Palace Administrator Fan, following Empress Ma’s imperial edict to compile the deeds of virtuous Song Dynasty empresses and consorts along with their family customs and conduct, went to the library to collect materials. As soon as she stepped through the library’s entrance, she heard a voice from overhead: “Who’s there? All unauthorized personnel leave immediately.”
Palace Administrator Fan looked up and saw a head poking out from atop a bookshelf about two people high, with bright eyes and white teeth. She was standing on a ladder, wiping dust from the bookshelf.
“Hu Shanwei?” Palace Administrator Fan was somewhat surprised. Unexpectedly, this girl hadn’t grown moldy in the library. On the contrary, the library had been completely transformed, with books neatly arranged on shelves, organized by category without any disorder.
Hu Shanwei quickly climbed down from the ladder to pay respects. She removed her dust-proof coarse cloth outer robe, revealing her official gown. She wore a female official’s black gauze cap, the gauze flowers on both sides somewhat faded, but she herself shone like a bright pearl.
“What does Palace Administrator Fan need from this humble official?”
Palace Administrator Fan relayed Empress Ma’s imperial edict. Hu Shanwei dared not delay and led Palace Administrator Fan to the desk. “If we search book by book, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack. For every book shelved in the library, I’ve recorded it in the catalog, including entries, summaries, and placement locations.”
Hu Shanwei brought volume after volume of bound catalogs to the desk. “Searching through the catalogs would be much faster.”
Not just faster—it would be twice as efficient!
Palace Administrator Fan opened a volume. The handwriting was in proper court calligraphy style, exactly the standard script for official court documents. Though it lacked some personality, it was clear and clean at a glance, as if printed from carved blocks.
Soon, the volumes on the desk piled up like a small mountain.
Hu Shanwei said, “Recently more books from various regions have been delivered to Storage Warehouse C, so the warehouse hasn’t been completely sorted yet.”
Palace Administrator Fan nodded secretly. She was busy every day and had long forgotten about Hu Shanwei. When she had originally arranged for Hu Shanwei to manage the library, she had meant to let her fend for herself. Who knew that Hu Shanwei not only hadn’t grown moldy, but was like beautiful jade within a stone—with just a bit of carving and polishing, she showed her refreshing jade color.
The troublemaker Mu Chun had behaved himself these three months without causing more trouble, so it seemed the peach blossom powder incident was finally over.
Palace Administrator Fan looked at Hu Shanwei with satisfaction. “The compilation of Song Dynasty consorts’ virtue and family conduct is urgent. Starting today, we’ll work through the night. I’ll speak with the Bureau of Palace Administration—the keys to the library and Storage Warehouse C don’t need to be turned in to the Key Department, you’ll keep them.”
Besides this, Palace Administrator Fan also used the Empress’s imperial edict to borrow outstanding female officials from the Six Bureaus to jointly compile “Biographies of Virtuous Song Dynasty Consorts and Their Family Conduct,” including thirteen-year-old champion Shen Qionglian from the Bureau of Court Rites, Guangdong native Chen Er’mei from the Imperial Kitchen Bureau, thirty-nine-year-old “elderly” Jiang Quan from the Bureau of Palace Attendants, and others—twenty people in total.
With the Empress’s imperial edict as backing, once Palace Administrator Fan issued the transfer orders, each bureau obediently sent the female officials she requested to the library.
Palace Administrator Fan immediately divided the twenty female officials into two groups for day and night shifts. “You ten people work from the fifth to seventh watch during the day, reading and copying books. The other ten work from the seventh watch to the fifth watch at night. Switch after five days. The deadline is ten days to collect all available materials and deliver them to me.”
All female officials: “This humble official obeys.”
Palace Administrator Fan said, “Those working the night shift tonight, go rest immediately to conserve energy, then return at the seventh watch for the shift change. The remaining ten, follow Female Historian Hu—she’ll teach you how to find the books you need.”
Shen Qionglian and Chen Er’mei were both assigned to the day shift. Meeting old friends, thirteen-year-old Shen Qionglian had a childish face but nodded and smiled at her like a little adult.
Chen Er’mei playfully stuck out her tongue at her. This lover of fine food had been like a mouse falling into an oil jar since joining the Imperial Kitchen Bureau, her little face growing round from eating.
Hu Shanwei smiled in response and led the ten female officials to introduce the library’s catalog system and book arrangement patterns across four floors. Going up and down in the height of summer, everyone worked up a light sweat.
Everyone found it hard to believe, “You managed all this by yourself?”
Hu Shanwei said, “The eunuchs helped carry in the book chests.”
For three whole months, she had focused wholeheartedly, never slacking off for a single day.
Everyone showed admiring expressions. Previously, due to Mu Chun’s peach blossom powder incident, those uninformed female officials thought Hu Shanwei was a frivolous person who, relying on her looks and the grace of shoes bestowed by Empress Ma, dared to snub the troublemaker Mu Chun. Mu Chun had used peach blossom powder for revenge, resulting in others being implicated.
People are like this—when bad things happen, they habitually look for reasons in women.
Today, seeing her, Hu Shanwei was clearly the most down-to-earth person. It seemed those previous rumors were pure hearsay.
The female officials developed respectful feelings toward Hu Shanwei. They thanked her and began using the catalogs to search for books that might record Song Dynasty rear palace deeds.
Chen Er’mei, Shen Qionglian, and Hu Shanwei caught up in a corner of the library.
Shen Qionglian stood out wherever she was. She also wore the unique purple round-necked narrow-sleeved brocade robe of female officials, with pearl-netted gold-threaded sash and red skirt, only tailored to her size. The proper black gauze cap made her tender, tofu-like puffed cheeks particularly endearing.
I really want to pinch her cheeks! Hu Shanwei thought.
Shen Qionglian was unaware of her “improper thoughts.” She stood on tiptoe to extract an ancient book that was almost falling apart from the shelf, carefully placing it on the book desk like handling some rare treasure, saying:
“I heard you went to the library. At that time, I told Director Cui that I wanted to switch jobs with you. I don’t like being a female teacher, giving lessons to palace maids, having to start with the most basic ‘Thousand Character Classic.’ How boring! I could recite the entire ‘Thousand Character Classic’ by memory when I was three. What’s the point of teaching this? It’s like chewing sugarcane—chewing it over and over until there’s no flavor left.”
“Organizing a library of this scale is my dream.” Shen Qionglian surveyed the bookshelves that stood like high walls. “But Director Cui wouldn’t let me switch jobs with you. Sigh, I really envy you. No, I’m jealous.”
Shen Qionglian pouted and said with complete seriousness, “I’ve never been jealous of anyone before. You’re the first. So jealousy is this kind of up-and-down, inexplicably angry emotion. How annoying.”
Hearing this, Hu Shanwei and Chen Er’mei exchanged glances, reaching a tacit understanding: Well, a genius’s thoughts are indeed different from us ordinary people. She actually wanted to switch to the isolated library!
Shen Qionglian said seriously, “Too bad Director Cui wouldn’t agree, insisting I be a female teacher. Those palace maids are so stupid. When I speak a bit more deeply or intersperse a few historical allusions, they all look at me like this—”
Shen Qionglian made a blank, innocent expression at them. “Fortunately Palace Administrator Fan transferred me to the library, otherwise I would have been so angry I’d cough up blood.”
What to do? Seeing Shen Qionglian like this makes me want to pinch her cheeks even more. Hu Shanwei thought this but didn’t dare act on it, because Shen Qionglian most hated being treated like a child.
Shen Qionglian sat down and waved at them, “If you want to have private conversations, please go farther away and don’t disturb my reading.”
Hu Shanwei and Chen Er’mei went to Storage Warehouse C to organize and transport the remaining books. Chen Er’mei chattered endlessly about palace cuisine. “The food in the palace values ceremony over taste—it’s all about the feeling of dignity. Take Noble Consort Hu, for example. No one in the palace is more particular than Noble Consort Hu…”
When Noble Consort Hu dined, the food was plated, placed in food boxes, but that wasn’t enough. They needed to cover the food box with yellow silk, carried by a young eunuch holding the food box while another eunuch held a curved-handle small yellow umbrella with ten golden bells tied to each of the umbrella’s ten corners.
Once they started walking, all ten little bells would jingle. The purpose was to scare away birds in the sky, preventing them from flying overhead and soiling the food box.
Upon reaching Yanxi Palace, the young eunuchs had to cover their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs to avoid contamination from their breath before opening the food box, taking out the food, and placing it on Noble Consort Hu’s dining table.
Hu Shanwei thought Chen Er’mei was spinning tales. “The food box has a lid and is covered with yellow silk. It’s not windy or rainy—is it really necessary to hold an umbrella with ten golden bells over the food box?”
“Tell me about it!” Chen Er’mei sighed. “This was Noble Consort Hu’s requirement to the Imperial Kitchen Bureau. Our Director Xu had no choice but to find ways to satisfy Noble Consort Hu. If Noble Consort Hu ever said she felt unwell after eating a meal and it harmed the dragon heir in her belly, our entire Imperial Kitchen Bureau would be in trouble—heads would roll, ranks would be demoted, or people would be punished to carry bells at night. Oh my, that would be worse than death.”
Even someone as cheerful as Chen Er’mei showed worry, showing how busy and tense the Imperial Kitchen Bureau’s affairs were. Despite all this, Chen Er’mei still remembered to daily instruct the little palace maids to deliver meals promptly to Hu Shanwei at the library, and when the weather got hot, she even “abused her authority” by using connections with the Bureau of Works to get ice blocks to put in mung bean soup for Hu Shanwei’s heat relief.
Such friendship moved Hu Shanwei deeply. Everyone in the palace had their difficulties—the library had its lonely hardships, the Imperial Kitchen Bureau had its tense helplessness, and even champion Shen Qionglian couldn’t do as she pleased.
As Hu Shanwei and Chen Er’mei were chatting happily, suddenly two young men in four-clawed python robes burst in from outside. Four claws were the regulation for imperial princes’ robes—four claws for pythons, five claws for dragons.
Though they didn’t recognize these two young men, Hu Shanwei and Chen Er’mei knew they were imperial princes and hurriedly stood up to pay respects. The taller young man waved his hand, “No need for ceremony. We’re hiding here. If someone comes looking for us later, just say we passed through the warehouse and went west.”
Hu Shanwei was confused and asked, “Who is so bold as to threaten Your Highnesses?”
The young prince was about to answer when hurried footsteps sounded outside the warehouse. The two princes both made shushing gestures and quickly ran to hide behind the book piles.
Someone came in—a young man wearing the same four-clawed python robe.
He was an older prince. Could it be an older brother wanting to discipline his younger brothers, so the younger ones ran to the warehouse to hide?
Hu Shanwei held the warehouse key. She cleared her throat softly and stood at the door. “This is Storage Warehouse C. What brings Your Highness here?”
The man said, “I’m hiding here. If anyone asks, just say I went west.”
Ah? Hu Shanwei was even more confused.
At this point, the two young princes hiding behind the books stood up and waved to the older prince, “Fourth Brother, come here.”
The man hurried over, “Hide quickly, brother-in-law is about to find us.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a young man in imperial bestowed flying fish robes came running, looking around as he went. Passing the warehouse entrance, he stopped and walked toward the warehouse. Hu Shanwei thought that if they hid one more person in the book pile, they could form a table for leaf cards.
The young man saw Hu Shanwei and smiled, “Little sister, have you seen the three Highnesses—Prince Yan, Prince Dai, and Prince An?”
By age, Hu Shanwei was definitely younger. This person was really shameless in pursuit of his goal.
Hu Shanwei showed a bewildered expression, “I’m of lowly status and don’t recognize the princes, but I vaguely saw three people going west just now.”
The young man looked somewhat disappointed, “These three act like I’m the plague when they see me—they hide the moment they spot me. Sigh, these days, borrowing some money is like borrowing their lives. I absolutely must find them to borrow money.”
The young man headed west, but after a few steps, suddenly turned around and charged into the warehouse. Hu Shanwei and Chen Er’mei blocked him from entering—offending three princes would not end well!
The young man stamped his feet anxiously, “I just saw my nemesis—my creditor coming to collect debts. Please let me through, sisters, I need to hide.”
Hu Shanwei had a sudden inspiration and pointed to an empty book chest, “Behind the book pile, you’ll be spotted immediately—can’t hide anyone. Why don’t you hide in this chest? I’ll lock it and he won’t find you.”
“Great idea!” The young man jumped into the chest, curling up his body. “Then I’ll trouble you, little sister.”
Hu Shanwei closed the lid and locked it. Just then, the creditor arrived at the door asking, “Sister Shanwei, did you see Xu Zengshou?”
It was actually Mu Chun.
Hu Shanwei pointed at the chest but said aloud, “Living deep in the palace, I don’t know any Xu What’s-his-name, but just now someone ran east in a panic.”
Mu Chun understood and deliberately said loudly, “That must be him, I’ll go find him!”