Klares Wasser und wunderschöne Berge

Kapitel 20

Zhaorong hesitated slightly, then asked again, "Would the Emperor like it if I didn't wear my crown?"

I replied, “I believe that Lady Dong is right. The Emperor is looking for someone who can comb hair, not someone who can make exquisite hair crowns. Therefore, there is no need to put too much effort into the crowns. Just let Lady Dong comb the hair properly.”

Consort Miao looked at herself in the mirror again, and then smiled and said, "Alright, I'll listen to you this time. But if I don't wear a crown, my makeup must be exquisite."

I didn't agree, but said, "His Majesty likes to comb his hair with the Daoyin technique, because this method can massage the scalp, clear the meridians, and improve health. On the Qixi Festival, the Emperor can't tell how good your Daoyin technique is just by looking at your hair. So these few days, you should focus on clearing your meridians when you comb your hair, and take good care of yourself. On Qixi, just wear light makeup. When His Majesty sees your good complexion, he will naturally know that it is the effect of Dong Neiren's Daoyin technique."

On the day of Qixi Festival, the Emperor, accompanied by his concubines, visited the Qionglin Garden at Jinming Pond.

Qionglin Garden is located on Shuntianmen Street, facing north, opposite Jinming Pond. Ancient pines and cypresses line both sides of the main gate, with hidden pomegranate and cherry orchards, each with its own pavilions. In the first year of the Taiping Xingguo era, the emperor commissioned 35,000 soldiers to excavate Jinming Pond, diverting water from the Jinshui River to fill it. Three bridges span the pond, with vermilion balustrades and rows of pillars, rising in the center like a rainbow. At the end of the bridges, five interconnected halls stand in the center of the pond. Every year during the flowering season, willows entwine the rainbow bridges, and flowers surround the phoenix boats. Jasmine, lilies, daylilies, daphne, Michelia champaca, and other southern flowers imported from Fujian, Guangdong, and Zhejiang provinces bloom in abundance, along with plum pavilions and peonies; the scenic beauty is too numerous to list.

This year, during the Flower Festival, the Emperor was preoccupied with affairs of state, and the Eighth Princess was ill, so he had no heart to visit the gardens. It wasn't until the Double Seventh Festival, when he heard that the autumn peonies cultivated at Taiping Xingguo Temple in Qionglin Garden had bloomed, that he decided to visit and admire the flowers, and to select a new head of the decorations there.

The Emperor, accompanied by the Empress and Princess, first entered the main hall of Jinming Pond. Inside the hall was a vermilion and gold dragon bed, a screen depicting clouds and water playing with dragons, and on both sides were dozens of pots of peonies of various colors transplanted from Qionglin Garden, blooming in a riot of colors and in full splendor.

A short while later, the imperial concubines arrived in their carriages, and the ladies, all dressed in their finest attire, entered one after another. Among the ladies whose hairstyles were the most striking, Consort Yu was the first to enter. She wore her hair in a high bun, with two buns standing side by side on her forehead, slightly tilted back, and atop it was a large, spiraling silk crown. The silk was twisted and rolled together like flower petals, divided into four or five spirals. The edges of the petals were deep red, gradually fading in color towards the center, which was almost pale white. The crown was half a foot wide and five or six inches high. Although it did not use any pearls or jade, it still had a grand and gorgeous feel to it.

The emperor nodded and smiled upon seeing it: "Madam Yu, this crown is quite nice."

Consort Yu glanced at the maid behind her and said happily, "This was made by Cai'er for me."

Lady Gu Cai'er stepped forward to pay her respects to the Emperor. She was of average appearance and had nothing particularly striking about her, but she was calm and composed, and her words and actions were quite appropriate.

The Emperor praised her a couple more times, then offered Consort Yu a seat, and waited for the other two ladies to enter.

Consort Miao then entered the palace. She adopted Qiu He's and my suggestion, and styled her hair into a bun shaped like a magnolia bud. Her black hair swirled and shone with a mirror-like sheen. She did not wear a crown, but only a small ball of locust tree flowers and leaves adorned the side. Her makeup was also simple, her face was fair and flawless, and she did not wear any floral decorations. Her cheeks were only lightly rouged, with a faint blush, making her look elegant and refined.

The concubines were greatly surprised to see that she was not wearing a crown, and they all turned to look at the Emperor, waiting for his opinion.

The Emperor examined her for a long time, and finally smiled and praised, "This hairstyle is well done, and Consort Zhao looks radiant today. She seems to have returned to her fifteen or sixteen-year-old self."

Consort Miao was overjoyed and quickly called Qiu He over. The two bowed in gratitude.

As a result, everyone became even more curious about Lady Zhang's makeup, and they all craned their necks to look outside the hall, waiting for her to come in.

Lady Zhang lingered for a long time before entering. When her figure appeared in the hall, everyone present was once again astonished.

Her headdress was about five inches wide and a foot high, with a base of lacquered gauze and leaves of silk gauze. There were twenty or thirty layers of small leaves on top of the large leaves, and then another large leaf rose up like a pavilion. Each leaf was adorned with gold thread and snow-white pearls from foreign merchants, increasing in size according to the size of the leaves. The one on top of the crown was as big as a longan.

But what surprised everyone the most was not the luxurious pearl crown, but the bright red brocade jacket with phoenix and floral patterns she was wearing.

Today, the Empress wore a gold-embroidered cloud and moon crown, with white jade dragon hairpins on the front and back, and a red jacket.

When imperial concubines went out for festivals and banquets, they would always send someone to inquire about the color of the Empress's attire to avoid wearing the same color. Now, Consort Zhang has openly chosen to wear a bright red jacket, a truly presumptuous and disrespectful act.

Despite the attention of everyone, Consort Zhang entered the hall unhurriedly, glanced at the Empress, and then bowed gracefully without any shame.

The Empress showed no displeasure, remaining seated and accepting the bow, then smiled slightly: "Lady Zhang's crown is truly exquisite, what is its name?"

Zhang Meiren replied proudly, "I am the most beautiful of all." After speaking, she turned her eyes to the Emperor, her gaze shimmering like autumn water, as if awaiting his praise.

Now, the Emperor gazed at her, unmoved. After a moment, he slowly raised his hand, covering his face with his sleeve, and said, "Your hair is completely white, and you have no inhibitions whatsoever."

Clearly unprepared for this outcome, Lady Zhang was momentarily stunned. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, and with the Emperor no longer paying her any attention, she lowered her head, her cheeks flushing red, as if the color of her jacket had faded onto her face.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me..." she said softly, "I must take my leave and go to the side hall to change my headdress."

"Go then." The official nodded, then added, "And change your clothes as well... This color doesn't suit you today."

Lady Zhang agreed, took a few steps back, then turned and quickly walked out of the main hall. Xu Jingnu, the maid who had been combing her hair, had followed behind her, bowing confidently, intending to thank the Emperor after the Lady's introduction. However, this unexpected turn of events had occurred. Jingnu was beautiful, but the Emperor only glanced at her, showing no intention of speaking to her. This left Jingnu flustered, unsure whether to stay or leave. She knelt awkwardly for a moment, then finally couldn't help but get up and run after Lady Zhang in a panic.

Consort Miao and Consort Yu gazed at each other from afar, their eyes and brows brimming with joy. Among the concubines, some covered their faces with fans, some turned their faces slightly towards the outside of the hall, and some coughed softly; these small gestures were all attempts to conceal their barely suppressed laughter.

The Emperor chatted with the Empress and the ladies, discussing trivial matters related to peonies. After waiting for a while, Consort Zhang finally entered again. This time, she wore a purple jacket, her pearl crown was gone, and she wore only a simple bun. Perhaps she was a little resentful, as her hair was bare, her face was stern, and she bowed without uttering a word.

The official smiled and said, "Madam Zhang's hairstyle is beautiful, but it would be even better with a flower in it." He then walked to a thousand-petaled purple peony called "Ye Di Zi" and picked a flower himself, placing it in Madam Zhang's hair.

The ladies all praised her beauty, and Zhang Niangzi's expression softened slightly. Seeing the atmosphere improve, Yu Jieyu dared to joke, "Everyone says the Emperor is biased, and sure enough, all the best flowers have been given to Zhang Niangzi!"

The emperor laughed and said, "You're wearing such a large floral crown. If I were to give you flowers, where would I put them?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Jieyu actually removed her crown in front of everyone and threw it to Gu Cai'er. Then she spread her hands and said, "Now I don't have a crown anymore."

The official smiled and picked a "dizzying sandalwood heart" flower to adorn her hair: "This flower has a dark outer edge, turning light white near the calyx, with a deep sandalwood center. Doesn't it resemble your crown?"

Then she selected a "Qianxi Fei" flower and replaced the locust flower ball on Miao Zhaorong's head, saying, "This flower makes your complexion look even better."

Seeing this, the other concubines gathered around and asked the Emperor to bestow flowers upon them. The Emperor granted their requests one by one, giving each of them a flower to adorn their hair. Finally, he went to the most flourishing thousand-petaled Wei flower in the palace, carefully selected a fine one, returned to the throne, and placed it in the crown of the Empress, who had been sitting there watching with a smile.

The princess liked the flower and tugged at the official's sleeve, asking to wear it. The official then led her down and picked a "Yao Huang" flower. The princess was still a young girl, and her hair couldn't hold such a large flower, so she took it and played with it in her hand.

The hall was filled with a harmonious and joyful atmosphere. At this moment, the Empress asked the Emperor about the new headdress: "Has Your Majesty made a selection for this new headdress?"

Upon hearing this, the laughter and chatter vanished instantly, and everyone held their breath, awaiting the official's answer.

"It's chosen," the Emperor said, his gaze lingering on Dong Qiuhe, Gu Cai'er, and Xu Jingnu, who was timidly hiding behind Zhang Meiren.

"From this day forward, the people within the Bureau of Clothing and Attire shall be appointed..." The Emperor's gaze lingered on Qiu He's face for a moment, but finally swept over her and turned to another person, "Gu Shi shall be appointed as the Director of Clothing and Attire, in charge of my headwear and combs."

When the answer was revealed, most of the people in the hall were stunned and speechless, even Gu Cai'er was stunned and had no reaction.

Judging from the Emperor's comments on the ladies' headdresses, Qiuhe should be the most reasonable choice, especially since Qiuhe's appearance far surpasses Cai'er's.

But Qiu He, who was initially a little nervous, now looked relaxed, breathed a sigh of relief, and seemed relieved.

Scatteredly, people began to offer their congratulations to Gu Cai'er, and Cai'er thanked them and returned the greeting. The Empress asked the Emperor why he had decided that Gu had won, and he simply replied, "The crown that Cai'er made was made of simple materials, yet it did not lack the noble air of an imperial family, and her hairstyle was also well done."

(to be continued)