The fifteenth day of the first lunar month marked the Lantern Festival.
This year’s celebration differed from previous ones. A palace consort suggested hosting a banquet by the Jinming Pool, inviting royal relatives to admire lanterns and enjoy a night tour. Emperor Chengkang found this idea excellent and had been discussing preparations with Empress Zhang well in advance.
Jiang Xu had declined the New Year’s Eve palace banquet, but Emperor Chengkang wouldn’t let him refuse the Lantern Festival celebration.
Ming Tan had hoped to enjoy a night tour along South Imperial River Street with her husband, but those plans were now dashed.
The thought of entering the palace and dealing with the restless group of consorts gave her a headache.
This Jinming Pool night tour was organized jointly by Consorts Lan and Shu, along with the recently favored Consort Rou. With so many New Year events, Empress Zhang couldn’t manage everything alone.
Ming Tan was familiar with Consorts Lan and Shu, but despite several palace visits, she had no impression of Consort Rou.
During the banquet, Ming Tan quietly asked Jiang Xu, “My lord, what’s Consort Rou’s background?”
“…”
“I’m not a palace eunuch.”
“…”
Indeed, her husband was busy planning to reclaim Rongzhou; how could he have time to concern himself with the favor of palace consorts?
Seated below them were the Duke and Duchess of Yu, known in the capital as childhood sweethearts who married young. Ming Tan often entered the palace with the Duchess of Yu, and they frequently chatted.
As Consort Rou was offering a toast to the Emperor and Empress, the Duchess of Yu leaned slightly towards Ming Tan and whispered, “Sister Tan, do you know Consort Rou’s background?”
Ming Tan shook her head slightly.
The Duchess continued mysteriously, “Consort Rou used to be one of Noble Consort Yu’s people. After Noble Consort Yu was confined to the Cold Palace, she fell out of favor too. You know the palace situation, sister. Consorts without favor or family influence don’t fare well. For the past two years, Consort Rou didn’t even have a chance to appear in public. The Emperor had long forgotten her.”
Ming Tan gave her an inquiring look.
As the Duchess was about to continue, the Duke of Yu tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to behave.
She pulled her sleeve away from him, dissatisfied, and continued gossiping with Ming Tan: “I heard her return to favor was thanks to Consort Shu’s support. Consort Shu is pregnant, you see, so it’s natural she’d want help. Consort Rou holds a high rank, and she was given medicine under Noble Consort Yu that left her unable to bear children…”
As the Duchess of Yu kept whispering to Ming Tan, the Duke of Yu was at a loss, feeling somewhat embarrassed as he glanced at Jiang Xu.
Jiang Xu didn’t seem to mind. He picked up the wine a maid had just poured for Ming Tan and drank it in one gulp.
Today was a family banquet, attended only by royal relatives, so the rules were more relaxed than usual. During the meal, several lower-ranking consorts who rarely saw the Emperor showcased their talents to gain favor.
One had to admit, the women who entered the palace had skills. Their dances and musical performances were quite impressive.
Ming Tan watched attentively and quietly commented to Jiang Xu, “That beauty’s music was quite pleasant. Though not quite as good as mine, the melody was rather fresh.”
“…”
That “not quite as good as mine” was quite clever.
Jiang Xu glanced at her, noncommittal: “If you want to learn new tunes, I can have someone find you some sheet music.”
“That won’t be necessary. I can compose my own,” she added, emphasizing her creative talent.
Jiang Xu: “…”
As the bright moon rose and music filled the air, everyone drank and chatted merrily.
Empress Zhang smiled gently from her seat, “Today’s banquet is well-arranged. Thank you for your efforts, Consort Shu, Consort Lan, and Sister Consort Rou.”
The three quickly rose and curtsied.
Consort Shu smiled modestly, “Your Majesty manages the six palaces and works the hardest. It’s our blessing to be able to assist you. With my pregnancy, I couldn’t do much beyond lending my name. The real work was done by Sisters Lan and Rou.”
Consort Lan, as always, spoke softly: “I didn’t do much—”
Before she could finish, Consort Rou cheerfully cut in: “Sister Lan is too modest. I hardly know anything, and we couldn’t bother Sister Shu with her pregnancy. We relied on Sister Lan for decisions. You can’t refuse the credit, sister.”
Ming Tan wasn’t paying much attention to their conversation, but she casually observed Consort Shu’s belly.
Consort Shu seemed to be over three months pregnant, though the thick winter clothes made it hard to tell. Unlike Noble Lady Jia, whose rounded belly and frequent complaints already screamed “Mother’s nobility comes from her child” even before giving birth.
Ming Tan was curious and asked the Duchess of Yu when no one was paying attention: “I heard Consort Shu was from the Eastern Palace?”
“Yes, indeed,” the young Duchess knew a lot despite her age. Given a topic, she could talk endlessly. “Consort Shu was a Liangyin in the Eastern Palace, not a high rank, but she’s been by His Majesty’s side for over a decade. Though she hadn’t borne children, His Majesty still made her one of the four consorts and entrusted her with raising the Fourth Princess, the daughter of the late Noble Lady Wang who died in childbirth. It’s quite an honor. Now that she’s pregnant… she’s likely just a step away from becoming Noble Consort.”
In this dynasty, besides the Crown Prince’s wife, there could be two Liangjis, two Liangyins, and four Xuanshis. Consort Shu was only a Liangyin in the Eastern Palace, indeed not a high rank.
But becoming one of the four consorts as an old hand from the Eastern Palace wasn’t particularly honorable. Consort Lan hadn’t borne children either, yet she was also a consort. In the end, it all came down to the Emperor’s favor.
However, Ming Tan was more curious about how Consort Shu, now approaching thirty, suddenly became pregnant after over a decade by the Emperor’s side without bearing children.
After the banquet, as the moon reached its zenith, everyone followed Emperor Chengkang and Empress Zhang outside for a lantern-lit night tour along Jinming Pool.
Earlier in the hall, Consort Rou had suggested adding some novelty to the night tour. She proposed that the Emperor and Empress lead the royal men and women separately around the two sides of Jinming Pool, with lantern riddles every ten steps. At the meeting point, they would see which side solved more riddles.
The idea was interesting, and Emperor Chengkang agreed without much thought.
So, upon leaving the banquet hall, men and women went separate ways.
Undoubtedly, the organizers had put considerable effort into this night tour. The lanterns placed every ten steps along the way were exquisite works of art, too beautiful to look away from. On Jinming Pool, countless river lanterns bloomed like golden lotuses on the rippling water. At regular intervals, there were hot tea and snacks available, and places to rest if tired. The lantern riddles were cleverly designed, some requiring guessing characters or poetry lines, some objects, and some even needed solving mechanical puzzles.
Among the palace consorts were many talented in poetry. Even the difficult character and poetry riddles were eventually solved after some consideration. However, the mechanical puzzles proved particularly challenging.
One such mechanical lantern was exceptionally intricate. Unlike other lanterns lit by candles, this one contained a night pearl. The light it emitted was soft and smooth, and the riddle’s solution was to extract the night pearl from within.
Several consorts tried but failed to solve it. The young princess, curious, also fiddled with it for a while but eventually pouted and gave up.
Ming Tan was walking with the Duchess of Yu, not wishing to stand out on such an occasion. But some people couldn’t forget about her.
Noble Lady Jia, with her protruding belly, indiscriminately mocked the consorts who had tried earlier, and didn’t forget to stir up resentment against Consort Lan: “When it comes to talent, Consort Lan is unmatched in our palace. It’s a pity she’s one of the organizers and can’t solve this puzzle herself. You younger sisters who’ve just entered the palace think you’re clever for reading a few miscellaneous books outside, but you’re far from adequate here. You should all learn more from Consort Lan.”
Consort Lan usually couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. Some of the mocked consorts held the same rank as Noble Lady Jia, but with her pregnant belly, no one wanted to argue with her. So they all held their tongues and endured her sarcasm.
Noble Lady Jia would have moved on after a few comments about this lantern riddle, as solving the next one quickly was more important. But Consort Rou chimed in with a smile: “If no one in our palace can solve it, perhaps the princesses, duchesses, and county ladies… haven’t tried yet.”
She turned to Ming Tan, curtsied lightly, and said in a soft, respectful voice: “I heard the Emperor mention that the Princess Consort of Dingbei is exceptionally clever and skilled with mechanisms. She even solved Master Yun Yan’s puzzle. Would the Princess Consort like to try this lantern?”
Ming Tan: “…”
When she returned to the capital, she had prepared gifts for her acquaintances, including the palace. Thinking the palace lacked nothing, besides some local specialties, she had also included the bird-in-cage mechanism she had won in Li County.
Emperor Chengkang greatly admired Master Yun Yan’s works. After receiving the mechanism, he specifically asked Jiang Xu about it. Jiang Xu didn’t conceal anything, stating directly that the Princess Consort had won it. So Ming Tan wasn’t surprised that Consort Rou knew about this.
Ming Tan was about to decline, but Noble Lady Jia laughed lightly at the right moment: “The Princess Consort of Dingbei? I’ve only heard she loves lychees. Since when is she skilled at solving mechanisms?”
Ming Tan: “…”
She could have tolerated not mentioning the lychees, but such impertinence to her face showed that Noble Lady Jia’s rank had truly dropped without her learning her lesson.
Ming Tan glanced at her and rebuked mildly: “Noble Lady Jia has been confined for so long, naturally her information isn’t up to date.”
Hearing “confined,” Noble Lady Jia’s expression changed. She was about to retort when Empress Zhang frowned slightly: “If Noble Lady Jia is tired, she may return to rest.”
Noble Lady Jia fell silent.
With peace restored, Ming Tan stepped forward to examine the mechanical lantern.
The lantern had some weight to it. She held it in her hand, trying to rotate the base while listening carefully to the sounds inside.
Click, click… The sound was very regular, with a pause after every three clicks.
She turned it two full rotations, finally determining that there must be a grooved structure inside. At each groove, it could be pushed up slightly. Having figured out the mechanism, she calmly listened and tried.
Noble Lady Jia, silent for less than a moment, felt Ming Tan was just putting on airs. She couldn’t help but mutter: “I see the Princess Consort is struggling. Rather than wasting time here, we should solve more of the other riddles. The Emperor and his group will be here soon, and we’ve solved so few. We might lose quite embarrassingly.”
No one responded.
Empress Zhang was focused on watching Ming Tan solve the puzzle and didn’t pay her any attention.
Feeling ignored and wanting to see Ming Tan fail, she continued muttering to herself: “Who knows how long this will take? The dragon child in my womb can’t stand for too long. I should go rest over there…”
Before she could finish, there was a “click,” and the mechanism opened.
A small door on the side of the lantern automatically popped open, revealing a large night pearl held by a six-clawed stand in the center, its luster smooth and dazzling.
Ming Tan felt relieved and couldn’t help but smile as she reached out to take it.
But as her hand touched the night pearl, she suddenly realized something was wrong—
The night pearl was hot.