Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace (Arc1 Chp12 Pt1)
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Chapter 12: Ruiji [Section One] (Part 1)
Translator: Tygris
English proofreader: 247Reader
Noble Consort Hui departed Chang’chun Palace. She spent some time sitting on the sedan, leaning her cheek into her palm, and thinking before she spoke. “Moxin: go ahead and take this black fox fur back to the palace. Caizhu and Caiyue: stay and come with Bengong to see the Emperor at Yang’xin Hall.”
Moxin responded with a “Yes” and ordered Caizhu and Caiyue to serve attentively before returning ahead of the rest.
Noble Consort Hui could not bother to care that the ground was slippery after the snow, and urged the eunuchs lifting the sedan to hurry. Under her fierce orders, they moved towards Yang’xin Hall.
Just as they arrived at the door of Yang’xin Hall, Wang Qin, seeing that it was Noble Consort Hui who had arrived, hurriedly moved forward to perform a qianer [1]Greeting etiquette usually performed by men, consisting of bending the left knee forward, bending the right leg backward, leaning the upper body slightly forward, and dropping the right fist to the floor. This greeting is considered a midpoint between bowing and kneeling. bow. He then personally reached out to help Noble Consort Hui down from the sedan while saying, “Noble Consort Hui Niangniang, beware the slippery steps. Please hold onto this servant’s arm.”
Noble Consort Hui’s smile brought out her pear-like dimples. “Wang gonggong [2]公公 (gōng gōng) is a polite term for eunuchs (usually of some ranking/power/influence). has worked hard. At this time, what is the Emperor doing?”
Wang Qin accompanied her with a wide smile. “Noble Consort Hui Niangniang arrived at a most opportune time. After taking an afternoon nap and reviewing memorials, the Emperor is now taking a rest. He picked a few artists from Nanfu [3]南府 (nán fǔ) was an institution in charge of managing palace opera performances during the middle and late Qing Dynasty and was affiliated with the Imperial Household Department. Duties included teaching young eunuchs and various artists to perform for people in the palace. During the Qianlong period, the number of civilian artists increased, and they were customarily referred to as Nanfu students. Art Troupe to play the pipa.” [4]Pipa – Wikipedia
Noble Consort Hui smiled. “The Emperor enjoys elegance. If Bengong goes in, it might disturb the Emperor.”
Wang Qin smiled, “With regards to musical skill, who in this palace can compare to Niangniang? If not for the consideration of slippery roads on snowy days, the Emperor would have certainly invited you to come.”
Only then did Noble Consort Hui say, “Then [Bengong] will trouble gonggong to announce [my arrival].”
Wang Qin agreed and went in. Noble Consort Hui stood under the eaves for a while, and indeed heard pipa music from inside. Before she could recover from her daze, Wang Qin had already emerged and invited her in.
Because the Emperor was currently listening to music, her footsteps and movements when entering the hall were unusually soft and quiet. She saw the Emperor reclining in the warm room; his eyes were closed as he tapped along to the beat. A few steps away sat several pipa players dressed in feather-blue palace muslin. Their hands covered half their faces as they supported their pipas, and their slender fingers fluttered like transparent white butterflies.
Seeing that the Emperor had not noticed her arrival, Noble Consort Hui quietly listened at the side with her hands lowered. At the end of the piece, she moved to bow and greet the Emperor.
The Emperor, upon seeing that she had come, was extremely delighted. He reached out to clasp her hand and pull her over to sit with him. “Originally, [Zhen] had thought to call you over to listen to pipa music together. But [Zhen] also feared that it was bitterly cold outside; you have always been sensitive to the cold.” Concerned, the Emperor asked, “Zhen ordered Imperial Physician Qi to condition your body. How do you feel nowadays?”
Noble Consort Hui lowered her brows with a shallow smile. “Though this concubine’s body is weak, the Emperor’s concern makes it easier to tolerate. So today, [this concubine] specifically came to visit Yang’xin Hall.”
The Emperor held onto her hand, his eyes darkening slightly. “Your hands are still so cold. Wang Qin, have people add another two braziers. Make sure that Noble Consort does not suffer from the cold.”
Noble Consort Hui had always been weak in body and unable to withstand being blown by the wind. Seeing that the Emperor was so considerate, she grew even more coquettish. “The Emperor exudes plentiful dragon energy. Staying near the Emperor’s side, this concubine already feels much better.”
The Emperor’s brows were filled out by a warm smile. “Sit here obediently and you will warm up eventually.” Saying thus, he gestured at the pipa players. “Just now, you were listening from the side. What do you think?”
Noble Consort Hui spoke in a delicate manner. “Does Nanfu lack skillful and talented pipa players nowadays? They have chosen these few to come perform for the Emperor — are they not afraid of polluting the Emperor’s ears?”
Hearing this, those pipa players were unable to keep themselves from blanching with fear, and they hurriedly knelt to admit their wrongs.
The Emperor raised his hand, signaling for them to retreat. He gave a slight smile. “Speaking of pipa skills, with one as talented as you here, how could Zhen concentrate on listening to the playing of others? It was because you were not here that [Zhen] might as well listen to others play a few songs.”
Noble Consort Hui gave a full smile, making her seem ever more radiant and bringing a vision of spring to the room. She casually took a phoenix-necked pipa used by one of the pipa players and asked doubtfully, “Is Nanfu so wealthy now? Even an ordinary pipa player can use this kind of ivory-inlaid, phoenix-necked pipa?”
The smile at the corner of the Emperor’s lips stiffened.
The pipa player, who had retreated to the side, boldly spoke up. “This servant’s skills are not good enough. The best pipa was specifically used to avoid polluting the Emperor’s ears.”
Noble Consort Hui cast her a disdainful glance. Seeing that the pipa player was no older than sixteen, and, though her features were not outstanding, she had her own unique charm, Noble Consort Hui was somewhat unhappy. “If there is no true talent, then even using the shaocao pipa [5]烧槽 (shāo cáo) when directly translated means ‘burnt grooves’. The shaocao pipa is another name for the jiaowei pipa (焦尾 meaning burnt tail), which is among the Top Ten Famous Qins in Ancient China. (Baidu/Chinese language link – but it has pictures. Jiaowei pipa is #4 in that list.) According to legend, this pipa was made by Cai Yong, a famous writer and musician of the Eastern Han Dynasty, from a piece of half burnt wood. of Empress Zhou [6]See: Queen Zhou the Elder – Wikipedia of the Southern Tang Dynasty would just be a waste of resources.”
That pipa player seemed somewhat timid, and stood at the side with her head lowered.
Noble Consort Hui gazed over. Amongst all the musical instruments, this phoenix-necked pipa stood out with the clearest sound. She picked up the pipa horizontally and lightly tuned the strings. Only after checking that each string was tuned properly did she begin to gently pluck and twist the strings, notes emerging like a strand of beads. The notes slipped between her fingers, condensing into the gurgling of a clear spring beneath the flowers and grass, or perhaps birds whispering secrets to each other while perched amongst the blossoms. The music was unspeakably gentle and tender, making one feel as though the winter just outside the window had been swept away, leaving behind only a lingering ray of spring.
When the song had ended, the Emperor remained under the influence of the music and could not help but clap. “When it comes to the pipa, no one in the palace can compare to you, Xiyue.”
Noble Consort Hui raised her delicate, jade-like hands. In a regretful tone, she said, “What a pity! This concubine’s hands were cold and somewhat stiff, and [this concubine] is unused to playing other people’s pipas. This song was not played as well as usual. The Emperor has seen a joke.”
The Emperor was effusive in his praise. “This was already very good.” As though he had just remembered something, he called in Wang Qin from outside and said, “The Noble Consort said that her hands were cold. Zhen remembers that the General of Jilin [7]吉林将军 (jí lín jiāng jūn) or Girin i Jiyanggiyūn was the title of a first-rank military official during the Qing Dynasty, responsible for most of modern-day Jilin to the Sea of Japan and much of what is Russia’s Primorsky Krai today. offered black fox [8]See: Silver fox (animal) – Wikipedia. pelts as tribute this year. There were a total of two pelts. One, Zhen has bestowed upon the Empress. The other, let us bestow it upon the Noble Consort.”
With a smile, he looked towards Xiyue and said, “In terms of lightness and warmth, this is infinitely better than a sable. It is most suitable for you.”
Xiyue’s clear, bright eyes were full of smiles. “What a coincidence. Just now, the Empress also rewarded this concubine with a black fox pelt, and also said that it was a tribute from the General of Jilin. It seems that such a good item is destined to fall into this concubine’s palace.”
A gleam of appreciation glanced across the Emperor’s eyes. “The Empress is virtuous and generous and has treated you very well. As such, these two pelts will both be yours. But Zhen’s affection is one point more than that of the Empress. Wang Qin, you take this to the Imperial Household Department and have people make it into clothes before sending it to Xian’fu Palace.”
Wang Qin sounded in agreement before waving his hand and taking the group of musicians with him. With nary a sound or change in expression, the Emperor glanced at one of them in particular, but only saw that feather-blue palace wear disappear behind the vermilion palace door. Only then did he ask with a low laugh, “How so?”
Xiyue scoffed, turned her body away, and said, “What ‘how so’? The Emperor’s care for this concubine is false. What is true is his care for Consort Xian.”
The Emperor smiled and shook his head. “Only you would say these words. Zhen only rarely goes to visit Consort Xian. How has this become a lack of care for you?”
Xiyue revealed three points of grievance. “Today, this concubine heard that the Emperor specifically bestowed his imperial calligraphy upon Consort Xian. And Consort Xian happily had the Imperial Household Department make it into a plaque to hang up in the main hall of Yan’xi Palace. In contrast, the plaque in this concubine’s Xian’fu Palace was written by some unknown person, and even the gold gilding [9]TL Note: I assume this is talking about the thin layer of gold powder to color the characters on the plaque. is fading. This concubine cannot even hope for such glory as Consort Xian.”
The Emperor raised the corners of his lips. Laughing, he said, “It turns out you like this sort of thing. Zhen thought only that Consort Xian resides in Yan’xi Palace, which is completely incomparable to your Xian’fu Palace. For fear that the palace would look too desolate, [Zhen] casually wrote her a few characters .”
Xiyue grasped the Emperor’s sleeve and delicately spoke, “Since it was just done casually, what if the Emperor were also to bestow pieces upon this concubine and the Empress? That would prevent Consort Xian from being the only one to have such honor in the harem. This concubine is unmeasurably envious.”
The Emperor rubbed her dainty nose. “What have you to be envious about? What good thing has Zhen not given you? Do you like these things as well?”
Xiyue was half aggrieved and half coquettish. “The Emperor is busy with court matters all day long. This concubine remains in the harem thinking [of the Emperor] every day and night. [By having the Emperor’s imperial calligraphy, then this concubine would be able to] treat seeing the characters as seeing the writer, and could gather some slight comfort.”
The Emperor gave a slight sigh that instantly turned into a smile. “All right. What difficulty is there in this? Since you are thinking of the Empress, then Zhen will just bestow [this calligraphy] on you and the Empress, and also allow you to make it into a plaque and hang it up in the main hall. Are you satisfied now?”
Only then did Xiyue smile adorably, and she lay down docilely against the Emperor’s shoulder. In a soft and gentle voice, she said, “This concubine just knew that the Emperor doted on this concubine the most.”
