Chapter 42: Jia Yuanchun, Consort of the New Dynasty

Twenty years after entering the palace, Jia Yuanchun experienced for the first time what it felt like to be an empress.

She returned to the main hall of the Changchun Palace. This had originally been the reception room where she met with other consorts after being titled the Virtuous and Virtuous Consort, but because King Qian had sat there, she dared not seat herself in such a place again, instead placing a chair in a lower position.

No sooner had she sat down than a eunuch came to report: "Your Ladyship, here are the registries of the consorts from each palace and the ledgers of items bestowed by the late Shun Emperor and the Emperor. Please, Your Ladyship, take a look."

Everything bestowed by the Emperor—clothing, jewelry, and curios—was not truly gifted to the consorts but merely loaned for their enjoyment; upon their deaths, these items were to be reclaimed. Therefore, the palace maintained detailed ledgers of exactly what each consort possessed. Once tallied, it was clear what had to be returned, and not a single item could be missing. Items not on the ledgers required careful verification before being returned to the consorts' families or left to their children.

But that was for deceased consorts. Now, it was King Qian who had ordered the house-raiding; all properties of every consort in every palace were to be seized without exception.

Seeing a dozen young eunuchs carrying the heavy ledgers, Jia Yuanchun felt a sense of shock. In this vast imperial palace, with over two hundred consorts of various ranks, how much would be confiscated?

Flipping open the ledger for the late Empress Dowager’s Fengzao Palace, Jia Yuanchun saw items she knew all too well: "Gilded copper hand-warmer, celadon jade lotus-patterned spittoon, ivory-carved statue of Guanyin of the Southern Sea, gold-inlaid jeweled nine-story pagoda, gold-cased Western pocket watch..."

When she had served as a lady scribe in the Fengzao Palace, she had seen and handled all of these. Thinking of the Empress Dowager being moved to the Eastern Palace to live with the Retired Emperor, the numerous other consorts, and those few Taoist priests, Jia Yuanchun could not help but shed tears.

Yet, no matter how much her heart ached, she dared not defy King Qian’s command, just as yesterday, she had not dared to defy the decrees of the Shun Emperor and his Empress.

"Leave the ledgers in the palace. Go and carry out the search and seizure. Come back to report once everything is tallied," Jia Yuanchun ordered, holding back her tears. "According to King Qian’s decree, all items are to be confiscated. Leave each consort only two or three changes of warm clothing. Everything on the ledgers must be counted and reclaimed; nothing is to be taken away."

"Yes, Your Ladyship," the eunuchs replied, then asked, "Your Ladyship, as the former Shun consorts move to the Eastern Palace, should they be allowed one palace maid to serve them?"

Jia Yuanchun considered this carefully. The Eastern Palace was not large, and with over two hundred consorts, how could it accommodate so many maids? Thinking of King Qian’s conduct and preferences, as well as the advanced age of the Empress Dowager and the other Dowagers, she said, "For now, those of consort rank and above may take one palace maid. The Empress Dowager and the Dowager Empresses are permitted one additional eunuch."

She paused, then added, "I will report this to King Qian later. If he does not approve, we shall have the maids and eunuchs removed then."

"Yes, Your Ladyship!"

The eunuchs and maids accepted their orders. Seeing them about to leave, Jia Yuanchun could not help but urge: "Many of the Empress Dowager and the other Dowagers are of advanced age. Do not use force, lest the shock cause them sudden harm."

The eunuchs departed.

As Jia Yuanchun issued orders from the Changchun Palace, the stream of reporting eunuchs and maids was endless. Even Baoqin said happily, "This is the first time I’ve seen the Ladyship’s palace so bustling!"

Baoqin was naturally happy; after ten years in the palace, her mistress was finally holding her head high.

But Jia Yuanchun stopped her: "What seems like immense power is merely a passing cloud. Not to mention the Empress, even though King Qian has ordered me to manage the inner palace, I dare not involve myself in its benefits. I am merely following his orders to relocate the consorts."

Baoqin replied, "My Lady, you are too cautious. King Qian clearly favors you, which is why he entrusted this important task to you. Once you handle it well and report back, you will surely gain his appreciation... I heard that King Qian is not yet married and has only one concubine at home!"

Hearing this, the steward eunuchs and the female officials, Cai Pin and Zhaorong, all looked over. They had always shared the rise and fall of Consort Yuan, and now, having escaped disaster, they could remain in the Changchun Palace to serve the new dynasty’s consorts, rather than waiting in the "cold palace" for King Qian to take new wives.

As they spoke, a eunuch shouted from outside: "The late Shun Consort Hui has arrived!"

Jia Yuanchun moved to stand and greet her, but was stopped by the official Cai Pin, who whispered, "Your Ladyship is a consort of the new dynasty, personally appointed by King Qian; how can you go out to greet one of the old dynasty?"

Jia Yuanchun was startled; she had indeed forgotten the protocol. She sat back down. Consort Hui burst in, her face full of anxiety. Seeing Yuanchun, she wept and said, "Yuan, you have found your favor, yet you do not care for us. You sit by and let the eunuchs raid our palaces. Outside, it is all chaos, yet you sit here undisturbed. The Empress Dowager is crying until she is nearly blind, and you ignore it all. How cruel your heart is!"

Hearing this, Yuanchun’s face was also covered in tears: "Why does Your Ladyship blame me? I am only following King Qian’s decree. I do not wish to see the Empress Dowager suffer, but you must know, each emperor brings his own ministers... coming to beg me is useless!"

Consort Hui grabbed her hands urgently: "Go and beg King Qian! The Emperor has already surrendered, and you have been chosen to remain as a consort. Go tell him to let us, the consorts of the old dynasty, leave the palace. Even if he only grants us a small three-courtyard house to spend our final years, we ask for nothing more!"

Yuanchun remained silent. She knew that even if King Qian were willing, she could not disturb him now.

"Former Shun Consort, please return!"

Cai Pin and Zhaorong commanded with cold faces. Several eunuchs stepped forward to escort Consort Hui out, her wailing echoing the entire way. Yuanchun, heartbroken, wept again.

"My Lady."

A eunuch suddenly arrived to report. She quickly wiped her tears, sat upright, and asked, "What is it?"

"Princess Qinghe has gone to the Empress Dowager’s side. She cannot bear to see the Empress Dowager living cramped in the Eastern Palace and says she intends to plead with King Qian."

Yuanchun was startled. King Qian had just entered the capital and was busy stabilizing the court. To disturb him now would likely lead not to success, but to a reprimand. But then she thought, King Qian seemed relatively indulgent toward the Empress and Princess Qinghe, and appeared to want to take both as consorts. With Qinghe’s gentle appearance, perhaps her tearful pleas might move him to show mercy.

"Go and tell the Princess," Yuanchun ordered. "Tell her that before she goes to King Qian, she had best consult the Empress!"

The Empress, the Princess, and she, the Virtuous Consort—King Qian had permitted the old titles to be used for them.

"Yes!"

The eunuch hurried away.

An hour later, Qinghe, accompanied by Shouyu and a dozen eunuchs and maids, walked to the Qianqing Gate, the entrance to the inner court.

"Stop!"

King Qian’s personal guards blocked them. A eunuch hurried forward, gesturing toward the Princess, who hid her delicate face behind a palace fan, and said, "This is a consort of the new dynasty, personally appointed by King Qian. She is the former Shun Princess Qinghe. As she has yet to receive a consort title, she is still addressed as Princess Qinghe. The Princess wishes to see King Qian; I hope you gentlemen will go and report this!"

The guards knew little of inner court affairs, but they knew King Qian had entered the inner palace once before, so they did not dare order the Princess to return, nor did they dare force her to lower her fan for inspection.

After a brief discussion, they said, "We will send a few men to accompany you. His Highness should be at the Linjing Hall. Let’s go!"

The eunuch bowed in thanks and ran back to tell the Princess.

Qinghe kept her head down, her lotus-like steps light as she passed through the Qianqing Gate toward the Linjing Hall, the guards following behind.

Her heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions. She was no longer a princess, but a consort of King Qian. It was only through this identity that she was able to leave her quarters; otherwise, she could not have taken a single step.