Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace (Arc1 Chp6 Pt1)
Chapter 6: Abandoned Wife (Part 1)
Translator: Tygris
English proofreader: 247Reader
At the Time of Hai [1]亥 is 9PM-11PM. in the ninth month of the thirteenth year, the Emperor ascended the throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. [2]太和殿 is the largest within the Forbidden City. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_of_Supreme_Harmony The following year was designated as the first year of Qianlong’s reign.
—Draft History of Qing. [3]See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft_History_of_Qing#Contents. “The Annals of Gaozong” [4]Gaozong is the temple name of Qianlong.
It was very quiet inside Shou’kang Palace. The Dowager Consorts had cried for many days and were exhausted. All of the feelings and favor of the past years had flowed away with the tears. Their remaining days were to be spent in the picture of wealth and glory. But wealth and glory had limits, while the separation and loneliness in the deep palace was limitless.
Shou’kang Palace, where the Consorts and Concubines of the previous dynasty lived, was as quiet as a tomb for those who lived awaiting death. Even those windowed concubines of the late Emperor, who were just in their teens or twenties, were buried in dust, without a single wisp of life left to them.
Located in the western part of the inner court [5]See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City#Inner_Court_or_the_Northern_Section of the expansive Forbidden City, Shou’kang Palace was different from the lively palaces of the Six Western and Six Eastern Palaces. [6]See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City#Six_Western_and_Six_Eastern_Palaces That was a different realm and was also occupied by the Emperor’s women. There, the curtains were also overflowing with colors and the railings were also painted with gold, pink, and red. There also hung densely woven cloud brocade, [7]See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunjin which when lifted up in the hands felt superbly heavy and downy soft. The brocade offered as tribute was also all the best of the best, embroidered with the most auspicious of patterns. But, the brocade was neither a symbol of felicity and jubilation nor of familial reunification; the brocade signified neither hope and desires nor waiting in an empty room. Rather, [the brocade represented] the breaking of expectations, the death of ambitions, the withered and wilted years. Not even the most lonely and self-pitying desolate moonlight deigned to enter.
Fu gugu carried in a plate of peeled grapefruit. As soon as she moved aside the curtains to enter, [she] felt that Shou’kang Palace seemed dark and narrow, not as big and bright as the palaces in the past. Even the faint wisps of delicately dissipating sandalwood incense felt that this place was secluded and confined, and disappeared before even fully dispersing. Additionally, the late Emperor had recently passed away, so the furnishings inside were all dark-colored and only about seven or eight parts new. [Fu gugu’s] heart gave an irrepressible sour twinge. Seeing that the Empress Dowager was sitting cross-legged on the couch, holding a rolled book in a stupor, she suppressed her stuffy and sullen feelings. Switching to a smiling face, she said, “These tribute grapefruits from Fujian are sweet and sour, cooling and moisturizing, and can also help relieve dryness and heat. They are most suitable for the Empress Dowager to eat.”
Empress Dowager gave a faint smile. “It has been hard for you. You spent so much effort peeling [these grapefruits], yet Ai’jia cannot take in more than a few mouthfuls.”
Fu gugu smilingly replied, “Being able to take in a few mouthfuls is already these grapefruits’ fortune.”
Empress Dowager reached across her body to knead her upper arm. Fu gugu caught the Empress Dowager’s intention and immediately moved forward to help massage and hammer her shoulders, saying softly, “Today, the Emperor ascended the throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and you accompanied him throughout the entire ceremony. You have been busy all day and must be tired. How about you retire early and get some good rest.”
Empress Dowager rubbed her cheeks. “That is true. In the blink of an eye, [Ai’jia] has become the Empress Dowager. Now that the Emperor has ascended the throne, Ai’jia is also relieved. Today, having seen that the Emperor acted with great propriety, making not a single mistake during the ceremony, Ai’jia feels happy and reassured. But there is no sleepiness – the days are short and the nights are long, and the long night will pass slowly, so there will be much more time to sleep.”
Fu gugu, noticing her mood, looked around the cramped main hall. Hesitatingly, she expressed, “As long as Empress Dowager is at ease, then all is well. You have been wronged these past few days.”
“Wronged?” The Empress Dowager took a piece of grapefruit between her fingers. “If this piece of grapefruit were thrown away casually, then it would be wronged. Now that you brought a colorful butterfly-patterned dish on which to plate it, it already has a place to rest itself. How can it still be wronged?”
Fu gugu stood with her face lowered. Although she had respect written all over her face, it could not block shades of worry from appearing. “Empress Dowager, this grapefruit originally should have been placed in the colorful Phoenix-patterned dish used by Empress Dowagers. Now that we are putting up with this place, and not everything can be attended to perfectly, we can only temporarily use the butterfly-patterned dish meant for Dowager Consorts. Is this not being wronged?”
Empress Dowager put the piece of grapefruit in her mouth, and slowly ate it. Looking up, she asked, “Fu’jia, Ai’jia will ask you a question. Where is this place?”
The worry on Fu gugu’s face grew even darker, seeming to carry some layers of indignance. “This is Shou’kang Palace, where the Dowager Consorts and Dowager Concubines live. The rightful place for you to live should be Ci’ning Palace, which is bright and magnificent, hundreds of times better than this place.”
There was not the slightest hint of a smile on the Empress Dowager’s face. “That is correct. Where the Dowager Consorts and Dowager Concubines live would naturally use items intended for the Dowager Consorts.”
Fu gugu, hearing this, raised her voice uncontrollably. “Empress Dowager!”
Empress Dowager gave a light hum and slightly raised her eyelids, her gaze as clear and calm as an ancient well. “What?”
Fu gugu shuddered. Coincidentally, she happened to see the candle flame atop the gilded flower candle holder fluttering in the wind. She quickly reached out her hand to cup it and retrieved a pair of small silver scissors to cut off a charred and curled section of the candle wick. Only then did she dare reply, “This servant has spoken wrongly. May the Empress Dowager pardon my crimes.”
Empress Dowager calmly opened her eyes, reaching out to stroke the dark-green gold-threaded embroidered floral pattern on the rosewood table. She said lightly, “You have been with Ai’jia for many years, so naturally there is no need to consider if you have spoken wrongly or spoken correctly. But Ai’jia will ask you a question. Historically, what kind of fortune do the women of the harem need to rely on to be able to make it to the position of the Empress Dowager?”
Aunt Fu lowered her voice and said carefully, “This fortune is either that of birthing the new Emperor or being the Empress of the late Emperor.”
The Empress Dowager gave a lingering sigh like the west wind outside the curtain, silently passing through the darkening palaces upon palaces during the twilight hours. “Fu’jia, Ai’jia is neither the Emperor’s biological mother nor the late Emperor’s recognized Empress. All that Ai’jia has is the fortune of fostering the Emperor. Ai’jia is an illegitimately canonized Empress Dowager. If the Emperor does not have Ai’jia in his heart, then Ai’jia cannot do anything either.”
Fu gugu frowned, saying sternly, “When the late Emperor was alive, he proclaimed that the Emperor was born to you, the Empress Dowager. If the Emperor does not recognize you, does he then want to go back to the Rehe Xinggong [8]See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengde_Mountain_Resort to find the bones of the palace maid Li Jingui to be the Empress Dowager? Is he not afraid of the people’s criticism? Moreover, although the late Emperor had an Empress, during the last few years, she was only nominally so: the Six Palaces were all managed by the Empress Dowager. You have put forward your entire soul and exhausted your entire being to help him ascend the honorable throne of nine-five. If you cannot be considered the rightful Empress Dowager, who can?”
The Empress Dowager slowly stroked her white-silver, jade inlaid nail guards imprinted with round longevity characters. [9]团寿 (tuán shòu) is a font/design based off of the character 寿 (shòu), which has meanings of longevity. See the round patterns on this photo of Empress Dowager Cixi. “These words are justified. But whether or not the Emperor thinks so in his heart, whether or not he remembers Ai’jia’s grace in nurturing him, is hard to say.”
Fu gugu asked, “The Department of Prudence has already come to invite [you] many times, saying that Ci’ning Palace has been put in order and ready for you to move in. But your meaning is…”
The Empress Dowager gave a light smile. “The move will happen sooner or later. But, these words must be brought up personally by the Emperor, and cannot be spoken by the mouth of Ai’jia. Therefore, for each day the Emperor does not personally come to invite Ai’jia to move to Ci’ning Palace, and while only the Department of Prudence comes to invite [Ai’jia], Ai’jia is too lazy to move.”
Fu gugu furrowed her brows, asking hesitantly, “The late Emperor has passed away, and the Emperor has just ascended the throne. Outside, there are a thousand heads and ten-thousand threads [10]千头万绪 (qiān tóu wàn xù) describes things as complicated and confusing. This can also be used to describe the beginning of something with a lot of clues/a situation with many possible avenues of exploration. worth of matters to attend to. The Emperor has not come to pay respects for two days already. Even when he comes, if the Emperor does not mention it, are we just going to remain deadlocked here?”
The Empress Dowager reached out with her nail guards to poke at the red teardrop-like wax dripping down from the candle holder. “Though there are not many people in the Emperor’s harem, each and every one of them came from qiandi. Of those who survived the days of qiandi, which is not as smart as a human spirit? There will always be a clever one who is more clear-headed than others and knows what to do.
“Ai’jia does not have a biological son as the Emperor and does not have the identity of a legitimate wife. If even the Emperor’s filial respect and authority within the Imperial Harem were to be lacking, then [Ai’jia] would truly have nothing left.”
