Chapter 144

The eldest daughter of the Marquis of Wuding, the wife of Emperor Wuzong, a ruler of both literary and martial prowess—to think she would come to such an end.

Fu Tingjun could not help but sigh.

Clearly, every household has its own troubles, and even the Grand Empress Dowager was no exception.

With that thought, her earlier trepidation began to ease.

"Then I shall wear an ordinary garment to the palace," she said. "If I dress too lavishly, not only would it be unbefitting of my station, but should I be seen by noble ladies like the Grand Empress Dowager, they might take us for parvenus. That would hardly be to our advantage."

Zhao Ling nodded.

Fu Tingjun selected a lake-green gauze blouse embroidered with intertwining flowers, a white gauze skirt threaded with silver silk, and a silver hairpin set with white southern pearls. She retired early, and by the yin hour the next morning, she had already finished her toilette, escorted by Zhao Ling toward the palace.

Along the way, her legs felt weak, and she kept asking Zhao Ling: "Who are the people around the Grand Empress Dowager?"

"After the Grand Empress Dowager entered the palace, she claimed that those who had formerly served her had either passed away or were too advanced in years to attend her, and had the Empress help arrange for attendants in Cining Palace. There is one old woman called Aunt Ying whom you must take note of—she served the Grand Empress Dowager when she was still Empress, and later accompanied her into seclusion at Yuming Mountain. After the Grand Empress Dowager was reunited with the Emperor, she asked him for only two things: one was to search for her younger brother who had been exiled to Tieling Guard, and the other was to request that the Emperor appoint one of Aunt Ying's nephews as Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard."

Fu Tingjun was deeply moved.

When they reached Shenwu Gate, it was a quarter before the mao hour. Zhao Ling whispered a few words of reassurance—"The Grand Empress Dowager is but an ordinary person; treat her as an elder and there is no need to be afraid"—before heading to the duty room. A Sen and Yuwei accompanied Fu Tingjun as they waited for two quarters of an hour, until Eunuch Zhong and the young eunuch who had visited their home the day before arrived, beaming.

Fu Tingjun, by contrast, had grown calm.

After an exchange of pleasantries, A Sen and Yuwei waited outside the palace gates while Fu Tingjun followed behind Eunuch Zhong. The Jinwu Guard inspected their waist tokens and allowed them through the palace gates.

The crimson walls seemed to stretch on without end, and everywhere she looked were corridors paved with grey brick. Eunuchs in blue robes and palace maids in green bowed and greeted Eunuch Zhong as they passed, and he responded with slight nods, his demeanor reserved yet tinged with arrogance. But it was Fu Tingjun following behind him who suffered, forced to smile and return the greetings continuously until her face grew stiff from smiling, before they finally turned into a courtyard.

The courtyard was not large, but exceedingly tidy, with eunuchs coming and going in what seemed like a bustle of activity.

Catching sight of Eunuch Zhong, a young eunuch called out loudly, "Eunuch Zhang! Eunuch Zhong has brought the person."

A eunuch of about twenty, with delicate features, stepped out.

Eunuch Zhong hurried forward to bow, his manner extremely respectful, which stirred a hint of wariness in Fu Tingjun's heart. She followed suit with a humble bow.

Eunuch Zhang glanced at Fu Tingjun, said, "Miss Fu, follow me," and promptly strode out of the courtyard.

Fu Tingjun hastened to keep up, only to find herself alone. She turned back to look and saw Eunuch Zhong deep in animated conversation with another eunuch. It was then she realized that this Eunuch Zhong was merely her escort into the palace—the one to bring her before the Grand Empress Dowager was a eunuch of higher rank.

She fixed her gaze downward, eyes on her nose and nose on her heart, as she followed behind Eunuch Zhang.

They passed a stretch of grey-brick corridor separated by red walls, crossed a large garden, and walked along a covered corridor painted with gold-lacquered blue and green floral motifs for nearly half an hour, before entering a flower hall.

"Miss Fu, please wait here. I shall go inform Eunuch Li at once," Eunuch Zhang said, and before Fu Tingjun could rise to see him off, he had already left the hall.

A palace maid entered to serve her tea.

She thanked her, and quietly slipped the maid two silver ingots of four fen each.

The maid looked somewhat surprised, murmured her thanks, accepted them shyly, and withdrew softly.

After all that walking, Fu Tingjun was parched and drenched in sweat.

She quickly straightened her attire, then sat down and took a few sips of tea.

The tea leaves were quite ordinary, but they quenched her thirst perfectly, and she felt a surprising sense of contentment.

All around was silent. She sat for a long while without anyone coming, let alone to refill her tea.

Fu Tingjun began to grow uneasy. She wanted to check the time, but the flower hall had its four doors open wide, containing only a few armchairs and several tea tables.

She felt a pang of discouragement.

Light footsteps sounded outside the hall.

Fu Tingjun hastily composed herself.

A palace maid of fifteen or sixteen entered.

She had a round face and a cheerful smile, looking most auspicious: "Miss Fu, please come with me."

Fu Tingjun smiled her thanks and followed the maid out of the flower hall.

Along the covered corridor, they entered a courtyard.

The main hall spanned seven bays in width, with pine and cypress trees as thick as an arm's embrace, glass panes set into the window lattices, cranes strolling leisurely about the courtyard, and palace maids and eunuchs standing in silent rows beneath the eaves like a forest of brush pens—all of this told Fu Tingjun that she had now arrived at the Grand Empress Dowager's private chambers.

She couldn't help but take a deep breath and, at the palace maid's signal, stood respectfully at the palace gate with her hands clasped, waiting for the maid to announce her arrival.

Faint laughter drifted over.

Fu Tingjun was secretly amazed.

She wondered who was with the Grand Empress Dowager.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when the round-faced palace maid returned, smiling, and told her to enter.

Fu Tingjun gently tugged at her sleeves and followed the maid through the palace gate.

Mirror-like floor tiles, crimson brocade carpets, rosewood furniture, bright yellow curtains, and incense burners, boxes, and vases in shades of sacrificial red, sacrificial blue, and sweet white—an air of understated luxury rushed to meet her. The palace maids and eunuchs standing by the pillars and before the curtains added a touch of solemnity to the room.

From the eastern chamber came the cheerful laughter of a young woman.

Fu Tingjun walked in with her eyes lowered.

The laughter stopped at once, and four or five pairs of eyes fell upon her.

Not daring to raise her head, Fu Tingjun knelt respectfully and performed the full ceremonial kowtow to the Grand Empress Dowager, as the palace maid announced, "Miss Fu has come to pay her respects to the Grand Empress Dowager."

"Rise," the Grand Empress Dowager's somewhat cool voice echoed through the hall.

Fu Tingjun quickly expressed her thanks and stole a swift glance around the hall.

On the large kang by the window sat a woman of about sixty, with graying hair, a lean face, and bright, piercing eyes. She wore a half-new, half-old sapphire-blue plain Hangzhou silk jacket with no ornaments whatsoever. Below her sat a young matron in her mid-twenties, slightly plump with a face like a full moon, her eyes shimmering with smiles. She wore a blue-green silk gown patterned with four-petal medallions, her jet-black hair adorned with a gold-inlaid-jade grape-and-squirrel hairpin, and pearl earrings the size of lotus seeds hanging from her ears—dignified and resplendent. Beside the young matron stood a girl of fourteen or fifteen, with bright eyes and white teeth, wearing a peach-pink gauze gown patterned with scattered floral sprigs and a gold neck ring from which hung a white-jade lotus pendant. She carried an air of refinement mingled with lively charm, most eye-catching indeed.

The woman of sixty, seated in the place of honor, must be the Grand Empress Dowager. But who were the young matron and the bright-eyed girl? To have a seat before the Grand Empress Dowager and to chat and laugh so freely—they must surely be persons of wealth and rank.

As Fu Tingjun was speculating, she heard the Grand Empress Dowager say to the young matron, "This is the betrothed of Zhao Ling, Left Commander of the Imperial Guard. I hear from His Majesty that she is a woman like Wang Baochuan, and he asked me to bestow a marriage blessing upon them. When I heard this, I wished to see her. Little did I expect that Her Majesty the Empress would bring Miss Meng here today, and that Miss Meng would speak with such wit and humor that I quite forgot the hour. This too must be fate!"

Fu Tingjun was greatly startled. Forgetting the Grand Empress Dowager's remark about "a woman like Wang Baochuan," she hurriedly knelt and kowtowed to the Empress.

The girl's gaze toward Fu Tingjun immediately filled with curiosity.

The Empress graciously received Fu Tingjun's salute, then gestured to the girl beside her and said, "This is the Nineteenth Miss of the Duke of Fuguo's household, cousin to the Marquis of Yingchuan. She is no outsider—you two should meet as well."

Another unexpected figure.

Fu Tingjun exchanged greetings with Miss Meng.

The Grand Empress Dowager then ordered the palace maids to bring them embroidered stools.

The two thanked her and sat side by side, half-seated on the stools.

The Empress looked at them and smiled to the Grand Empress Dowager, "Look at the two of them—like the orchid of spring and the chrysanthemum of autumn, each with their own merits."

The Grand Empress Dowager showed a faint smile. Unlike how one might question a newcomer about their birthplace, parents, or age, she instead asked how Fu Tingjun had come to the capital with Zhao Ling.

Fu Tingjun breathed a great sigh of relief.

Since Zhao Ling had already laid out their situation fully before the Emperor, it would be disrespectful for her to be vague before the Grand Empress Dowager. Yet to speak of those sordid matters before so many people filled her with shame and embarrassment... She couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude toward the seemingly aloof Grand Empress Dowager.

The Empress listened with exclamations of wonder and said to the Grand Empress Dowager with a smile, "No wonder His Majesty asked you to bestow the marriage blessing—it's just like something out of a book."

A flicker of distraction passed through the Grand Empress Dowager's eyes at this. She said, "What is written in books is but the affairs of this world," then quickly collected herself and asked Fu Tingjun, "The wedding date is set for the sixth day of the eighth month?"

Fu Tingjun respectfully answered, "Yes."

The Grand Empress Dowager nodded, spoke a few words about "the husband as the wife's guide" and such, then instructed a female official to bestow a pair of gold hairpins upon her.

The Empress, following suit, also admonished her with words about "the way of a wife lying in obedience and deference," and ordered a pair of gold rings to be given to her.

The Grand Empress Dowager then raised her teacup.

Fu Tingjun rose and took her leave.

The female official and the round-faced palace maid who had brought her to see the Grand Empress Dowager led her out of the main hall, along the covered corridor back to the reception hall—but they did not pause there. Instead, they passed through the covered corridor beside the reception hall and exited through the palace gate.

Fu Tingjun had already lost her sense of direction. She smiled and asked the round-faced palace maid, "Honored aunt, where are we going?"

The round-faced palace maid smiled and said, "We're going to collect the rewards that the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress have bestowed upon you!"

Fu Tingjun felt embarrassed, and followed them to a secluded courtyard. The female official and the eunuch in the courtyard signed the documents, with the round-faced palace maid as witness, and received a pair of gold hairpins and a pair of gold rings.

Fu Tingjun thanked them repeatedly, then took out silver to tip the eunuch, the female official, and the palace maid. Only then did she take the gold hairpins and gold rings and follow the round-faced palace maid out.

As they passed by the small garden, she heard someone say, "What, that Miss Meng has entered the palace again?"

She couldn't help but follow the sound and saw two palace maids walking past the flower wall.

Fu Tingjun glanced at the round-faced palace maid and saw her furrow her brows.