After delivering the keys, darkness had already fallen. Hu Shanwei went to the Imperial Kitchen—Mei Xiang was on duty tonight and couldn’t come to her residence for lessons, so she simply went to teach in person.
After the peach blossom powder incident, Mei Xiang had changed from a respectable palace attendant to a lowly kitchen servant. Reading was her only chance to escape the stoves, so she was particularly diligent and serious.
At the second watch, Hu Shanwei took her leave and walked along East Long Street of the Eastern Six Palaces. Though it was night, it was as bright as day.
On the two long streets of the rear palace, east and west, besides the iron tablets personally inscribed by Emperor Hongwu—”Inner court officials shall not interfere in government affairs; those who do shall be executed”—there was a street lamp every five steps.
The lamps had stone bases with copper wire windows. Every night, eunuchs would patrol to light the lamps and refill the oil, continuing through the night until dawn.
On this midsummer night, Nanjing was humid and hot. The imperial palace, built by filling a lake, had quite a few mosquitoes and moths that swarmed toward each street lamp. The copper wire windows were covered with the charred corpses of insects, emitting a burnt stench.
These lives were incredibly fragile, yet instinctively yearned for light. Knowing that the closer they got, the more deadly it became, they still threw themselves at the flames without hesitation.
The long street was filled with this pungent smell. Hu Shanwei quickened her pace, wanting to return quickly and leave this place.
Clear bell sounds came from ahead. Each time the bells stopped, someone would loudly call out the four words “All Under Heaven is at Peace.”
This was a palace attendant who had made an error and was receiving the punishment of carrying bells.
From nightfall, at the changing of the first to second, third, and fourth watches, the punished palace attendants would walk along the long street carrying copper bells. Regardless of wind or rain, through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, when the bells rang, they would loudly say “All Under Heaven is at Peace.”
The words were auspicious, but the voice was incredibly mournful.
The bell-carrying punishment continued until the fifth watch, ending only at dawn.
The bell-carrying punishment was torture for both body and spirit. The street lamps smoked and burned, moths rushed to the flames, insect corpses were scorched, and palace attendants carried bells—this scene was like a parade of a hundred ghosts!
This imperial palace was adorned with flowers and wealth during the day, but at night, East Long Street seemed like a path to the underworld.
On this midsummer night, Hu Shanwei broke out in a cold sweat and walked faster and faster, her undergarments already soaked through.
Finally, she reached Yanxi Palace at the easternmost end. Outside Yanxi Palace, about fifty or sixty people stood waiting.
Hu Shanwei, who knew the palace regulations and etiquette by heart, recognized this as the “Guarding the Chamber” ceremony, a protocol only available to the Three Palace Consorts.
The Three Palaces referred to Empress of the Central Palace Kunning Palace, and the highest-ranking concubines in the Eastern and Western Six Palaces. The highest-ranking consort in the Eastern Six Palaces was commonly called the Eastern Palace Lady, and the highest-ranking one in the Western Six Palaces was called the Western Palace Lady.
Currently in the Eastern Six Palaces, Noble Consort Hu of Yanxi Palace held the highest rank, while in the Western Six Palaces it was Consort Sun.
This meant that only when Empress Ma, Noble Consort Hu, and Consort Sun—these three ladies—were being attended to in their chambers would the “Guarding the Chamber” ceremony be arranged.
Tonight, Emperor Hongwu was favoring Noble Consort Hu of Yanxi Palace.
Wait, wasn’t Noble Consort Hu still pregnant?
He must be there to keep Noble Consort Hu company.
Hu Shanwei kept her head down, walking almost against the street lamps covered with insect corpses, not daring to disturb the “Guarding the Chamber” ceremony at Yanxi Palace.
As she passed the palace gate, someone emerged from Yanxi Palace. The fifty or sixty people in the ceremonial formation automatically made way, seemingly showing great respect for this person.
Hu Shanwei walked ahead, not daring to look back to see who it was—you never knew what terrible consequences one wrong step in the palace might cause, so it was better to be careful.
But that person called out to her on the road, “Is that Hu Shanwei?”
Hu Shanwei stopped and turned around. By the brilliant street lamps, she clearly saw the person’s face—it was Jiang Quan, a new female official who had entered the palace in the same examination as her.
Jiang Quan was thirty-nine years old, the oldest among the new female officials. At her age outside the palace, she would already be a grandmother. Director Wang of the Bureau of Palace Attendants had taken a liking to her and selected her for the bureau.
Because of her mature and steady character, Director Wang assigned Jiang Quan to the Seal Department as an eighth-rank Female Historian. The Seal Department was responsible for managing the Emperor and Empress’s jade seals and various official documents and records—eleven female officials worked together to handle these important responsibilities.
They included two sixth-rank Seal Directors, two seventh-rank Seal Keepers, two eighth-rank Seal Managers, and four subordinate eighth-rank Female Historians.
Jiang Quan had just entered the Seal Department with shallow qualifications, serving only as a subordinate eighth-rank Female Historian.
Jiang Quan’s current position was the job Hu Shanwei had once dreamed of. How much she had wanted to touch the imperial seal!
Jiang Quan emerged from Yanxi Palace at the transition between the second and third watches, leading Hu Shanwei to guess that she must be highly favored by Noble Consort Hu.
However, Jiang Quan was not someone who became arrogant upon gaining success. She walked shoulder to shoulder with Hu Shanwei, speaking humbly, “Ever since I entered the Bureau of Palace Attendants, everything has been unfamiliar. I have to be careful in all matters, busy every day, constantly on edge, afraid of making mistakes. Sigh, sometimes I don’t even know what I’m busy with. In the blink of an eye, three months have passed. I’ve finally gotten a grasp of things and was planning to visit you for a chat in a few days. I never expected to encounter you on the road so late at night.”
That day, Jiang Quan was the last female official taken by Director Wang. Hu Shanwei had mustered courage to compete but was ignored by Director Wang, hitting a wall. In the end, Jiang Quan went to the place she most wanted to go. To say she felt no jealousy would be a lie.
Hu Shanwei felt sour inside, but years of upbringing made her strive to maintain dignity. Since Jiang Quan walked slowly, she also slowed her pace and agreed, “Indeed, what a coincidence.”
What could she say?
You complain about being busy and under pressure—why don’t we switch places? I’d be more than willing!
Jiang Quan continued, “Actually, everyone often mentions you and wants to help you. But we new female officials have little influence and can barely protect ourselves. The Directors of the Six Departments and One Bureau clearly refuse to take you—who dares go against their superiors’ wishes? We just thought that once the peach blossom powder incident dies down and the superiors gradually forget, we’d find an opportunity to speak up and transfer you out of the library. Your talents shouldn’t be buried in the library.”
Hu Shanwei didn’t know whether these were Jiang Quan’s polite words or genuine feelings. In the palace, she didn’t dare fully believe anyone’s words anymore. She said, “Thank you.”
Hu Shanwei was no saint—in the end, it was difficult to accept.
Three months ago, when they had just entered the palace, which of the forty-three female officials hadn’t copied Hu Shanwei’s notes? The threshold of her door was nearly worn flat from visitors. Before the major examination, all the female officials brought food and drink to gather in her room for mutual testing—how lively it was!
When the peach blossom powder incident erupted, no matter how Palace Administrator Fan questioned her, Hu Shanwei never accused others randomly to save herself. She had a clear conscience, was kind to others, and helped people to the best of her ability. But how had others treated her?
In these three months, not one of the forty-three female officials had appeared before her, not even offering a single useless word of comfort.
For every five sentences Jiang Quan spoke, Hu Shanwei only politely responded with one. Jiang Quan was talented and old enough to be her mother, with rich experience—how could she not hear the distance and coldness?
Jiang Quan only regarded Hu Shanwei as a junior and patiently explained, “Though you’re in the palace, you’ve been living an almost completely isolated life. You don’t understand how severe the favoritism and trampling in the rear palace can be. No matter how high one’s previous status, once fallen from grace, one becomes like a homeless dog. Any palace attendant dares to step on you, treating you like garbage, giving you all kinds of tattered clothes and leftover food. If you don’t eat or wear them, you can only freeze or starve to death.”
Hearing these words, Hu Shanwei couldn’t help but shiver.
Could the palace be even more cruel than the outside world?
Jiang Quan continued, “Think carefully—during these three months, your food, clothing, housing, and necessities have all been according to an eighth-rank female official’s allowance, without any deductions or delays, right?”
Hu Shanwei nodded.
Jiang Quan added, “The library is in a remote location, far from the kitchen. Logically, when the food box reaches you, the food inside should have long gone cold. But have you ever eaten cold food?”
Hu Shanwei shook her head. When delivered to her, everything was warm and hadn’t lost its flavor.
“That’s right.” Jiang Quan said, “Chen Er’mei went to the Meal Department of the Imperial Kitchen Bureau as a Female Historian. She specifically instructed the little palace maids delivering meals to prioritize sending your food box first at every mealtime, without fail. Recently, with the hot weather, haven’t you been able to drink iced mung bean soup every day? This was also Chen Er’mei’s special arrangement, with two extra bowls of ice added so that when it reaches you, the ice hasn’t melted yet, providing cooling relief from the heat.”
“Ice is limited in the palace during summer, and ordinary people aren’t qualified to use ice. Where did the ice in your mung bean soup come from? Ice in the palace, like charcoal, is managed by the Accounting Department of the Bureau of Works. We have people there too, who made an exception to supply you with ice.”
Only then did Hu Shanwei suddenly understand that the seemingly calm and uneventful life of these three months had actually been the result of everyone’s joint efforts!
A bowl of hot rice, a bowl of iced mung bean soup—all had come with great difficulty.
Jiang Quan took Hu Shanwei’s hand, “We haven’t forgotten you—at least this group of us hasn’t forgotten. This palace is full of traps everywhere, with open and hidden dangers. If we don’t band together for warmth and mutual assistance, if everyone fears trouble and avoids it, staying out of others’ business, then when we ourselves fall into a trap, no one will come to rescue us.”
Just as she had opened Hu Shanwei’s heart and was getting excited in her explanation, they reached Jiang Quan’s residence. Jiang Quan simply invited her to her room, “It’s too late. Why don’t we sleep together? My place is cool and comfortable.”
Hu Shanwei entered Jiang Quan’s bedroom and was hit by an overwhelming coolness that calmed the sultry heat. Her bedroom actually had a huge water jar filled with ice blocks piled like a small mountain.
This treatment far exceeded what an eighth-rank Female Historian like Jiang Quan should receive.
Seeing Hu Shanwei’s surprised gaze, Jiang Quan showed a mysterious smile, “Noble Consort Hu and I hit it off immediately. This is a gift from the consort.”