The eldest daughter of the Marquis of Wuding, wife of the martial Emperor Wuzong, known for both civil and military achievements, had ended up in such a situation.
Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but sigh.
It seemed every family had its difficult stories, even the Grand Empress Dowager was no exception.
Thinking this way, she felt less anxious than before.
“Then I’ll just wear ordinary clothes to the palace,” she said. “If I dress too luxuriously, not only would it be inappropriate for my status, but someone like the Grand Empress Dowager, daughter of a high official, might view us as nouveau riche, which would be unseemly.”
Zhao Ling nodded.
Fu Tingyun selected a lake-green gauze blouse embroidered with twining flowers, a white gauze skirt with silver thread, and a silver hairpin inlaid with white southern pearls. She retired early and was already dressed and ready by the Hour of Yin the next morning, with Zhao Ling escorting her to the palace.
Along the way, her legs felt somewhat weak, and she kept asking Zhao Ling: “What kind of people surround the Grand Empress Dowager?”
“After entering the palace, the Grand Empress Dowager claimed that those who had served her before were either gone or too old to serve at her side, so she asked the Empress to arrange people to serve in Cining Palace. You should pay special attention to an old woman called Aunt Ying—she served the Grand Empress Dowager when she was Empress, then accompanied her during her spiritual retreat at Yuming Mountain. After the Grand Empress Dowager reunited with the Emperor, she only asked him for two things: one was to find her brother, who had been exiled to Tieling Guard, and the other was to request that the Emperor appoint Aunt Ying’s nephew as Deputy Commander.”
Fu Tingyun was touched.
Arriving at Shenwu Gate at a quarter to the Hour of Mao, Zhao Ling quietly advised her with reassurances like “The Grand Empress Dowager is just an ordinary person, treat her as you would any elder, there’s no need to be afraid,” before heading to the duty room. Asen and Yu Wei accompanied Fu Tingyun as they waited for two quarters of an hour until Eunuch Zhong and the young eunuch who had visited their home yesterday approached with smiles.
Fu Tingyun suddenly felt calm.
After exchanging pleasantries, Asen and Yu Wei waited outside the palace gate while Fu Tingyun followed behind Eunuch Zhong. The Jinwu Guard checked their tokens and allowed them through the palace gates.
The red walls seemed endless, and everywhere were stone-paved paths. Court eunuchs in blue attire and palace maids in green all bowed and greeted Eunuch Zhong as they passed. He responded with slight nods, maintaining a dignified air tinged with arrogance. This was quite taxing for Fu Tingyun, following behind him, who had to constantly smile and return greetings until her facial muscles began to stiffen, before finally turning into a courtyard.
The courtyard was not large but very tidy, with eunuchs frequently coming and going, creating a busy atmosphere.
Upon seeing Eunuch Zhong, a young eunuch called out, “Eunuch Zhang!” and said, “Eunuch Zhong has brought the person.”
A eunuch in his early twenties with refined features came out.
Eunuch Zhong hurriedly stepped forward to bow, his attitude extremely respectful, making Fu Tingyun secretly alert as she humbly followed suit.
Eunuch Zhang glanced at Fu Tingyun, said “Miss Fu, follow me,” and strode out of the courtyard.
Fu Tingyun hurried to follow, but discovered she was suddenly alone. She couldn’t help looking back and saw Eunuch Zhong animatedly conversing with another eunuch. She suddenly realized that this Eunuch Zhong was merely her escort into the palace; taking her to see the Grand Empress Dowager required a eunuch of higher rank.
She couldn’t help but keep her eyes downcast as she followed behind Eunuch Zhang.
They walked along a bluestone path separated by red walls, passed through a large garden, and continued along covered corridors decorated with blue-green floral patterns in gold lacquer for nearly half an hour before entering a reception hall.
“Miss Fu, please wait here. I will go inform Eunuch Li,” said Eunuch Zhang, leaving before Fu Tingyun could rise to see him off.
A palace maid entered to serve her tea.
She expressed her thanks and quietly slipped the maid two silver coins worth four fen each.
The maid was somewhat surprised, softly expressed her gratitude, shyly accepted the coins, and withdrew with light steps.
Having walked for so long, Fu Tingyun was parched and sweating profusely.
She quickly adjusted her appearance before sitting down to drink some tea.
The tea was ordinary but quenched her thirst perfectly, giving Fu Tingyun a sense of contentment.
All around was quiet. She sat for a long time without seeing anyone, let alone receiving more tea.
Fu Tingyun began to feel uneasy, wanting to check the time, but the reception hall had four open door panels with only a few armchairs and tea tables.
She felt discouraged.
Light footsteps sounded outside the reception hall.
Fu Tingyun quickly sat up straight.
A palace maid of fifteen or sixteen entered.
She had a round face with a perpetual smile that looked very cheerful: “Miss Fu, please follow me.”
Fu Tingyun smiled, expressed her thanks, and followed the maid out of the reception hall.
Along the covered corridor, they entered a courtyard.
The main building spanned seven rooms, with pine and cypress trees as thick as an embrace, glass inlaid in the window lattices, cranes strolling in the courtyard, and palace maids and eunuchs standing silent as a forest of brushes under the eaves. Fu Tingyun knew she had reached the Grand Empress Dowager’s residence.
She took a deep breath and, at the maid’s indication, stood respectfully at the hall entrance, waiting for the maid to announce her.
Faint laughter could be heard.
Fu Tingyun silently marveled.
Who could be with the Grand Empress Dowager?
No sooner had this thought crossed her mind than the round-faced maid returned, smiling as she invited her to enter.
Fu Tingyun gently tugged at her sleeve and followed the maid through the entrance.
Mirror-like floor tiles, bright red brocade carpets, red wooden furniture, imperial yellow curtains, and celadon, blue, and sweet white incense burners, boxes, and vases created an atmosphere of understated luxury. The palace maids and eunuchs standing by the floor-length pillars and curtains added to the hall’s majesty.
From the eastern room came the joyful laughter of a young woman.
Fu Tingyun walked in with downcast eyes.
The laughter immediately stopped, and four or five gazes fell upon her.
Fu Tingyun didn’t dare raise her head. As the maid announced, “Miss Fu has come to pay respects to the Grand Empress Dowager,” she respectfully knelt and performed a grand courtesy.
“You may rise,” the Grand Empress Dowager’s somewhat cool voice echoed in the hall.
Fu Tingyun quickly expressed her thanks and stole a glance around the great hall.
Sitting by the window on a large kang bed was a woman of about sixty, with graying hair and a thin face, but with bright, piercing eyes. She wore a somewhat worn sapphire blue plain Hangzhou silk padded jacket without a single ornament. Seated below her was a woman in her prime, slightly plump with a face as round as the full moon, her eyes brimming with smiles. She wore a blue-green silk blouse patterned with four persimmon calyxes, her jet-black hair adorned with a gold and jade grape-and-squirrel hairpin, and her ears decorated with southern pearls the size of lotus seeds—elegant and magnificent. Beside this woman stood a girl of fourteen or fifteen, with bright eyes and white teeth, wearing a peach-red gauze blouse with branching floral patterns, a pure gold necklace with a white jade lotus pendant—dignified yet lively and charming, quite eye-catching.
The sixty-year-old woman seated in the place of honor must be the Grand Empress Dowager. But who were the mature woman and the radiant young girl? To have a seat in the Grand Empress Dowager’s presence and engage in pleasant conversation, they must be people of wealth or nobility.
As Fu Tingyun speculated, she heard the Grand Empress Dowager say to the mature woman: “This is the fiancée of Zhao Ling, Left Commander of the Yulin Guard. According to the Emperor, she is a woman like Wang Baochuan, and he asked me to bless their marriage. When I heard this, I wanted to meet her. I didn’t expect the Empress would bring Miss Meng today, and Miss Meng’s humorous and witty conversation made me forget the time. This must be fate!”
Fu Tingyun was greatly surprised and, disregarding the Grand Empress Dowager’s comment about “a woman like Wang Baochuan,” quickly knelt to kowtow to the Empress.
The young girl’s gaze immediately filled with curiosity as she looked at Fu Tingyun.
The Empress smiled as she accepted Fu Tingyun’s courtesy, then indicated the young girl beside her: “This is the nineteenth young lady of the Duke Fuguo’s household, the Marquis of Yingchuan’s cousin, not an outsider—you should meet each other!”
Another unexpected person.
Fu Tingyun and Miss Meng exchanged courtesies.
The Grand Empress Dowager then instructed a palace maid to bring them embroidered stools.
Both thanked her and sat side by side on the stools.
The Empress, looking at them, smiled and said to the Grand Empress Dowager: “Look at these two—like spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, each with their charm.”
The Grand Empress Dowager showed a faint smile. Instead of asking about Fu Tingyun’s native place, parents, or age as first-time acquaintances typically would, she inquired about how Fu Tingyun had come to the capital with Zhao Ling.
Fu Tingyun felt greatly relieved.
Since Zhao Ling had already fully disclosed their situation to the Emperor, it would be disrespectful for her to be vague before the Grand Empress Dowager. However, she felt embarrassed to speak of those sordid matters in front of so many people… She couldn’t help but feel grateful toward the seemingly cool Grand Empress Dowager.
The Empress listened with amazement and smiled at the Grand Empress Dowager: “No wonder the Emperor wanted you to bless their marriage. It’s just like something from a book.”
Hearing this, a hint of reminiscence flashed in the Grand Empress Dowager’s eyes as she remarked, “What’s written in books comes from real life,” then quickly gathered her thoughts and asked Fu Tingyun: “The wedding date is set for the sixth day of the eighth month?”
Fu Tingyun respectfully answered, “Yes.”
The Grand Empress Dowager nodded, spoke about “the husband being the rule for the wife” and similar principles, then instructed a lady-in-waiting beside her to reward Fu Tingyun with a pair of gold hairpins.
Seeing this, the Empress also offered some advice about “the way of a wife being primarily obedience” and ordered a pair of gold rings as a reward.
The Grand Empress Dowager then picked up her tea.
Fu Tingyun rose to take her leave.
The lady-in-waiting and the round-faced palace maid who had brought her to see the Grand Empress Dowager led her out of the great hall. They returned along the covered corridor to the reception hall but did not stop there, instead passing through an adjacent covered corridor and out of the palace gates.
Fu Tingyun had completely lost her sense of direction and smiled as she asked the round-faced maid: “Aunt, where are we going?”
The round-faced maid smiled: “To collect the rewards given to you by the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress!”
Fu Tingyun felt embarrassed and followed them to a secluded courtyard. The lady-in-waiting and a eunuch from the courtyard signed documents, with the round-faced maid serving as witness, then brought out a pair of gold hairpins and a pair of gold rings.
Fu Tingyun expressed her thanks repeatedly, took out silver to reward the eunuch, the lady-in-waiting, and the maid, then took the gold hairpins and rings and followed the round-faced maid outside.
Passing through a small garden, she heard someone say: “What, that Miss Meng has entered the palace again?”
She couldn’t help but look toward the voice and saw two palace maids walking past a floral wall.
Fu Tingyun glanced at the round-faced maid and noticed that she had frowned slightly.