cry on command. Those with a calculating mind would always do something to their handkerchiefs (to induce tears).
Jiu Si whispered, "Keep these safe, My Lady, and do not push yourself too hard. If you feel unwell, go to the side hall to rest." Her thorough preparations made Gu Han a bit caught between laughter and tears.
In less than an hour, Gu Han was back at Kunning Palace. The funeral bells had already signaled the news to the world. When Gu Han arrived, she saw many palace servants running toward the palace gates; she understood—now that the Empress had passed, the titled ladies of the capital (Gao-ming) would all have to enter the palace to keep vigil.
The funeral hall in Kunning Palace was already set up, with mats laid out on the floor. Zhou Bin had arrived earlier than her. Gu Han lifted the hem of her robe and knelt beside her. She swept her gaze across the hall and frowned imperceptibly. "Where is Lady Ling’s body?"
Her voice was very light, only audible to Zhou Bin next to her.
Zhou Bin’s expression was a bit strange. She leaned in and said, "She was carried away."
In life, a Consort and an Empress could not be mentioned in the same breath, and the same was true for the honors after death. An Empress could receive the kneeling vigil of ten thousand people; Lady Ling could only be carried back to Chonghui Palace to be buried in silence.
Gu Han paused, feeling a bit dazed, unsure of what to think. Zhou Bin also felt uneasy. Neither knew what to say, and the hall was silent save for a few mournful, grieving melodies. Zhou Bin wiped the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief, and the area around her eyes turned red. Gu Han looked around and saw that almost everyone else was acting the same as Zhou Bin.
Seeing Gu Han hadn't moved for a long time, Zhou Bin nudged her with an elbow and whispered, "As soon as the news left Kunning Palace, everyone started preparing. Jiu Si is always clever; she wouldn't have been negligent, right?"
Gu Han’s lips twitched. So that was why Jiu Si was so practiced at this—someone must have tipped her off. Seeing that Zhou Bin looked like she was about to offer her own handkerchief, Gu Han shook her head. She simply lowered her eyelids, adopting a mask of sorrow.
Consort Shu arrived a bit later. Since she was now the only one of "Consort" rank in the harem, all palace affairs fell to her to manage.
However, the looks the others in the hall gave her were somewhat subtle. Consort Shu had not been entirely cleared of suspicion regarding the Empress’s difficult labor; it was just that Lady Ling’s sudden emergence had interrupted the interrogation, and everyone had temporarily forgotten about her.
Now they remembered, but with the Empress Dowager’s command standing before them, no one wanted to court disaster. Only Noble Lady Lin (Lin Guipin) was feeling incredibly annoyed, and even a bit afraid.
Plotting against Consort Shu had not been a sudden impulse.
Consort Shu could steal her favor once, and she would do it a second time. Lin Guipin’s favor was already thin; she couldn't accept Consort Shu’s behavior, especially after Gu Han entered the palace and received favor equal to Consort Shu’s, which allowed Lin Guipin to see the cracks in Consort Shu's power.
If she was a paper tiger, why should Lin Guipin obey her?
When the maid Ya Luo had scolded her that day, Lin Guipin decided she would no longer swallow her anger. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone saw her as one of Consort Shu's people, and seeing that Lady Rao (Rao Guipin) had no allies in the palace, she targeted her. Such a person was easiest to manipulate; as long as she showed a little kindness to Lady Rao, Lady Rao would be hers to use. That was how the plan formed.
Translator's note: I would like to give a big shoutout to Stephnora and Anxiousempathx for supporting me. you made me so happy guys. A big thank you to all my dear readers who stayed even with the caotic posting schedule. you all have my heart.
The aftermath had indeed gone as she expected, but unfortunately, Lady Ling had suddenly popped up and ruined her plans!
Lin Guipin was filled with hate. She had now openly torn her relationship with Consort Shu, but Consort Shu was unharmed. In fact, now that the Empress was gone, no one in the harem—except for Gu Han—could restrain Consort Shu. And Gu Han’s restraint was only in terms of the Emperor's favor; in terms of rank, Consort Shu was still the undisputed leader.
Suppressing her would be as easy as turning a hand for Consort Shu. Lin Guipin gripped her handkerchief; she was regretting it.
Just as she thought, when Consort Shu caught sight of Lin Guipin, a cold sneer immediately touched her lips. Consort Shu truly felt that Lin Guipin wasn't smart enough; if she couldn't ensure she could kill her with one blow, how did she dare to strike at her?
Lin Guipin seemed frightened by Consort Shu’s gaze; her body shrank back, and tears hung at the corners of her eyes, looking quite pitiful.
Gu Han saw all of this and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. No wonder they said "little ghosts" were the hardest to deal with. A person like Lin Guipin, who usually seemed lukewarm and unremarkable, might hold a grudge in her heart and wait for a single chance to tear a piece out of you.
While everyone was keeping vigil for the Empress, Lu Yu appeared at Cining Palace. The Empress Dowager looked at him with a neutral expression. "The Emperor has come."
Lu Yu had originally intended to ask the Dowager some things, but now that he was here, he no longer wanted to. It was meaningless and would change nothing. The fact that the Dowager was raising the Eldest Princess in Cining Palace already confirmed, to a certain extent, that Lady Ling’s words today were not false.
Lu Yu took a sip of tea. He didn't ask a single thing about Lady Ling. After a long silence, he closed his eyes and said in a deep voice: "I want to promote the Lady of Bright Excellence (Zhao Xiu-rong)."
A flash of surprise went through the Dowager’s eyes. She hadn't expected the Emperor to ask for nothing and immediately bring up a promotion. After a moment, she said slowly, "I know you dote on her. This is your harem, and I have no intention of interfering. But the Empress has just passed. If you promote her now, what reason will you give to satisfy the public?"
Lu Yu hadn't intended to promote her during the actual mourning period itself. He said, "Consort Shu is implicated in the Empress’s death; she is a person under suspicion. Letting her continue to hold the power over the six palaces is truly inappropriate. Gu Han has always been steady in her conduct; I will feel at peace giving the harem to her."
"But her current rank is too low; it's hard for her to command respect. Besides, she has birthed both a son and a daughter for the Imperial family; she should have been promoted long ago."
Lu Yu’s voice was cool and clear, showing no emotion or personal bias. The Dowager raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and simply asked, "To what rank do you wish to promote her?" Without waiting for Lu Yu to answer, she said directly, "The rank of Zhao-yi (Consort of the Third Rank) would indeed allow her to manage the six palaces."
Lu Yu shook his head. "Her title is already 'Zhao.' To be called 'Zhao Zhao-yi' would sound awkward."
The Dowager turned the prayer beads in her hand. "So, the Emperor intends to promote her to the Second Rank of 'Fei' (Consort)?"
Skipping ranks was very rare since Lu Yu had taken the throne. But what made the Dowager curious was that for a mere promotion, there was no need for the Emperor to consult her. She didn't want to guess his motive, so she said directly: "Just say what you want me to do for you."
Lu Yu seemed to be waiting for those words. As soon as she spoke, he looked her straight in the eye. "I want Mother to personally issue the Imperial Edict for her promotion."
Author's Note:
Kunning Palace: Empress
Yi'an Palace: Consort Shu
Xianleng Palace: Imperial Consort De
Zhaoyang Palace → Main Hall: Xiuyi He
Zhaoyang Palace → Side Hall: Rong Baolin
Yihe Palace → Changchun Pavilion: Female Lead
Rongcui Hall: Beauty Miao
Cuizhu Pavilion: Beauty Lin
Changning Courtyard: Zhou Meiren
Hanleng Palace → (Main Hall transferred to Side Hall): Talented Lady Yuan
Also appearing: Noble Lady Lin, Liu Baolin
Here are the ranks of imperial consorts:
- Empress (皇后 Huánghoù) — Head of the Imperial Harem
- Imperial Noble Consort (皇贵妃 Huáng Guìfēi) — Rank 1
- Noble Consort, Pure Consort, Virtuous Consort, Worthy Consort (贵妃、淑妃、德妃、贤妃 Guìfēi, Shūfēi, Défēi, Xiánfēi)** — Senior Rank 1 (The Four Consorts, with Noble Consort as the highest)
- Consort (妃 Fēi) — Junior Rank 2
- Bright Deportment, Bright Countenance (昭仪、昭容 Zhāoyí, Zhāoróng) — Senior Rank 3
- Cultivated Deportment, Cultivated Countenance (修仪、修容 Xiūyí, Xiūróng) — Junior Rank 3
- Noble Lady (贵嫔 Guìpín) — Senior Rank 4
- Imperial Concubine (嫔 Pín) — Junior Rank 4
- Beauty (美人 Měirén) — Senior Rank 5
- Talented Lady (才人 Cáirén) — Junior Rank 5
- Precious Grove (宝林 Bǎolín) — Senior Rank 6
- Imperial Woman (御女 Yùnǚ) — Junior Rank 6
- Palace Maid (宫女子 Gōngnǚzǐ) — Senior Rank 7
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