Before the Longxing Emperor could speak, the Empress Dowager said deliberately, word by word: “Shen Que, I killed your sister Shen Rong. But she deserved to die.”
Shen Que sneered. Glaring at the Empress Dowager, he taunted, “Is it deserving of death to wish to enter the palace and serve the Late Emperor? The Late Emperor didn’t belong to you alone. In the end, you were simply afraid that my sister was young and beautiful and would divide your affection, so you killed her!”
“If Shen Rong truly only wanted to enter the palace to serve the Late Emperor, I would never have killed her!” The Empress Dowager threw the voodoo doll to the ground. “This is why I killed her!”
Lady Shen Rong of Pingshan County died in her twentieth year.
When Shen Rong was born, her aunt Jiang Lingye had not yet entered the palace. In the first four years of her life, her memories consisted only of clothes patched again and again, the low, dilapidated mud-brick house her family lived in, and the image of her mother sewing shoes late into the night by moonlight. Although she was only four years old, she still had to help her mother wash clothes, cook, and do chores. Her family was desperately poor, but what was most desperate was that she could see no hope for the future. Her father was a merchant, and in the hierarchy of scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant, merchants ranked lowest. Her father, like her maternal grandfather, was an unsuccessful merchant. When she grew up, she too would follow in her mother’s footsteps, continuing to marry an unsuccessful merchant and living this desperately poor life.
But all of this changed when she was four years old.
Because her aunt, Jiang Lingye, entered the palace.
Her aunt was exceptionally beautiful and intelligent. She organized her father-in-law’s business ledgers meticulously and could remember even who owed her father-in-law a few coins from ten years ago. Had her maternal grandparents not forbidden her aunt from conducting business in public, perhaps she could have become a successful businesswoman.
With her aunt being so intelligent and beautiful, suitors naturally came in droves. Most were of similar social standing, but some wealthy households, admiring her aunt’s beauty, offered substantial sums to take her as a concubine. Her maternal grandfather was somewhat tempted, but her aunt refused all of them. Her grandfather asked her in confusion: “You won’t even marry into a wealthy household, so whom do you wish to marry?”
Her aunt calmly replied: “If I am to be a concubine anyway, why not seek out the most powerful man in the world and become his concubine?”
Who was the most powerful man in the world?
Naturally, it was His Majesty in Daming Palace.
Her aunt had grown weary of their life. Among the common people of the Great Zhou, only butchers and merchants wore black clothing; the rest wore white. Butchers and merchants held the lowest status among free citizens. She would marry a merchant, bear a daughter, then marry another merchant, repeating the cycle generation after generation, forever at the bottom of the social hierarchy.
She couldn’t decide her birth, but she could determine her fate.
Since heaven had blessed her with a beautiful face and an intelligent mind, she would use every means at her disposal to take her chance.
Her aunt wanted to enter the palace as a palace maid through the selection process for girls from respectable families, changing this repeating cycle of fate. Her maternal grandparents naturally disapproved, but her mother supported the idea. Her mother told her, “Your aunt has always been a person with her ideas. Her aspirations are too high. Rather than having her marry a merchant and be unhappy, it’s better to let her try, regardless of success or failure.”
Her mother didn’t believe her aunt would succeed, given how many beautiful women existed in the world. But her mother cherished her only sister and was willing to sacrifice everything to let her take this gamble. Her aunt didn’t have properly fitting shoes or elegant clothes, and worried about not passing the scrutiny of the Selection Officials. So her mother took off her only good pair of shoes and gave them to her aunt to wear, and used all the family’s savings to make her a six-panel skirt of green patterned silk. At that time, her aunt was moved to tears and said, “Sister, if I truly manage to rise to prominence, I will never forget your great kindness.”
Thus, her aunt entered the palace. No one expected that this girl, so poor she didn’t even have a pair of shoes that fit properly, would immediately catch the current Emperor’s attention upon entering the palace, and step by step, eventually become the Empress of the Great Zhou, second only to one and above all others.
The first four years of Shen Rong’s life could be described in four words: too painful to recall. The years after she turned four could also be described in four words: sudden, extreme good fortune.
After her aunt entered the palace and was bestowed the title of Consort, her family’s life improved. Her mother no longer had to strain her eyes making shoes for wealthy households, her father no longer had to go door to door hawking goods, and she no longer had to wear repeatedly patched clothes. She could even frequently enter the palace to accompany her aunt and her aunt’s daughter, her cousin Princess Yong’an, Li Ying.
Compared to her previous life, her cousin Li Ying was born into nobility. From birth, she was the Emperor’s most beloved daughter. Besides being given the milk name Mingyuezhu (Bright Moon Pearl) from a Buddhist sutra, she was also granted the prosperous Guangling Prefecture as her fief. Her father wished to present her with the finest things in the world, afraid she might dissolve if held in the mouth or break if held in the hands, showering her with a thousand indulgences and ten thousand spoils. Fortunately, Li Ying’s character did not become arrogant because of this. She remained very gentle and kind, and also very respectful toward her cousin. However, perhaps because a person’s character is formed by age four, the experiences of her first four years had affected her too deeply. As a result, while she was friendly, kind, and respectful toward Li Ying, she never truly opened her heart.
By the time she reached fourteen, her aunt had been elevated to Noble Consort. Her family was no longer classified as merchants; her father had been appointed as a third-rank official, achieving what could be called a leap in social status. Her aunt once asked her mother if there were any promising young men she favored, as she could request the Emperor to arrange a marriage. When her mother relayed this to her, she merely shook her head, because a sentence her aunt had spoken over a decade ago still lingered in her mind:
“If I am to be a concubine anyway, why not seek out the most powerful man in the world and become his concubine?”
When Shen Que heard this part of the story, he couldn’t believe it: “Are you saying that my sister always harbored ambitious designs to enter the palace and compete for favor?”
Cui Xun also frowned slightly. According to rumors, the Empress Dowager had long failed to give birth to a son, and Lady Shen, to protect the family’s interests, wanted to send her daughter Shen Rong to serve the Late Emperor. The Empress Dowager, out of jealousy, poisoned both Lady Shen and Shen Rong. This had confirmed the Empress Dowager’s reputation as a vicious woman who disregarded family ties and was ruthlessly cruel. In this story, Shen Rong’s image was that of a beautiful, fragile, helpless, and pitiful victim. But unexpectedly, the one who truly wanted to enter the palace was Shen Rong herself.
Recalling that period, the Empress Dowager couldn’t help but smile bitterly: “Shen Rong refused to marry. My sister came to see me, and through indirect hints, expressed her desire to send Shen Rong into the palace. I was shocked at the time. What kind of place is Daming Palace? Not to mention Empress Zheng watching like a tiger eyeing its prey, but even the other consorts—which one of them was easy to get along with? When I first entered the palace, I served as a maid in the Virtuous Consort’s chambers. The Late Emperor praised my eyes for their beauty, and out of jealousy, Virtuous Consort not only severely punished me but also ordered someone to gouge out my eyes. Had the Late Emperor not arrived in time, I would have long since departed for the yellow springs. Shen Rong only saw the glory of my position as Noble Consort, but did not see the hardships and difficulties I endured, climbing step by step from a palace maid to Noble Consort.”
The Empress Dowager had always been reluctant to show weakness. She had never mentioned the bitterness of her time as a palace maid in front of others. This was the first time she revealed past secrets in front of the Longxing Emperor. The Emperor’s expression changed, and his voice trembled as he said, “Mother…”
The Empress Dowager murmured, “At that time, I not only rejected my sister but also told her that as long as I lived, I would never allow Shen Rong to enter the palace. I intended to protect Shen Rong, but I never thought that… it would instead harm Mingyuezhu.”
After being rejected, Shen Rong was greatly disappointed. She asked her mother, “Did Aunt say that?”
Lady Shen nodded, saying with concern, “Rong’er, let it go. With our family’s current status, there are plenty of men in Chang’an City for you to choose from. Why must you enter the palace and marry the Emperor?”
Shen Rong became angry: “No, I don’t want any other man. I only want to marry the Emperor.”
She pursed her lips, envisioning the vibrant and magnificent image of Emperor Taichang: “Since Aunt won’t help me, I’ll find a way myself.”
The first step of Shen Rong’s plan was to instigate a conflict between her aunt and Empress Zheng.
Her aunt wouldn’t agree to her entering the palace, and Empress Zheng would be even less likely to agree. They were the two most powerful women in the palace. She wanted to make them fight each other until both were severely weakened.
So Shen Rong persuaded Lady Shen to bribe Empress Zheng’s maid to spread false information, inciting her aunt’s hatred toward Empress Zheng.
Lady Shen didn’t quite understand why she was doing this: “If you bribe Empress Zheng’s maid to gather intelligence for your aunt, I can understand that. But why did the maid say things Empress Zheng never said, making your aunt dislike Empress Zheng even more?”
“I’m doing this for Aunt’s good,” Shen Rong said. “Since giving birth to Mingyuezhu, Aunt has become overly cautious. Where is the ambition and vigor she once had when climbing into the Emperor’s bed? I know she fears that if she loses in a confrontation with Empress Zheng, it will harm Mingyuezhu. But does she think that if she doesn’t confront Empress Zheng, the Empress will leave her alone? That’s ridiculous.”
Lady Shen advised: “Your aunt has always been the most determined. When she entered the palace, she couldn’t recognize a single character, but now she can write beautifully. I see her reading all kinds of books, and His Majesty often discusses state affairs with her. Perhaps her mind isn’t focused on competing for favor in the palace. And now, with her showing restraint at every turn, Empress Zheng appears increasingly aggressive. There are already murmurs of dissatisfaction with Empress Zheng in the court. If we wait patiently, perhaps before long, your aunt will emerge victorious.”
Shen Rong scoffed at this: “How can a Noble Consort without a son win? Besides, Empress Zheng’s only fault is a bad temper; she hasn’t committed any major transgressions. If we continue waiting like this, it would be better if Empress Zheng dies before His Majesty. If she dies after him, then Aunt will become the next Consort Qi, and our family will face execution of the entire clan.”
Lady Shen was startled: “Rong’er, don’t frighten me.”
“Mother, listen to me,” Shen Rong said. “I’m helping Aunt. Even if she finds out, she won’t blame us.”
Lady Shen hesitated but eventually agreed to Shen Rong’s plan to bribe Empress Zheng’s maid, Wan Xiang, to instigate conflict between Empress Zheng and Noble Consort Jiang.
The plan proceeded smoothly, especially when Shen Rong instructed Wan Xiang to falsely accuse Empress Zheng of sending poisoned ginseng soup to Li Ying, successfully pushing her aunt’s hatred of Empress Zheng to its peak. The next step was how to give her aunt a push to completely bring down Empress Zheng.
Shen Rong was well aware that the biggest obstacle to her entering the palace wasn’t her aunt but Empress Zheng. The palace already had one favored Noble Consort Jiang, and Empress Zheng would not allow a second Noble Consort Jiang to appear. Moreover, compared to Noble Consort Jiang, Shen Rong was younger and more beautiful. What man doesn’t like young girls? Emperor Taichang was a man, so he would be no exception.
To enter the palace and become a favorite, she first needed to eliminate Empress Zheng.
As for how to eliminate Empress Zheng, Shen Rong set her sights on her cousin, Li Ying.