The Lonely City Closed

Chapter 24

I nodded in agreement, and the Empress then asked, "Who is inside?"

I hesitated for a moment, then simply said, "Miss Fan."

"Guanyin?" the Empress asked. "Guanyin" was Miss Fan's childhood name.

I said yes again, not daring to utter another word.

The Empress remained silent. After a long while, she asked again, "Who else is inside?"

I remained silent. Even though I knew it would be extremely disrespectful not to answer the Empress's question, I dared not utter another word.

The Empress, however, had already guessed: "Your Majesty?"

I bowed my head deeply.

I didn't know what the Empress's expression was; all I could perceive was a glimpse of her dress in the corner of my eye. Everyone around was silent; time seemed to stand still, except for the birds chirping sweetly in the locust trees lining the path.

A drop of water fell onto the ground in front of the Empress. Was it raining? I was still wondering when I saw the Empress's lower garment twirl slightly and drift out of my sight.

"I heard that the flowers in the back garden are in full bloom..." the Empress said as she walked out, her voice still steady, though with many pauses.

The Palace Attendant hurriedly followed up, saying, "Yes, the peach blossoms, plum blossoms, and golden moth and jade shy flowers are all in bloom. Your Highness might as well go and take a look."

Two rows of palace servants silently passed by me one by one, following the Empress towards the rear garden. Finally, one of them stopped in front of me.

I looked up and saw Qiu and her tearful eyes.

“Huaiji,” she whispered to me, “go quickly and find Mr. Zhang Maoze and invite him to the back garden.”

I agree. Qiu He wiped her eyes and quickly followed the line of the Empress's attendants.

I ran towards the inner east gate. Before leaving, I looked at the water droplet on the ground that had seeped into the paving stones, then looked up at the sky... The sky was clear and there was no sign of rain.

When I found Mr. Zhang, I briefly told him what had happened. When mentioning the Kunning Palace incident, I only said, "The Emperor and Miss Fan were in the palace." He understood everything. Before I could finish speaking, he rolled up his sleeves and strode towards the back garden.

I hesitated slightly, but ultimately followed him. When we arrived at the back garden, I saw the Empress wandering among the flowers and leaves, her gaze drifting over them, but her eyes were empty, clearly oblivious to the garden's beauty.

Mr. Zhang walked to her side, bowed slightly, and softly called out, "Your Majesty."

"Oh, Pingfu..." The Empress's voice trembled slightly when she saw him. This suddenly reminded me of the princess. Sometimes when she was wronged by Consort Miao, she would sulk and remain silent, but if I went to persuade her, she would call my name with a sob in her voice, followed by a heart-wrenching cry.

“Your Majesty, the rice seeds you presented to the Emperor in early spring, along with those from the six palaces, have already sprouted. Why not go to the Guanjia Hall to take a look?” Mr. Zhang suggested gently.

The Empress stared at him in a daze, and after a moment she finally smiled slightly: "Alright, let's go to Guanjia Palace."

In a corner of the rear garden stood the Guanjia Hall. Every year in early spring, the Empress would lead the six palace concubines to select seeds of the nine grains and present them to the Emperor. The Emperor would then personally cultivate the imperial field below the Guanjia Hall, and once the seedlings had grown, they could be viewed from the hall.

The Empress slowly ascended the Guanjia Hall, but I did not follow her. Instead, I stood quietly in a corner of the rice paddy, watching her from afar.

The garden is tended by dedicated staff, and the rice seedlings are lush and green, growing vigorously. If one were to look down from the palace, the magnificent scene of the new rice seedlings would surely be just as the courtiers described: "The fragrant fields are green and the fields are lush and green." I think the Empress would feel quite pleased upon seeing this.

The Empress stood serenely in the center of the hall, clad in a crimson robe embroidered with embroidered patterns and adorned with two white jade pendants. She gazed down at the lush green crops at her feet, her expression gradually returning to its usual calm and serene state. A breeze stirred, billowing her deep blue sleeves, and she tilted her head slightly, causing the twelve jeweled ornaments on her nine-dragon, four-phoenix crown to tremble gently. Closing her eyes, she revealed a gentle smile.

Mr. Zhang remained hidden behind her, standing beside a pillar, quietly gazing at her without speaking or moving for a long time.

He was dressed in a black robe, and looked as if he were just a tall shadow.

(to be continued)

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) Unwittingly Misled by the East Wind 19. Praying for Rain

Chapter word count: 4183 Update time: 08-08-21 16:05

19. Praying for rain

Within half a day, news of Miss Fan had spread throughout the six palaces. Previously, many adopted daughters in the palace had been taken in by the current emperor, but those were all adopted by the late emperor and his consorts. Among the younger generation of girls, according to palace rumors, Miss Fan was the first to "gain the emperor's favor." Therefore, the ladies were inquiring about the news among themselves, all waiting to see how the empress would handle the situation.

Upon returning from the Guanjia Palace, the Empress resumed her composed and unflappable demeanor as the Empress Dowager, handling palace affairs methodically as usual. At the banquet, she described the coming-of-age ceremony of Miss Gao to the Emperor, and then casually mentioned Miss Fan, saying that Miss Fan was getting older and she was no longer willing to let her adopted daughter leave the palace. Therefore, she asked the Emperor to keep Miss Fan by his side so that they would not be separated.

His words were spoken calmly and frankly, which made the emperor somewhat embarrassed, but in the end he went along with it and "granted his request".

Therefore, the Empress allocated another pavilion for Miss Fan to live in, and the number of palace servants in the pavilion was greatly increased. She then discussed related matters with the Palace Steward, the Palace Attendant, and others, and chose an auspicious day to await the Emperor's formal conferment of the title.

The palace was in an uproar, with many rumors circulating. Numerous versions of the events unfolded, one of which claimed that the Empress adopted Miss Fan intending to use her to gain favor with other concubines, and that Miss Fan's "seduction" of the Emperor was at the Empress's behest. Many people, hearing that I had glimpsed some events in the Kunning Palace, eagerly asked me about it. I remained silent. They then begged me to at least describe the Empress's expression when she learned of the matter, asking if she was pleased with herself. I gave no response, even to Consort Miao, only saying, "I didn't see anything."

I don't know if this was within the Empress's expectations, but the only thing I'm certain of is that the drop of water wasn't rain. But I won't mention this to anyone, and I think the current Empress wouldn't bother to explain or prove anything to others.

Even before being officially granted a title, the Emperor has frequently visited Miss Fan's residence, and there is much speculation within the palace about her rank. When the Emperor takes concubines, they are usually initially granted the title of Imperial Attendant, with those of slightly higher rank being granted the titles of County Lady or Prefecture Lady, not among the fifth-rank noblewomen, and their promotions would be gradual. However, rumors are circulating in the palace that Miss Fan comes from a respectable family and is the Empress's adopted daughter, so both the Emperor and Empress intend to grant her a higher rank, initially bestowing upon her the titles of Talented Lady or Noble Lady, and possibly even a fourth-rank Beauty.

When this matter was brought up, most of the women were beaming with excitement, almost as if they were happy about it. The reason was not hard to guess: they were all waiting to see the new beauty overshadow the old one.

Consort Zhang was so uneasy by these rumors that she often waited for the Emperor behind the palace hall. After this happened several times, the Emperor finally told her that she didn't need to come anymore. When the news spread, she became the laughingstock of the harem once again.

Presumably, Consort Zhang hadn't given up on finding a solution. Those few days were particularly busy for everyone in her quarters. Granny Jia or the eunuchs from her quarters were often seen going in and out of the inner and outer palaces, their faces grim and their movements hurried.

"She probably wants to consult with Minister Jia again," Consort Miao said privately. "But this time, it was the Empress who suggested that the Emperor take a new favorite. Fan Guanyin comes from a good family, so even if Minister Jia advises against it, the Emperor has a reason to refuse and ignore it."

She was right, but the severe drought that has lasted since last winter has changed the situation.

Rulers have always feared natural disasters. Whenever a disaster occurs, ministers will submit memorials asking the emperor to reflect on his own actions, saying that his policies and actions have been wrong, which has caused the natural disaster.

As March arrived and there was still no rain, the Emperor was deeply worried. He not only avoided the main hall and reduced his meals, but also frequently prayed for rain in the palace, trying every possible rain-making technique. He even led the palace staff and eunuchs to burn incense on their arms in prayer, but the rain still did not come.

At this time, Chancellor Jia Changchao remonstrated, saying that there were too many women in the palace and that he should release some of them to avert disaster. The emperor agreed, and after returning to the palace, he ordered the palace register to be retrieved, and selected some women who were not very close to him to be released from the palace.

There was still a rain-praying ceremony in the palace that day. As usual, the Emperor wrote the prayer himself. When he picked up his pen, Consort Zhang suddenly stepped forward and said, "I have heard that the prayer should be written with the blood of the person praying, so as to express the sincerity. I have been deeply favored by Your Majesty for many years but have no way to repay you. Today, I pray for rain. I ask Your Majesty to use my blood to fulfill my long-cherished wish to share your worries."