Pampered Consort's Acting Awards - Chapter 10

“His Imperial Majesty has been waiting for you inside…”

 Shangqin Lu knelt.
The several female officials at the back followed after her and knelt as well.

Where had Chuxiu Palace seen such an event?

In a panic, Qiao Lanyin turned her head to look at Luo Yingcai, Luo Yingcai turned her head to look at Mu Wanqi, and Mu Wanqi turned her head to look at Qin Ling. Following everyone’s movement, Qin Ling turned her head and looked at the wall.

Shangqin Lu’s eyes gradually blurred, she called out once again, “Your Majesty.”

This call of “Your Majesty” seemed to throw the person back to 3 years ago—
At that time, Shangqin Lu was still a mere female official who was only responsible to light the lamps.
In the ordinary course of events, for a 7th ranked female official with no background to dream about leaping and becoming a Shangqin was merely indulging oneself in wishful thinking. After all, someone who lights the lamps only works during the nighttime, so normally, they would not even get rewarded, let alone get promoted.
However, the fate of every person was different. The sleeping matters of the person who entered Kunning Palace in the 1st year of Yanxi era were particularly high-maintenance.

It did not matter if the emperor rested at Kunning Palace. However, if the emperor did not come, the candle flame inside Kunning Palace would light up throughout the night.

Su Ling had told the small female official that she slept peacefully if the room was bright, otherwise, she felt that this inner palace was empty and gloomy.

Shangqin Lu had been the person who had served Su Ling to sleep throughout the night.

[Shangqin: The position of head of the Shangqin Bureau or the Bureau of Housekeeping. Their duties are to manage imperial drapery, tents, and mattresses]

Su Ling had seen that she was hardworking and quick-witted, honest, and straightforward. With a single word, she raised her to be a 4th ranked Shangqin.
Therefore, at that time, Shangqin Lu was considered Su Ling’s trusted aide.

Luo Yingcai nearly cried after seeing Shangqin Lu’s expression.
Everyone knew that presently, there was no master in the inner palace.
Everyone knew that the empress had passed away 3 years ago.
There were only the 4 of them girls inside the room. What Your Highness the Empress? What was she seeing?

Luo Yingcai asked tremblingly: “Gugu… who are you calling?”

[Gugu: Literally means aunt. Here it is used to call older female officials, the counterpart should be older male eunuch Gonggong]

Shangqin Lu could not take her eyes away from Qin Ling.
She saw Qin Ling grasping her cuff, looking at herself timidly with her limpid and bright eyes, looking frightened.

She, had recognized the wrong person.
Her empress was dignified and virtuous, a bright and magnanimous person. She had never shown this kind of weak appearance in her eyes.

She had personally put out the candle flame in Kunning Palace 3 years ago. To lose her self-control at this moment, perhaps she was affected by some evil magic.
Shangqin Lu lowered her head to calm down her emotions before stood up and with a wooden face, and said: “This servant was ordered by the empress dowager to deliver the beddings and candles. Just now I had recognized the wrong person, hope these esteemed ladies will not blame.”

Qiao Lanyin stroked Luo Yingcai’s shoulder.

The four people said answered at the same time: “Gugu is too courteous.”

Shangqin Lu left.
With trembling lips, Luo Yingcai spoke: “Gugu said that she had recognized the wrong person… then, had she mistaken someone as the late empress?”
Qiao Lanyin frowned: “I remember that the one Gugu stared at was Miss Qin. Is it possible that… Miss Qin was born…” resembling the late empress?

Mu Wanqi shot a glance at Qin Ling, who was holding her chest and taking deep breaths, and said: “That’s enough. How could there be such a coincidence in this world.”

The Mu Wanqi at this moment did not expect that, in this world, there truly was such a coincidence.

***

When Shangqin Lu left Chuxiu Palace, the sky was already dark. Holding the goat horn lantern, she walked along the palace wall, treading towards Cining Palace.

The white moonlight shone on the yellow glazed roof tiles, glistened dazzlingly.
Shangqin Lu barely walked to the door of the sleeping hall, when she heard a coughing sound from the inside.

“For tomorrow’s selection day, this servant has done preparing according to Empress Dowager’s instruction.” Shangqin Lu went forward a step and presented the list of 300 selected candidates, “This servant has seen all 300 of the candidates, each and every one of them are beautiful and graceful.”

Empress Dowager Chu leaned on the red sandalwood carved arhat couch, inlaid with a pattern made of copper. Half-squinting, she turned the list in her hand.

Mu Wanqi. Daughter of Mu Kangwen, the Minister of Works, 16 years old.
Luo Yingcai. Daughter of Duke of Ying, 14 years old.
He Yuru. Daughter of He Chengmao, the Minister of Revenue, 15 years old.
Xu Lanzhi. Daughter of Xu Bowei, the chief officer of the Capital Procuratorate, 16 years old.

[Capital Procuratorate: Similar to modern prosecutors]

… …

Empress Dowager Chu stroked the list and suddenly smiled.
At present, the palace was in lack of male offspring, and the crown prince had not been established. The thoughts of every family were abundantly clear. Looking at this attitude, perhaps all noble ladies in the capital were present here.

While massaging the empress dowager’s shoulder, Momo Kang spoke: “The palace has been desolated for quite some time, finally there will be some excitement this time.”

“However, the emperor may not appreciate the eagerness of those families.” The empress dowager went through the list of names once again and muttered: “He is no longer the emperor from 3 years ago. I’m afraid that even if these women do enter the palace, they will still be disappointed.”

Momo Kang said: “At least His Majesty has agreed to hold the draft this time.”

Empress Dowager Chu replied: “If the eldest prince wasn’t born with such a strange illness, that he can’t talk even though he is already 3 years old, the emperor won’t necessarily nod his head to the general election.”

Speaking about the three words “the eldest prince”, Momo Kang’s expression immediately turned solemn.

When the empress passed away 3 years ago, the emperor took his anger out on the back palace.

Where the eldest son of the emperor, Xiao Yun, should be raised, had been a problem.
The whole world had thought that the emperor would send the eldest prince to be raised under the empress dowager’s knee. However, unexpectedly, the emperor sent the eldest prince to Great Consort Sun, the birth mother of the grand princess, Princess Changning.
The prince, who should have been raised in Cining Palace, was sent to Shouan Palace instead.
This was undoubtedly slapping the empress dowager’s face.
Moreover, the emperor was not the empress dowager’s biological child. When mentioning this matter, both the inside and outside of the palace had been mostly silent.

[Great Consort: Consort (fei) of the late emperor. Sun is her surname]

[Grand princess: Title usually given to the sister of the reigning emperor]

[Changning: is her title, meaning forever peaceful. Her birth name will be exposed later]

Momo Kang looked at the pursed corner of the lips of Empress Dowager Chu, and cautiously spoke: “His Majesty is filial. Every few days, he comes to Cining Palace to pay his respects, it seems like…”

“His filial piety is for the world to see!” Empress Dowager Chu interrupted Momo Kang’s words loudly, “Filial piety? If he’s truly filial, will he suppress the Chu family like this? It has only been 3 years since he came to power, but he’s already seizing power here and there like a wolf. The Ministry of Rites, the Capital Procuratorate, the Hanlin Academy, in which place my Chu family still have a position! From the way I see it, he really wants to imitate his great ancestor!”

[Hanlin Academy: Imperial Hanlin Academy, lasting from Tang dynasty until 1911. The Hanlin itself refers to academics employed as imperial secretaries from the Tang onwards, forming the Hanlin Imperial Academy]

The great ancestor of Great Zhou, the moment he ascended the throne, he spared no pains or effort to suppress the power of influential officials, to guard against their arrogance and influence from outer power in politics. Even the empress position was bestowed to a woman of a humble background.

Momo Kang’s shoulders trembled, she immediately spoke: “It was this servant’s slip of tongue.”

***

The night was long.
Which one of the 300 candidates in Chuxiu Palace could sleep peacefully. Each one breathed differently, but when the white color of the dawn sky emerged, everyone’s expressions were very much different from yesterday.

They were going to face the Holy One soon.

The selection would be held in Jiangxue Pavilion in the Imperial Garden.

The candidates followed the old palace maids to the southeast while whispering to each other.

“Has Big Sister Zhang participated in palace banquets before? Have you seen the emperor before?”
The face of the girl in green reddened: “F-Far … I’ve seen it from afar before.”
The other girl: “When?”
The girl in green: “At the autumn hunt last year.”

When mentioning the autumn hunt, several ladies unanimously thought of the precise shot of the emperor in the hunting ground.
Xiao Yu was a military commander. His soldierly appearance when he spread his arms to pull the bow was unforgettable.

They whispered mutually, and their cheeks turned crimson.

Looking at each one of their lovely dimples, Qin Ling became lost in thought—

In the 1st year of Yanxi era, after the ceremony of the bestowment of the empress title.
Xiao Yu had taken her for a stroll in the Imperial Garden.
There were sceneries everywhere within the Imperial Garden, and they changed with each step.
Evergreen pine and cypress, bejeweled jade palace, the stone pond side.
Kunning Palace, Xianfu Palace, Changcun Palace, Jingren Palace, Yonghe Palace, Zhongcui Palace. Nothing more beautiful could be imagined. However, on the contrary, she felt that the inner palace of this grand imperial palace was empty and cold.

After passing Qianqiu Palace, one could see Chuxiu Palace.

The silhouettes of the two people were drawn long by the sunset.

Su Ling raised her hand to stroke the coiled dragon carving on the new emperor’s crown, very lightly.

Xiao Yu stopped his step, looked down at her, and asked: “What is the empress thinking about?”
Su Ling raised her face and look at him face to face. Her heartbeat somewhat quickened, and her fist was clenched.

She feigned ignorance and spoke: “I’ve always felt that this palace is somewhat empty. Don’t know if there will be many people in the future, whether it’ll become livelier…”
When people said that a woman’s thoughts were difficult to guess, they were not wrong.
She was waiting for him to ask why, but also waiting for him to refute.

But Xiao Yu only smiled at her.
His face was filled with elegance, and when he looked towards you, it was as if you were the only one for him.

The time slowly passed, and her heartbeat gradually calmed down.

Grasshoppers chirped on the glazed roof tiles. He did not ask why, nor did he refute.
He just held her hand lightly.

She had been so naïve on that year. She did not know why the emperor’s palm was warm, but her heart was cold.
This kind of simple probing, how could he not understand.

It was nothing else. He just did not want to answer.

Thinking about this, her expression turned somewhat gloomy, the side of her lips formed an indistinct smile.
Inside the harem, the ones who handed out their hearts would be the ones going insane.

Luo Yingcai interrupted her train of thoughts, she quietly said: “Big Sister Qin, have you seen His Majesty before?”
Qin Ling shook her head: “No.”
Luo Yingcai said again: “
Then, are you nervous?”
Qin Ling bit her lip and nodded a little, “A little bit.”

Gonggong Sheng, who served by the emperor’s side, said to the young eunuch: “His Majesty has already arrived, get ready to call the people to enter the hall.”
The young eunuch directly organized the A-list on top: “Should we start from here?”
Gonggong Sheng lifted his hand and swatted his head, “What have you been doing, look properly! Haven’t I told you yesterday that we’re going to start from the later ones?” If one already sees the good ones, who would still have the thoughts to see the later ones?
The young eunuch immediately replied: “I understand, Gonggong.”

The emperor was busy with official business, and would not be able to see these 300 candidates one by one. Gonggong Sheng suggested dividing these 300 people into four grades according to their scores on the preliminary test and the second test. Among these, there were 180 names in the D list, and they would enter in a group of 20.
No need to speak a word, and no need to pay respects.
They only needed to stand at the center of the palace hall for no more than 15 minutes.
If the emperor did not personally question them, their nameplates would be discarded.

A shichen had passed, the candidates gradually became uneasy.
There were many beauties among the 180 people in Group D, none of which the emperor could look down upon. Why was it that even when Group C had already entered, they still had not heard a single plate being kept?

Jiangxue Pavilion which had been packed with people just now, only 30 people were left in an instant.

In the palace hall, Xiao Yu was sitting on the red sandalwood Dragon Throne with a cloud dragon pattern. He was lowering his head to drink tea when Gonggong Gao walked to his side and said: “Your Majesty, the daughter of Minister He will be next.”
The man let out an “en” sound.

After the young eunuch’s summon from the outside, He Yuru walked around the red sandalwood side seat inlaid with flower-patterned jade. She stood still, took a deep breath, and said: “Wishing the emperor boundless happiness, good luck, and a long life.”

“Raise your head.” Xiao Yu said in a deep voice.

He Yuru lifted her chin lightly. The snow-white neck flushed in an instant after being stared at by the man.

Shortly after, Xiao Yu said: “Keep the nameplate.”

Once the voice fell, He Yuru let out a sigh of relief.
At last, after two shichens, there was a voice sounding to keep a nameplate.

Gonggong Sheng raised his voice: “He Yuru. Daughter of He Chegmao, the Minister of Revenue. Keep the nameplate.”

Immediately following after, another voice: “Xu Lanzhi. Daughter of Xu Bowei, the chief officer of the Capital Procuratorate. Keep the nameplate.”

There were fewer and fewer people. The young eunuch led Qin Ling to the front of the hall.
After looking at the name, Gonggong Sheng raised his head. His expression froze in an instant.

Since she had been here earlier, Qin Ling noticed Gonggong Sheng weakened knees. She immediately spoke: “I’ve seen Gonggong. I’m Qin Ling. Daughter of Grand Scribe Qin.”

Gonggong Sheng opened his mouth, closed it again, and swallowed his saliva.

Then he blurted out: “His Imperial Majesty has been waiting for yóu inside…”

[Yóu: The you here is the polite form, 您 (nín). He unconsciously blurts that out thinking Qin Ling is Su Ling, the empress. I’m gonna use yóu for the polite “you” term in the future, as repeatedly using “your esteemed self” is weird at some cases]