“You were victorious on all fronts today, miss. Today was your day of battle, so of course you’d be tired!” Songlan’s heart was full of only gratitude and respect towards Qin Yining now, and her tone was much more docile than before.
Qin Yining covered a yawn and curled up into a warm little ball on her side. She murmured in the blankets, “Go sleep, Songlan. Your wounds haven’t healed yet.”
“Understood.” Songlan smiled through the netting. “This servant will watch over you, miss. Good night.”
Life became busy for Qin Yining after moving to Venerable Study Hall. Apart from the morning and evening greetings to the old dowager and née Sun everyday, she also attended lessons on manners and rules in the morning with her sisters, had class with the teacher in the afternoon, and spent her rare free time practicing writing capital characters. [1]
Although she was incredibly busy, Qin Yining was very happy. Every moment before she’d arrived at the manor had been spent trying to survive, so when would she have found the time for all this? Now that clothing and food were no longer of pressing concern, she couldn’t bear to waste time and spun herself round and round with her schedule. She could remember everything she took a look at, so learning came easy to her when she focused. As a month and a half flew by, she made great strides forward in every area she spent time in.
Zhan-mama was moved by Qin Yining’s earnest attitude and often volunteered extra information in private. Qin Yining benefited a great deal from the mama’s tutelage and felt deeply grateful to the old palace servant. Before anyone could take a spare moment to breathe, the Laba Festival arrived. [2]
Qin Yining rose early, but was quickly greeted by Bingtang. The grinning girl wasted no time in slathering a white paste on her mistress’ face. It smelled faintly of herbs and was soon joined by a pale-green ointment. Thankfully, this one was reserved for the palms and backs of her hands. It seemed that it was primarily for reducing scars. Bingtang told her mistress to lie still for fifteen minutes before washing her face.
“The scars on your hand have mostly healed, miss,” Bingtang said. “You can just use lotion for upkeep in the future.” [3]
Qin Yining lay back on the reclining couch and barely moved her lips as she spoke. “I also think that the skin on the backs of my hands have become softer. My skin was so coarse and rough before that I usually wouldn’t feel even a pinprick. But when I was practicing embroidery with Songlan last night and accidentally stabbed myself, I still felt it, even though it didn’t bleed.”
Songlan and Qiulu came in with hot water and silk towels. They smiled when they heard their mistress. “You still say your skin is coarse and rough, miss? Your skin is now as tender as tofu! Even Miss Huining’s maid Fugui quietly asked me yesterday what you use on your skin.”
“Then how did you respond, big sis?” Bingtang smiled.
“I said that the miss uses the same rose lotion that everyone gets every month,” Songlan responded. “Our miss is the lord’s daughter and she’s like her father, possessing an inborn beauty. She’s simply had good food and rest since coming home, so naturally her skin has improved as well.”
“Right!” Bingtang nodded. “We’re not telling them! They mean the miss no good, and Miss Huining hasn’t gotten any better since moving to Snowpear Courtyard.”
However, Qin Yining had gone deep into thought. It was only after she’d rinsed off the pastes after fifteen minutes and applied lotion that she spoke again. “Bingtang, you have such skill that it’s a pity that it’s only used on me. Have you ever thought of selling your scar ointment?”
Bingtang started, but then just blinked in thought. “I don’t want my family’s recipe to end up in outside hands.”
“Making it into a medicine, and then altering it to make it less effective might work. Where one box of ointment was enough before, make it so that three is required. Folks will still fight over it. Now that calamitous times are descending upon our country, we don’t know what will happen in the future. You’ll be safer with some silver to your name. Although I have money and won’t leave you behind, your identity is different after all. You should be prepared.”
Bingtang thought for a moment and nodded cautiously. “I know you mean well, miss. I’ll think about it.”
“There’s no rush. If you want to do this spot of business, I’ll have Steward Zhong arrange things for you. All you need to do is make the ointment. Actually, you don’t need to restrict yourself to that, you can also put the scar lightening effect in lotions or powders. You also don’t need to make the effects so readily apparent. They can take effect slowly. That’ll be enough for the ladies and misses in the city to hand over enormous amounts of silver. After all, all women like to be pretty.”
Songlan and Qiulu both nodded and tugged at Bingtang’s sleeves. “Miss speaks truly. You might as well make use of your skills and earn some money.”
Bingtang thought of her noble father and how that noble mentality had ended with the destruction of the entire Tang clan. She no longer hesitated and smiled at Qin Yining. “Then please make the arrangements for me, miss. We’ll split the gold I earn.”
“Oh I don’t want your money! If this really does become a lucrative spot of business, I’ll be using your product for free in the future.” Qin Yining tapped Bingtang’s chubby cheeks playfully and walked off merrily for Songlan to brush her hair. Bingtang looked at Qin Yining’s departing figure, gratefulness blossoming in her heart.
Laba congee was the delicacy of choice during the Laba Festival. Great Yan even had a tradition of sending congee to each other. Qin Yining heard laughter travel out from Garden of Loving Piety long before she entered the house. The sweet scent of congee wafted through the air. She handed her cape over to Songlan with a smile and entered the house, curtseying primly to the old dowager, née Sun, second madame, and third madame.
The old dowager greeted her granddaughter happily. “Come here granddaughter Yi, come taste the Laba congee that the Eastern Palace has sent over.”
The Eastern Palace? Ah yes, now that the crown prince was Qin Huaiyuan’s student, he would naturally send over congee on this day.
“This is all thanks to senior brother-in-law,” the third madame fawned. “It’s not just everyone who receives congee from the Eastern Palace. I’ll have something to boast about when I go home.”
The second madame simply smiled without saying anything, and the old dowager laughed heartily at these words. Amidst the merriment, Jixiang quickly strode in at this time. “Reporting to the Old Dowager, a granny servant has just reached the inner doors to report that the lord sent Qitai to tell us that the Cao family has sent us congee.”
The old dowager’s good cheer instantly deserted her, and her heart started to pound uneasily. The Caos normally had nothing to do with them, so why had they suddenly sent over congee? An urgent patter of footsteps sounded before she had a chance to respond, and young master Qin Yu strode in. “Old Dowager, senior uncle was afraid that the servants wouldn’t explain clearly and had me bring a message. We don’t know what the Caos have said to the emperor, but the emperor and empress have summoned you, senior aunt, and cousin Yi.”
* * *
Capital characters in Chinese are much more complex than the regular to prevent forgeries. The character for one is in the usual way of writing, and in capital.
A traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar. It’s customary to eat congee on this day.
The lotion in this day and age was a paste made from crystal sugar, honey, powder, fat, and fragrance. Only high society used it.
Chapter 62: An Imperial Summons
Chapter 62: An Imperial Summons
The old dowager leaned forward and asked anxiously. “You mean that only I, your senior aunt, and granddaughter Yi were summoned?”
“Yes,” Qin Yu responded solemnly. “Senior uncle is hosting the eunuch from the palace and says he’ll pay a visit shortly. He asked
the three of you to please prepare yourselves.”
The old dowager knit her brows together tightly. Qin Yu took his leave, duty done, and pulled his wife aside in the outer room. “Cousin Yi’s never been to the palace before. As her sister-in-law, you should tell her what to look out for.”
His wife smiled at him, nodding. “Don’t worry, I know what to do.” She sent Qin Yu out with her eyes and reached over to tap the second wife’s arm [1]. “Come, the madames will serve Old Dowager. Let’s go help sister-in-law Yi.”
The second wife put down the embroidery piece that she was showing Jixiang and followed the first wife into the inner room. Silence had taken over the room as the old dowager’s forehead rumpled into knots of anxiety. She patted her chest as she grimly spoke. “I somehow feel that the happenings today are bad. The Caos sent us Laba congee for no reason at all, and who knows what Empress Cao said in front of the emperor that resulted in the three of us being summoned.”
Née Sun was also nervous. Although she was a madame with a first rank title and had seen her fair share of grand occasions, she still felt her limbs grow clammy at the thought of facing the emperor and empress. She probably wouldn’t be able to say anything in front of them. “Old Dowager, why don’t we have the lord accompany us?”
The old dowager shook her head. “Didn’t you hear my question earlier? The emperor and empress only want the three of us to go. Meng’er was specifically not listed, and he can’t go without being summoned. Forget it, we’ll find out what’s going on when we get there.”
To the side, Qin Yining put a smile on her face to lighten the mood when she saw how grave and on edge the old dowager and née Sun were. “Grandmother, mother, don’t worry. My father’s position is much different now, so I’m sure nothing major will happen during this trip. There are only two outcomes possible for an unexpected summons, a reward or punishment. We haven’t done anything wrong, so it naturally won’t be punishment.”
The entire house had been filled with unease before, but now the light of comprehension dawned. Only née Sun still responded anxiously, “But our family is at odds with the Caos.”
“The emperor is wise and majestic, so he won’t make a big deal out of the small scuffles between his subjects as long as they don’t harm the foundations of the nation. Not to mention that the empress is the motherly model of the nation, so she won’t stir up anything simply on account of her own personal grudges.” Qin Yining’s rain of praises was for one purpose: even if the trampress tried to use pillow talk with the decrepit emperor for her own gains, the world would laugh at the emperor if he made trouble for the females of a loyal subject’s family. The emperor still cared about his dignity, at the end of the day.
“Daughter Yi speaks truly.” Qin Huaiyuan had slipped into the room, unnoticed by the others till now, and started to comfort the old dowager before he even took off his cloak. “There’s no need to worry, there are no changes at court that would lead to this, and our family’s position is secure. All you need to do is act with caution and react according to the situation. Don’t agree to anything that the emperor and empress declares. Just say that you need time to go home and think about it. You’re a titled old dowager and the emperor has made filial piety one of his primary tenets in ruling the nation. He won’t make trouble for you.”
The old dowager nodded, comforted by the reassurance. Qin Huaiyuan then turned to née Sun. “Just follow mother’s lead when you’re in the palace.” The less you say, the fewer mistakes you can make. Don’t make any move of your own accord.
Née Sun nodded. Finally, the patriarch turned towards his daughter, and the fondness in his eyes almost overflowed when he beheld her. “Be alert and keep your wits sharp, daughter. Serve your grandmother and mother well.”
“Understood.” Qin Yining nodded, smiling at him.
Of the three, the old dowager had the most experience in these situations and Qin Yining had proven herself to be a smart and perceptive girl. Only née Sun was a loose cannon, but she probably wouldn’t dare cause any trouble in front of the emperor. Therefore, Qin Huaiyuan was still very much at ease. He gave a few more instructions before leaving in a hurry, not glancing at Qin Huining a single time from beginning to end.
The girl had purposefully moved to an obvious spot when Qin Huaiyuan had entered the room and was now clenching her teeth hard with a lowered head. The fires of envy and anger threatened to immolate her already tenuous self control.
Now at ease, the old dowager had Qin-mama prepare their outfits. “This is granddaughter Yi’s first trip into the palace. Have we readied her formalwear?”
“Not yet.” The mama frowned. “I had the embroidery quarters hurry their work a few days ago, but the work is detailed and takes a great deal of effort. I’d thought that the clothing need only be ready by New Year’s Eve when we all entered the palace to make our greetings, so I told them to take extra care. Who would’ve thought that it’d be needed sooner?”
The first wife looked at Qin Huining, who’d remained sullenly quiet all this time. “Oh, that’s easy. Niece Yi and Hui look to have a similar build. Why don’t we bring forth niece Hui’s formalwear and have niece Yi use it for now?”
The first wife had actually said this on purpose to needle at Qin Huining. She’d long since disliked the foster girl’s white lotus facade that harbored a scheming mind. She’s so like the concubine-born girls of my own home.
Hidden in the background, everyone’s gazes flicked over to focus on Qin Huining. She was wearing a plain dress ensemble of pale-green and not much in the way of hair ornaments. Her subdued and simple outfit wasn’t quite to the point of looking like she was in mourning, but it was a sore sight on a holiday like Laba. Her sisters and aunts-in-law knew that Qin Huining loved putting on airs like this. It wasn’t as if the girl was being shorted on any powder or jewelry, but she just had to put up the pretense of being maltreated.
She lifted her head with a wide-eyed, doe look as she wrung her handkerchief, looking apologetically at the old dowager. “Grandmother, I just so happened to send that garment off to be washed. I didn’t know that it’d be needed today. Plus, sister Yi is taller than me, so she probably wouldn’t be able to wear it either.”
The emperor had summoned them by name but left out only her out of the main branch. This was already a deep humiliation, so why wasn’t father even looking at her when he came to visit? And now they wanted her to give her clothes for Qin Yining?! Dream on!
The old dowager frowned, slightly irritated. “I don’t think granddaughter Yi needs to go to all that trouble. Didn’t I give you a bolt of pale-pink Sichuan satin decorated with small, peach blossom flowers a while ago? The clothing from that cloth should be ready, no?”
“It’s already been delivered.” Qin Yining nodded.
“Then wear that one. Little girls should wear bright and delicate colors to be a pleasing sight.” The old dowager’s words were the gavel of her decision, and the first and second wife flanked Qin Yining back to the Venerable Study Hall to help her dress.
Meanwhile, a lump formed in Qin Huining’s throat. She had her fists clenched so tight that her fingernails had drawn blood, and now wisps of blood had soiled her handkerchief. The old dowager had plainly been criticizing her for dressing too plainly just now! How fast the favored fall. How much had the old dowager doted on her before? She’d even said that she would love Qin Huining no matter what happened in the future. But now?! I’m not her real granddaughter alright! All these people are spitting on and kicking me down one by one! Even the old dowager is biased to the point of no return!
Qin Huining ducked her head as two teardrops landed on her clothes. The old dowager didn’t miss that either, and frowned fiercely. When Qin Yining was studying diligently, Qin Huining seemed to only know to gossip without end. While Qin Yining got along well with her sisters and never started fights, Qin Huining was close only to the sixth miss and no one else. Qin Yining had never breathed a single word of complaint
in Snowpear Courtyard, and didn’t flaunt her move to the Venerable Study Hall either. But when Qin Huining had resided in the Garden of Tranquility, she’d often boasted about it to her sisters, and was now full of resentment when living in the Snowpear Courtyard.
The old dowager had purposefully ignored her for a few days to see how the girl would react. With her behavior now, it was as if the Qin family had sorely mistreated her… her every step and gesture was full of provocation.
Old Dowager Qin was an old hand at life in the inner residences. Once she let go of her fondness and bias, she read the situation more clearly than anyone else. Her feelings towards Qin Huining had thoroughly cooled now. She bid everyone to go about her business so that she and née Sun could get ready.
It didn’t take long for the three to get ready and board the small carriage to the outer doors. They then switched out for a warmer and more spacious carriage outside the manor. With its red wheels and decorative cloth on the roof that trailed down into numerous tassels, the picturesque carriage made swift work of the journey, soon arriving at the palace doors. The guards looked them over briefly before allowing a eunuch to help them into another carriage that took them to the empress’ Soaring Phoenix Palace.
Qin Yining had spent a good amount of time with Zhan-mama by now and understood palace etiquette. She kept her head quietly bowed when she alighted from the carriage, not peering about brashly. The palace wasn’t like her home. Anyone could make trouble for her at the slightest misstep. If she made a mistake, she might end up dragging down her entire family as well. Thus, she didn’t dare put even one toe into the realm of impropriety.
The group was swept through the bluestone path into a spacious yard. When they set foot into the complex proper and arrived at the doors of Soaring Phoenix Palace, another eunuch went in to report their arrival. He soon came back, smiling cheerily. “Old Titled Dowager, Madame Qin, and Miss Qin, please come in. The emperor and empress are both present.”
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